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Police & Fire
Fake 'Marine' Who Conned Elderly Bucks Couple For $320K Learns Fate Fake 'Marine' Who Conned Elderly Bucks Couple For $320K Learns Fate
Fake 'Marine' Who Conned Elderly Bucks Couple For $320K Learns Fate The conman who posed as a US Marine Corps veteran to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from an elderly couple in Bucks County is going to prison.  Marc Cheeseman, a 50-year-old Silverdale resident, was sentenced to five to seven years in a Pennsylvania state prison in a hearing on Thursday, Jan. 19, District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said in a statement.  Cheeseman previously pleaded guilty in September to several felony theft charges and one misdemeanor count of impersonating a veteran, the DA said.  In court, prosecutors argued that he carried on a yearslong scheme t…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Bucks Furniture Company Scammed Customers: Police Bucks Furniture Company Scammed Customers: Police
Bucks Furniture Company Scammed Customers: Police A Bucks County furniture company is accused of pocketing customers' money without actually delivering merchandise.  A&A Custom Furniture of Perkasie advertises unique, handcrafted furniture and home goods on its since-deleted website, but police say the company has been stiffing its clientele.  Investigators say the company, run by Austin and Amanda Smallacombe, accepted "large financial deposits" from customers on Facebook and other social media sites but then never actually fulfilled the orders.  State court records show no active criminal charges against either Smalla…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Man Fleeced $40K From Disabled Relative, Bucks Jury Finds Man Fleeced $40K From Disabled Relative, Bucks Jury Finds
Man Fleeced $40K From Disabled Relative, Bucks Jury Finds A Carbon County man who reached in his disabled relative's pocket and stole nearly $40,000 in inheritance money is now facing down a prison term.  Patrick Alderton, a 46-year-old Weatherly resident, was convicted Wednesday, Jan. 11 on multiple felonies related to the scam, said Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub.  Investigators were tipped off in October 2020, when Alderton — then living in Whitehall — was the personal representative for the estate of a relative during a guardianship case, the DA said.  The relative, who lives at a nursing home in Qua…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Scammer Stole Thousands From Bucks County Grandmother, Police Say Scammer Stole Thousands From Bucks County Grandmother, Police Say
Scammer Stole Thousands From Bucks County Grandmother, Police Say A scam caller who stole thousands of dollars from a Bucks County grandmother is now facing jail time, according to authorities.  Police in Falls Township charged Christopher Mauricio, 19, of Philadelphia, with two felony counts of theft and receiving stolen property, the department announced.  Investigators say Mauricio ran an elaborate scam involving multiple assumed identities and phony paperwork to steal $5,000 from a woman in her 90s.  Officials said a caller contacted the victim on April 25, claiming to be her grandson. He told her he was in jail in Allentown and needed…

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by Mac Bullock
Politics
Philly Political Consultant Forged Signatures For Ballot Access: DA Philly Political Consultant Forged Signatures For Ballot Access: DA
Philly Political Consultant Forged Signatures For Ballot Access: DA A Philadelphia political consultant is facing criminal charges after prosecutors say he forged signatures to gain ballot access for his clients.  Rasheen Crews of Crews Consulting was working on behalf of "multiple candidates" in the 2019 Democratic Philadelphia mayoral primary to help fill out their nominating petitions, said state Attorney General Joshua Shapiro in a statement on Wednesday, Nov. 16.  But to get the forms filled, investigators say Crews hired "individuals" to sit in a hotel room and write "write names, addresses, and forged signatures" on the petitions, investiga…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
MontCo Contractor To Pay $43K For Ripping Off Clients: DA MontCo Contractor To Pay $43K For Ripping Off Clients: DA
MontCo Contractor To Pay $43K For Ripping Off Clients: DA A general contractor in Montgomery County will spend months in jail and pay thousands in restitution after pleading guilty to ripping off several Philadelphia area homeowners, authorities say.  Joseph E. Collopy, 46, of Lansdale, will spend nine to 23 months behind bars followed by seven years of probation, and must hand over a total of $42,856.96 to former clients, said Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub in a statement Thursday, Nov. 10.  Through his companies Macintosh Construction and Collopy Construction Inc., the DA said Collopy signed a contract to re…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Philly Group Ran Illegal Puppy Selling Ring: AG Philly Group Ran Illegal Puppy Selling Ring: AG
Philly Group Ran Illegal Puppy Selling Ring: AG Five Philadelphia residents are in police custody for running an illegal puppy business, officials announced.  The group used counterfeit bills and phony checks to purchase expensive breed dogs in Lancaster County and resold them for a massive profit, said state Attorney General Josh Shapiro in a statement on Friday, Oct. 21.  The alleged conspirators would seek listings for in-demand puppies like French bulldogs and Yorkshire terriers, authorities said, and resell them for as much as $20,000 each, authorities said.  Investigators said they uncovered more than 30 separate in…

