fraud

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Woman Behind 'Bleeding Mary' Statue Is Headed for Fraud Trial

Gisella Cardia, husband accused of staging miracles while collecting $423K in donations

(Newser) - An Italian woman who claimed a statue of the Virgin Mary wept tears of blood is heading to trial for fraud. Prosecutors allege Gisella Cardia and her husband, Gianni Cardia, orchestrated fake apparitions and made doomsday predictions to attract hundreds of pilgrims and a small fortune in donations in the...

Trump to Israel: Pardon Netanyahu Before Verdict

US president calls Bibi's corruption trial political, urges clemency by Israeli President Isaac Herzog

(Newser) - President Trump has formally asked Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who's currently on trial for corruption. In a letter made public by Herzog's office, Trump described Netanyahu's prosecution as politically motivated and unfair, while praising the latter's leadership during recent conflicts,...

Indictment: Pitchers Threw Balls or Strikes in Deal With Bettors

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz face prison in MLB's biggest gambling accusations since Pete Rose

(Newser) - Two Cleveland Guardians pitchers were charged in an indictment unsealed Sunday with rigging bets on their pitches. Luis Ortiz was arrested Sunday at Boston Logan International Airport, while Emmanuel Clase remained at large, ESPN reports. The charges against both include wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering...

Fraudsters Find a Way Into Atlanta's Luxury Apartments

Social media, rising rents fuel surge in rental application scams

(Newser) - A wave of rental-application fraud is sweeping Atlanta, as rising rents and a glut of luxury apartments push desperate renters to fake their way into high-end buildings. Influencers on TikTok openly promote doctored pay stubs, fake Social Security numbers, and other fraudulent documents created using generative artificial intelligence—sometimes selling...

They Put Their Surrogacy Funds in an Escrow Account. It's Gone

The Journal recounts there's no regulation or oversight of the escrow companies involved

(Newser) - Parents can easily spend north of $150,000 to have a child through a surrogate, and many turn to specialty escrow companies who handle the money: vouching that expenses sync with the terms of the contract and doling out the parents' payments to the surrogate so long as they do....

New York AG Pleads Not Guilty in Fraud Case

Letitia James is fighting back on case against her pushed by President Trump

(Newser) - New York Attorney General Letitia James pleaded not guilty on Friday to federal charges accusing her of lying on mortgage papers to secure favorable loan terms in a case pushed by President Trump. James' first court appearance in Virginia sets the stage for a high-stakes legal battle between the Republican...

Startup Founder Sentenced for Defrauding JPMorgan Chase

Charlie Javice gets more than 7 years

(Newser) - Charlie Javice, founder of a startup that promised to revolutionize how students apply for financial aid, was sentenced Monday to more than seven years in prison for cheating JPMorgan Chase out of $175 million. Javice, 33, was convicted in March of duping the banking giant when it bought her company,...

SEC: RadioShack Revival Was a $112M Ponzi Scheme

REV founders allegedly misled investors while reviving bankrupt retail brands

(Newser) - Two men behind a company known for buying up bankrupt retail brands like RadioShack, Pier 1 Imports, and Modell's Sporting Goods now face accusations of orchestrating a $112 million Ponzi scheme. In a lawsuit filed Monday in Florida, the Securities and Exchange Commission alleges that Alex Mehr and...

Woman Who Tried to Scam Elvis' Family Is Sentenced

Lisa Findley of Missouri gets 4 years after attempt to steal Graceland from family

(Newser) - A judge in Missouri sentenced a woman to four years in prison Tuesday over a wild scheme to take ownership of Elvis Presley's Graceland estate through a bogus sale, reports the BBC . Lisa Findley's would-be scam of the Presley family revolved around the death of Lisa Marie Presley,...

'Tinder Swindler' Nabbed After Years on the Lam

Shimon Hayut, accused of defrauding Berlin woman, faces extradition from country of Georgia

(Newser) - The man featured on Netflix's The Tinder Swindler , accused of conning women out of millions of dollars , has been arrested in the country of Georgia after years on the run. Shimon Hayut, an Israeli national who gained notoriety for allegedly scamming women he met online, was detained at...

