Tag:

Money Laundering

6 Accused Of Multiple Smash, Grab Break-Ins To Steal Lottery Tickets: Essex DA 6 Accused Of Multiple Smash, Grab Break-Ins To Steal Lottery Tickets: Essex DA
6 Accused Of Multiple Smash, Grab Break-Ins To Steal Lottery Tickets: Essex DA A three-month investigation concluded this week with six arrests and more than 120 criminal charges tied to multiple store break-ins in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, authorities announced.  The Essex County District Attorney's Office announced the charges in what investigators dubbed “Operation Smash & Cash.” The sextet is accused of breaking into at least 12 convenience stores and stealing $50,000 worth of lottery tickets from February through April 2024 and causing thousands of dollars in damages.  The break-ins were reported at convenience stores in Swampscott, Saug…
Mass Victims Scammed Out Of $2.2M By NJ Couple In Bogus Lottery Scheme: Cops Mass Victims Scammed Out Of $2.2M By NJ Couple In Bogus Lottery Scheme: Cops
Mass Victims Scammed Out Of $2.2M By NJ Couple In Bogus Lottery Scheme: Cops A couple from Secaucus is facing a litany of charges after scamming residents in multiple states out of more nearly $2.2 million, police said. Akeem Lee and Majda Hodzic-Lee called victims in Florida, Minnesota, Arizona, Kansas, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Nebraska, saying they'd won the "Publishers Clearing House Lottery," Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said. In exchange for the vehicles and large sums of money the victims were told they won, they were required by Lee and Hodzic-Lee to send cash, money orders and/or gift cards for taxes, fees and IRS …
George Santos Announces Comeback Bid For NY Congressional Seat: 'Off To The Races' George Santos Announces Comeback Bid For NY Congressional Seat: 'Off To The Races'
George Santos Announces Comeback Bid For NY Congressional Seat: 'Off To The Races' Disgraced former New York Rep. George Santos is mounting a comeback campaign. The Republican ex-lawmaker from Long Island – who was ousted from his 3rd District seat representing parts of Nassau County and Queens – announced a primary challenge against Rep. Nick LaLota for his 1st District seat. In a statement on X shared during President Biden’s State of the Union address Thursday night, March 7, Santos said New York hasn’t had “a real conservative represent them” since he left office “thanks to RINO, empty suits like Nick LaLota.” Earlier Report: Exiled Congressman Turned Reality …
Woman Embezzled $1.5M From Holbrook Business: Police Woman Embezzled $1.5M From Holbrook Business: Police
Woman Embezzled $1.5M From Holbrook Business: Police A 36-year-old Norfolk County woman was arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 2, and charged with stealing $1.3 million from her former employer, authorities said. Ashley Sumner, of Weymouth, is charged with larceny over $1,200, two counts of improper use of a credit card over $1,200, four counts of identity fraud, and one count of money laundering, Holbrook police said. She was being held on a $100,000 bond.  Detectives began investigating Sumner in March after her former employer, Allstate Glass, reported her for allegedly stealing $50,000 while handling the business's finances, police said.&nb…
Newly Minted Millionaires Made Bank Cutting Catalytic Converters In Mass, NH: Feds Newly Minted Millionaires Made Bank Cutting Catalytic Converters In Mass, NH: Feds
Newly Minted Millionaires Made Bank Cutting Catalytic Converters In Mass, NH: Feds Seven men who police say are responsible for stealing nearly 500 catalytic converters from cars in Massachusetts and New Hampshire since last year were arrested Wednesday, April 12. The stolen car parts were worth about $2 million.  According to the US Attorney for Massachusetts, the theft ring included — Rafael Davila, a/k/a “Robin Hood,” 35, of Feeding Hills, Mass.; Jose Torres, a/k/a “Goldy,” a/k/a “Goldy Tech,” 37, of Springfield, Mass.; Nicolas Davila, 25, of Springfield, Mass.; Jose Fonseca, a/k/a “Charlito,” 26, of Springfield, Mass.; Zachary Marshall, 26, of Holyoke, Mass.; Santo …
Framingham 'Spoofer' Tricks Victims Into Wiring Hundreds Of Thousands: Feds Framingham 'Spoofer' Tricks Victims Into Wiring Hundreds Of Thousands: Feds
Framingham 'Spoofer' Tricks Victims Into Wiring Hundreds Of Thousands: Feds A 27-year-old used a fake business to stash the thousands of dollars he acquired through a criminal email scheme, officials say.  Gustaf Njei, of Framingham, was sentenced to pay almost $95,000 in restitution on top of two years in prison and two years of supervised release on Friday, March 10 for convictions relating to an email-based fraud scheme that netted him hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to US District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV. Njei created a fake business called "Niej Trading" to operate a sophisticated business email compromise (BEC) scheme, the distr…
