Tag:

Fraud

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…
Ex-Mass State Senator Accused Of Fraud Now Charged With Lying About 'Sham Job Offer': Feds Ex-Mass State Senator Accused Of Fraud Now Charged With Lying About 'Sham Job Offer': Feds
Ex-Mass State Senator Accused Of Fraud Now Charged With Lying About 'Sham Job Offer': Feds A former state senator already facing 28 counts of fraud and tax evasion is now accused of lying about a fake job offer at his sister's company, federal authorities said.  Dean Tran, 48, of Fitchburg, was indicted on one count of obstruction of justice and one count of making a false statement. Tran's sister, Tuyet T. Martin, 54, of Pelham, New Hampshire, was indicted on two counts of obstruction of justice and one count of perjury, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.  Related: Ex-State Senator Charged With Illegally Collecting $30K In Unemployment Benefits “The charges …
Postal Employee Who Embezzled $90K Gets 18 Months In Prison, Must Pay Restitution: Feds Postal Employee Who Embezzled $90K Gets 18 Months In Prison, Must Pay Restitution: Feds
Postal Employee Who Embezzled $90K Gets 18 Months In Prison, Must Pay Restitution: Feds A former US Postal Service employee who was convicted of stealing $90,000 will spend the next 18 months behind bars, authorities announced on Tuesday, June 11.  Jamesa Rankins, 27, of Brockton, was found guilty in November of one count of theft of government money and three counts of wire fraud, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. She was ordered to spend 18 months in federal prison and repay the $104,698 she embezzled from the Postal Service.  Rankins worked as a Sales & Service Distribution Associate at the Montello Post office in Brockton for approximately four and a ha…
Ex-Postal Employee In Revere, Melrose Stole Cash From Mail, Created Fake Money Orders: Feds Ex-Postal Employee In Revere, Melrose Stole Cash From Mail, Created Fake Money Orders: Feds
Michael Murray, of Lynn, Faces Up To 15 Years In Prison A 36-year-old former postal clerk has been arrested and charged with stealing hundreds of pieces of mail containing cash, checks, and gift cards and generating fake money orders worth more than $8,000 in total, authorities said.  Michael Murray, of Lynn, was arrested Friday morning, April 26, and charged with one count of theft of mail matter by an employee and one count of theft of government money, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.  Murray worked at the Beach Street Post Office in Revere and the Melrose Post Office from September 2022 until July 2023. During that…
Mass Postal Worker Embezzled $19K From Post Office: Feds Mass Postal Worker Embezzled $19K From Post Office: Feds
Mass Postal Worker Embezzled $19K From Post Office: Feds A former United States Postal Service employee in Massachusetts is accused of stealing nearly $20,000 in cash with a money order scam, federal authorities said.  Christine Hedges, 46, of Brockton, was charged with one count of theft of government money last week and released with conditions, the US Attorney's Office for Massachusetts said.  Hedges began working at the post office in 2020 and moved up to lead sales and service associate at the Brockton branch. Investigators said Hedges used her authority to generate no-fee money orders for her personal use and would take cash from…
Not Laughing: George Santos Sues Jimmy Kimmel For 'Deceiving' Him Into Making Cameo Videos Not Laughing: George Santos Sues Jimmy Kimmel For 'Deceiving' Him Into Making Cameo Videos
Not Laughing: George Santos Sues Jimmy Kimmel For 'Deceiving' Him Into Making Cameo Videos Disgraced former New York Rep. George Santos is taking his beef with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel to federal court. In a lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York on Friday, Feb. 16, the ex-Republican lawmaker accused Kimmel of copyright infringement and fraud for a series of personalized videos the talk show host commissioned from him on the website Cameo. The 35-year-old Santos began selling video shout outs on the site following his historic ouster from Congress amid federal criminal charges. Earlier Report: US House Expels Nassau Rep. George Santos In Historic Vote K…
29-Year-Old From Connecticut Focus Of Netflix Documentary On His Mom's Mysterious Death On Boat 29-Year-Old From Connecticut Focus Of Netflix Documentary On His Mom's Mysterious Death On Boat
