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PA Victims Scammed Out Of $2.2M By NJ Couple In Bogus Lottery Scheme: Cops
A couple from Secaucus is facing a litany of charges after scamming residents in multiple states out of more nearly $2.2 million, police said.
Akeem Lee and Majda Hodzic-Lee called victims in Florida, Minnesota, Arizona, Kansas, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Nebraska, saying they'd won the "Publishers Clearing House Lottery," Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said.
In exchange for the vehicles and large sums of money the victims were told they won, they were required by Lee and Hodzic-Lee to send cash, money orders and/or gift cards for taxes, fees and IRS …
NJ Man Steals $8K+ From Woman Using Passport At PA Bank: Police
An elderly woman has lost nearly $9,000 from her bank account after a New Jersey man used a fake passport card at a bank in Bethlehem, PA, police announced on Wednesday, Nov. 22.
Dax Perez Velazquez, 49 of West New York, NJ, somehow obtained a US passport card with his image on it but the elderly woman's name, and used it at a Member's 1st bank in Bethlehem, PA on September 30, Lower Allen Township police detailed in the release.
The man initially made a cash withdrawal of $6,800 using the woman's account info and his fraudulent passport card at a teller window inside the bank and the…
$744K+ Lottery Ticket Forged By PA Woman, Police Say
A Pennsylvania woman "manipulated and forged" a lottery ticket so it would appear that she won several hundreds of thousands of dollars, police announced on Friday.
Kathy Louise Free, 61, of State Line, changed a number on a Pennsylvania Lottery Tocket making it appear that she won $744, 260 in Sept. 2022, according to the Lower Swatara Township Police.
The following criminal charges were filed against Free on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023:
Felony Criminal Attempt Theft by Deception.
Felony Forgery.
Misdemeanor Possession of an Instrument of Crime.
She was released on $1,000 unsecured b…
PA Collision Center Owner Surrenders After Submitting $426K In False Insurance Claims
A Bucks County collision center owner who submitted nearly 300 false insurance claims, pocketing more than $426,000 in payouts has surrendered to authorities, they said.
John Paul Reis, 56, of Newtown Township, turned himself in on Thursday, Aug. 25, on charges of insurance fraud, deceptive business practices, forgery, and theft by deception, all third-degree felonies, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.
The charges come after a four-year investigation by county detectives that began in Sept. 2018, after they received a referral from officials with …
PA Contractor Ripped Off $86K From Clients, AG Says
A contractor in Pennsylvania has been charged after he accepted deposits to build elevators in six residents' homes but never did any of the work, authorities said.
Michael Bloom, of Williamsport, agreed to the projects, which totaled $86,110, AG Josh Shapiro said. He provided little or no services in return and refused to give his customers refunds.
Five of the homeowners left in the lurch by Bloom were over 60 years old, the AG said.
“The law is clear on this,” AG Shapiro said. “Contractors can’t enter into a contract, accept money from a homeowner, and then fail to deliver — and that’s …
Bail Scam Artist Needs Bail After He Tried To Scam PA Grandma Out of $15K: Police
An 82-year-old grandma nearly lost $15,000 to a bail scam artist on Monday, June 13, police say.
Engerbert Perez Jimenez, 26, of Reading, called the Lancaster County woman and pretended to be her son’s lawyer claiming her grandson was in a serious car crash and was in the ICU and needed $8,000, according to the release by the Northern Lancaster County Regional police department.
The woman quickly went to the bank and withdrew cash and met the man in Warwick Township and surrendered the cash, but then he called her back and demanded another $7,000 in cash claiming he need bail money for her…
State: Jersey Shore Chiropractor, 73, With Fraud History Files 261 Bogus Insurance Claims
A Bayonne-based chiropractor from the Jersey Shore with an insurance fraud conviction already on his record did it again, state authorities charged.
Charles B. Boas, 73, of Matawan, got probation seven years ago after pleading guilty to collecting nearly $13,000 through bogus claims, records show.
State officials announced Wednesday that they'd caught him in an even bigger scam -- this time involving hundreds of false submissions to Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield.
A grand jury in Trenton indicted Boas on 261 counts involving health care claims fraud, theft by deception and tax evasions, Ac…
Report: NY Woman, 62, Attempted To Steal $155K From Victim’s Bank Account In Northampton County
A 62-year-old woman was arrested after attempting to make two withdrawals totaling more than $150,000 in another person’s name from a Northampton County bank, reports say.
Rochel Cruz, of the Bronx, is accused of filling out a withdrawal slip totaling $55,000 using another person’s information at the Wells Fargo Bank on Schoenersville Road last Friday, LehighValleyLive reports citing court records.
Cruz then returned to the same bank and asked for a cashier’s check made out to $100,000 cash, the report says.
Cruz had a deposit slip and a fraudulent New Jersey driver’s license when pol…
No-Show Montgomery County Contractor Facing Criminal Charges, Police Say
A Montgomery County contractor is facing multiple charges after he was paid to complete home improvement work and never showed, authorities said.
David Gofus, 32, provided two estimates under the business name of Doc Gofus Renovations in August 2019, then never showed up to complete the work, Plymouth Township police said.
He also stole the homeowner's shutters and hardware, police said.
Gofus, who runs under the business name of Doc Gofus Renovations, has yet to return them even after he was initially contacted by police on April 10, 2020.
He was charged with fraudulent business pra…
