CT Investment Adviser Found Guilty Of $1.5M Ponzi-Like Fraud Scene CT Investment Adviser Found Guilty Of $1.5M Ponzi-Like Fraud Scene
CT Investment Adviser Found Guilty Of $1.5M Ponzi-Like Fraud Scene A Connecticut jury has found a former investment adviser guilty on all counts of a 21-count indictment accusing him of running a Ponzi-like scheme to the tune of $1.5 million. Leon Vaccarelli, 42, has been found guilty in New Haven district court of numerous fraud and money laundering charges stemming from an elaborate investment scheme that saw him defraud more than a dozen victim investors. U.S. Attorney John Durham said that Vaccarelli, of Waterbury, was a registered representative of The Investment Center, and was an investment adviser with IC Advisory Services, Inc. He also was the own…
Three Admit To Involvement In Large-Scale Marijuana Trafficking Operation Three Admit To Involvement In Large-Scale Marijuana Trafficking Operation
Three Admit To Involvement In Large-Scale Marijuana Trafficking Operation Three men have admitted to their roles in an elaborate, bi-coastal, multi-million dollar marijuana trafficking operation that flooded Connecticut with nearly two tons of the drug. Scott “Pep” Bodnar, of Ansonia, Terrell Givens, of Beacon Falls, and Donald Burns, of Milford, have pleaded guilty to federal offenses in connection to a large-scale marijuana trafficking conspiracy, U.S. Attorney John Durham announced this week. In 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration launched an investigation into a single-engine aircraft, owned by Burns, that made regular flights from Stratford to northern…
Man Sentenced For Stealing Bitcoins In Dark Web Phishing Scheme Man Sentenced For Stealing Bitcoins In Dark Web Phishing Scheme
Man Sentenced For Stealing Bitcoins In Dark Web Phishing Scheme An area man will spend time behind bars for fraud and money laundering offenses in connection to a scheme to steal bitcoins in an online phishing scam. Michael Richo, of New Haven, and formerly of Wallingford, has been sentenced in Hartford federal court to a term of 12 months and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of access device fraud and one count of money laundering. Richo admitted to engaging in an online phishing scheme to steal bitcoins from people on the dark web, U.S. Attorney John Durham announced. Richo carried out…
Darien Doctor Gets Prison Time For $5M Fraud At Norwalk Clinic Darien Doctor Gets Prison Time For $5M Fraud At Norwalk Clinic
Darien Doctor Gets Prison Time For $5M Fraud At Norwalk Clinic A former Fairfield County doctor will spend nearly a decade in prison after admitting to billing Medicaid for nearly $5 million, and hiding the money in a Swiss bank account before attempting to flee the country. Darien resident Ramil Mansourov, who owned and operated Family Urgent Health Care in Norwalk, has been sentenced to 87 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to health care fraud and money laundering offenses. Mansourov, 49, purchased Immediate Health Care from Bharat Patel in 2012, renaming it Family Urgent Health Care, and allowed P…
Ex-Doctor From Darien Sentenced For Health Care Fraud, Money Laundering Ex-Doctor From Darien Sentenced For Health Care Fraud, Money Laundering
Ex-Doctor From Darien Sentenced For Health Care Fraud, Money Laundering A former Fairfield County doctor will spend nearly a decade in prison after admitting to billing  Medicaid for nearly $5 million, and hiding the money in a Swiss bank account before attempting to flee the country. Darien resident Ramil Mansourov, who owned and operated Family Urgent Health Care in Norwalk, has been sentenced to 87 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to health care fraud and money laundering offenses. Mansourov, 49, purchased Immediate Health Care from Bharat Patel in 2012, renaming it Family Urgent Health Care, and allo…
Jamaican National Convicted Of Money Laundering, Other Offenses Jamaican National Convicted Of Money Laundering, Other Offenses
Jamaican National Convicted Of Money Laundering, Other Offenses A Jamaican national is facing decades in prison after being found guilty of running an elaborate marijuana tracking operation, weapon and money laundering offenses in Connecticut. Andrew Davis - also known as Steve Williams - was found guilty on multiple charges following a lengthy investigation by Homeland Security and the USPS. During the investigation, investigators were able to intercept four packages that were mailed, each of which contained approximately eight kilograms of marijuana. Investigators also made controlled purchases from a member of the drug trafficking ring. Davis was arr…
