fraud

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2 Men Indicted in $99M 'Wine-Based Ponzi Scheme'

They allegedly told investors fine wine would be used as collateral for loans

(Newser) - Two British men told investors that they brokered loans for wealthy wine collectors using fine wines as collateral—but the collectors didn't exist, and neither did most of the wine, prosecutors in New York say. Stephen Burton and James Wellesley are accused of scamming investors out of almost $100...

Scholarship Cash Used to Pay for Exec's Dating Sites: Prosecutors

Mary Wickersham is also accused of using pageant scholarship funds for maid services, meals out

(Newser) - The Miss Florida Scholarship Program was designed to distribute funds to young women coming up through the beauty pageant world, but prosecutors say that for Mary Wickersham, an ex-executive director for the nonprofit, it was a personal piggy bank used to buy an array of goods and services for herself....

She Announced Her Pregnancy. Then, 'Something Baffling'

Ga. government worker indicted after allegedly faking she was with child for paid leave

(Newser) - It seems it would be an elaborate scheme to fake one pregnancy, let alone several. But that's exactly what a government worker in Georgia is accused of doing, allegedly to secure paid time off. A release out of the state's Office of the Inspector General says 43-year-old Robin...

Cops: FSU Library Security Chief Stole $500K in Comics

Todd Peak is accused of lifting rare titles from Strozier Library throughout the pandemic

(Newser) - As head of security of Florida State University's Strozier Library, Todd Peak held one of four keys to access a $500,000 collection of prized science fiction, fantasy, horror, and comic book titles. He also apparently held little appreciation for his job, even after being deemed an essential worker...

Tinder Removes Man Accused in Documentary
Tinder Removes Man
Accused in Documentary
updated
Feb 6, 2022 12:25 PM CST

Tinder Removes Man Accused in Documentary

'Elle' dives into the women featured in Netflix's 'The Tinder Swindler'

(Newser) - Update: No one can swipe right on Simon Leviev anymore, Tinder has decided. The subject of the Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler has been taken off the platform, the Washington Post reports. You won't find him under "Shimon Hayut," either; Tinder said he's no longer active...

His Heavy Lift Puts Fire Chief in Hot Water

New Bedford, Massachusetts, fires Paul Coderre Jr., citing video evidence of injury fraud

(Newser) - Paul Coderre Jr. helped load a 176-pound smoker grill into his pickup truck on a sunny day last June, before later removing it on his own. For the city of New Bedford, Mass., that routine action was hugely significant. As acting fire chief, Coderre had claimed work-related injuries that resulted...

'Who Steals From a Deaf Kid?' Allegedly, Alex Murdaugh

Fox News unravels his alleged embezzlement crimes

(Newser) - We're learning more details about the alleged financial fraud of Alex Murdaugh, including claims that the South Carolina lawyer stole from a deaf quadriplegic he represented following a car accident, and a former highway patrolman he represented following an injury in the line of duty. Murdaugh, already accused of...

Rabbi Injured in Attack Is Going to Prison

Yisroel Goldstein pleaded guilty to scamming the IRS with tax fraud schemes

(Newser) - "I stand here today, my head bowed in shame, remorse and disappointment over the crimes that I have committed to God and mankind," Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein told a hearing Tuesday, where he was sentenced to 14 months for his crimes against the Internal Revenue Service. The 60-year-old rabbi,...

After 43 Hours of Deliberations, Holmes Jury Is Back at It
Holmes Jury Says It Is
Deadlocked on 3 Counts
UPDATED
Jan 3, 2022 2:17 PM CST

Holmes Jury Says It Is Deadlocked on 3 Counts

Judge tells them to keep deliberating

(Newser) - Update: The jury in the Elizabeth Holmes case was sent back to the deliberation room Monday after they told the judge they were deadlocked on three of the 11 fraud counts against the former Theranos CEO. The jurors—who began deliberations before Christmas—didn't say which of the counts...

Olympic Medalist Charged With $10M PPP Loan Fraud

Speed skater Allison Baver allegedly used some of the funds to invest in an Elijah Wood film

(Newser) - A Utah speed skater who picked up a bronze medal at the 2010 Olympics and participated in the two Winter Games before that has been indicted and charged with making false statements to get her hands on millions in COVID relief loans. Per a release from the US Attorney's...