'Cheated': Recovery Centers Across Mass Close, Operators Charged With Millions In Fraud: Feds 'Cheated': Recovery Centers Across Mass Close, Operators Charged With Millions In Fraud: Feds
'Cheated': Recovery Centers Across Mass Close, Operators Charged With Millions In Fraud: Feds Instead of fostering recovery, the operator of a chain of addiction treatment centers used his position to launder money, steal millions of dollars, and write prescriptions under doctors' names without permission, said the US attorney's office.  Michael Brier, of Newton, used his position as operator of Recovery Connections Centers of America to rake in millions of dollars from Medicare, Medicaid, and other such organizations by falsifying healthcare claims, back-dating documents, and writing prescriptions using the names of doctors without their permission, according to Unite…
Four Busted Selling MDMA, Laundering Cash In Mass, Virginia: Feds Four Busted Selling MDMA, Laundering Cash In Mass, Virginia: Feds
Four Busted Selling MDMA, Laundering Cash In Mass, Virginia: Feds Four men were arrested and charged with selling MDMA and laundering their earnings through Massachusetts and Virginia.  Federal agents charged the following people:  Sathtra Em, 35, of Lowell Kenneth Owen, a/k/a “Apple,” a/k/a “Carlos,” 22, of Charlotte Court House, Va. Michael Mao, a/k/a “Whitebodian,” a/k/a “Spook,” a/k/a “Leno,” 36, of the Buckingham Correctional Center in Dillwyn, Va. They are each charged with money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute MDMA and Buprenorphine, the US Attorney for Massachusetts s…
Harvard-Educated Sleep Doctor Slept Well In Brookline Home He Bought Defrauding Patients: Feds Harvard-Educated Sleep Doctor Slept Well In Brookline Home He Bought Defrauding Patients: Feds
Harvard-Educated Sleep Doctor Slept Well In Brookline Home He Bought Defrauding Patients: Feds A federal grand jury indicted a Brookline sleep doctor this week on charges that he ran multiple frauds and laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars to help him purchase a $1.6 million home in the toney town.   Dr. Pankaj Merchia, 49, faces three counts of money laundering and one count of health care fraud stemming from the alleged schemes, the US Attorney's Office said.  The indictment lays out the two alleged frauds. In one, Merchia continued to bill patients' insurance companies for monthly rentals of CPAP and BiPap machines — breathing devices used to treat sleep …
Repeat Watertown Lottery Winners Not So Lucky In Federal Court: DOJ Repeat Watertown Lottery Winners Not So Lucky In Federal Court: DOJ
Repeat Watertown Lottery Winners Not So Lucky In Federal Court: DOJ There was no one quite as lucky as the Jaaffar family of Watertown. The father and his two sons cashed in more than 14,000 winning lottery tickets to the tune of $21 million in prize money to make them some of the state's biggest winners every year for nearly a decade. And what was their unbeatable system?  They cheated, a federal court ruled.  Ali Jaafar, 63, and Yousef Jaafar, 29, were found guilty on Friday, Dec. 9, of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and of filing a false tax return, the US Attorney for Massachuset…
Admitted Springfield Phone Scammer Must Repay $1.5M He Helped Steal: Feds Admitted Springfield Phone Scammer Must Repay $1.5M He Helped Steal: Feds
Admitted Springfield Phone Scammer Must Repay $1.5M He Helped Steal: Feds A Springfield man who pleaded guilty to his role in a phone scam operation that bilked more than $1.5 million from victims will spend two years in prison and repay what he stole, federal authorities said.  Utkarsh Thakur, 29, admitted to one count of money laundering in April, and a judge sentenced him this week, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.  Investigators said Thakur was a member of a group of scammers who would cold-call victims and claim to be law enforcement or people of authority and threaten them with arrest or loss of public assistance if they didn't pay up.…
Men Busted For Running Organized Crime Loan Sharking, Gambling Ring: Mass AG Men Busted For Running Organized Crime Loan Sharking, Gambling Ring: Mass AG