Man Sentenced For Multimillion Dollar Stranger-Originated Life Insurance Scheme Man Sentenced For Multimillion Dollar Stranger-Originated Life Insurance Scheme
Man Sentenced For Multimillion Dollar Stranger-Originated Life Insurance Scheme A Connecticut man is headed to prison after being found guilty of defrauding insurance companies into taking on policies on the lives of elderly people for his own financial benefits. Daniel Carpenter, of Simsbury, was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release after he was found guilty of 57 counts of conspiracy, mail and wire fraud.  He was also found guilty of money laundering and illegal monetary transaction offenses stemming from the scheme, also known as a stranger-oriented life insurance scheme. Carpenter, 64. contr…
Milford Man Arrested, Charged With Defrauding Elderly Person Milford Man Arrested, Charged With Defrauding Elderly Person
Milford Man Arrested, Charged With Defrauding Elderly Person An area man is facing decades behind bars for allegedly defrauding his elderly person of $60,000 through a fraud and money laundering scheme. Milford resident Christopher Sakelarakis has been indicted by a federal grand jury in New Haven charging him in the investment scheme that allowed him to bilk his victim out of thousands of dollars to live a lavish lifestyle. The indictment alleges that Sakelarakis “held himself out as having the necessary qualifications, experience and abilities to provide investment services to a victim-investor.” Sakelarakis allegedly claimed that he had multiple i…
Retired Nurse Sentenced For Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering Forfeits $750K Retired Nurse Sentenced For Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering Forfeits $750K
Retired Nurse Sentenced For Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering Forfeits $750K A former nurse from Connecticut who forfeited her home and more than $750,000 after pleading guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering will be spending time behind bars. Christine Miles of Windsor Locks has been sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, heroin, oxymorphone, hydrocodone and alprazolam.  She also admitted to engaging and attempting to engage in a monetary transaction affecting interstate commerce, involving criminally derived p…
Ex-Stamford CEO Man Guilty Of Defrauding More Than $2M From Investors Ex-Stamford CEO Man Guilty Of Defrauding More Than $2M From Investors
Ex-Stamford CEO Man Guilty Of Defrauding More Than $2M From Investors The former CEO of a Fairfield County business has been found guilty of defrauding investors of more than $2 million, including several women he met on an online dating website. Stamford resident Thomas Connerton, the founder, president and CEO of Safety Technologies, LLC, which operated out of Westport, Stamford, Madison and Simsbury, has been found guilty in federal court for his role in the investment scheme. John Durham, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, said that Safety Technologies was founded in 2006, with the purpose of developing and commercializing what wa…
Ex-Darien Doctor Admits To Health Care Fraud, Money Laundering Ex-Darien Doctor Admits To Health Care Fraud, Money Laundering
Ex-Darien Doctor Admits To Health Care Fraud, Money Laundering A former Fairfield County doctor has admitted to billing Medicaid for nearly $5 million, and hiding the money in a Swiss bank account before attempting to flee the country. Darien resident Ramil Mansourov, who owned and operated Family Urgent Health Care in Norwalk, has pleaded guilty in New Haven District Court to health care fraud and money laundering offenses. Mansourov, 49, purchased Immediate Health Care from Bharat Patel in 2012, renaming it Family Urgent Health Care, and allowed Patel to continue to work for the practice, John Durham, the United States Attorney for the District of Co…
New TV Crime Show 'Deadly Rich' Will Spotlight Area Murder Case New TV Crime Show 'Deadly Rich' Will Spotlight Area Murder Case
New TV Crime Show 'Deadly Rich' Will Spotlight Area Murder Case One of the most infamous murder cases in area history will be back in the spotlight as CNBC debuts its newest original series, “Deadly Rich,” which will delve into the notorious murders of Ben Novack, Jr. and his mother Bernice Novack nine years ago. Ben Novack Jr., 52, a convention business owner and heir to the famous Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach, was found beaten to death in his hotel suite at the Rye Town Hilton on July 12, 2009. Earlier that year, his 86-year-old mother was attacked and killed at her home in Fort Lauderdale. A year after Novack Jr.'s death, police charged his wif…