29-Year-Old From Connecticut Focus Of Netflix Documentary On His Mom's Mysterious Death On Boat A 29-year-old from Connecticut who was accused of killing his mother and grandfather is the focus of a new Netflix documentary on the mysterious deaths.  Netflix said earlier this month the documentary will explore the mysteries surrounding Middlesex County native Nathan Carman, of Middletown, who was accused of killing his mother Linda Carman while on a fishing trip in 2016, and his grandfather, John Chakalos. three years earlier in 2013. Carman, who died while in police custody last year, allegedly killed his mother while fishing off the coast of Rhode Island on the family boat.…
Massachusetts Woman Alters, Cashes CT Resident's Checks: Police Massachusetts Woman Alters, Cashes CT Resident's Checks: Police
Massachusetts Woman Alters, Cashes CT Resident's Checks: Police A Massachusetts woman has been arrested after she was allegedly caught altering and cashing a Connecticut resident’s checks years prior. Isis Serrano, a Boston resident, was arrested on Wednesday, Feb. 7 for the Fairfield County incident, according to police. The 24-year-old woman is accused of fraudulently altering and cashing checks from a resident of the town of Wilton in 2019. She was 20 at the time of the reported crime. It is unclear for how long Serrano continued the alleged activity. She was extradited from Chicopee Massachusetts Women's Correctional Facility on an arrest warr…
'Irish Traveler Scam': $70K, Stolen Jewelry Found In Quincy Traffic Stop: Police 'Irish Traveler Scam': $70K, Stolen Jewelry Found In Quincy Traffic Stop: Police
'Irish Traveler Scam': $70K, Stolen Jewelry Found In Quincy Traffic Stop: Police More than $70,000 of US and foreign currency as well as several pieces of jewelry were found during a traffic stop in Quincy in what police describe as an “Irish Traveler” scheme that’s on the rise in Mass. A driver leaving a Holiday Inn Express in North Quincy was stopped by police on West Quantum Street when his SUV made an illegal left turn and drove the wrong way onto Stratton Way on Saturday, Jan. 20, shortly after 11 a.m., authorities said. After the car was towed for traffic violations, police found over $70,000 in US and foreign money, foreign IDs, and a large pile of stolen jewelry…
Ex-Mass Detective Who Scammed Multiple Landlords For Years Avoids Jailtime: Feds Ex-Mass Detective Who Scammed Multiple Landlords For Years Avoids Jailtime: Feds
Ex-Mass Detective Who Scammed Multiple Landlords For Years Avoids Jailtime: Feds A former Stoneham police officer who admitted to scamming his former landlords for more than a decade will not go to prison for his crimes, federal authorities announced on Thursday, Jan. 4.  Robert Kennedy, 54, of Stoneham, was sentenced to two years of probation and 90 days of home confinement after he pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud in September, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. He must also repay $14,275 to his victims.  Investigators said Kennedy defrauded three landlords from February 2020 through June 2023. The scheme played out similarly each time. H…
Woman, 32, Who Posed As Student At Boston High Schools Faces More Charges: DA Woman, 32, Who Posed As Student At Boston High Schools Faces More Charges: DA
Woman, 32, Who Posed As Student At Boston High Schools Faces More Charges: DA Prosecutors have added more charges against a 32-year-old woman who police say posed as a student at multiple Boston high schools, authorities said.  Shelby Hewitt was already facing seven counts of fraud, the Suffolk County District Attorney said. Prosecutors this week added nine more charges, including:  Three counts of forgery Two counts of common law forgery One count of uttering Larceny over $1,200 ID theft False claims to an employer Hewitt, a former Department of Children and Families social worker, allegedly attended Jeremiah E. Burke High School, Brighton High School, and English…
Jewel Thieves Target Elderly In Merrimack Valley: Police Jewel Thieves Target Elderly In Merrimack Valley: Police
Jewel Thieves Target Elderly In Merrimack Valley: Police Police are warning six communities in the Merrimack Valley to keep an eye out for a man and woman who they say are targeting the elderly of their jewelry. Officials warned residents in Lowell, Tyngsborough, Chelmsford, Dracut, Billerica, and Tewksbury that the couple travel together and call people over to their car “to speak to them in a friendly and engaging manner,” a post issued by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office said. Police have not released the number of thefts. Crime Alert via the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. LPD6 Posted by Lowell Police Department (Officia…
Conman Steals $200K In Gold Coins From Massachusetts Estate, Feds Say Conman Steals $200K In Gold Coins From Massachusetts Estate, Feds Say