Men Busted For Running Organized Crime Loan Sharking, Gambling Ring: Mass AG State and federal agents wrapped up a multi-year investigation with the arrest of three men who they say used threats, intimidation, and extortion to run a multi-million dollar gambling ring with the help of an organized crime syndicate.  Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced the arrests last week and laid out the state's case against them. They are, and their charges include: Eric Rogers, 54, of Revere: Extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion, witness intimidation, and gambling charges.  Michael McMahon, 44, of Boston: Extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion,…
Men In Braintree, Canton, Winthrop, Saugus Helped Launder $25M In Drug Money: Feds Men In Braintree, Canton, Winthrop, Saugus Helped Launder $25M In Drug Money: Feds
Men In Braintree, Canton, Winthrop, Saugus Helped Launder $25M In Drug Money: Feds The FBI arrested nearly a dozen men in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, and California this week as part of a money laundering operation that helped clean $25 million in drug cash, federal authorities said.  The arrests come after a months-long undercover investigation that followed how the organization moved kilos of cocaine and MDMA from Massachusetts and distributed it throughout the country, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. The suspects thought they could hide the millions of dollars they made using cryptocurrency to avoid raising any alarms at a traditional bank, feder…
NJ Detectives Nab Massachusetts Dealers With Coke, Loaded Guns, $25G: Prosecutor NJ Detectives Nab Massachusetts Dealers With Coke, Loaded Guns, $25G: Prosecutor
NJ Detectives Nab Massachusetts Dealers With Coke, Loaded Guns, $25G: Prosecutor Three Massachusetts men were carrying several ounces of cocaine, two loaded handguns and $25,515 in suspected drug money when they were stopped in New Jersey, authorities said. Narcotic Task Force detectives had learned that Kelvin Perez, 36, Brayan Lebron, 23, and Joseph Espinal, 22, all of Lawrence, MA were “transporting bulk amounts of suspected narcotics, weapons, and money derived from criminal activity” through the area, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Espinal works as a security guard, and the other two are unemployed, the prosecutor said. The stop on Wednesday, Oct. 5, …
Massachusetts Woman Gets Prison Sentence Much Shorter Than Her Husband: Feds Massachusetts Woman Gets Prison Sentence Much Shorter Than Her Husband: Feds
Massachusetts Woman Gets Prison Sentence Much Shorter Than Her Husband: Feds A judge sentenced a 32-year-old Springfield woman to more than seven years in jail after she pleaded guilty to taking part in a drug smuggling ring that moved crack, heroin, and cocaine from Massachusetts into Vermont, authorities said. Her husband got 19 years for taking part in the operation in 2019.  Nia Dinzey, aka Nia Moore-Bush, pleaded guilty over the summer to several drugs, money laundering, and firearms charges, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.  Investigators said Nia Dinzey and her husband, Dinelson Dinzey, would drive the drugs from Springfield to Barre, Ve…
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…
Milton Used Car Dealer Laundered Scammers' Money Through His Business: Feds Milton Used Car Dealer Laundered Scammers' Money Through His Business: Feds
Milton Used Car Dealer Laundered Scammers' Money Through His Business: Feds A 53-year-old Milton man will spend six months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to helping scammers launder their money through his car dealership, authorities said.  Augustine Osemwegie was sentenced earlier this week, the Department of Justice said on Friday, Aug. 3. The judge also ruled that Osemwegie must pay a $5,500 fine and serve two years of supervised release.  Federal investigators said Osemwegie used his car dealership Ejad Auto Sales, along with two other associates, as a vehicle for cleaning stolen cash.  Scammers would bring their c…
Massachusetts Man Admits To Embezzling Over $360K From Non-Profit Massachusetts Man Admits To Embezzling Over $360K From Non-Profit
Massachusetts Man Admits To Embezzling Over $360K From Non-Profit A Northborough man is facing up to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to embezzling over $360,000 from a non-profit organization in Sturbridge, the US Attorney's Office for Massachusetts reports.  Kyriakos "Rick" Kapiris, age 36, worked at the non-profit as an IT manager from April 2015 to May 2020. During his time there, Kapiris had access to two of the company's credit cards to pay for equipment and certain services, the office reports. However, Kapiris created three vendor accounts to embezzle funds and fabricate sales invoices starting in 2016, the office reports. Kapiris the…