fraud

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Georgia Inmate Allegedly Stole Millions From Billionaires

Arthur Cofield allegedly used contraband phone to impersonate movie mogul Sidney Kimmel

(Newser) - A Georgia inmate serving time in a maximum security unit for armed robbery became a much more sophisticated criminal behind bars, using contraband phones to impersonate at least one billionaire and steal more than $10 million, authorities say. Federal agents believe 31-year-old Arthur Lee Cofield Jr. convinced customer service representatives...

New Estimate of Theft From Unemployment: $45.6B

Pandemic crimes prosecutor calls it 'unprecedented fraud'

(Newser) - The federal government has a revised estimate of the amount of money the US unemployment insurance program lost through fraud during the pandemic: $45.6 billion. Criminals collected the money between March 2020 and April 2022 through such tactics as using the Social Security numbers of dead people, CNN reports....

Nonprofit Founder, 46 Others Charged in $250M Scheme

It's the biggest pandemic-related fraud case to date

(Newser) - Federal prosecutors indicted 47 individuals in Minnesota on Tuesday in a sprawling $250 million scheme described as the largest pandemic-related fraud case to date. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Minnesota-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future "was at the center of each indictment," which included charges of wire...

Self-Proclaimed 'African Prince' Fleeced Investors of $800K

Ohio's Daryl Robert Harrison, who called himself a 'prince' and 'prophet,' convicted of fraud

(Newser) - An Ohio man claiming to be a prince from Ghana conned more than a dozen people out of $800,000 before his scheme blew up. Daryl Robert Harrison, who posed as the "prince" or "prophet" Daryl R. Attipoe, was convicted Friday of mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to...

Former Rep. TJ Cox Arrested by the FBI

California Democrat faces dozens of fraud charges

(Newser) - Former Rep. TJ Cox served one term in the House, from Jan. 2019 to Jan. 2021. The California Democrat will be serving a lot more time than that in federal prison if he's convicted of all of the fraud charges he's facing. The FBI says Cox was arrested...

Man Who Sought COVID Aid for 800 Fake Workers Sentenced

California man gets 135 months in federal prison

(Newser) - Between April and June 2020, Los Angeles man Robert Benlevi applied for COVID aid for eight companies he owns, saying they had 100 employees each and business had been affected by the pandemic. But while the companies existed, at least on paper, the employees were fake, which is why Benlevi...

Ex-Ga. Mayor Sentenced for 'Deplorable' Pandemic Crime

Jason Lary gets 57 months behind bars for pocketing COVID relief cash meant for Stonecrest

(Newser) - An "unsavory saga" has come to a conclusion in Georgia, where an ex-mayor is now headed to prison for nearly five years over a COVID relief funds scheme. On Wednesday, US District Court Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr. sentenced Jason Lary to 57 months behind bars for stealing hundreds...

Actor Charged in $96K Workers' Comp Fraud

Q'orianka Kilcher of 'Yellowstone' allegedly claimed injury kept her from work, despite just finishing job

(Newser) - Q'orianka Kilcher, an actor who had a breakout role as Pocahontas in 2005's The New World, is said to have collected nearly $100,000 in a case of workers' compensation fraud. The 32-year-old of North Hollywood allegedly injured her neck and right shoulder in October 2018 while working...

IRS Approved One Guy's 76 Blatantly Fake Charities

'New York Times' examines lax policies at tax agency that make fraud easy

(Newser) - Ian Hosang says he’s sorry and wants to make full restitution. “I did very wrong. I know that,” he tells the New York Times . Hosang, 63, was arrested in May for fraud and other charges tied to 76 fake charities he established between 2014 and 2020. According...

If You Get a Call From 'Elliot Stewart,' Be Wary

$13M has been stolen from the elderly in a rare-wine scam

(Newser) - The world of fine wine and whiskey continues to be a magnet for thieves and frauds . The Washington Post reports on allegations that three England-based companies claiming huge returns on investments in rare booze actually stole more than $13 million from at least 150 Americans—many of them elderly. Representatives...

