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Politics
Trump Taps Dr. Oz, Penn Alum, To Lead Medicare And Medicaid Services Trump Taps Dr. Oz, Penn Alum, To Lead Medicare And Medicaid Services
Trump Taps Dr. Oz, Penn Alum, To Lead Medicare And Medicaid Services President-elect Donald J. Trump has nominated Dr. Mehmet Oz to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), citing the Pennsylvania-educated heart surgeon’s decades-long dedication to healthcare innovation and public advocacy. The announcement came Tuesday, Nov. 19, as Trump highlighted Oz’s qualifications and ties to the Keystone State. Dr. Oz earned both his medical degree and MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine and Wharton Business School, making him an Ivy League-trained physician and business leader. Trump lauded his achievements in a statement, ca…

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by Jillian Pikora
Politics
Trump Names Ex-SEC Chief, PA Native To Replace Damian Williams As SDNY's Top Prosecutor Trump Names Ex-SEC Chief, PA Native To Replace Damian Williams As SDNY's Top Prosecutor
Trump Names Ex-sec Chief, PA Native To Replace Damian Williams As Sdny's Top Prosecutor President-elect Donald Trump is looking to replace Damian Williams, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, with a familiar face from his previous administration who hails from Pennsylvania.  Trump announced on Thursday, Nov. 14 that he would nominate Jay Clayton, who has no experience as a criminal prosecutor, to be the next US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.  Clayton, age 58, previously served as Chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission from May 2017 to December 2020, a role in which Trump wrote he "did an incredible job." Before that, he…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Credit Card Skimmer Found On Cash Register At PA Royal Farms: Police Credit Card Skimmer Found On Cash Register At PA Royal Farms: Police
Credit Card Skimmer Found On Cash Register At PA Royal Farms: Police An illegal electronic skimming device was found installed on a cash register at a Delaware County store, police announced on Thursday, Nov. 13. The credit card skimmer was found at a register at the Royal Farms store located at 2130 West Chester Pike in Marple Township on Saturday, Nov. 9, according to the Marple Township Police Department. An investigation found that the skimmer may have been placed on the register at least a week before it was discovered, police said. Customers who made purchases at the store between Friday, Nov. 1, and Saturday, Nov. 9 are encouraged to check their bank…

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by Merriell Moyer
News
Fake Government Contract Fraud Scheme Nets PA Man Prison Time: USDOJ Fake Government Contract Fraud Scheme Nets PA Man Prison Time: USDOJ
Fake Government Contract Fraud Scheme Nets PA Man Prison Time: Usdoj A Philadelphia man is getting prison time after participating in a $622,000 fraud scheme involving fake government contracts, according to authorities. Darren Barr, 39, was sentenced to almost five years in prison after pleading guilty to an organized scheme that defrauded Lucas County Auditor in Ohio on Wednesday, Nov. 6, the US Department of Justice states in a news release. Barr collaborated with unnamed co-conspirators in a plan that had them pretending to be legitimate vendors Lucas County was authorized to do business with, according to the news release. This scheme began in March 201…

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by Merriell Moyer
News
Fraudulent House Flipping in Philly Gets Delaware Man Jail Time: USDOJ Fraudulent House Flipping in Philly Gets Delaware Man Jail Time: USDOJ
Fraudulent House Flipping in Philly Gets Delaware Man Jail Time: Usdoj A Delaware man is facing jail time for fraud after flipping three Philadelphia properties he promised to convert into affordable housing, authorities said. Felton Hayman, 54, of Wilmington, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison and three years of supervised release for his scheme on Monday, Oct. 28, according to a US Department of Justice news release. Hayman used his longtime friendship with an unnamed Philadelphia city councilmember to purchase three vacant city properties at below-market prices based on his promise to build affordable housing on the lots, the news release states. …

