Tag:

Fraud

Ex-VA Nurse Who Stole Meds From Dying Patients In CT Will Avoid Jail Time: Feds Ex-VA Nurse Who Stole Meds From Dying Patients In CT Will Avoid Jail Time: Feds
Ex-VA Nurse Who Stole Meds From Dying Patients In CT Will Avoid Jail Time: Feds A former nurse at a Connecticut Veterans Administration hospital's intensive care unit who admitted to stealing medications from terminally ill patients will not serve prison time, authorities said. Tara Severino, 58, of West Haven, was sentenced to six months of home confinement and two years of probation on Thursday, Dec. 19, the US Attorney for Connecticut said.  Severino was a nurse at the West Haven VA Medical Center, where she stole pain medications like fentanyl and hydromorphone from patients under her care, according to prosecutors. She accomplished this in several ways, inclu…
Manhattan's Top Federal Prosecutor To Resign Before Trump Presidency Manhattan's Top Federal Prosecutor To Resign Before Trump Presidency
Manhattan's Top Federal Prosecutor To Resign Before Trump Presidency US Attorney Damian Williams, who has overseen high-profile cases in the Southern District of New York, has announced his resignation, a move that comes ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term and the expected nomination of his successor.  Williams’ resignation will take effect at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, according to a statement from his office on Monday, Nov. 25.  The resignation comes as President-elect Trump has announced plans to nominate Jay Clayton, a former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman under Trump’s first administration, to lead the of…
Police Say Scam Attempts On Rise After 2 Elderly CT Residents Taken For $10K Each Police Say Scam Attempts On Rise After 2 Elderly CT Residents Taken For $10K Each
Police Say Scam Attempts On Rise After 2 Elderly CT Residents Taken For $10K Each Police are urging residents to remain cautious after a local senior was scammed out of more than $10,000 in a sophisticated fraud scheme.  The scammer posed as a Microsoft representative and convinced the victim to withdraw cash from their bank account and deliver it in a package to an individual who later came to their home. A similar incident occurred in Milford last week, according to police, suggesting this scheme is targeting residents in the area. Authorities are warning the public to stay alert to scams involving supposed computer or software issues, particularly those requesti…
Trump Taps Dr. Oz To Lead Medicare, Medicaid Services Trump Taps Dr. Oz To Lead Medicare, Medicaid Services
Trump Taps Dr. Oz To Lead Medicare, Medicaid Services President-elect Donald J. Trump has nominated Dr. Mehmet Oz to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), citing the Pennsylvania-educated heart surgeon’s decades-long dedication to healthcare innovation and public advocacy. The announcement came Tuesday, Nov. 19, as Trump highlighted Oz’s qualifications and ties to the Keystone State. Dr. Oz earned both his medical degree and MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine and Wharton Business School, making him an Ivy League-trained physician and business leader. Trump lauded his achievements in a statement, ca…
Woman Swindled $300K From CT Medicaid Over 2 Years: Police Woman Swindled $300K From CT Medicaid Over 2 Years: Police
Woman Swindled $300K From CT Medicaid Over 2 Years: Police A 59-year-old Connecticut woman faces decades in prison after state investigators claim she stole more than $300,000 from Medicaid by submitting false claims and changing patient's medical records.  Iselande Desyr, of Stamford in Fairfield County, is charged with one count each of health insurance fraud and larceny in the first degree by defrauding the public community, the state's Division of Criminal Justice said.  Desyr was the owner of Holistic Psychiatric Services, LLC, which claims to treat a variety of disorders in children and adults with holistic means on its website…
Women Claimed Elite Hackers Made Her Life A Nightmare For Years, But She Did It All: Police Women Claimed Elite Hackers Made Her Life A Nightmare For Years, But She Did It All: Police
Women Claimed Elite Hackers Made Her Life A Nightmare For Years, But She Did It All: Police A 63-year-old Connecticut woman told police for years she and another person were the target of an ongoing online harassment campaign that lasted years by an anonymous person who made their lives miserable. But she was sending the messages and threats, police in New Haven County said.  Deborah Ann Calloutas, age 63, of Wolcott, is facing several felonies linked to the alleged faked harassment that went on for years, Connecticut State Police said.  Calloutas first reached out to police in 2021 to say she and her unnamed friend were the targets of hackers who were doctoring their ph…
$400K Scheme: Woman Steals From CT Addiction Nonprofit, Spends Funds On Vacations $400K Scheme: Woman Steals From CT Addiction Nonprofit, Spends Funds On Vacations
$400K Scheme: Woman Steals From CT Addiction Nonprofit, Spends Funds On Vacations A 50-year-old woman has admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Connecticut nonprofit at which she served as executive director, federal officials said. New London County resident Michele Devine of Waterford, age 50, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with her alleged theft of almost $400,000 from a Norwich-based addiction and mental health nonprofit, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced on Monday, Oct. 21. According to federal officials, Devine served as the executive director of the Southeastern Regional Action Council on S…
Woman Who Stole $800K From CT Boys & Girls Club Nabbed In Florida, Police Say Woman Who Stole $800K From CT Boys & Girls Club Nabbed In Florida, Police Say
Woman Who Stole $800K From CT Boys & Girls Club Nabbed In Florida, Police Say An out-of-state woman is behind bars for allegedly stealing $800,000 from a Fairfield County Boys & Girls Club through a wire transfer over the computer. Debora Marcoccio, age 68, of Florida, was extradited from the Lee County Jail in Fort Myers, Florida, on Wednesday, Aug. 21, by the Greenwich Police. According to Lt. Patrick Smyth of the Greenwich Police, the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich contacted the department in December of 2022 to report a fraud involving one of its financial accounts. Due to fraudulent email activity, one of the club's financial staff members sent a wire t…