Prosecutors: Suspect Tried to Jet Ski Out of the Country

It didn't work out for Ernesto Cruz Graveran, now held in Florida

(Newser) - Stripped of his passport, a man tried to flee fraud charges in the US by riding a jet ski from Florida to Cuba, prosecutors say. Ernesto Cruz Graveran, 54, a Cuban national living in Florida and charged in a $4.2 million Medicare fraud scheme, is being held as a...

Alleged PPP Fraudster Blew $2.5M on Cars, Crypto

Vinicius Santana of Florida allegedly bought 2 cars and a home with his $2.5M loan

(Newser) - Authorities say the former owner of a Massachusetts painting business fraudulently received $2.5 million in loans meant to assist small businesses during the pandemic before buying cars and a home and investing in cryptocurrency. Vinicius Santana, 34, was arrested Monday at Miami International Airport, not far from where he...

Ex-Art Dealer Gets 7 Years in Prison for $86M Scheme

Inigo Philbrick defrauded buyers, fled to South Pacific when 'house of cards' crumbled: prosecutor

(Newser) - A former London and Miami art dealer who pleaded guilty to defrauding art buyers and others of more than $86 million was sentenced Monday to seven years in prison. Inigo Philbrick, 34, a US citizen who previously lived in London, was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Judge Sidney H....

This Ex-Bank CEO's Expense Report Was Eyebrow-Raising

Former Raiffeisen chief Pierin Vincenz gets nearly 4 years in prison after $214K in strip club bills

(Newser) - A former "banker of the year" in Switzerland used his company credit card to pay for a Tinder date, a trip to Australia, and $214,000 in bills from strip clubs, according to testimony heard in a Zurich court before Pierin Vincenz was sentenced Wednesday to nearly four years...

Hours After Arrest, New York's Lt. Gov. Resigns

Brian Benjamin allegedly promised state grant in exchange for illegal campaign contributions

(Newser) - This story has been updated with new developments. New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin has stepped down after eight months in office that were overshadowed by allegations of campaign finance fraud —and then by his arrest Tuesday. Gov. Kathy Hochul said hours after the arrest that she had accepted...

'Catch Me if You Can,' Australian Style

Jody Harris was bold and brazen, but ultimately undone by love

(Newser) - Alysha Searle, “an underslept, overcaffeinated barista,” was pulled over during her commute on Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway in 2006. The female officer berated Searle for running a red light and demanded to see her license. A moment later, the officer got an emergency call and told Searle to...

British Airways Pilot Jailed After Faking Flying Experience
He Flew for 2 Years
Unsuspected.
Then, the Press of
a Wrong Button
in case you missed it
Apr 9, 2022 9:00 AM CDT

He Flew for 2 Years Unsuspected. Then, the Press of a Wrong Button

British Airways pilot Craig Butfoy jailed after faking flying experience

(Newser) - Who knows how things would've worked out for Craig Butfoy, and the passengers on the planes he piloted, if he simply hadn't pressed a wrong button one day at work. That button press, as it turns out, led to questions being asked, and then a startling revelation: The...

Man in Prison for Stealing Syrup Now Told to Pay Millions

Richard Vallieres was part of massive scheme that lifted one of country's hottest commodities

(Newser) - In what may be the most Canadian of crimes yet—and the "stickiest," per the BBC —the nation's high court this week ruled that a "major player" in a scheme to steal a massive amount of maple syrup must pay a $7.2 million fine....

Dentist Who Purposely Broke Patients' Teeth Hears His Fate

Scott Charmoli of Jackson, Wis., found guilty of health care fraud, making false statements

(Newser) - Update: A Wisconsin dentist has been found guilty of purposely breaking his patients' teeth so he could rake in millions from insurance companies to fix them. Per the Washington Post , 61-year-old Scott Charmoli of Jackson was convicted on Thursday of five counts of health care fraud and two counts of...

Man Blew $60K in COVID Funds on a Pokemon Card

Vinath Oudomsine was stripped of 'Charizard' on his way to prison

(Newser) - A 31-year-old Georgia man will spend three years in prison after using $57,789 of his $85,000 COVID-19 disaster relief loan to buy a Pokemon card. Vinath Oudomsine, 31, of Dublin applied to the Small Business Administration for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan around July 2020, claiming he operated...

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