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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
Gold Bar Scammer Preying On Elderly Becomes First In Montgomery County Sentenced To Prison Gold Bar Scammer Preying On Elderly Becomes First In Montgomery County Sentenced To Prison
Gold Bar Scammer Preying On Elderly Becomes First In Montgomery County Sentenced To Prison The first gold bar scammer linked to an international crime ring targeting elderly residents in Maryland received a harsh sentence while making history in Montgomery County. On Monday, Dec. 11, Circuit Court Judge Margaret Schweitzer sentenced 26-year-old Ravinklejeet Mathon, of Rockville, to 10 years in prison, suspending all but five years, followed by five years of probation, well above the suggested guidelines for sentencing. Mathon was arrested in May after picking up the gold bars under the guise of being a courier.  The elderly victim, manipulated into believing his identity wa…

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by Zak Failla
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
Police & Fire
Maryland Man Posing As Credible Contractor Caught Scamming Seniors, Sheriff Says Maryland Man Posing As Credible Contractor Caught Scamming Seniors, Sheriff Says
Maryland Man Posing As Credible Contractor Caught Scamming Seniors, Sheriff Says Detectives in Harford County are warning the public after an unlicensed contractor was arrested for allegedly scamming senior residents in a targeted home improvement scheme. David Anthony Desell, 33, of Bel Air, faces a string of criminal charges after being accused of preying on elderly residents by posing as a credible contractor, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office (HCSO).  Investigators say Desell is not a licensed Maryland Home Improvement Contractor (MHIC) and lacks insurance, yet presented himself as a legitimate service provider to unsuspecting victims. Desell’s …

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by Zak Failla
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
News
Baltimore County Scammer Bilked Elderly Man Into $1.1M Gold Bar Scheme In Montgomery County: PD Baltimore County Scammer Bilked Elderly Man Into $1.1M Gold Bar Scheme In Montgomery County: PD
Baltimore County Scammer Bilked Elderly Man Into $1.1M Gold Bar Scheme In Montgomery County: PD A Baltimore County man who ran a $1.1 million government-imposted-related gold bar scheme in Maryland has been arrested, according to police in Montgomery County. Vipul J. Thakkar, 52, of Owings Mills, was taken into custody on Wednesday, July 24 after his 74-year-old victim alerted the authorities about a possible scammer who had been targeting him. According to the Montgomery County Department of Police, earlier this month, a Bethesda man contacted them to advise he believed he had been scammed after seeing local news reports of a woman being bilked out of nearly $1 million in a simi…

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by Zak Failla