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Private Jet Boss In Maryland Blew $15M On Yachts, Jewelry Instead Of Planes, Feds Say
A Maryland businessman who convinced customers to hand over $15 million to help buy private jets instead spent the money on yachts, jewelry, luxury living, and other personal expenses, federal prosecutors said.
Now he's been convicted.
Patrick Britton-Harr, 43, of Annapolis, was found guilty by a federal jury of six counts of wire fraud after prosecutors said he used his private aviation company to sell wealthy customers on a dream that never got off the ground.
Britton-Harr owned and operated AeroVanti, a private air club that promised members access to private jets.
According to evidenc…
Maryland GOP Consultant Accused Of Taking $200K From Campaign, Community Group For Yacht: DOJ
A Maryland GOP consultant is accused of stealing about $200,000 from a candidate’s campaign, then using the money to help refinance his yacht, federal prosecutors said.
James Appel, 58, of Annapolis, was indicted on wire fraud and money laundering charges, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced this week.
Appel, who worked as a treasurer for multiple political candidates and organizations, is accused of taking $100,000 from a Maryland State Delegate’s campaign and another $100,000 from an Anne Arundel County community group.
According to the indictment, Appel contr…
Ex-nfl Player Convicted In $328M Medicare Fraud Scheme, Faces Decades In Prison: Feds
A former University of Connecticut football standout who reached the NFL before turning to healthcare was convicted in a $328 million Medicare fraud scheme, federal authorities announced.
Keith J. Gray, 39, of McKinney, Texas, was convicted on Thursday, Feb. 19, for his role in what the US Attorney's Office described as a sweeping cardiovascular genetic testing scam.
Gray is a former captain of the UConn Huskies football team, where he played center from 2004 to 2008, according to UConn Athletics. He served a brief stint with the Carolina Panthers, but injuries sidelined his NFL career.&nbs…
Maryland ‘Clown’ Who Scammed 80-Year-Old Virginia Woman Out Of $26K Busted In Sting: Sheriff
An 80-year-old Virginia woman was conned out of more than $26,000 by crooks posing as US Treasury agents — until detectives set a trap that ended with a Maryland man in cuffs, officials said.
The suspect, James Smith, 30, of Gaithersburg, was arrested after showing up to grab another $10,000 in cash from the victim, the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies were waiting.
Smith had already squeezed $26,000 from the woman over several days, investigators said.
He and others pretended to be Treasury agents, threatening the woman with “criminal charges” unless she handed…
Man Sharing Babe Ruth’s Name Accused Of Fraud Using Dead Ballplayers’ IDs
He shares a name with baseball’s greatest legend, but prosecutors say this “Babe Ruth” swung for a different kind of home run, by allegedly stealing the identities of hundreds of ballplayers, dead and retired.
A federal grand jury in Greeneville, Tennessee, returned a sweeping 91-count indictment late last week, charging George Herman Ruth, age 69, with masterminding an elaborate fraud scheme that netted more than half a million dollars.
Ruth, whose full name matches that of Hall of Famer Babe Ruth (who was born George Herman Ruth in 1895), stands accused of mail fraud, aggravated identity …
Sex Slave Sting: Women Held In NJ Homes, Forced Into Brothels, AG Says
Eight people have been charged with racketeering and human trafficking for running a prostitution ring out of several homes in Trenton and Camden, authorities said.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced the charges on Tuesday, July 1, following a months-long investigation that began in May 2024. At least 15 victims were located during raids at five properties, investigators said.
According to the criminal complaints, Vilma Deleon Bracamonte, also known as “Janet,” 55, of Hamilton, and Maria Soledad Xec Chan, 42, of Trenton, were the alleged ringleaders. They face charges …
$5.6M Multi-State Fraud Scheme With 1K+ Stolen IDs Lands Pennsylvania Man Federal Charges: DOJ
A Pennsylvania man is accused of stealing over $5.6 million in pandemic aid using more than 1,000 stolen or fake identities, federal prosecutors announced on Monday, June 16.
Adepoju Babatunde Salako, 32, has been indicted in Colorado on multiple federal charges after allegedly orchestrating a nationwide COVID-19 benefits scam, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.
Salako faces six counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and four counts of aggravated identity theft, according to t…
Iran Sent Hitmen To Kill NY Journalist: Two Mobsters Convicted In Foiled Plot
Two Eastern European mobsters were convicted in a chilling plot to assassinate an Iranian-American journalist on US soil—at the behest of the Iranian government.
A Manhattan federal jury found Rafat Amirov, 46, of Iran, and Polad Omarov, 40, of Georgia, guilty on all five counts related to a murder-for-hire scheme targeting journalist and human rights activist Masih Alinejad on Thursday, March 20.
The pair orchestrated the plan under orders from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), offering a hitman $500,000 to kill Alinejad outside her Brooklyn home, according to prosecutors.
…
Founder Of LGBTQ+ Non-Profit In DC Pleads Guilty To Fraud After 'Unexpected Return' To US: Feds
The trailblazing founder of Casa Ruby, a DC-based non-profit that had provided services to the LGBTQ+ community admitted to stealing at least $150,000 in COVID relief funds and stashing it in Central America for her personal use, authorities announced
Ruby Corado, 53, pleaded guilty on Wednesday in US District Court to diverting the taxpayer-backed emergency funds to private off-shore bank accounts, which then was used for her own gain.
She was charged in March with bank fraud, wire fraud, laundering of monetary instruments, monetary transactions in criminally derived proceeds, and fai…
