Tag:

Extortion

$700K Gold, Bitcoin Theft: ‘PayPal’ Poser From NJ Scams Elderly PA Man, DA Says $700K Gold, Bitcoin Theft: ‘PayPal’ Poser From NJ Scams Elderly PA Man, DA Says
$700K Gold, Bitcoin Theft: ‘PayPal’ Poser From NJ Scams Elderly PA Man, DA Says A slick con artist posing as a PayPal agent scammed a 74-year-old Pennsylvania man out of nearly $700,000 in gold and cryptocurrency, authorities revealed on Friday, Jan. 16. Hirtik Hemchand Khatri, of Lawrence Township, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Nov. 20 to felony charges of Theft by Extortion, Theft by Unlawful Taking – Movable Property, and Criminal Use of a Communication Facility, according to Holihan.  Khatri was sentenced at a hearing before Judge Thomas M. Caffrey to 12 months, minus a day, to 36 months in prison for both theft charges, along with two years of proba…
US Sounds Alarm Over Tourist Crime In Popular Tropical Getaway US Sounds Alarm Over Tourist Crime In Popular Tropical Getaway
US Sounds Alarm Over Tourist Crime In Popular Tropical Getaway A popular Central American getaway spot is under new scrutiny after US officials warned that criminals are increasingly targeting tourists and foreign residents with robberies and extortion schemes. In a security alert issued on Tuesday, Nov. 25, the US Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica, said it is tracking a rise in property crimes, financial crimes, and robberies affecting foreigners across the country, including US citizens.  The alert describes criminal gangs targeting foreign-owned homes and businesses for break-ins and extortion. It also details cases in which foreign residents and…
MS-13 Gang Leader 'Pirana' Wanted For Murder, Kidnapping, Deported From Pennsylvania: ICE MS-13 Gang Leader 'Pirana' Wanted For Murder, Kidnapping, Deported From Pennsylvania: ICE
MS-13 Gang Leader 'Pirana' Wanted For Murder, Kidnapping, Deported From Pennsylvania: ICE A dangerous MS-13 gang leader wanted for kidnapping, extortion, and murder was removed from the United States after finishing a federal sentence in Pennsylvania, ICE announced on Sunday, Sept. 7. Jose Alberto Zamora-Zamora, 31, also known as “Pirana,” was flown back to El Salvador on Aug. 15 after being arrested by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia. He had just completed a 24-month sentence for illegal reentry at Federal Correctional Institution Allenwood Low in Union County, according to officials. Zamora-Zamora was previously deported in December 2022 but returned …
Scam Targets Airlines As Hacking Group Expands Operations, FBI Warns Scam Targets Airlines As Hacking Group Expands Operations, FBI Warns
Scam Targets Airlines As Hacking Group Expands Operations, FBI Warns A cybercriminal group known for extorting people and companies across the world is now targeting the airline industry. The FBI has issued a warning about Scattered Spider, a hacking group that has  expanded its operations to include major US airlines and their vendors.  The group is known for using convincing impersonation tactics to access corporate networks, often bypassing multi-factor authentication by tricking IT staff into adding unauthorized devices. Scattered Spider impersonates employees or contractors to deceive help desks. "These techniques frequently involve methods …
Mayor’s Bodyguard Tied To Crypto Torture Case? NYPD Officers Subject Of Internal Investigation Mayor’s Bodyguard Tied To Crypto Torture Case? NYPD Officers Subject Of Internal Investigation
Mayor’s Bodyguard Tied To Crypto Torture Case? Nypd Officers Subject Of Internal Investigation The bizarre Bitcoin torture saga playing out in a luxury Manhattan townhouse has now reached City Hall. Two members of the NYPD, including an officer assigned to Mayor Eric Adams’ security detail, have been placed on modified duty amid an internal investigation into whether they had any involvement in the kidnapping and torture of an Italian crypto trader, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed to Daily Voice. The detective assigned to Adams’ security detail provided security at the Prince Street townhouse in Nolita where John Woeltz and William Duplessie allegedly tortured the victim for 17 days, …
WATCH: Crypto Hostage Seen Bolting From NYC Townhouse After 17 Days Of Torture, Report Says WATCH: Crypto Hostage Seen Bolting From NYC Townhouse After 17 Days Of Torture, Report Says
Watch: Crypto Hostage Seen Bolting From NYC Townhouse After 17 Days Of Torture, Report Says A surveillance camera captured the dramatic moment a barefoot hostage victim made his daring escape after allegedly being kidnapped and tortured for weeks inside a Manhattan townhouse. Video obtained exclusively by CNN shows the 28-year-old Italian crypto trader sprinting up from the basement of the Nolita home on Prince Street, flinging open a gate, and darting past a stunned pedestrian before flagging down police on Friday, May 23. The man had allegedly been held hostage for 17 days by two business associates, including alleged “Crypto King of Kentucky” John Woeltz, in what prosecutors sa…
US Issues Urgent Travel Warnings Covering 2 Countries: What To Know US Issues Urgent Travel Warnings Covering 2 Countries: What To Know
US Issues Urgent Travel Warnings Covering 2 Countries: What To Know The US State Department is warning Americans against traveling to part of one country and has issued a do not travel warning for one of its neighboring nations. A Level 3 Reconsider Travel Advisory covers these parts of eastern Colombia:  Arauca, Cauca (excluding Popayán), and Norte de Santander departments in Colombia; The Colombia-Venezuela border region. "Violent crime, like murder, assault, and robbery, is common in many areas in Colombia," the advisory says. "In some places, organized crime is rampant. This includes extortion, robbery, and kidnapping." A Level 4  Do No…
Sexual Extortion Investigation Underway In Saint Thomas Township: PSP Chambersburg Sexual Extortion Investigation Underway In Saint Thomas Township: PSP Chambersburg
Sexual Extortion Investigation Underway In Saint Thomas Township: PSP Chambersburg A sexual extortion investigation is underway in Saint Thomas Township, Pennsylvania State Police in Chambersburg announced. Trooper B. Dixon responded to Nugget Way on Monday, Feb. 10 at 9:01 a.m. for a report of theft by deception and extortion, according to the release on Thursday, Feb. 13. A 47-year-old woman from Saint Thomas reported that photos were stolen during the incident, troopers said. No charges have been filed, and the investigation is ongoing, PSP Chambersburg noted.
