Subscribe
78°
Big League Lie: Man Claimed MLB Career While Scamming Women, Dodging Sex Offender Registry: DOJ
He said he was going pro in baseball — but what he really went pro in was lying, scamming, and disappearing from the sex offender registry, prosecutors in Virginia say.
Now, he's going to prison.
A Roanoke man who told women he was a Major League Baseball prospect, forged six-figure checks, used burner phones to impersonate team officials, and failed to register as a sex offender pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this year, federal officials announced.
Now, Janike Dunbar Holt — a man who goes by many names — has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison.
Holt, 29 — also known as…
Fans Duped In $200K Jason Kelce Forgery Scheme: Philly Man Pleads Guilty
A Philadelphia man has pleaded guilty to his role in a $200,000 fake memorabilia scheme involving forged Jason Kelce signatures on more than 1,100 items, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said and court records show as of Monday, Aug. 25.
Scheme Involved Fake Signatures, Phony Verification
Robert Capone, 51, admitted to forging and distributing fraudulent memorabilia falsely labeled as being signed by the former Philadelphia Eagles center. He pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Aug. 5 to felony charges of theft by deception, conspiracy, and deceptive business practices, along with a mi…
Sports Memorabilia Mogul Dies By Suicide After Admitting $350M Counterfeit Scam: ‘I Wanted Out’
A well-known sports memorabilia dealer who fessed up to selling counterfeit items to the tune of $350 million was found dead this week after police conducted a raid on his property in Indiana.
Brett Lemieux, 45, the founder of Mister ManCave, penned a chilling message in a since-deleted Facebook post on the "Autographs 101" group where he boasted about his exploits before his body was located after a reported suicide on Wednesday, July 16.
He specifically targeted some of the most prominent sports in the game, including Panini, Fanatics, Tri-Star, James Spence Authentics, Mill Creek Sports,…
DUI Crash In Beachside Vacation Spot Leaves Cyclist Badly Injured, Police Say
A 21-year-old international student was seriously injured when a suspected drunk driver hit him in the heart of Rehoboth Beach, a popular Delaware vacation destination, police said.
The crash happened just after 1 a.m. on Wednesday, July 9, in the 300 block of Rehoboth Avenue, according to the Rehoboth Beach Police Department.
Investigators say Megan Smith, 20, of Lewes, was driving a Jeep Wrangler westbound on Rehoboth Avenue when she hit the cyclist, who was in the area on a J-1 visa.
The crash caused potentially life-threatening injuries, police said after the cyclist was rushed t…
Sex Offender Faked MLB Career, Scammed Women, Skipped Registry In Virginia: DOJ
He said he was going pro in baseball — but what he really went pro in was lying, scamming, and disappearing from the sex offender registry, prosecutors in Virginia say.
A Roanoke man who told women he was a Major League Baseball prospect, forged six-figure checks, used burner phones to impersonate team officials, and failed to register as a sex offender has pleaded guilty in federal court as part of an elaborate scheme, federal officials announced.
He went by many names while executing his scheme.
Janike Dunbar Holt, 29 — also known as “Nike,” “Janike Tagovailoa,” “Keanu Tagovailoa,” and “…
Ex-Bar Director Accused Of $314K Theft As Son Flaunts Lavish Trips, Cosmetic Work Online: PA AG
A Pennsylvania woman is accused of stealing over $300,000 from the Cambria County Bar Association to fund luxury expenses including cosmetic procedures, vacations, and donations to her family’s nonprofit, Attorney General Dave Sunday announced Wednesday, May 7.
Robin Hagins, 56, of Johnstown, the former executive director of the CCBA, was charged with Theft by Unlawful Taking, Misappropriation of Funds Received, and Forgery following an investigation by the 51st Statewide Investigating Grand Jury. Her bail was set at $150,000 unsecured.
Hagins allegedly misappropriated a total of $314,759 b…
Paterson Council President, Campaign Team Stole, Forged Ballots To Win 2020 Election: NJ AG
A New Jersey city council president rigged the vote to keep his seat — and now he’s facing a fresh round of felony charges, state officials say.
Alex Mendez, the Paterson City Council President, is facing new election fraud charges alongside his wife and three others, including campaign workers, after allegedly stealing and forging ballots to win a municipal election in May 2020, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced Wednesday, April 30.
