Newark Man Gets 5+ Years For Running Phony Car Ring That Netted $285K: Feds Newark Man Gets 5+ Years For Running Phony Car Ring That Netted $285K: Feds
Newark Man Gets 5+ Years For Running Phony Car Ring That Netted $285K: Feds A Newark man was recently sentenced to 70 months in prison for running a multistate car theft and fraud operation that defrauded victims of more than $285,000, authorities said. Warren Guerrier, 47,  had previously pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, US Attorney Phillip Sellinger said. From November 2016 to June 2020, Guerrier led a scheme to steal vehicles, fabricate titles, and sell them to unsuspecting buyers, Sellinger said. Guerrier and his accomplices tracked vehicles, photographed them, and advertised them online. Buyers were given fake cer…
Alleged Russian Ransomware Mastermind Extradited From South Korea To Maryland Alleged Russian Ransomware Mastermind Extradited From South Korea To Maryland
Alleged Russian Ransomware Mastermind Extradited From South Korea To Maryland A Russian national accused of running a global ransomware operation that extorted more than $16 million from victims worldwide has been extradited from South Korea to Maryland to face federal charges, authorities announced. Evgenii Ptitsyn, 42, is charged with operating and administering the sale, distribution, and deployment of the notorious Phobos ransomware, which targeted over 1,000 public and private organizations globally, including schools, hospitals, and critical infrastructure.  Ptitsyn made his first appearance in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland earlier this …
Franklin Lakes Wife Destroyed Phone To Obstruct Feds In Husband's High-Profile Probe: Officials Franklin Lakes Wife Destroyed Phone To Obstruct Feds In Husband's High-Profile Probe: Officials
Franklin Lakes Wife Destroyed Phone To Obstruct Feds In Husband's High-Profile Probe: Officials Federal authorities have charged the wife of a Bergen County celebrity house flipper with trying to obstruct an investigation into her husband’s alleged multimillion-dollar Ponzi-like real estate scheme. Jennifer Iturralde Pina, 43, of Franklin Lakes, is accused of attempting to stop a witness from cooperating with investigators and destroying one of her phones as federal agents arrived to seize it, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said this week. The alleged obstruction is linked to an ongoing investigation involving her husband, Cesar Humberto Pina, 45, a real estate influencer better kn…
Greenwich Investment Firm Founder Stole Millions In Clients' Cash: Feds Greenwich Investment Firm Founder Stole Millions In Clients' Cash: Feds
Greenwich Investment Firm Founder Stole Millions In Clients' Cash: Feds A 49-year-old Connecticut man faces potentially decades in prison after he allegedly defrauded and stole $3.5 million of his client's money for years, federal authorities said.  Justin C. Murphy, 49, of Stamford, is charged with 15 counts of wire fraud, five counts of money laundering, and three counts of tax evasion, the US Attorney for Connecticut announced on Tuesday, Nov. 5.  Murphy ran the Greenwich-based investment firm Mara. The company also went by Mara Investment Group, LLC, Mara Investment Management LP, and Mara Investments Global Management LLC.  Federal inv…
Fraudulent House Flipping in Philly Gets Delaware Man Jail Time: USDOJ Fraudulent House Flipping in Philly Gets Delaware Man Jail Time: USDOJ
Fraudulent House Flipping in Philly Gets Delaware Man Jail Time: Usdoj A Delaware man is facing jail time for fraud after flipping three Philadelphia properties he promised to convert into affordable housing, authorities said. Felton Hayman, 54, of Wilmington, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison and three years of supervised release for his scheme on Monday, Oct. 28, according to a US Department of Justice news release. Hayman used his longtime friendship with an unnamed Philadelphia city councilmember to purchase three vacant city properties at below-market prices based on his promise to build affordable housing on the lots, the news release states. …
Owner of Ambler Italian Restaurant Gets Prison Time For Defrauding COVID Programs: Authorities Owner of Ambler Italian Restaurant Gets Prison Time For Defrauding COVID Programs: Authorities
Owner of Ambler Italian Restaurant Gets Prison Time For Defrauding COVID Programs: Authorities The owner of a Montgomery County Italian restaurant is getting prison time for defrauding several federal COVID-19 relief programs, authorities said. Giuseppina “Josephine” Leone, 62, of North Wales, was sentenced to 21 months in prison and one year of supervised release on Tuesday, Oct. 22, the US Department of Justice said in a news release. She must also pay a $50,000 fine and a $300 special assessment for pandemic program fraud, the news release states. Leone has also paid full restitution in the amount of $972,861. Her request for a sentence involving an alternative to jail time was de…
