'Our Pesticides Kill COVID:' Cherry Hill Biotech Founder, Philly Firm Hit With Federal Charges
A New Jersey man and the Philadelphia-based biotech company he founded are accused of selling pesticides with false claims that they could kill the virus that causes COVID-19, federal prosecutors said.
James Young, 46, of Cherry Hill — founder of ViaClean Technologies, LLC — was charged by indictment with conspiring to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, mail fraud, and violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), according to U.S. Attorney David Metcalf.
Sean Storrie, 59, of Philadelphia, was also charged with FIFRA violations, prosecutors said.
The indictm…
Man Sharing Babe Ruth’s Name Accused Of Fraud Using Dead Ballplayers’ IDs
He shares a name with baseball’s greatest legend, but prosecutors say this “Babe Ruth” swung for a different kind of home run, by allegedly stealing the identities of hundreds of ballplayers, dead and retired.
A federal grand jury in Greeneville, Tennessee, returned a sweeping 91-count indictment late last week, charging George Herman Ruth, age 69, with masterminding an elaborate fraud scheme that netted more than half a million dollars.
Ruth, whose full name matches that of Hall of Famer Babe Ruth (who was born George Herman Ruth in 1895), stands accused of mail fraud, aggravated identity …
$1M Asylum Scheme, Oxford Paralegal Indicted After Posing As Lawyer, FBI Seeks Victims
A Pennsylvania paralegal is accused of posing as an immigration lawyer in a $1 million asylum fraud scheme, federal prosecutors announced on Thursday, July 31.
Fatima DeMaria, 65, of Lincoln University, was indicted on eight counts of asylum fraud and eight counts of mail fraud after allegedly charging immigrants thousands of dollars for fake legal services, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
DeMaria, owner of Immigration Matters Legal Services in Oxford, allegedly promised undocumented immigrants work permits and legal protection despite not b…
Taylor Swift's Neighbor, Distinguished PA Educator-Turned-Art Dealer Pleads Guilty In Art Scam
A former Hill School admissions director and neighbor of pop icon Taylor Swift pleaded guilty to selling fake artwork he falsely claimed was created by some of the world’s most legendary artists, federal authorities announced on Tuesday, June 3.
Carter P. Reese, 77, of Reading, admitted in federal court on Thursday, May 29, to wire fraud and mail fraud for a two-year scheme that duped customers into buying forged works he said came from Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and others, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Once respect…
CDL Bribery Scam: Ex-Mass Trooper Let Unfit Truckers Drive For Candy, Cash, And Favors
A former Massachusetts State Police sergeant was found guilty of running a years-long bribery and extortion scheme that let unqualified drivers skip commercial license tests and hit the road, putting everyone at risk, federal authorities announced.
Gary Cederquist, 59, of Stoughton, was convicted in federal court of nearly 50 charges, including conspiracy, mail fraud, falsifying records, and taking bribes, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. He gave passing scores to applicants who failed — or never even took — the Commercial Driver’s License test, required for tractor-trailer truc…
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…
$5K+ Check Stolen From Palisades School District: PA State Police
A $5,475 check belonging to the Palisades School District was stolen, altered, and cashed, Pennsylvania State Police announced on Monday, Dec. 9.
The theft occurred on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2024, at the district's location on Thomas Free Drive in Nockamixon Township, Bucks County, according to Trooper John Waida of PSP Dublin.
Troopers said the check was stolen from the mail, altered, and later cashed. The stolen amount totaled $5,475, the victim reported.
The investigation into the theft remains ongoing under Trooper Waida's oversight, state police said.
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…
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…
$2.4M Scheme: Former Cortlandt Town Employee, Business Owner Admit To Illegal Dumping Plot
A former Northern Westchester town employee has admitted to allowing a business owner to illegally dump unauthorized material at an environmentally fragile facility in exchange for cash bribes, federal officials announced.
Verplanck resident Robert Dyckman, age 52, and Cortlandt Manor resident Glenn Griffin, age 55, both pleaded guilty to charges related to the $2.4 million scheme, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Monday, Aug. 26.
According to federal officials, Dyckman, the former Assistant General Foreman for the Town o…
Multi-Million Dollar Fraud Scheme: Pair Of Former Execs At White Plains Company Sentenced
Two former high-ranking executives have been sentenced for stealing millions of dollars from their employer in Westchester County through a fraudulent scheme involving sham companies and fake invoices.
The two worked at OrthoNet, a healthcare claims processing company based in White Plains.
Shawn Rains, age 57, of Le Bouscat, France, who was previously convicted of mail fraud conspiracy, mail fraud, and money laundering conspiracy after a two-week trial, was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Northern Westchester resident Joseph Maharaj, age 42, of Goldens Bridge, had pl…
Foreign Nationals Convicted Of Multi-Million Dollar Phony iPhone Scheme In Maryland, DC: Feds
A pair of Chinese nationals living in Maryland have been convicted on federal charges for an elaborate scheme to defraud Apple out of millions of dollars worth of iPhones, authorities announced.
Haotian Sun, of Baltimore, and Pengfei Xuem, of Germantown, both 33, were found guilty this week for their roles in a sophisticated operation involving upwards of 5,000 devices.
According to prosecutors, between May 2017 and September 2019, Sun, Xue, and other conspirators defrauded Apple Inc. by submitting counterfeit phones to Apple for repair to get the company to exchange them with genuine …
$4M Scheme: Duo Nabbed After Stealing From White Plains-Based Company, Feds Say
Two men, including a Northern Westchester resident, have been convicted on charges related to their scheme to steal more than $4 million from a Westchester-based healthcare claims processing company, officials announced.
Shawn Rains, age 57, of Le Bouscat, France, and Joseph Maharaj, age 42, of Goldens Bridge, were both found guilty of mail fraud charges following their theft of over $4 million from White Plains-based OrthoNet, the US Attorney's Office for Southern District of New York announced on Monday, Oct. 23.
According to federal officials, Rains had been an exec…
Mastermind Of Historic $175M Psychic Mail Scam Convicted, Feds Cite More Than 1M Victims
The mastermind of a mass-mailing scam that stole $175 million from more than a million victims, most of them elderly or ailing, was convicted by a federal jury in New York City.
Patrice Runner, a 57-year-old Canadian and French citizen, directed a ruthless psychic mail scheme for over two decades, beginning in 1994, the jurors found.
It was one of the largest -- if not the largest -- scam of its kind ever, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Friday, June 16, in announcing the verdict reached a day earlier on Long Island.
Runner sent mailings to millions of Americans that claimed t…
$5 Million Fraud Scheme: Man Who Scammed Long Islander Indicted
The scammer, along with co-conspirators, conned a Long Island man out of approximately $5.3 million, which they spent nearly all of.
On Tuesday, April 25 at the Central Islip federal court, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, along with a New York FBI director, announced the charges against Odera Odabi.
Odabi is charged with conspiring to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering, according to the announcement.
The 54-year-old Georgia man is alleged to have falsely informed a Suffolk County resident (known in the case as John Doe) that he needed to p…