Severed Limb Photos Sent Over Escort Payment: PA State Police Severed Limb Photos Sent Over Escort Payment: PA State Police
Severed Limb Photos Sent Over Escort Payment: PA State Police A man was threatened with graphic images of severed limbs after refusing to pay for an escort service he didn't use, Pennsylvania State Police announced on Sunday Dec. 8.  The victim told state troopers he had arranged to meet an escort in King of Prussia on Nov. 8, but left the hotel immediately after a different escort arrived, according to PSP Avondale. Days later, on Nov. 11, he began receiving threatening text messages from an unknown individual demanding payment, police said. The messages included threats of physical harm along with graphic photos of severed limbs, investigators …
Lebanon Sextortionist Sentenced After Swindling $150K From Victim: USDOJ Lebanon Sextortionist Sentenced After Swindling $150K From Victim: USDOJ
Lebanon Sextortionist Sentenced After Swindling $150K From Victim: Usdoj A Lebanon man has admitted to sextorting someone out of $150,000, according to a release by the US Department of Justice on Tuesday, April 30. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that 35-year-old John Anthony Zayas was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Sylvia H. Rambo on Wednesday, April 24.  Zayas previously pleaded guilty to "extortion by interstate communication" as stated in the release. In the fall of 2022, he had threatened to "publicize intimate photos and images of the victim" if they did not…
2 Broken Thumbs Down: Gambino Family Hothead Nearly Torches Jersey Shore Restaurant, Feds Say 2 Broken Thumbs Down: Gambino Family Hothead Nearly Torches Jersey Shore Restaurant, Feds Say
2 Broken Thumbs Down: Gambino Family Hothead Nearly Torches Jersey Shore Restaurant, Feds Say Life imitated art when a reputed Gambino crime family captain threatened to burn down a Jersey Shore restaurant, then went to a service station across the street and tried to buy and fill a plastic gas can, federal authorities said. In what could’ve been a scene from any number of modern-day mob movies, Joseph Lanni of Staten Island became a walking cliché, the Justice Department said in announcing an organized-crime takedown that stretched all the way to Sicily. Lanni and fellow Staten Islander Vincent “Vinny Slick” Minsquero “became belligerent” after being asked to leave Roxy’s Bar and G…
SEXTORTION: AMC CEO, Philly Native Adam Aron Says He Was Blackmailed SEXTORTION: AMC CEO, Philly Native Adam Aron Says He Was Blackmailed
Sextortion: AMC CEO, Philly Native Adam Aron Says He Was Blackmailed Philadelphia native and AMC CEO Adam Aron says he was the victim of an "elaborate criminal extortion" scheme last year, he announced Thursday morning, Oct. 12, in a social media post.  Aron made the revelation after Semafor reported that the CEO had sent "sexually explicit images and messages" to a woman who later tried to hold them as blackmail.  The woman, Sakoya Blackwood of Bronx, New York, was charged with extortion and cyberstalking and later sentenced to one year time served, according to the outlet.  Aron said he "personally engaged counsel and other professional advisors and repor…
NEW CHARGES: Out-Of-State Woman Held Captive For Year By NJ Man Was Raped, Grand Jury Finds NEW CHARGES: Out-Of-State Woman Held Captive For Year By NJ Man Was Raped, Grand Jury Finds
NEW Charges: Out-Of-State Woman Held Captive For Year By NJ Man Was Raped, Grand Jury Finds UPDATE: A South Jersey man repeatedly raped a woman he'd kidnapped and held hostage during a nearly year-long cross-country trip, state authorities said an ongoing investigation has found. James W. Parrillo Jr., 57, was captured and has remained jailed ever since the woman escaped from a residence in Bass Township and fled to safety at a nearby gas station three months ago, ending a terrifying year in captivity. Parillo originally was charged with first-degree kidnapping, criminal restraint, aggravated assault and strangulation, as well as hindering apprehension, obstruction and refusing to…
'PlugwalkJoe' Admits Unprecedented Twitter Hack That Included Musk, Kardashian, Biden: Feds 'PlugwalkJoe' Admits Unprecedented Twitter Hack That Included Musk, Kardashian, Biden: Feds
