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79°
Saturday, jun 13
News
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…
News
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…
Politics
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…
News
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 …
News
Non-Profit Employee Accused Of Stealing From Maryland Organization: State's Attorney
A Frederick woman who schemed to defraud a non-profit in Westminster where she worked has been charged, the Carroll County State's Attorney's Office announced. Randi Lynn Ryan, 48, has been arrested and charged for an alleged scam targeting the Carroll County Arts Council, Inc. over the course of nearly two years. It is alleged that Ryan, while working as a financial coordinator for the non-profit, was issued a Bank of America credit card to use for the organization's business; however, an audit conducted in June 2023 found that Ryan was not compliant in turning over requested do…
News
Half-Baked Convict Admits To Illegally Possessing USPS 'Arrow' Keys, Stolen Checks In MD: Feds
A convict from Montgomery County admitted to illegally possessing USPS “arrow keys” used to open collection boxes outside a local post office, authorities announced Monday, Feb. 5. Andrew Steven Martin, 30, of Silver Spring, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of US Postal Service keys used to access US Postal Service mail receptacles, as well as being a felon in possession of ammunition, Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland said. Martin was charged following a traffic stop that led to the discovery of a bag of marijuana in the center vehicle console and a h…
News
Man's Brother Pretended To Be NY Mobster As Part Of $4M Embezzlement Scheme In MD/DC: Feds
Henry Hill immortalized the line "as far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster." That mantra didn't work out well for a pair of brothers - one of whom pretended to be a New York mobster - to get a Maryland man to embezzle more than $4 million from his employer in Washington, DC. New York native Corry Blue Evans, 31, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in an elaborate fraud, extortion, and money laundering scheme that involved several other close-knit co-conspirators who worked to exploit the multi-million dollar scheme. The sentence comes y…
Police & Fire
Duplicitous Duo Assaulted Arresting Deputy During Frederick Fraud Investigation, Officials Say
DeWight Gilbert and Morgan Milligan did not go down quietly following an investigation into a fraud scheme that spanned several Maryland communities. The Hyattsville residents are facing a host of charges in Frederick County after allegedly assaulting an officer near an area bank on Saturday morning who tracked them down for a string of scams. At around 10:20 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 25, deputies from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office responded to the Fulton Bank on Presidents Court in Frederick, where Gilbert - who was known to them for several fraudulent transactions - was spotted. Res…
News
Former State Employee, Brother Guilty Of Profiting From Pandemic In Maryland: AG
A former state employee in Maryland who conspired with his brother to profit from the COVID-19 pandemic will have time to ponder his decisions behind bars, the Attorney's General Office announced. James DiPino, 62, and Paul DiPino, Jr., 56, were sentenced to 10 years in prison with all but one year and one day suspended after admitting to bribery charges in connection to their procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said that in the spring of 2020, right as the the pandemic was becoming a national concern, James DiPino …
News
Dirty Cop: Baltimore County Officer Gets Prison Time For Accepting Bribes For Handgun Licenses
Former Baltimore County Police officer William Johnson, Jr. is set to spend time behind bars with some of the people he helped lock up. Federal officials announced that the Baltimore native has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, after he admitted to accepting thousands of dollars worth of bribes and kickbacks in exchange for handgun qualifying licenses they never earned. The 34-year-old pleaded guilty in April to a federal charge of honest services wire fraud for falsely certifying applicants for Maryland handgun qualifying licenses and …
News
Former School DOT Employees In MD Admit To Role In $320K Theft Scheme: State's Attorney
The former Director of the Montgomery County Public Schools Department of Transportation (DOT) has copped to his role in a scheme that allowed another top official to steam hundreds of thousands of dollars. Todd Michael Watkins, 56, of Jefferson, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of misconduct in office for conspiring with Charles Ewald, the former Assistant Director of the DOT, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney announced on Friday, June 30. Prosecutors say that Watkins assumed his position in 2009, and beginning in 2016 and through September 2021, he failed to properly manage the…
Lifestyle
Maryland State Police Caution About Fraudsters Posing As Officers
Maryland residents are being advised to be on high alert following a recent rash of fraudsters posing as police. An alert was issued by Maryland State Police over the weekend warning residents to be aware of possible phone scam fraud attempts by police impersonators. Officials say that they've received multiple reports from several residents throughout the state who advised that they'd been contacted by people claiming to be either state troopers or police officers in an attempt to scam victims out of cash or personal information. According to police, the poser tells possible victims that …
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