According to a 10-count superseding indictment, Mendez and his co-conspirators are accused of forging ballots and voter registrations and s…
ID Theft Ring Busted With Stolen US Treasury Checks, Gun, Skimmer, And Dogs: NJ Prosecutor
A New Jersey couple is accused of running a high-level ID theft ring involving stolen Treasury checks, guns, a skimmer, and stolen dogs, authorities announced on Wednesday, April 16.
Peter M. Gittens, 37, and Chambreona J. Williams, 33—also known as Tenisha O. Gittens— both of Raritan Township, have been charged with a slew of crimes, including Forgery, Trafficking in Personal Identifying Information, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Theft of Movable Property, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and more, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée Robeson and Raritan Township Chief of Police Al Payn…
Cold Case: Mom Leaves Baby Behind, Vanishes En Route To NJ; Car Found In PA
The disappearance of Oklahoma mother Karen Denise Wells during a cross-country road trip in 1993 has haunted investigators and her family for over three decades, Pennsylvania State Police said.
Wells, 23, was driving from Haskell, Oklahoma, to visit a friend in Bergen, New Jersey, when she vanished on April 12, 1993. Her journey ended mysteriously in Perry County, PA—nearly 200 miles from her destination.
After a day on the road, Wells checked into the Pike Motel along Harrisburg Pike in Carlisle. At 7:00 p.m., she called her friend, Melissa, and said she planned to grab food at a nearby Mc…
NJ Apartment Association Bookkeeper Who Stole $357K Learns Prison Sentence
A former bookkeeper for the New Jersey Apartment Association has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay restitution for stealing $357,250 from the organization, authorities said.
Karly Simon-Sapp, 50, of Plumsted Township, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Kenneth T. Palmer to five years New Jersey State Prison and ordered to pay $357,520 in restitution, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. She previously had pleaded guilty to theft.
Between January 2016 and January 2022, Simon-Sapp, in her capacity as a bookkeeper for the New Jersey Apartment Association, forged the …
Clark Township Mayor Charged With Forging Signatures In 24 Towns To Benefit Landscaping Biz: AG
Clark Township Mayor Salvatore Bonaccorso was charged Monday, Nov. 20 with forging paperwork to nearly 24 New Jersey towns to allow his landscaping company to remove underground tanks, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.
Bonaccorso, 63, used township employees to help him run his private business, Bonaccorso and Son LLC, along with township devices like computers and fax machines, Platkin said following an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability Corruption Bureau.
While running his business, Bonaccorso posed as an engineer, using his name, license num…
South Jersey Man Had $10M In Stolen Checks In Large-Scale Money Laundering Scheme: Prosecutor
A 31-year-old man from Mays Landing and 35 others were indicted on charges stemming from a large-scale money laundering operation, authorities said.
Isaiah Edwards-Stewart was indicted on Tuesday, Aug 29, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.
The 120-count indictment charged Edwards-Stewart with multiple counts of money laundering, theft, forgery, computer crimes, identity theft, trafficking of personal identifying information, and other offenses.
The investigation, which began in 2022, revealed Edwards-Stewart’s alleged involvement with the financial operati…
PA Employee Embezzled $1.2 Million From Furniture Store, DA Says
A high-ranking employee at a Pennsylvania furniture business is accused of embezzling more than $1 million from the company, authorities say.
Linda Mansi, 53, of Tuckerton, New Jersey, is charged with multiple felonies from Arnold Office Furniture and Sunline Supply in Bridgeport, said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele's Office in a release Friday, July 28.
Jay and Jordan Berkowitz, the owners of the stores, approached police in February about a "significant theft" from the company's coffers, the DA said.
The Berkowitzes claimed Mansi — an employee sin…
South Jersey Man Ran $10M Money-Laundering Operation: Prosecutor
A South Jersey man is accused of running a nearly $10 million money-laundering operation and stealing nearly 2,000 checks, authorities said.
Isaiah Edwards-Stewart, 31, of Mays Landing, was arrested on 17 counts, including first-degree money laundering, identify theft, computer crimes and forgery, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.
The investigation, which began in 2022, found Edwards-Stewart in possession of over 1,988 stolen checks, amounting to $9,763,588 as well over 1,000 items of personal identifying information for other individuals, n…
