All the way from Imperial Valley News comes news that John A. Wheeler and Melody Lockett Carter pled guilty on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia to one count of theft of government money for fraudulently obtaining FEMA assistance funds intended for victims of Hurricane Ike. Wheeler and Carter,… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Fraud
Subscribe to Fraud RSS FeedFormer Judge and Candidate for DeKalb Superior Court Pleads Guilty to Fraud
Posted in FraudAttorney Michael Rothenberg, a former candidate for Judge of the Superior Court of DeKalb County, Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit, and former Judge of the DeKalb County Recorder’s Court, pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on September 11, 2013, on charges that Rothenberg fraudulently persuaded a company, WinterHawk Energy and… Continue Reading
9th Circuit Reverses CA City Treasurer’s “Honest Services Fraud” Convictions
Posted in Acquittal, FraudOn Monday, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Albert Robles, former Treasurer for South Gate, California, acquitted on three charges for “honest services fraud,” 18 U.S.C. 1346, which Mr. Robles had been convicted on in 2006. The Court also reversed the honest services conviction of Robles’ business associate, George Garrido. The reversals were… Continue Reading
3 UBS Execs Convicted of Municipal Bond Bid Fraud
Posted in FraudThree former Union Bank of Switzerland–UBS–executives were convicted on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, as reported by NASDAQ. Peter Ghavami, Gary Heinz and Michael Welty were found guilty of fraud relating to bids to invest the proceeds from municipal bonds and other municipal finance contracts between 2001… Continue Reading
New Jersey Senator Acquitted of Corruption Charges
Posted in FraudFrom the reporters at NorthJersey.com comes news that former New Jersey State Senator Wayne Bryant was acquitted last Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New Jersey. The charges against Bryant were based upon a “monthly retainer” agreement between Bryant and Eric Wisler, a developer and partner in the DeCotiis Law… Continue Reading
Defendants Charged with Altering Legendary T206 Honus Wagner Card
Posted in FraudBill Mastro, Mark Theotikos and Doug Allen, former executives of Mastro Auctions, a former major vendor of sports memorabilia, were indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois last week on several counts of fraud, per the New York Daily News. The charge against Mastro, Theotikos and Allen relate to the… Continue Reading
Supreme Court Holds Stolen Valor Act Violates First Amendment
Posted in FraudIn the midst of handing down decisions on matters of wider import, such as healthcare and immigration, the U.S. Supreme Court last week struck down the Stolen Valor Act, a 2006 Federal statute which made it a Federal crime to make false statements regarding receiving military honors, as reported in Army Times. The 6-3 majority… Continue Reading
National Lampoon’s Federal Fraud Trial
Posted in FraudThe trial of the former CEO for the National Lampoon, Inc., Timothy S. Durham, on ten counts of wire fraud and one count of securities fraud, commenced yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. Durham is alleged to have defrauded approximately 5,000 investors,… Continue Reading
KY Attorney Bryan Coffman Ordered to Forfeit Millions from Oil-Drilling Scam
Posted in Forfeiture, FraudLexington, Kentucky, attorney Bryan Coffman was convicted last year in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on eight counts of mail fraud, nine counts of wire fraud, two counts of securities fraud, 10 counts of money laundering and one count of money laundering conspiracy. His wife, Megan Coffman, was acquitted of the… Continue Reading
Horse Soring – A Federal Crime
Posted in FraudLargely playing out under the radar, except in local media, is a fascinating case out of the Eastern District of Tennessee. Last week 4 defendants, Jackie L. McConnell, 60, Jeff Dockery, 54, John Mays, 50, all from Collierville, Tennessee and Joseph R. Abernathy, 30, of Olive Branch, Miss., were arrested on a 52 count indictment… Continue Reading
Execs of Medical Laser Manufacturer Acquitted on Most Counts
Posted in Acquittal, FraudAs reported by the Colorado Springs Gazette, former Chief Executive Officer John Schulte of Spectranetics Corp., a manufacturer of medical lasers, was convicted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado yesterday on one count of lying to federal investigators but was acquitted on 11 counts of conspiring to defraud the Federal government. Trung Pham,… Continue Reading
7th Circuit Reverses Mail and Wire Fraud Conviction of Contractor for Alleged Bid Rigging
Posted in Fraud, Mail/WIre/Honest Services FraudSteven Fenzl was the principal of Urban Services of America, Inc. ("Urban"). Fenzl was charged with alleged mail fraud and wire fraud in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The charges related to alleged bid-rigging under the Sherman Act on a 2005 contract to refurbish the City of Chicago’s garbage carts…. Continue Reading
You Can’t Make This Stuff Up
Posted in Fraud, Money LaunderingThe press release from the Northern District of Georgia announcing the guilty plea by novelist Mitchell Gross to wire fraud and money laundering charges has a great line: “Much like the novels this defendant wrote, the stories he told to his victims to entice them to entrust him with their money or their legal business… Continue Reading
Former Cartersville, GA, Mayor Sentenced for Mortgage Fraud
Posted in Fraud, Mortgage and Foreclosure FraudH. Gregory Cordell, the former Mayor of Cartersville, Georgia, was sentenced to over two years imprisonment last Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia for mortgage fraud, as reported by the Chattanoogan. According to statements by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, Cordell inflated the purchase… Continue Reading
What is the Deal With this Administration’s Handling of the Mortgage Crisis?