$400K Scheme: Woman Steals From Norwich-Based Addiction Nonprofit, Spends Funds On Vacations $400K Scheme: Woman Steals From Norwich-Based Addiction Nonprofit, Spends Funds On Vacations
$400K Scheme: Woman Steals From Norwich-Based Addiction Nonprofit, Spends Funds On Vacations A 50-year-old woman has admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Connecticut nonprofit at which she served as executive director, federal officials said. New London County resident Michele Devine of Waterford, age 50, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with her alleged theft of almost $400,000 from a Norwich-based addiction and mental health nonprofit, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced on Monday, Oct. 21. According to federal officials, Devine served as the executive director of the Southeastern Regional Action Council on S…
Former NFL Player, UVA Alum Turned Developer Charged With Embezzlement In Virginia: Feds Former NFL Player, UVA Alum Turned Developer Charged With Embezzlement In Virginia: Feds
Former NFL Player, UVA Alum Turned Developer Charged With Embezzlement In Virginia: Feds A former NFL player who was a standout at the University of Virginia is facing federal charges for alleged embezzlement, authorities announced. Christopher Harrison, 52, was charged by a grand jury for allegedly misappropriating loans intended for the development of two projects linked to his real estate company. According to the indictment, Harrison allegedly secured loans from Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust (CRBT) for $14,492,057 for the Model Tobacco Project in Richmond and $7,706,675 for the Whitaker Park Project in North Carolina. Under the terms of the agreements, the former offe…
Disbarred NJ Attorney Admits To Ponzi Scheme That Cost Investors $1 Million: Feds Disbarred NJ Attorney Admits To Ponzi Scheme That Cost Investors $1 Million: Feds
Disbarred NJ Attorney Admits To Ponzi Scheme That Cost Investors $1 Million: Feds A 61-year-old Hillsborough resident pleaded guilty on Wednesday, Oct. 9 to running a Ponzi-like wire fraud scheme that caused losses of more than $1 million, authorities said. Lawrence Coven, who had previously been disbarred as an attorney, operated and controlled Sunrise Enterprises LLC, which purported to provide financial services to investors, US Attorney Philip Sellinger said.  In reality, Coven induced investors into sending him funds by falsely representing that he would invest their money through Sunrise in exchange for large profits by providing short-term loans to borrowers …
$3.4M Scheme: Ex-Controller Admits To Embezzling Family-Owned Armonk Business $3.4M Scheme: Ex-Controller Admits To Embezzling Family-Owned Armonk Business
$3.4M Scheme: Ex-Controller Admits To Embezzling Family-Owned Armonk Business A senior member of a family-owned company has admitted to embezzling more than $3.4 million from the business over five years. According to court filings released on Thursday, Oct. 10, John Hickey, age 34, created false invoices that appeared to be from entities with which the Northern Westchester-based corporations did business from February 2018 to November 2023. The company, located in Armonk, manufactured flame retardant fabrics. Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Hickey then forged signatures that supposedly approved payment of those invo…
York Judge Indicted For 31 Counts Of Fraud, Witness Tampering: USDOJ York Judge Indicted For 31 Counts Of Fraud, Witness Tampering: USDOJ
York Judge Indicted For 31 Counts Of Fraud, Witness Tampering: Usdoj A federal grand jury has indicted a Pennsylvania judge and lawyer on 31-counts of wire and mail fraud, as well as witness tampering and obstruction of justice, the US Department of Justice announced on Tuesday, Oct. 8.  Steven Stambaugh, age 61, of York, has been charged with twenty-six counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, two counts of tampering with a witness, and one count of obstruction of justice for a COVID-19 scheme, according to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam explained.  Stambaugh is accused of defrauding the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania "to ob…
Company Hired To Replace 18,000 Lead Pipes In Newark Faked Work, Billed For It Anyway: Feds Company Hired To Replace 18,000 Lead Pipes In Newark Faked Work, Billed For It Anyway: Feds
Company Hired To Replace 18,000 Lead Pipes In Newark Faked Work, Billed For It Anyway: Feds Two people hired by the City of Newark to replace 18,000 lead pipes are facing federal charges after they intentionally left the pipes in the ground, hid them from officials, and then collected payment for work that they didn't properly perform, federal officials said. Michael Sawyer, 57, of Burlington, and Latronia "Tee" Sanders, 55, of Roselle, are each charged by complaint with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, US Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said (click here for the complaint). Citing charging documents, NJ Advance Media says JAS Group Enterprise Inc. (JAS), the company in which Sa…