Conman Steals $200K In Gold Coins From Massachusetts Estate, Feds Say A Connecticut man is facing federal charges for allegedly swindling a Western Massachusetts estate out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in gold coins. William Dawson, age 51, was indicted on fraud charges by a federal grand jury in Worcester on Wednesday, Oct. 18. According to prosecutors, Dawson met with an employee of a home cleanout business in January 2023 after the company was hired by an estate in Shrewsbury. The employee reportedly found 170 Queen Elizabeth II Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coins inside the home, collectively worth around $290,000. With approval from the estate, the em…
$874K Scheme: Former Danbury Postmaster Defrauded Postal Service, Solicited Bribes: Feds $874K Scheme: Former Danbury Postmaster Defrauded Postal Service, Solicited Bribes: Feds
$874K Scheme: Former Danbury Postmaster Defrauded Postal Service, Solicited Bribes: Feds A 50-year-old Massachusetts man who once served as postmaster for a Fairfield County post office has admitted to defrauding the US Postal Service out of over $874,000 as part of a bribery, kickback, and embezzlement scheme that he operated, officials announced. Former Brookfield resident Ephrem D. Nguyen, age 50, pleaded guilty to a fraud offense related to his scheme on Friday, Oct. 13, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced.  According to federal officials, Nguyen, who now lives in Quincy, Massachusetts in Norfolk County, had been employed b…
Ex-Methuen Police Chief, Detective Charged With Corruption, More: State Attorney Ex-Methuen Police Chief, Detective Charged With Corruption, More: State Attorney
Ex-Methuen Police Chief, Detective Charged With Corruption, More: State Attorney The former Methuen police chief and one of the department's ex-detectives have been indicted on a litany of charges, including public corruption and fraud, state officials announced Thursday evening, Sept. 28.  Ex-Police Chief Joseph Solomon was charged after a monthslong investigation over how he ran the department. State Attorney General Andrea Campbell said in a statement that he continuously abused his position and misused public money to benefit himself.  The investigation demonstrated that Solomon had repeatedly misused his position of authority as police chief to repea…
Lasell Athlete Scams Employer Out Of $500K, Buys Luxury Goods: Police Lasell Athlete Scams Employer Out Of $500K, Buys Luxury Goods: Police
Lasell Athlete Scams Employer Out Of $500K, Buys Luxury Goods: Police A college track star stole $500,000 from the jewelry store where she worked, using the money to buy a Tesla, a Hawaiian vacation, and designer goods, officials say. Ariel Foster, 19, was arrested at her dorm at Lasell University on Wednesday, March 8 after an investigation began on Wednesday, Feb. 22 revealed she scored hundreds of thousands of dollars by jacking up the prices of merchandise and refunding the amount to her credit card, according to the Burlington Police Department. Foster, who ironically studied criminal justice, made eight such fraudulent transactions over three days at&nb…
Ex-Winchester Nurse Busted Stealing Opioids From Hospital: Feds Ex-Winchester Nurse Busted Stealing Opioids From Hospital: Feds
Ex-Winchester Nurse Busted Stealing Opioids From Hospital: Feds A former Winchester nurse potentially faces more than a decade in prison after federal authorities arrested her for allegedly stealing painkillers from a hospital, officials said.  Andrea Falzano, 38, is charged with three counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, deception, and subterfuge, the US Attorney for Massachusetts. Each charge carries up to four years behind bars and a potential $250,000 fine.  Falzano is alleged to have taken hydromorphone and morphine from a Boston-area hospital, federal authorities said. The prosecutor did not name the hospital, but a Linke…
Ex-Stoneham Officer, Brother Charged In Kickback Scheme Worth Millions: Feds Ex-Stoneham Officer, Brother Charged In Kickback Scheme Worth Millions: Feds
Ex-Stoneham Officer, Brother Charged In Kickback Scheme Worth Millions: Feds A former Stoneham police officer and his brother, who owns an electrical contracting company, were charged in federal court Thursday, Jan. 26, with receiving bribes and kickbacks that earned them millions of dollars in Mass Saves contracts, authorities said.  Joseph Ponzo, 49, of Stoneham, and Christopher Ponzo, 48, of North Reading, were arrested last year on one count of wire fraud conspiracy and 12 counts of wire fraud stemming from a scheme with a Mass Save vendor, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. They face a charge of lying to a government official, and Joseph also will be c…
Former FTX CEO, MIT Grad Sam Bankman-Fried Charged With Defrauding Investors Of $1.8 Billion Former FTX CEO, MIT Grad Sam Bankman-Fried Charged With Defrauding Investors Of $1.8 Billion