Ousted Rep. George Santos  Likely To Face Prison After Pleading Guilty In Fraud Case Ousted Rep. George Santos  Likely To Face Prison After Pleading Guilty In Fraud Case
Ousted Rep. George Santos Likely To Face Prison After Pleading Guilty In Fraud Case Former Republican Congressman George Santos admitted to committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in a federal court on Monday, Aug. 19, authorities announced.  The 36-year-old former inhabitant of New York's 3rd Congressional District seat on Long Island was facing 23 felonies, and a trial set to begin next month.  A federal judge will sentence Santos on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York said. According to federal sentencing guidelines, aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year minimum sentence.&n…
Cryptocurrency Scammers Steal $63K From CT Resident; Here's How To Protect Yourself Cryptocurrency Scammers Steal $63K From CT Resident; Here's How To Protect Yourself
Cryptocurrency Scammers Steal $63K From CT Resident; Here's How To Protect Yourself Police are sounding the alarm after scammers successfully stole tens of thousands of dollars from a Connecticut resident. In New Haven County, a Cheshire resident contacted Connecticut State Police in April 2024 saying they had lost more than $68,000 worth of cryptocurrency in a scam. The victim told investigators they were tricked by a phishing scheme that offered new tokens. Instead, the scammers drained all the cryptocurrency in their digital wallet. Detectives were able to trace the victim’s stolen funds using blockchain analytics and located their wallet, which still had most of the c…
New Canaan Counselor Ripped Off Medicaid For $80K, Officials Say New Canaan Counselor Ripped Off Medicaid For $80K, Officials Say
New Canaan Counselor Ripped Off Medicaid For $80K, Officials Say A Fairfield County counselor with a business in Stamford defrauded Medicaid by billing thousands in fraudulent claims for services he did not provide. According to state judicial officials, Andrew R. Golden, age 56, of New Canaan, was sentenced to three years in prison, which was suspended, and five years of conditional discharge.  The judge ordered Golden to pay $80,328.19 in restitution and to not act as a Medicaid provider or provide services to any Medicaid recipient. Golden has paid the restitution, said officials with the state Division of Criminal Justice,  The division sa…
$1.5M Con: Ex-Employee Admits Defrauding CT Insurance Company $1.5M Con: Ex-Employee Admits Defrauding CT Insurance Company
$1.5M Con: Ex-Employee Admits Defrauding CT Insurance Company A former employee from Pennsylvania admitted to defrauding a Connecticut insurance company to the tune of $1.5 million. James Keating, age 52, of Paoli, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in New Haven federal court on Tuesday, July 30. Prosecutors said Keating – who served as assistant vice president and a surety bond claims handler at Hartford County-based Allied World Insurance Company in Farmington – created a shell company to bill Allied World for unnecessary claims work that was never performed. Between 2017 and 2021, he also solicited and received kickbacks from Allied World…
Attempted Fake Transaction At Darien Bank Lands Man In Jail, Police Say Attempted Fake Transaction At Darien Bank Lands Man In Jail, Police Say
Attempted Fake Transaction At Darien Bank Lands Man In Jail, Police Say A man who was wanted for allegedly attempting to make a fraudulent bank transaction in Fairfield County turned himself in to the police. Steven Guardindo, age 56, of Wilmington, North Carolina, was arrested on July 11 by Darien Police for the March 2023 incident. According to Darien Police Sgt. Mauricio Vigil, officers responded to the Fairfield Country Bank in Darien for a report of a man attempting to make a fraudulent transaction using a fake passport. By the time officers officers arrived, Guardino had already left. But bank employees told police he gave them the fake ID in t…
Don't Fall For It: Phone Scammers Impersonating CT Police Officers Don't Fall For It: Phone Scammers Impersonating CT Police Officers
Don't Fall For It: Phone Scammers Impersonating CT Police Officers Don’t fall for it. Police in Connecticut are warning residents to be on the lookout for scammers who are impersonating law enforcement officers. In Fairfield County, the Greenwich Police Department issued a warning Friday, July 12, that residents have received phone calls from a “Detective Steve McMorris” about purported outstanding summons. The caller claims to be from the Greenwich Police Department of the Old Greenwich Police Department. “This call is a scam and DO NOT reply,” the agency said on Facebook. “The Greenwich Police Department does not have anyone by that name, and the Old …
$185M Scheme: NY Trio Nabbed For Defrauding 1,400 Investors, Feds Say $185M Scheme: NY Trio Nabbed For Defrauding 1,400 Investors, Feds Say
$185M Scheme: NY Trio Nabbed For Defrauding 1,400 Investors, Feds Say Three New York men have been charged in connection with a $185 million fraud scheme involving over a thousand investors, federal authorities announced. The three are Long Island resident Mario Gogliormella, age 47, of Manhasset; and New York City residents Steven Lacaj, age 27, of Manhattan, and Karim Ibrahim, age 34, of Queens, also known as “Chris Hayes." “By allegedly raising approximately $185 million from over 1,400 investors, Mario Gogliormella, Steven Lacaj, and Karim Ibrahim left a trail of shattered trust and financial ruin," US Attorney for the Southern Distric…
NY Resident Loses $341K In 'Pig Butchering' Scheme: Here's What It Is NY Resident Loses $341K In 'Pig Butchering' Scheme: Here's What It Is
NY Resident Loses $341K In 'Pig Butchering' Scheme: Here's What It Is The US Secret Service has seized a web domain used in a cryptocurrency confidence crime scheme known as “pig butchering” after a New York resident was swindled out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to federal authorities, scammers in pig butchering schemes encounter victims in various ways, including on dating applications, social media websites, and even random text messages masquerading as the wrong number. Scammers initiate relationships with victims and slowly gain their trust, eventually introducing the idea of making a business investment using cryptocurrency.  Vict…