Posted in Bank Fraud, Financial Institution Fraud, FraudI began working as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 1990, just this side of the Savings and Loan crisis caused by the implosion of the real estate market and the criminal dealings in that industry. To understand how quickly history repeats itself, check out this interesting analysis by the FDIC and its ironic title –… Continue Reading
President’s Financial Fraud Task Force Gets Rare Win in Atlanta and Other News
Posted in Federal Courts, FraudAfter another late night of listening to tapes of witness interviews and undercover phone calls, I’ve just put on a little Richie Havens to look over the federal criminal news for you readers. Much has been written over the past couple of years about the lack of financial institution fraud cases brought by the Department… Continue Reading
Northwest Georgia Banks and Credit Unions Hit By Debit Card Fraud
Posted in Fraud, Identity TheftFederal investigators are investigating an outbreak of debit card fraud in Northwest Georgia, according to a story by WCRtv in Chattanooga. Customers of the Bank of LaFayette, Cohutta Banking Company, and Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union in Chickamauga, LaFayette, Rossville and Trion in Northwest Georgia have reported having their accounts drained. Authorities believe that the… Continue Reading
Florida Attorney and Police Officers Acquitted of Federal Mortgage Fraud Charges
Posted in Acquittal, FraudProsecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida have dropped charges of mortgage fraud against Plantation, Florida, attorney Steven Stoll and police officer Dennis Guarancino, according to the Miami Herald. Stoll and Guarancino were charged in relation to a $16.5 million dollar loan fraud scheme by Guarancino’s brother, Joseph Guarancino, also… Continue Reading
California Businessman Acquitted on Tax Charges; Did Not Review or Authorize Tax Filings Due to Kidnapping of Son
Posted in Acquittal, FraudEarlier this month, as reported in the Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch, a Federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California acquitted Howard H. Berger, a business consultant, on four criminal tax charges. The charges stemmed from Mr. Berger’s alleged filing of 2006 personal and partnership tax returns allegedly claiming a… Continue Reading
Atlanta Man Indicted in New York for Securities Fraud, Insider Trading
Posted in Fraud, indictment, Securities FraudImage source: www.google.com/imgres Scott Allen, of Atlanta, was charged last week with securities fraud and insider trading in the U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, according to the Wall Street Journal. The government alleges that Mr. Allen and John Bennett of Norwalk, Connecticut, conspired to make more than $2.6 million in profits on insider trades… Continue Reading
Fayetteville Man Indicted on Federal Charges for Defrauding Colleges and Universities
Posted in Arraignment, Fraud, indictmentThe season for college sports is upon us once again and what better way to honor the occasion than with a bit of news from 7th Space Interactive that Dale Brannan, of Fayetteville, Georgia, has been indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia for defrauding various universities and colleges, including… Continue Reading
Real Estate Market May Be Down, But Mortgage Fraud Rising
Posted in Fraud, Mortgage and Foreclosure FraudAl Lewis of the Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch reports that mortgage fraud is surprisingly on the rise despite the current weakness in the housing market. Mr. Lewis cites the FBI’s report on mortgage fraud for 2010, which reports that mortgage brokers, appraisers, underwriters, accountants, real-estate agents, settlement attorneys, land developers, investors, builders, lenders, and bank and trust account… Continue Reading
Marietta Executive Pleads Guilty in Rhode Island In Navy Kickback Scheme
Posted in FraudThe Washington Post reports today that Patrick Nagle, of Marietta, Georgia, pled guilty last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island to conspiracy to commit bribery. Nagle was formerly the Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Solutions for Tomorrow (AST), which was awarded contracts by the U.S. Navy. The prosecution alleged that… Continue Reading
Former CEO of Kansas Utility Westar Energy Receives $36 Million Settlement, Plus $3.1 Million in Legal Fees for Dismissed Criminal Prosecution
Posted in Fraud, MistrialWestar Energy, the largest electrical utility in the State of Kansas, announced last week that it will pay former Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board, David Wittig $36 million as an arbitration settlement relating to Wittig’s compensation contract, as well as $3.1 million in attorney’s fees and $2.7 million in stock compensation,… Continue Reading