Former FTX CEO, MIT Grad Sam Bankman-Fried Charged With Defrauding Investors Of $1.8 Billion The former CEO of what used to be one of the world's largest cryptocurrency companies has been charged with defrauding investors of almost two billion dollars, authorities said. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Samuel Bankman-Fried on Tuesday, Dec. 13, with defrauding FTX investors out of more than $1.8 billion.  The SEC alleges that Bankman-Fried raised the funds – including $1.1 billion from 90 US-based investors – by falsely promoting a safe, responsible cryptocurrency since May 2019.  "We allege that Sam Bankman-Fried built a house of cards on a foundation of dece…
Nurse Admits To Stealing, Injecting Herself With Pain Meds From Boston Hospitals: Feds Nurse Admits To Stealing, Injecting Herself With Pain Meds From Boston Hospitals: Feds
Nurse Admits To Stealing, Injecting Herself With Pain Meds From Boston Hospitals: Feds A former nurse at a Boston-area hospital admitted in federal court this week to swiping medication meant for patients, authorities said.  Lisa Tarr, 33, of St. Petersburg, Fla., pleaded guilty to four counts of unlawfully obtaining controlled substances by fraud, deception, and subterfuge at a Boston court, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.  Tarr admitted to stealing medication when she was a nursing student working at a Boston-area hospital in 2018 when she took fentanyl and injected it into her veins in 2018, the prosecutor said. She told investigators that she stole an IV…
CT Man Sentenced For Scams That Defrauded Hundreds Of Victims Across US Out Of Millions CT Man Sentenced For Scams That Defrauded Hundreds Of Victims Across US Out Of Millions
CT Man Sentenced For Scams That Defrauded Hundreds Of Victims Across US Out Of Millions A Connecticut man who took part in a massive scheme defrauding elderly victims out of millions of dollars is heading to federal prison. Rodney Thomas, age 31, of New Haven, was sentenced to six years behind bars Tuesday, Aug. 23 in federal court in Bridgeport after a jury convicted him of multiple charges stemming from the scheme. Federal prosecutors said Thomas and several others bilked 200 elderly victims across the country out of more than $5 million through bogus lottery and romance scams carried out between August 2015 and March 2020. Some unsuspecting victims were duped into sendin…
Wanted Man Busted Peeing On Elevator at Boston MBTA Station: Police Wanted Man Busted Peeing On Elevator at Boston MBTA Station: Police
Wanted Man Busted Peeing On Elevator at Boston MBTA Station: Police A wanted violent fugitive was busted thanks to his weak bladder.  Gerard Burton, 57, of Boston, was arrested just before 2 a.m. on Saturday, July 30, after an officer spotted him urinating on an elevator at MBTA's Ashmont Station in Dorchester, Transit Police said. The officer told him to stop, but Burton kept going until he finished, police said.  But as officers ran his information, they realized authorities in Middlesex County wanted him on several violent felony charges, police said. He had outstanding warrants of assault and battery on a 60+-year-old disabled person with seri…
Rhode Island Fugitive Caught Randomly Kissing, Hugging Woman In Boston Rhode Island Fugitive Caught Randomly Kissing, Hugging Woman In Boston
Rhode Island Fugitive Caught Randomly Kissing, Hugging Woman In Boston A Rhode Island decided to try speed dating at an MBTA station on Thursday, July 28, but he forgot to tell another woman first.  Emil Ikanovic, 33, was arrested just after noon after a woman said he walked up to her at the Park Street Station's Green Line entrance, wrapped his armed around her in a hug, and kissed her on both cheeks, transit police said. Then he got on the train and left.  Transit police pulled Ikanovic from the trolley down the line to speak with him. It turns out you shouldn't bother riders when you're a wanted man, police said.  He had an outstanding warra…
Boston Food Truck Owner Charged With Stealing $1.5M In COVID Funds: Feds Boston Food Truck Owner Charged With Stealing $1.5M In COVID Funds: Feds
Boston Food Truck Owner Charged With Stealing $1.5M In COVID Funds: Feds A 55-year-old Boston food truck owner faces up to 20 years in prison after he has was charged him with lying to get $1.5 million in COVID-19 relief funds, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday, July 20. Loc Vo, who owns Smart Gourmet, is accused of fraudulently filing loan applications from April 2020 until July 2021 for programs under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, the U.S. Attorney in Boston said. The programs were to help businesses stay afloat during the uncertainty of the COVID pandemic.  But federal authorities said Vo used the money to invest…