fraud

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Feds: Widow Disposed of Husband in Trash, Took His Benefits

Aging Las Vegas woman allegedly hid the fact that her husband had died

(Newser) - "There was no ambulance, no hospitalization, no funeral, no burial, and no cremation," states a federal criminal complaint filed in connection with the death of a Pennsylvania man identified only as JPS. The person the complaint does name is the man's wife, Nancy Shedleski. She's accused...

Broken Hearts, Empty Wallets: Seniors Catfished for $139M

FTC report says there was a 'surge' in 2020 in romance scams bamboozling Americans 60 and over

(Newser) - Last month, the Department of Justice announced money laundering and wire fraud charges brought against nearly a dozen "romance scammers," and that's only scratching the surface of what the Washington Post calls a "surge" in such deceptions made worse by the pandemic, especially for the senior...

Prosecutors: Fraudster Even Conned Fellow Inmates

Michael Moller also sentenced to almost 7 years over fraudulent PPP loans

(Newser) - A convicted bank robber is headed back to federal prison—this time for fraudulently seeking more than $4.7 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans. Michael Moller, 42, of Middletown, Rhode Island, was under federal supervised release following four armed bank robbery convictions when he filed 11 loan applications under...

He Left a Suicide Note for His Mom. He Wasn't Really Dead

David Adler Staveley, first American charged with CARES Act fraud, sentenced to 4 years

(Newser) - When David Adler Staveley's unlocked car was found near the Atlantic Ocean in May 2020, with his wallet inside, family members assumed the Massachusetts man was dead. After all, the 54-year-old had left what appeared to be suicide notes for his associates and relatives, including his 80-year-old mother, per...

18 Ex-Players Charged in NBA Fraud Scheme

2008 champions Anthony Allen, Ronald Glen Davis are among them

(Newser) - Eighteen former NBA players have been charged with defrauding the league's health and welfare benefit plan out of about $4 million, according to an indictment Thursday in New York. Federal prosecutors planned a news conference to describe the case that was brought in Manhattan federal court, per the AP...

Suit: 'Psychic' Was Paid $1K, Still Didn't Lift Witch's Curse

Mauro Restrepo now wants $25K from 'psychic love specialist' Sophia Adams

(Newser) - A California man is suing a self-proclaimed psychic who he says promised to remove a curse on his marriage, ordered by an ex-girlfriend. Mauro Restrepo says he was in the midst of some bad luck when he performed a Google search for psychics on Sept. 17 and came across Sophia...

Detained Huawei CFO Headed Back to China After US Deal

Meng Wanzhou had been held on fraud charges in Canada since 2018, awaiting extradition to US

(Newser) - For nearly three years, Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou has been detained in Canada, awaiting extradition to the United States on fraud charges. On Friday, all of that changed, as the US and China reached an agreement and the US Justice Department dropped its extradition request, allowing Meng to go free,...

At Elizabeth Holmes' Trial, a Familiar but Unexpected Face

Ex-SecDef James Mattis testified that former Theranos CEO misled him on blood-testing tech

(Newser) - Former US Secretary of Defense James Mattis testified Wednesday in the trial of fallen tech star Elizabeth Holmes, saying the entrepreneur misled him into believing she was on the verge of rolling out a blood-testing breakthrough that he hoped would help save lives of troops in battle. Mattis' appearance came...

After Surfside Condo Collapse, an 'Abhorrent' Alleged Crime

3 are charged with stealing the identities of 7 victims following shopping sprees

(Newser) - Two women and a man allegedly stole the identities of seven victims of the condominium collapse in Surfside, Fla. , in the days after the tragedy and spent thousands of dollars on shoes and a Versace purse. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle described the suspects—Betsy Alexandra Cacho-Medina, 30; her...

Cops: Tesla Camera Proves 'Hit-and-Run' Was Bogus

Slidell man accused of faking an accident

(Newser) - Tesla is having trouble with its autopilot , and it’s a serious story. The backup cameras, however, haven’t been in the news much. Also, they record what they see. So when a man in Louisiana spotted a Tesla backing up in a gas station and flopped to the ground...