Man Accused of Selling Fake Vax Cards: 'I'm Gonna Be Rich'

Amar Shabazz of Maryland is facing charges of mail fraud, obstruction of justice

(Newser) - In April, Amar Shabazz was released from prison after time served for possession of child porn. By October, Shabazz's Maryland residence had been raided by authorities, and the 23-year-old is now facing new charges, this time for allegedly selling hundreds of fake vaccine cards, reports the New York Post...

PPP Fraudster Learns 'There Is No Easy Money'

Texas' Lee Price III gets 9 years for wire fraud, money laundering

(Newser) - A Texas man who fraudulently received $1.6 million in COVID-19 relief money, then bought a $200,000 Lamborghini and a Rolex, has been sentenced to more than nine years in prison. Lee Price III of Houston was sentenced to nine years and two months in prison on Monday after...

At Elizabeth Holmes Trial, a 'Sudden,' Maybe Risky Move

In 'surprising' development, defense team brings Theranos founder herself to the stand

(Newser) - The criminal trial of Elizabeth Holmes is set to enter its 12th week, and it ended the 11th week with a "sudden and surprising move" by the defense, which started making its case Friday. To wit: The 37-year-old Theranos founder herself took the stand, striding "confidently" to the...

Couple Nailed in $20M COVID Funds Scheme on the Run

Richard Ayvazyan, Marietta Terabelian left note for their kids before vanishing in August

(Newser) - Earlier this year, Richard Ayvazyan and Marietta Terabelian faced the music in a scheme to steal upward of $20 million in COVID relief funds, after using the money to finance upscale homes, jewelry and watches, gold coins, and other luxury goods. The Southern California husband and wife pleaded guilty at...

California Man Sentenced in $1B Solar Ponzi Scheme

Jeff Carpoff gets 30 years

(Newser) - The owner of a San Francisco Bay Area solar energy company was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison Tuesday for an audacious Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of $1 billion. It's the biggest criminal fraud scheme in the history of the federal court district that covers inland Northern...

She Gave the OK for Steel Used in Navy Subs. Now, a Guilty Plea

Retired metallurgist Elaine Thomas, 67, admits she falsified foundry's test reports on steel strength

(Newser) - For about four decades, Elaine Thomas worked as a metallurgist for a steel foundry in Washington state, churning out steel castings used by Navy contractors to make submarine hulls. And for about 30 of those years, prosecutors now say, Thomas falsified results from tests designed to test the steel's...

She Says She Administered Vaccine. Cops Say She Didn't

Nurse is accused of pretending to give vax to teen at clinic in Perth, Australia

(Newser) - A nurse in Western Australia has been charged with fraud, accused of pretending to administer a COVID vaccine at a private clinic. The Guardian notes it's the first recorded instance of someone allegedly faking such a vaccination. ABC Australia reports that 51-year-old Christina Hartmann Benz had apparently received a...

Feds: Widow Disposed of Husband in Trash, Took His Benefits

Aging Las Vegas woman allegedly hid the fact that her husband had died

(Newser) - "There was no ambulance, no hospitalization, no funeral, no burial, and no cremation," states a federal criminal complaint filed in connection with the death of a Pennsylvania man identified only as JPS. The person the complaint does name is the man's wife, Nancy Shedleski. She's accused...

Broken Hearts, Empty Wallets: Seniors Catfished for $139M

FTC report says there was a 'surge' in 2020 in romance scams bamboozling Americans 60 and over

(Newser) - Last month, the Department of Justice announced money laundering and wire fraud charges brought against nearly a dozen "romance scammers," and that's only scratching the surface of what the Washington Post calls a "surge" in such deceptions made worse by the pandemic, especially for the senior...

Prosecutors: Fraudster Even Conned Fellow Inmates

Michael Moller also sentenced to almost 7 years over fraudulent PPP loans

(Newser) - A convicted bank robber is headed back to federal prison—this time for fraudulently seeking more than $4.7 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans. Michael Moller, 42, of Middletown, Rhode Island, was under federal supervised release following four armed bank robbery convictions when he filed 11 loan applications under...

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