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Fraud

Police & Fire
Brooklyn Man Charged In $400K Gold Bar Scam Targeting Elderly Maryland Couple, Police Say Brooklyn Man Charged In $400K Gold Bar Scam Targeting Elderly Maryland Couple, Police Say
Brooklyn Man Charged In $400K Gold Bar Scam Targeting Elderly Maryland Couple, Police Say A Brooklyn man is facing charges after allegedly scamming a 75-year-old Bethesda couple out of over $400,000 through a gold bar scheme, Montgomery County police announced. Yongxian Huang, 23, was arrested after posing as a federal agent and convincing the couple to convert their assets into gold bars for "safekeeping" with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, authorities said Friday, Nov. 22. The elaborate scam began in September 2024 when the victims received a fake text message claiming to be from Apple about unauthorized charges.  After contacting the number provided, the cou…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Trump Taps Dr. Oz, Penn Alum, To Lead Medicare And Medicaid Services Trump Taps Dr. Oz, Penn Alum, To Lead Medicare And Medicaid Services
Trump Taps Dr. Oz, Penn Alum, To Lead Medicare And 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…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Gold Bar Scammer Admits To $230K Scheme Targeting Elderly In Maryland: State's Attorney Gold Bar Scammer Admits To $230K Scheme Targeting Elderly In Maryland: State's Attorney
Gold Bar Scammer Admits To $230K Scheme Targeting Elderly In Maryland: State's Attorney The Maryland scammer believed to be a part of an international organized crime ring targeting elderly residents will face decades in prison, according to the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office. Ravinklejeet Mathon pleaded guilty this week and will face 40 years behind bars after scheming to steal three one-kilo gold bars with an estimated value of nearly $230,000 from an elderly man in Silver Spring. "The scam is believed to be part of an international organized crime ring," prosecutors said. "Similar Gold Bar Scams have been reported here in Montgomery County and across the United…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Florida Woman, Maryland Man Passing Bad Checks In Virginia Tracked Down, Sheriff Says Florida Woman, Maryland Man Passing Bad Checks In Virginia Tracked Down, Sheriff Says
Florida Woman, Maryland Man Passing Bad Checks In Virginia Tracked Down, Sheriff Says Two suspects visiting Virginia from out of state are facing felony charges following an investigation into a series of bad checks that were used at several Stafford County businesses, officials say. Pasadena Raymond Wilson, 36, and 20-year-old Florida resident Jessie Mainville were both arrested this week after their checks bounced - and not for the first time. At around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25, deputies from the Stafford County Sheriff's Office were called to O'Reilly Auto Parts on Bojangles way, where there was a report of fraud suspects in the business. "Staff advised a male a…

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by Zak Failla
News
Purported Psychic Masterminded Scheme To Bilk Love-Struck Maryland Man Into $4M Scam: Feds Purported Psychic Masterminded Scheme To Bilk Love-Struck Maryland Man Into $4M Scam: Feds
Purported Psychic Masterminded Scheme To Bilk Love-Struck Maryland Man Into $4M Scam: Feds The purported psychic who masterminded an elaborate fraud, extortion, and money laundering scheme that resulted in a Maryland man embezzling more than $4 million from his DC employer will spend time in prison, federal authorities announced. Gina Rita Russell, 35, formerly of New York and Los Angeles, was sentenced to 125 months in prison following an elaborate scheme involving family members, one of whom threatened the Maryland man's young children. According to prosecutors, Russell met a New York woman and performed a psychic reading on her, convincing her that bad things would happen…

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by Zak Failla
News
Philly Woman Stole $184K In COVID Relief Money For Butt Lift: Warrant Philly Woman Stole $184K In COVID Relief Money For Butt Lift: Warrant
Philly Woman Stole $184K In COVID Relief Money For Butt Lift: Warrant A Philadelphia woman is accused of fraudulently cashing a COVID-19 relief check and spending the money on plastic surgery.  In an arrest warrant obtained by Local10.com, authorities said 30-year-old Ashley Stibbins-Parker made a bank account for a Georgia entity called "City of Weston LLC.''  Investigators believe she used the account to collect $184,838.72 in federal CARES Act funding meant for the real City of Weston in Florida.  Broward County commissioners sent the money to Weston City Hall via check in February 2021, but by the next month, it had been deposited into Sti…

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by Mac Bullock
Politics
Former Maryland Councilman Accused Of Stealing Campaign Funds: State Prosecutor Former Maryland Councilman Accused Of Stealing Campaign Funds: State Prosecutor
Former Maryland Councilman Accused Of Stealing Campaign Funds: State Prosecutor The Prince George's County councilman who abruptly resigned last week is facing charges for allegedly stealing more than $100,000 in campaign funds, the Office of the Maryland State Prosecutor announced on Thursday. James R. Franklin is facing charges that include multiple counts of felony theft scheme, embezzlement, and perjury following a long-ranging scheme that began in 2009. According to the charges filed on June 20, Franklin established his campaign committee “Friends of Mel Franklin” in 2009 to raise funds for his election to the Prince George’s County Council, where he ser…

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by Zak Failla
News
Woman Charged For Running Sex, Human Trafficking Ring Across Maryland: AG Woman Charged For Running Sex, Human Trafficking Ring Across Maryland: AG
Woman Charged For Running Sex, Human Trafficking Ring Across Maryland: AG A Baltimore woman has been indicted by a Washington County grand jury in a 135-count indictment stemming from a years-long investigation by the Maryland Attorney General's Office into a human and sex trafficking ring, authorities announced. Kenika Danielle Leach, 33, has been charged following a two-year multi-agency investigation, which helped the AG's Organized Crime Unit to identify nearly a dozen women from Hagerstown who were allegedly trafficked by her and her organization at hotels and motels throughout Maryland. According to the AG, in December 2021, the Baltimore Police Department …

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by Zak Failla
News
Credit Card Skimmer Found At Maryland Dollar General Store, Sheriff Warns Credit Card Skimmer Found At Maryland Dollar General Store, Sheriff Warns
Credit Card Skimmer Found At Maryland Dollar General Store, Sheriff Warns The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office is cautioning shoppers that a credit card skimming device was found at an area Dollar General Store, and now investigators are on the hunt for a mustachioed man who installed it.  An alert was issued on Thursday by the agency on Thursday as they attempt to locate a suspect who placed the device on a debit/credit card machine at the store in the 30000 block of Potomac Way in Charlotte Hall.  Google Maps street view According to the sheriff's office, an employee advised investigators on Sunday that the day before, a machine was malfunctioning…

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by Zak Failla