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Wire Fraud

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$44M COVID Tax Scheme: 7 Nabbed In Largest US Case Ever $44M COVID Tax Scheme: 7 Nabbed In Largest US Case Ever
$44M COVID Tax Scheme: 7 Nabbed In Largest US Case Ever Seven New Yorkers have been charged in a sweeping tax fraud scheme, accused of exploiting pandemic relief programs to steal over $44 million, federal prosecutors announced. The indictment by the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, unsealed Wednesday, Jan. 22, alleges that the defendants filed over 8,000 fraudulent tax returns, seeking more than $600 million in COVID-19 relief funds through the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) and related programs. Investigators determined the group successfully secured $44 million from the federal government. Defendants Long Island …

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by Joe Lombardi
Sports
Alley-Oops! George Mason Basketball Team Duped By Sham Travel Agent In $100K Scheme: Feds Alley-Oops! George Mason Basketball Team Duped By Sham Travel Agent In $100K Scheme: Feds
Alley-Oops! George Mason Basketball Team Duped By Sham Travel Agent In $100K Scheme: Feds The George Mason University men's basketball team planned an exciting summer trip to the Bahamas, but instead, they were left grounded after an Atlanta travel agent allegedly pocketed over $100,000 without booking a single ticket or hotel room. Maurice Eugene Smith, 44, is facing charges of wire fraud for allegedly scamming the Patriots out of their international trip, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. In June 2023, GMU representatives began planning the trip with a company referred to as "Company A" in court records.  Smith, operating through…

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by Zak Failla
News
Felon Running Fentanyl Operation From Luxury MD Apartment Linked To China Supply Chain: Feds Felon Running Fentanyl Operation From Luxury MD Apartment Linked To China Supply Chain: Feds
Felon Running Fentanyl Operation From Luxury MD Apartment Linked To China Supply Chain: Feds A convicted felon living in a luxury Baltimore apartment was found guilty of possessing fentanyl and firearms, including a "ghost gun," in connection with drug trafficking, federal officials announced Monday. Ryan E. Dales, 36, was convicted on multiple charges, including being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, after a four-day trial in Baltimore, authorities said on Dec. 9. According to evidence presented at trial, Dales operated a drug trafficking operation out of his residence…

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by Zak Failla
News
Alleged Russian Ransomware Mastermind Extradited From South Korea To Maryland Alleged Russian Ransomware Mastermind Extradited From South Korea To Maryland
Alleged Russian Ransomware Mastermind Extradited From South Korea To Maryland A Russian national accused of running a global ransomware operation that extorted more than $16 million from victims worldwide has been extradited from South Korea to Maryland to face federal charges, authorities announced. Evgenii Ptitsyn, 42, is charged with operating and administering the sale, distribution, and deployment of the notorious Phobos ransomware, which targeted over 1,000 public and private organizations globally, including schools, hospitals, and critical infrastructure.  Ptitsyn made his first appearance in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland earlier this …

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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
Founder Of LGBTQ+ Non-Profit In DC Pleads Guilty To Fraud After 'Unexpected Return' To US: Feds Founder Of LGBTQ+ Non-Profit In DC Pleads Guilty To Fraud After 'Unexpected Return' To US: Feds
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…

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by Zak Failla