fraud

Elected official, adoption attorney smuggled pregnant women into the U.S., then paid them to give their babies up for adoption: Officials
Fraud

Authorities in Utah and Arizona have criminally charged an Arizona public official for allegedly operating a trafficking ring that involved transporting pregnant women from the Marshall Islands to the U.S. to give birth, then paying them to give their babies up for adoption. Maricopa County Assessor Paul Petersen—who is also an adoption attorney licensed in …

Scams
September 22, 2019

ARRESTED: Scammers posed as IRS agents and demanded payment in Target gift cards

California police arrested two women this week, accusing them of racking up nearly $1 million in Target purchases by posing as IRS agents and demanding their victims pay in gift cards from the big box store, the San Bernardino Sun reported. Fontana Police arrested Ailing Lu, 25, of Los Angeles and Ji Hyun Lee, 25, …

Scammer makes $1.3 million dollars in fake Walmart returns
Scams
June 18, 2018

Scammer makes $1.3 million dollars in fake Walmart returns

A man who allegedly carried out more than 1,000 fraudulent returns to Walmarts all over the United States within the past 18 months was arrested on Wednesday in Arizona. According to the Arizona Republic, police arrested Thomas Frudaker, 23, after they were dispatched to a Yuma store amid reports of a suspicious transaction. Yuma police spokeswoman …

‘Reprehensible’ mom faked having terminal cancer for two years to fund opioid addiction
Scams
November 10, 2017

‘Reprehensible’ mom faked having terminal cancer for two years to fund opioid addiction

A Sterrett, Alabama, woman who swindled loved ones out of more than $260,000 by pretending to have terminal cancer was sentenced to 25 months in federal prison on Wednesday. Tuscaloosa News reported that Jennifer Flynn Cataldo, 37, lied to friends and family for more than two years and accepted donations intended to cover her medical treatments, …

Unemployed man allegedly faked brain tumor to get donations
Scams
October 13, 2017

Unemployed man allegedly faked brain tumor to get donations

A Washington Township, New Jersey, man is accused of faking a brain tumor to solicit online donations. The Pascack Valley Daily Voice reported that Hillsdale Police charged Joseph O’Connell, 29, with theft by deception for allegedly receiving donations for a cancerous brain tumor that he never had. Police caught wind of the deplorable scheme earlier this month after …

Business executive, escort girlfriend rack up $5.8M on company credit card: Feds
Scams
August 17, 2017

Business executive, escort girlfriend rack up $5.8M on company credit card: Feds

Illinois police have arrested a business executive and his ex-escort girlfriend and accused them of running up $5.8 million on a company credit card to fund their lavish lifestyle, as reported by CBS Chicago. The Chicago Tribune has reported that Scott Kennedy, 43, and Crystal Lundberg, 31, were indicted on six counts of wire fraud on …

Ex-QVC executive allegedly steals more than $1 million from company to fund luxurious lifestyle
Scams
August 10, 2017

Ex-QVC executive allegedly steals more than $1 million from company to fund luxurious lifestyle

A former QVC marketing director has been accused of swindling the company out of $1 million to fund his superfluous lifestyle, as reported by CBS Philadelphia. James Falkowski, 42, was tasked with improving the company’s influence in the entertainment and fashion industries. Instead, the United States Attorney Louis Lappen said he used kickback arrangements to …

Police: Scammer steals identity of baby boy murdered 35 years ago
Juveniles
July 26, 2017

Police: Scammer steals identity of baby boy murdered 35 years ago

Authorities arrested an Arizona man on Saturday for allegedly using the identity of an infant who died 35 years ago. According to the Arizona Department of Transportation Inspector General, 34-year-old Jeremiah Elton Ash attempted to get a duplicate social security card that belonged to a baby, Michael Anthony Lewis II, who was murdered in 1982, when he was a …

Cash-strapped son allegedly stole more than $100,000 from his dementia-stricken father and even tried to take his house
Elderly Abuse
June 16, 2017

Cash-strapped son allegedly stole more than $100,000 from his dementia-stricken father and even tried to take his house

Police have arrested a Florida man and accused him of stealing more than $100,000 from his own father. The elder reportedly suffers from early-stage dementia, according to WTSP. Vincent Caliendo, 39, received power of attorney over his father, Bernard Caliendo, in October 2015. It wasn’t long before he reportedly siphoned more than $100,000 from his father’s savings …