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by Mac Bullock
Schools
PA Charter School CEO Pleads Guilty To Stealing Funds From The US Government USDOJ PA Charter School CEO Pleads Guilty To Stealing Funds From The US Government USDOJ
PA Charter School CEO Pleads Guilty To Stealing Funds From The US Government Usdoj A charter school's CEO and President has pleaded guilty to stealing funds from a federal grant program that was meant for the school where he worked, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Leonard Hart, 50, of Mount Wolf, the former CEO and principal of Lincoln Charter School in York has admitted to submitting to LCS nearly 20 false and fraudulent reimbursement requests between 2018 and 2020, on Thursday Oct. 20, according to a release by the US Department of Justice. Hart "obtained by fraud and misapplied approximately $6,400," starting in May 201…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
PA Woman Stole $162K In COVID-19 Relief Funds Intended For Renters Facing Eviction PA Woman Stole $162K In COVID-19 Relief Funds Intended For Renters Facing Eviction
PA Woman Stole $162K In Covid-19 Relief Funds Intended For Renters Facing Eviction A 53-year-old Pennsylvania woman stole more than $162,000 in COVID-19 relief funds intended for renters facing eviction or utility shut-off, authorities said. Tina M. Yorgey, of Norristown, was charged with multiple counts of theft, receiving stolen property, forgery, and other related offenses, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said on Friday, Sept. 30. Prosecutors say Yorgey received $162,680 in funding on nine COVID Emergency Rental Assistance and Utility Coalition (ERUC) applications by submitting fraudulent claims and forged documents. An investigation…

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
Nigerian Fraudsters Used Romance Scam Vic To Try Stealing $13M From PA Schools: DA Nigerian Fraudsters Used Romance Scam Vic To Try Stealing $13M From PA Schools: DA
Nigerian Fraudsters Used Romance Scam Vic To Try Stealing $13M From PA Schools: DA Detectives intercepted a plan to steal more than $13 million from a Pennsylvania school district, authorities announced Friday, Aug. 26. Fraudsters in Nigeria apparently hacked the Chester Upland School District's email system in 2021 and sent emails to the Department of Education requesting a payment change, 6abc reports citing Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer. A woman in Florida was apparently the victim of an online romance scam involving individuals in Nigeria, who convinced her to move the stolen money to accounts overseas, authorities said. The treasurer'…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
'I F*cking Killed My Wife' PA Dentist Found Guilty Of Murdering Wife On Safari 'I F*cking Killed My Wife' PA Dentist Found Guilty Of Murdering Wife On Safari
'I F*cking Killed My Wife' PA Dentist Found Guilty Of Murdering Wife On Safari A Pennsylvania dentist and big game hunter apparently hunted his wife and has been convicted of her murder on Monday, August 1, court records show. Lawrence Rudolph, 67, the founder of Three Rivers Dental in Pittsburgh, was arrested by the FBI in Mexico and extradited to the US in December for foreign murder and fraud charges in December 2021, according to court documents. He has been found guilty of killing his wife, Bianca, while in Zambia on a hunting safari in Oct. 2016, court documents show. Rudolph originally told authorities in Zambia that Bianca had shot herself accidentally in the…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Current, Former Wildwood Mayors, Commissioner Charged With Scamming Health Benefits Program Current, Former Wildwood Mayors, Commissioner Charged With Scamming Health Benefits Program
Current, Former Wildwood Mayors, Commissioner Charged With Scamming Health Benefits Program The city of Wildwood’s former and current mayor and a city commissioner broke the law – committing “breaches of the public trust” -- by collecting health benefits that they didn’t earn, state authorities said Friday. Wildwood Mayor Peter J. Byron, former Mayor Ernest V. Troiano Jr., and current City Commissioner Steven E. Mikulski were charged criminally for fraudulently participating in the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP), Acting New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. In order to be eligible for the benefits, they needed to be full-time employees “whose hours of work are…

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by Jerry DeMarco