Ellington Bookkeeper At Law Firm Embezzled $830K Over Decade: Feds
A longtime bookkeeper at a Connecticut law firm is facing federal charges after prosecutors say she stole more than $835,000 from the company, authorities said.
Heather Murdock, 57, of Ellington, was indicted on 12 federal counts, including five counts of bank fraud, wire fraud, and tax evasion. She pleaded not guilty in Hartford federal court and was released on a $40,000 bond, the US Attorney for Connecticut said.
Federal officials say Murdock worked as the bookkeeper and office manager at a Hartford law firm identified in court papers only as “Firm A.” Over a 12-year span, in…
Montville's Teresa Giudice, Luis Ruelas Hit With $3M In Tax Liens, People Reports
Looks like the IRS might be flipping a table of its own.
"Real Housewives of New Jersey" OG Teresa Giudice and her husband Luis Ruelas are facing a massive tax mess—to the tune of $3 million, according to a new PEOPLE report citing court records.
Giudice, 51, reportedly owes $303,889.20. Her husband of two years? He's in deeper, with a jaw-dropping $2.6 million in unpaid taxes, PEOPLE reports. A lien for more than $163,500 was issued against Ruelas this past December, the outlet says, citing the New Jersey Courts website.
This isn’t Teresa’s first round with Uncle Sam. She served 11 months…
East Meadow ‘Legal Assistant’ Scammed Desperate Families Out Of Thousands, Jury Finds
A New York man who posed as a legal expert in order to scam desperate families out of thousands of dollars was convicted of multiple federal crimes.
Christopher Reese, 57, of East Meadow, was found guilty of fraud and related charges in Manhattan federal court on Thursday, March 20.
Using an unlicensed legal operation, Reese defrauded criminal defendants and their families by promising to secure prison releases he had no authority to deliver, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District said.
Reese, also known as “Christopher Eugene Thomas,” targeted inmates, friends, and family memb…
Office Manager Admits To Embezzling $350K From Scotch Plains Synagogue, Feds Say
A 52-year-old Scotch Plains woman pleaded guilty on Thursday, March 20, to embezzling more than $350,000 from a Union County synagogue she worked at, authorities said.
In 2010, Stacy Margaritondo began working at Congregation Beth Israel in Scotch Plains and was later promoted to bookkeeper and office manager in July 2020, U.S. Attorney John Giordano said.
Margaritondo’s duties included accounting/bookkeeping, payroll, preparing checks for accounts payable, and reporting to the synagogue’s board of directors regarding the synagogue’s financial condition, Giordano said.
From Dec. 2019 to Ma…
Freeport Tax Preparer Stole $2M Through False Returns, Covid-19 Relief Fraud, DOJ Says
A Long Island tax preparer is facing federal charges for allegedly orchestrating a massive $12 million fraud scheme.
Damaris Beltre, 57, of Freeport, was indicted on wire fraud and related charges in Central Islip federal court on Wednesday, March 12, after filing hundreds of false tax returns and stealing COVID-19 relief funds, prosecutors alleged.
Beltre ran multiple tax preparation businesses where she falsely inflated tax refunds for clients, claiming fake dependents, fraudulent sick leave, and fuel tax credits, according to prosecutors. She allegedly charged a percentage of …
$5M Fraud: Great Neck Twin Financiers Threatened Witnesses, Fabricated Evidence, DOJ Says
Twin financiers Adam and Daniel Kaplan, already charged with defrauding elderly and disabled clients out of millions, are now accused of threatening witnesses and fabricating evidence.
The 35-year-old Kaplans, hailing from Long Island’s Great Neck, are named in a fresh superseding indictment that was filed in Central Islip federal court on Thursday, Feb. 20, charging them with an additional count of money laundering.
Adam Kaplan was additionally charged with wire fraud, bank fraud, and obstruction of justice, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District.
The new charges pa…