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Nigerian Man Named 'Godspower' Stole $1.89 Mil From Pennsylvania Women: Usdoj
A Nigerian man has been sentenced after being found guilty of laundering $1.89 million in a mail and wire fraud scheme that targeted Pennsylvania women, according to a release by the US Department of Justice.
Jabin Godspower Okpako, 36, and his wife, Christine Bradley Okpako, 54, of Sayre, Pennsylvania, used three bank accounts in Nigeria to transfer funds out of the United States, prosecutors say according to the release.
The couple targeted women, ranging in age from 55 to 85, using Instagram, Facebook, Words with Friends, and What’s App, according to the release.
After cultivating onlin…
NJ Man Admits Hatching $400,000 Homeless GoFundMe Scam
The mastermind of a GoFundMe scheme that conned 14,000 donors across the country out of $400,000 to purportedly benefit a homeless veteran admitted in federal court in New Jersey on Monday that he and his ex-girlfriend pocketed most of the money.
Mark D’Amico, 42, formerly of Bordentown, admitted concocting a bogus feel-good story about the supposed victim coming to the rescue of Katelyn McClure after she ran out of gas on Route 95 on her way home to New Jersey from Philadelphia.
Both McClure and the homeless man, Johnny Bobbitt Jr., were in on the scheme, authorities said.
Together, D’Am…
Long Island Man, 79, Charged in $13M 'Cash Prize' Mail Scam That Duped Seniors Nationwide
A 79-year-old Long Island man and two accomplices scammed mostly elderly victims out of $13 million through a pair of bogus "cash prize" direct-mail scams, federal authorities charged.
Hundreds of thousands of mailings claimed the victims were "specially chosen" to receive a large cash prize, the government said.
All they had to do was pay a "fee" of from $20 to $40 to collect their prize, a federal indictment says.
Many unfortunately fell for it, authorities said.
The indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn names Shawn Phillips, 52, of British Columbia, Canada, as the ring…
Feds Bust NJ YouTuber In Multi-Million-Dollar TV Pirating Ring
A self-proclaimed South Jersey “influencer” who live-streamed his arrest by federal authorities was charged with running one of the largest-ever illegal TV pirating rings.
Bill Omar Carrasquillo – aka “Omi in a Hellcat” -- has insisted that he amassed a $30 million fortune, a stockpile of more than 50 vehicles and dozens of properties through a construction company and as a landlord.
Federal authorities, however, say that Carrasquillo, 35, of the Gloucester town of Swedesboro, and partners Jesse Gonzales, 42, of Pico Rivera, CA, and Michael Barone, 36, of Queens, NY, offered subscribers all…
Confessed NJ ID Thief Admits Stealing $450,000 In Pandemic Unemployment Benefits From NY State
A Union County man admitted Monday that he stole $450,000 in pandemic unemployment insurance benefits from New York State by using other people's identities.
Maurice Mills, 29, of Union Township took a deal from the government rather than face trial, pleading guilty to wire fraud during a video conference with a federal judge in Newark.
Mills admitted that he submitted the bogus applications last year for the benefits, funded by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, "using the names of other individuals," Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said.
U.S. Di…
PA Restaurant Owner Arrested By Feds For PPP Scam Could Get 90 Years In Prison, $2.6 Mil. Fine
A restaurant owner has been arrested for bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with federal loans he obtained, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Scott Levy, 58, of Harrisburg, applied for PPP loans on behalf of his business, Hershey Road Family Restaurant, and received $227,500 in loans from the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the DOJ.
The restaurant closed in July of 2020.
Levy is accused of spending the majority of those funds on his personal expenses.
The case alleges Levy transferred the…