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by Merriell Moyer
Politics
Voter Registration Forms Under Investigation In PA Tied To Arizona Company: Authorities Voter Registration Forms Under Investigation In PA Tied To Arizona Company: Authorities
Voter Registration Forms Under Investigation In PA Tied To Arizona Company: Authorities Some suspicious voter registration forms that are under investigation in Pennsylvania have been tied to an Arizona company, authorities said. About 30 irregular forms that were turned over to Monroe County District Attorney Mike Mancuso to investigate turned out to be fraudulent, according to a post on the district attorney's Facebook page.   Posted by Monroe County Office of the District Attorney on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 Several of the voter registration applications and mail ballot request forms were determined to be fraudulent because they weren't authorized by…

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by Merriell Moyer
Politics
Hundreds Of Forged Voter Registration Found In 2.5K Questionable Applications: Lancaster DA Hundreds Of Forged Voter Registration Found In 2.5K Questionable Applications: Lancaster DA
Hundreds Of Forged Voter Registration Found In 2.5K Questionable Applications: Lancaster DA The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office has found hundreds of fraudulent voter registration applications while continuing to investigate the 2,500 applications dropped off at the county Board of Elections. Election workers initially noticed the irregularities before the applications had been processed and notified the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, as Daily Voice previously reported. Detectives quickly noticed "fraud indicators" such as "incorrect and non-existent addresses, false personal identification information, as well as false names and incorrect social security…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Owner of PA Restaurant Gets Prison Time For Defrauding COVID Programs: Authorities Owner of PA Restaurant Gets Prison Time For Defrauding COVID Programs: Authorities
Owner of PA Restaurant Gets Prison Time For Defrauding COVID Programs: Authorities The owner of a Montgomery County Italian restaurant is getting prison time for defrauding several federal COVID-19 relief programs, authorities said. Giuseppina “Josephine” Leone, 62, of North Wales, was sentenced to 21 months in prison and one year of supervised release on Tuesday, Oct. 22, the US Department of Justice said in a news release. She must also pay a $50,000 fine and a $300 special assessment for pandemic program fraud, the news release states. Leone has also paid full restitution in the amount of $972,861. Her request for a sentence involving an alternative to jail time was de…

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by Merriell Moyer
News
PA Judge Indicted For 31 Counts Of Fraud, Witness Tampering: USDOJ PA Judge Indicted For 31 Counts Of Fraud, Witness Tampering: USDOJ
PA Judge Indicted For 31 Counts Of Fraud, Witness Tampering: Usdoj A federal grand jury has indicted a Pennsylvania judge and lawyer on 31-counts of wire and mail fraud, as well as witness tampering and obstruction of justice, the US Department of Justice announced on Tuesday, Oct. 8.  Steven Stambaugh, age 61, of York, has been charged with twenty-six counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, two counts of tampering with a witness, and one count of obstruction of justice for a COVID-19 scheme, according to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam explained.  Stambaugh is accused of defrauding the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania "to ob…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
NJ, NY Stolen Cars Shipped Overseas From PA Chop Shop: DA NJ, NY Stolen Cars Shipped Overseas From PA Chop Shop: DA
NJ, NY Stolen Cars Shipped Overseas From PA Chop Shop: DA Stacks of car parts being shipped to the Dominican Republic from a Chop Shop has lead to six arrest, the Buck County District Attorney's Office announced on Monday, Oct. 7.  A Pennsylvania State Police investigation lead to the dismantling of a Milford Township chop shop run out of a garage located at 2150 Rosedale Road, as detailed in the release.  Hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen parts were sold and shipped to the Dominican Republic from the shop, according to the release. The following men were charged in connection to the illegal sale of the stole car parts fro…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
$100K+ Allegedly Stolen By Former PA Attorney General Director $100K+ Allegedly Stolen By Former PA Attorney General Director
$100K+ Allegedly Stolen By Former PA Attorney General Director A McKeesport Area School District police chief, Director of the Community Violence Fund program for the McKeesport Chapter of the NAACP, and Regional Director of the PA Office of Attorney General’s Region 5 Bureau of Narcotics Investigation is accused of stealing over $100,000 drug forfeiture money and numerous over monetary thefts, the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday night, Sept. 5.  Brenda D. Sawyer, 61, of North Versailles, was arrested on the following charges on Sept. 5 for her alleged crimes of taking the money which went missing from…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Western PA Man Convicted For Fake 'Kidnapping For Drugs' Plot: DA Western PA Man Convicted For Fake 'Kidnapping For Drugs' Plot: DA
Western PA Man Convicted For Fake 'Kidnapping For Drugs' Plot: DA A McKean County man was convicted on Friday, Aug. 23 in a fake "kidnapping for drugs" plot, authorities said. Tuesday Hale, formerly of Bradford, was found guilty of crimes related to the staged kidnapping in August 2023, according to District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer. The conviction followed a two-day jury trial at the McKean County Courthouse, she said. Hale was charged after the City of Bradford Police received a report from a Bradford man who had received messages – including a staged picture – from his girlfriend’s cell phone stating that his girlfriend had been kidn…