Feds Indict Family That Cashed 13K Lottery Tickets in 8 Years
Prosecutors: Family's
Lottery Luck Was Too Fishy
in case you missed it
Aug 28, 2021 5:30 AM CDT

Prosecutors: Family's Lottery Luck Was Too Fishy

Massachusetts' Ali Jaafar, 2 sons accused of $21M fraud

(Newser) - Ali Jaafar, 63, was the top individual lottery ticket casher in Massachusetts in 2019. His sons Mohamed, 31, and Yousef, 28, were third and fourth respectively, per Complex . According to prosecutors, family luck had nothing to do with it. In reality, the three men who cashed in more than 13,...

Vatican Indicts Cardinal in Financial Crimes

Charity money was lost in high-risk schemes, charges say

(Newser) - The Vatican announced Saturday that 10 people, one of them an Italian cardinal, will be put on trial this month on financial charges including extortion, corruption, and fraud. Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu was indicted on charges of abuse of office, bribery, and embezzlement, CNN reports. Becciu, 73, issued a statement...

Scope of Unemployment Fraud in Pandemic Is Staggering

Axios reports that half of benefits, totaling hundreds of billions of dollars, might have been stolen

(Newser) - Stories about rampant fraud related to unemployment benefits paid out during the pandemic have been percolating for a while. The AP reported in March that states were being overwhelmed by bogus claims. Earlier this week, WBTW noted that the FTC has logged 400,000 complaints so far from people who...

Feds: Scammer Impersonated Trump Family Members

Joshua Hall allegedly pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations

(Newser) - A 22-year-old Pennsylvania man scammed hundreds of thousands of dollars from Donald Trump supporters last year by impersonating the then-president's relatives and urging people to donate to a nonexistent political organization, federal prosecutors say. Joshua Hall has been charged with wire fraud and aggravated identify theft and faces a...

Retired FBI Agent Accused in Major Con

Authorities say William Stone bilked woman out of $800K

(Newser) - A month after retiring from the Dallas field office, an FBI agent allegedly began a yearslong fraud scheme that earned him more than $800,000—and potentially up to 178 years in federal prison. William Roy Stone Jr., 62, is charged with wire fraud, impersonating a federal officer, and other...

Fake Elon Musks Make Millions in Bitcoin Scams
FTC: Beware Fake Elon Musks
May 18, 2021 8:43 PM CDT

FTC: Beware Fake Elon Musks

Bitcoin scammers have stolen millions by impersonating Tesla CEO

(Newser) - Cryptocurrency scams involving fake Elon Musks have cost people a lot of real money. The Federal Trade Commission says crypto scams have surged along with the value of the digital currencies. The FTC says that between October and March, it received more than 7,000 complaints about scams involving Bitcoin...

&#39;Dead&#39; Fraud Suspect Exposed by Her Poodle
Her Parents Said She
Was Dead. Detectives
Followed Her Poodle
in case you missed it
May 9, 2021 5:05 PM CDT

Her Parents Said She Was Dead. Detectives Followed Her Poodle

Fraud suspect was found alive on Spanish island

(Newser) - A German woman embezzled $1.2 million from her employer, hid out on the Spanish island of Mallorca, and told her parents to say she was dead, authorities say. And she might have gotten away for it, if it wasn't for her giant poodle. The 47-year-old woman was tracked...

Back in Court, Holmes Looks on Verge of Small Win

Judge suggests it could be 'dangerous' for jurors to hear details of her luxury lifestyle

(Newser) - Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes' trial on fraud charges is still months away, but she was back in court for the first time in more than a year this week as the sides argued over what information should be included. The argument about whether jurors should hear about Holmes' luxury...

Lawyer Who Scammed Major Drug Dealers Hears His Fate

Attorney James Morris Balagia sentenced to 15-plus years in prison for defrauding drug traffickers

(Newser) - A Texas attorney who specialized in representing clients facing charges of drug possession and driving while intoxicated is now seeing the culmination of his own legal troubles. The New York Times reports that on Monday, James Morris Balagia, known as the "DWI Dude," was sentenced to more than...

Man Arrested Over Alleged Birthday Gift Scheme

Takashi Miyagawa is accused of dating 35 women to get birthday gifts out of them

(Newser) - It seems like an awful lot of trouble to go to in order to get $1,000 in gifts. The Telegraph reports a Japanese man has been arrested after allegedly juggling 35 different girlfriends in order to get a year-long stream of birthday presents. Takashi Miyagawa allegedly supplied the women...

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