Tag Archives: fraud
- Mortgage Banker Faces Jail Time While Others Already Sentenced for TBW and Colonial Bank Fraud
Delton de Armas, a former chief financial officer (CFO) of Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp. (TBW), pleaded guilty today to making false statements and conspiring to commit bank and wire fraud for his role in a more than $2.9 billion fraud scheme that contributed to the failures of TBW and Colonial Bank. The guilty [...]
- Former Bishop Charged in Ponzi Scam
The Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) and United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut David B. Fein recently announced that a federal grand jury sitting in Bridgeport, Conn., has returned an indictment charging Julius C. Blackwelder, 59, of Utah, formerly of Stratford, Conn., with nine counts [...]
- Return-A-Pet Scam Preys On Victims Of Lost Pets
It’s annual pet scammer week! That’s a lie. But it sure feels like it. Eric Stein was charged with running an investment scam through Return-A-Pet LLC. Return-A-Pet was a New York company that allegedly facilitated the return of lost pets to their owners. Stein was out on supervised release for a previous investment fraud scheme [...]
- Tax Refund Check Cashing Scheme Hits Southern Florida
As tax season rolls around it’s no surprise to see tax refund check cashing schemes arising in the news. Announced Monday was the filing of a criminal Information charging defendants Wilson Lau, and his wife, Kate Yuee Lau, for their participation in a check cashing scheme involving more than $5 million in fraudulently obtained tax [...]
- FTC Halts Fake News Sites About Deceitful Acai Berry Weight-Loss Products
We’ve covered the deceitful acai berry weight-loss products over the past year on our site (see here, here and here). It was announced on Wednesday that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has stopped six operators from using fake news site that allegedly deceived consumers about this product. Six online marketers agreed to settlements with the [...]
- Raleigh Native Indicted In Connection With Fraud And Extortion
The former President of Encap Golf Holdings LLC (“Encap”), William Gauger III, was indicted this week for his participation in a scheme to extort approximately $100,000 from a financial consultant and a fraudulent invoicing scheme relating to his work for a New Jersey-based management firm. Gauger allegedly hired his brother-inlaw Craig Groce, who was originally [...]
- Final MTA Debt Collection Fraudster Pleads Guilty
The last defendant in the MTA debt collection scheme has pleaded guilty. Paul Anthony Vasquez pleaded guilty on January 17, 2012 to conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud and money laundering. Vasquez also agreed to pay full restitution and forfeit assets seized by federal agents, including over $950,000 in cash and a 1.5 carat [...]
- Talk Show Host And Financial Advisor Sentenced For Ponzi Scheme
Wednesday marked the announcement that Anthony Cutaia was sentenced to 51 months in prison for mail fraud “Ponzi” investment scheme. Cutaia had pled guilty in July 2011 to Count 2 of a Criminal Information filed in June 2011, which charged him with mail fraud in connection with his participation in a real estate investment scheme [...]
- Investment Fraudster Defrauds Over 200 Out Of $14 Million
Bradley Stark, the fraudster defendant who represented himself at trail was convicted by a federal jury for deceiving investors about an investment scheme that involved more than 200 victims and more than $14 million. Following Stark’s five-day trial he has been convicted on all counts of an indictment charging him with seven counts of wire [...]
- Hells Angel Commits Mortgage Fraud For Marijuana Grow House
In September I covered a story about two leaders of the Hells Angels that had been accused of mortgage fraud. A mortgage broker in the San Francisco bay area was charged with conspiracy to arrange more than $10 million in fraudulent home loans including the two Hells Angels leaders. Raymond Foakes, former President of the [...]
- Elaborate Scheme Leaves 180 With Over $1 Million In Fraudulent Purchases
Charges were announced last Thursday against seven members of an identity theft ring that allegedly used stolen identities of more than 180 people at major New York City retail stores including Home Depot, Sears, Kmart and Kohl’s, among others. The ring of fraudsters resold merchandise and gift cards for a profit after purchasing them under [...]
- Two Plead Guilty To $1 Million Wire Fraud
Two New Jersey men have pleaded guilty for their roles in a scam that used phony identification documents to open multiple checking accounts to launder and steal more than $1 million. The two men, Abiatu Umah and Emmanuel Awa, pleaded guilty in Newark federal court last week to Informations charging them with one count of [...]
- Ponzi Schemes Are The New Black
Thirteen days into the year and I feel like all I’ve written about is Ponzi-scheme after Ponzi-scheme after Ponzi-scheme. Today I bring to you the sentencing of Jenifer Devine, the woman who owned a purported wholesale merchandise broker and admitted to running a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme that resulted in over $2 million in losses to [...]
- New Computer Virus Commits Post Transaction Attacks On Your Bank Account
When my grandma, god bless her soul, hears about a new scam, fraud or any form of financial trickery she immediately calls me up and warns me to stop whatever I’m doing and take notes. To her knowledge I don’t belong to more than one social media network, I don’t buy items online, I don’t [...]
- Multi-Billion Dollar Securities Scam Surfacing On LinkedIn
As of November 3, 2011 more than 135 million professionals around the world utilize LinkedIn.com and more than 14 million students and recent college graduates around the world are LinkedIn members as of October 2011 (Source). Many internet users don’t recognized LinkedIn as a major social networking site because users don’t utilize the site daily [...]