'PlugwalkJoe' Admits Unprecedented Twitter Hack That Included Musk, Kardashian, Biden: Feds A 23-year-old British citizen who hacked the Twitter accounts of Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian and Bill Gates, among others, pleaded guilty in federal court to a host of related charges as part of a deal with the government. Joseph James O'Connor -- also known as "PlugwalkJoe" -- technically faces up to 77 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines but will likely get somewhere between 10 to 20 years when all is said and done. The Liverpudlian hacker admitted during a plea hearing in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday, May 9, that he committed one of the largest high-pro…
Fugitive Dubbed 'Real-Life Tony Soprano' Couldn't Hide From The Law, Even In Death Fugitive Dubbed 'Real-Life Tony Soprano' Couldn't Hide From The Law, Even In Death
Fugitive Dubbed 'Real-Life Tony Soprano' Couldn't Hide From The Law, Even In Death He was considered one of the last of the old-time mobsters, a "real-life Tony Soprano" listed as one of New Jersey's most wanted fugitives. Even six feet under, though, Tony Mota couldn't evade his pursuers. After eluding capture for nearly 25 years for a gruesome murder committed in Hudson County, Anthony Mota was found buried in the country where he was born, the Dominican Republic. Mota had been collecting debts for high-level Colombian drug dealers in New York City when he and a group of accomplices abducted a Queens man on Dec. 13, 1997, authorities said. The victim, 38-year-old …
NJ Prosecutor: Did Cyber-Predator Ask Your Pre-Teen For Nude Pics, Sex Talk? NJ Prosecutor: Did Cyber-Predator Ask Your Pre-Teen For Nude Pics, Sex Talk?
NJ Prosecutor: Did Cyber-Predator Ask Your Pre-Teen For Nude Pics, Sex Talk? Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella asked parents to check whether their children were contacted by an out-of-state man who created various identities to have sex chats with a local pre-teen whom he tried to extort into sending him pornographic images. Cyber Crimes Unit detectives found that “several different online personalities engaged the same child victim in separate conversations, some of which contained sexually explicit content and dialogue,” Musella said. All of the social media accounts used to contact the Bergen County child were controlled by Jason J. Campbell, a 31-year-old s…
Prosecutor: Florida Cyber-Predator Preyed On Bergen Pre-Teen, Possibly Others Prosecutor: Florida Cyber-Predator Preyed On Bergen Pre-Teen, Possibly Others
Prosecutor: Florida Cyber-Predator Preyed On Bergen Pre-Teen, Possibly Others Detectives from Bergen County seized a security guard in Florida who they said created various identities to have sex chats with a local pre-teen whom he tried to extort into sending him pornographic images. Cyber Crimes Unit detectives found that “several different online personalities engaged the same child victim in separate conversations, some of which contained sexually explicit content and dialogue,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Friday. All of the social media accounts used to contact the Bergen County child were controlled by Jason J. Campbell, 31, of Orlando, the pr…
FBI: Four From NJ, NY, PA Charged With Kidnapping Man, Demanding $100,000 Ransom FBI: Four From NJ, NY, PA Charged With Kidnapping Man, Demanding $100,000 Ransom
FBI: Four From NJ, NY, PA Charged With Kidnapping Man, Demanding $100,000 Ransom A group of men from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York kidnapped a man on a Camden street, beat him and held him captive while trying to extort a $100,000 ransom from his family, federal authorities charged. The victim was grabbed from behind last Thursday night by his abductors, who “covered his head, bound him with plastic restraints, assaulted him and put him into a vehicle,” Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. They then drove him to a city residence where they “continued to beat him with a hard object the victim could not see,” she said. “After several hours, the kidnappers …
Jersey Shore Man Forced Girl, 14, To Carve His Initials Above Her Breast, Indictment Charges Jersey Shore Man Forced Girl, 14, To Carve His Initials Above Her Breast, Indictment Charges
Jersey Shore Man Forced Girl, 14, To Carve His Initials Above Her Breast, Indictment Charges A Jersey Shore man who convinced a 14-year-old girl he met online to carve his initials above her breast with a razor blade threatened to hurt her and her family if she didn’t meet his demands, an indictment returned Wednesday by a state grand jury alleges. Jason Berry, 40, of Keansburg also “demanded that the girl photograph herself engaging in acts of sexual penetration,” then sent some of the images to her mother, the indictment returned in Trenton charges. He also sent the girl “sexually explicit photos and videos of himself,” it adds. The case “demonstrates how powerful online predato…