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by Jon Craig
News
Caretaker Steals $4.5K From Elderly Woman, Berks DA Alleges Caretaker Steals $4.5K From Elderly Woman, Berks DA Alleges
Caretaker Steals $4.5K From Elderly Woman, Berks DA Alleges A 46-year-old woman from Reading is charged with making more than 80 unauthorized purchases on the bank cards of an elderly woman whom she cared for, authorities said. Jennifer Konen is accused of stealing nearly $4,500 by making the transactions using a 78-year-old woman's banking information, according to the Berks County District Attorney. Konen was the woman's healthcare provider. In April, Berks County District Attorney’s detectives initiated a criminal investigation into allegations involving exploitation and fraud involving the senior citizen. It was reported that numerous&…

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by Jon Craig
News
$1.5M Con: Ex-Employee Admits Defrauding CT Insurance Company $1.5M Con: Ex-Employee Admits Defrauding CT Insurance Company
$1.5M Con: Ex-Employee Admits Defrauding CT Insurance Company A former employee from Pennsylvania admitted to defrauding a Connecticut insurance company to the tune of $1.5 million. James Keating, age 52, of Paoli, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in New Haven federal court on Tuesday, July 30. Prosecutors said Keating – who served as assistant vice president and a surety bond claims handler at Hartford County-based Allied World Insurance Company in Farmington – created a shell company to bill Allied World for unnecessary claims work that was never performed. Between 2017 and 2021, he also solicited and received kickbacks from Allied World…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Philly Area Gravestone Salesman Scammed Mourners Out Of $1.5 Million, Feds Say Philly Area Gravestone Salesman Scammed Mourners Out Of $1.5 Million, Feds Say
Philly Area Gravestone Salesman Scammed Mourners Out Of $1.5 Million, Feds Say The owner of a headstone company is accused of ripping off hundreds of grieving customers across greater Philadelphia, federal prosecutors allege in an indictment.  Gregory J. Stefan Jr., 54, of Upper Merion, is charged with seven counts of wire fraud, according to the US Attorney's Office.  Between January 2018 and September of last year, Stefan accepted more than $1.5 million from customers who ordered memorials for loved ones, then failed to deliver the headstones they bought, authorities said. Stefan accepted the orders from nearly 500 customers through his companies 1843 LLC…

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by Mac Bullock
News
PA Gravestone Thief's Brother Bilked NJ Widow Out Of $5,000, Indictment Says PA Gravestone Thief's Brother Bilked NJ Widow Out Of $5,000, Indictment Says
PA Gravestone Thief's Brother Bilked NJ Widow Out Of $5,000, Indictment Says Another New Jersey widow has come forward alleging she was bilked out of money for a gravestone she never got. Jerry J. Stefan, 49, of Gladwyne, PA, has been indicted alleging he bilked a Deptford, NJ widow out of $5,054 for a gravestone she never received for her late husband. He's the brother of a Pennsylvania gravestone dealer already charged in three states with defrauding gravestone customers. A Gloucester County grand jury indicted Jerry J. Stefan on June 26 on a charge he never provided a gravestone or returned the money he took. He was indicted on a third-degree charge of failure t…

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by Jon Craig
News
Philly Woman Stole $184K In COVID Relief Money For Butt Lift: Warrant Philly Woman Stole $184K In COVID Relief Money For Butt Lift: Warrant
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…

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by Mac Bullock