LOS ANGELES — A federal grand jury indicted six foreign nationals on charges that they defrauded hundreds of customers out of more than $4 million in bogus Internet car sales, federal prosecutors said Thursday

The 24-count indictment alleges a scheme in which vehicles were offered for sale on legitimate websites that deal in auto trading, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office.

The six defendants — from Germany, Russia, Romania and Latvia — are accused of collecting payments from hundreds of would-be buyers nationwide, siphoning millions of dollars to Europe and never delivering a vehicle, the indictment said.

At least 110 bank accounts were opened to fraudulently receive the funds, according to the indictment. From Sept. 4, 2007 until Oct. 5, 2010, victims deposited at least $4 million into the accounts.

NEW ORLEANS — Two men died and 61 other people were injured Thursday in a pre-dawn pileup involving about 40 cars, vans and other vehicles on a busy interstate that crosses New Orleans, closing the route for hours both ways, police said.Drivers said they drove into thick smoke or fog that abruptly limited visibility on westbound lanes of Interstate 10 heading across eastern New Orleans. Those who came upon the scene said they heard injured motorists pleading for assistance.A police spokesman would not talk about possible causes, including whether those may have included smoke or fog.All lanes were reopened late Thursday afternoon as the investigation continued, letting commuters head home at rush hour.The highway is heavily trafficked, a major corridor for thousands of commuters who enter New Orleans each day from its eastern suburbs and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Those driving the route at the time of the wrecks said they suddenly found themselves in utter darkness, unable to see the lights of cars ahead.

SAN FRANCISCO — A lone gray wolf has wandered across the Oregon border into California in what wildlife officials are calling a historic event.The California Department of Fish and game said biologists on Thursday tracked the wolf's position to a few miles south of the state line.A global positioning system collar was placed on the wolf in February. Since then, the 2Z\x-year-old male has wandered more than 300 miles. The GPS data put the wolf in California as of Wednesday.Gray wolves in California are designated a federally endangered species.The last confirmed wild gray wolf in California was killed in 1924.