George Jones' Widow Found Love, Says She Got Scammed
George Jones' Widow Found
Love in the Wrong Place
LONGFORM
Sep 14, 2025 9:30 AM CDT

George Jones' Widow Found Love in the Wrong Place

Nancy Jones, widow of country star, was with alleged conman for 12 years

(Newser) - Nancy Jones, widow of country legend George Jones, found heartbreak long after losing her famous husband—this time not from grief, but allegedly from fraud. Nancy, now 78, had met Kirk West shortly after her famous husband's 2013 death, a vulnerable moment she now believes "wasn't...

FBI Flags Mystery Packages With Fake QR Codes
Be Careful You Don't
Become a 'Quishing' Victim
in case you missed it
Sep 14, 2025 7:00 AM CDT

Be Careful You Don't Become a 'Quishing' Victim

Recipients are being tricked into scanning malicious QR codes, per the FBI

(Newser) - The FBI is sounding the alarm on a new scam straight from the "what could possibly go wrong?" file: unsolicited packages containing only a mysterious QR code. Once just an easy way to check menus or pay for takeout, QR codes have landed on the scammer's menu....

Former Candy Exec Stole $28M From Mars

Sugar market expert Paul Steed set up fake companies

(Newser) - A former executive for a subsidiary of candymaker Mars Inc. has pleaded guilty to fraud and tax charges in connection with his theft of $28 million from the company, federal prosecutors said. Paul Steed, 58, appeared in federal court in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The Stamford resident also agreed to pay $28....

FHFA Chief Is Having a 'Pot, Meet Kettle' Moment

Records show Pulte's family claimed same tax breaks that he's slamming Fed governor for

(Newser) - Bill Pulte, a federal housing official, has publicly accused Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook of improperly claiming homestead exemptions—tax breaks for owners on their primary residence—on more than one property. However, a Reuters investigation found that Pulte's own father and stepmother, Mark and Julie Pulte, have...

Surgeon Sexually Fixated on Amputations Is Going to Jail

Neil Hopper orchestrated amputation of his legs, then scammed insurers

(Newser) - A British surgeon who carried out hundreds of amputations before having his own legs removed because of self-inflicted injuries has been sentenced to 32 months in prison. Neil Hopper, 49, admitted to two counts of fraud by false representation and three counts of possessing extreme pornography. Prosecutors said Hopper,...

NY Court Throws Out Massive Fraud Penalty Against Trump

New York court calls $515M+ award over whether president inflated his assets 'excessive'

(Newser) - An appeals court has thrown out the massive civil fraud penalty against President Trump, ruling Thursday in New York state's lawsuit accusing him of exaggerating his wealth. A panel of five judges in New York's mid-level Appellate Division said the verdict, which stood to cost Trump more than...

Trump Says Fed Governor 'Must Resign'
Fed Governor
Rejects Call by
Trump to Quit
updated
Aug 20, 2025 5:52 PM CDT

Fed Governor Rejects Call by Trump to Quit

Federal Housing Finance Agency chief accused Lisa Cook of mortgage fraud

(Newser) - President Trump is calling for the resignation of a governor of the Federal Reserve after the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency accused her of mortgage fraud. "Cook must resign, now!!!" Trump posted Wednesday on Truth Social , referencing a Bloomberg story about Fed governor Lisa Cook. Late...

Priscilla Presley's Ex-Business Partners Sue Her for $50M

Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko say they were defrauded and betrayed

(Newser) - Priscilla Presley's former business partners have filed a lawsuit seeking more than $50 million in damages, alleging fraud and breach of contract. Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko filed the lawsuit Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, per the AP . Among many other allegations, they say Presley used them to...

Feds: 400 Grandparents Were Bilked Out of Millions

Accused posed as grandkids in dire straits to swindle unsuspecting seniors

(Newser) - Federal prosecutors have charged 13 Dominican Republic nationals with orchestrating a scheme that defrauded more than 400 American grandparents out of $5 million by pretending to be grandchildren in distress. According to authorities, the suspects operated organized call centers in the Dominican Republic, where English-speaking callers contacted elderly victims—...

How a University Accountant Funneled Millions to a Cam Girl

Toronto Life recounts the story

(Newser) - A Florida accountant's fascination with virtual intimacy spiraled into one of the wildest fraud cases in recent memory, as recounted by Sarah Treleaven for Toronto Life . Ralph Puglisi, an accountant at the University of South Florida, moonlighted online as "Jon Generous," a deep-pocketed single looking for...

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