fraud

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Former Candy Exec Stole $28M From Mars

Sugar market expert Paul Steed set up fake companies

(Newser) - A former executive for a subsidiary of candymaker Mars Inc. has pleaded guilty to fraud and tax charges in connection with his theft of $28 million from the company, federal prosecutors said. Paul Steed, 58, appeared in federal court in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The Stamford resident also agreed to pay $28....

Be Careful You Don't Become a 'Quishing' Victim

Recipients are being tricked into scanning malicious QR codes, per the FBI

(Newser) - The FBI is sounding the alarm on a new scam straight from the "what could possibly go wrong?" file: unsolicited packages containing only a mysterious QR code. Once just an easy way to check menus or pay for takeout, QR codes have landed on the scammer's menu....

FHFA Chief Is Having a 'Pot, Meet Kettle' Moment

Records show Pulte's family claimed same tax breaks that he's slamming Fed governor for

(Newser) - Bill Pulte, a federal housing official, has publicly accused Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook of improperly claiming homestead exemptions—tax breaks for owners on their primary residence—on more than one property. However, a Reuters investigation found that Pulte's own father and stepmother, Mark and Julie Pulte, have...

Surgeon Sexually Fixated on Amputations Is Going to Jail

Neil Hopper orchestrated amputation of his legs, then scammed insurers

(Newser) - A British surgeon who carried out hundreds of amputations before having his own legs removed because of self-inflicted injuries has been sentenced to 32 months in prison. Neil Hopper, 49, admitted to two counts of fraud by false representation and three counts of possessing extreme pornography. Prosecutors said Hopper,...

NY Court Throws Out Massive Fraud Penalty Against Trump

New York court calls $515M+ award over whether president inflated his assets 'excessive'

(Newser) - An appeals court has thrown out the massive civil fraud penalty against President Trump, ruling Thursday in New York state's lawsuit accusing him of exaggerating his wealth. A panel of five judges in New York's mid-level Appellate Division said the verdict, which stood to cost Trump more than...

Trump Says Fed Governor 'Must Resign'
Fed Governor
Rejects Call by
Trump to Quit
updated
Aug 20, 2025 5:52 PM CDT

Fed Governor Rejects Call by Trump to Quit

Federal Housing Finance Agency chief accused Lisa Cook of mortgage fraud

(Newser) - President Trump is calling for the resignation of a governor of the Federal Reserve after the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency accused her of mortgage fraud. "Cook must resign, now!!!" Trump posted Wednesday on Truth Social , referencing a Bloomberg story about Fed governor Lisa Cook. Late...

Priscilla Presley's Ex-Business Partners Sue Her for $50M

Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko say they were defrauded and betrayed

(Newser) - Priscilla Presley's former business partners have filed a lawsuit seeking more than $50 million in damages, alleging fraud and breach of contract. Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko filed the lawsuit Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, per the AP . Among many other allegations, they say Presley used them to...

Feds: 400 Grandparents Were Bilked Out of Millions

Accused posed as grandkids in dire straits to swindle unsuspecting seniors

(Newser) - Federal prosecutors have charged 13 Dominican Republic nationals with orchestrating a scheme that defrauded more than 400 American grandparents out of $5 million by pretending to be grandchildren in distress. According to authorities, the suspects operated organized call centers in the Dominican Republic, where English-speaking callers contacted elderly victims—...

How a University Accountant Funneled Millions to a Cam Girl

Toronto Life recounts the story

(Newser) - A Florida accountant's fascination with virtual intimacy spiraled into one of the wildest fraud cases in recent memory, as recounted by Sarah Treleaven for Toronto Life . Ralph Puglisi, an accountant at the University of South Florida, moonlighted online as "Jon Generous," a deep-pocketed single looking for...

George Santos Is Not Going Gently Into the Prison Night

Former congressman begins his 7-year sentence Friday, but not before a lengthy farewell tour

(Newser) - George Santos' career trajectory: from the House of Representatives to the big house. The disgraced ex-GOP lawmaker expelled from Congress in 2023 after being slammed with federal charges, including money laundering, wire fraud, and identity theft, is heading to prison Friday to start his seven-year-plus sentence on those charges, to...

Judge Orders Mike Lynch's Estate to Pay Nearly $1B to HP

Court awards damages in long-running Autonomy fraud dispute

(Newser) - A judge in London has ruled that the estate of late British tech executive Mike Lynch and his former business partner must pay Hewlett Packard Enterprise $945 million over the disputed 2011 sale of Lynch's software firm, Autonomy. The judge's decision, announced Tuesday, caps a protracted legal...

DOJ: It's the Biggest Takedown of Health Care Scams Ever

Yearly amount topped $14B, officials say on scheme that led to 320-plus people being charged

(Newser) - State and federal prosecutors have charged more than 320 people and uncovered nearly $15 billion in false claims in what they described Monday as the largest coordinated takedown of health care fraud schemes in Justice Department history. Law enforcement reported seizing more than $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency,...

Music Streaming Service Makes Big Move Against AI

Paris-based Deezer will now flag albums with songs generated by artificial intelligence

(Newser) - Music streaming service Deezer said Friday that it will start flagging albums with AI-generated songs, part of its fight against streaming fraudsters. Deezer, based in Paris, is grappling with a surge in music on its platform created using artificial intelligence tools it says are being wielded to earn royalties fraudulently....

Fake Flight Attendant Boarded Dozens of Planes
Fake Flight Attendant
Boarded Dozens of Planes
in case you missed it
Jun 15, 2025 2:40 PM CDT

Fake Flight Attendant Boarded Dozens of Planes

DOJ says 6-year scheme allowed Tiron Alexander, 35, to fly for free

(Newser) - A Florida man managed to fly free on dozens of flights by pretending to be a flight attendant—a scheme that has now landed him a federal conviction and the prospect of decades in prison. Tiron Alexander, 35, was found guilty on Thursday of wire fraud and unlawfully entering...

Amid Threat of Tariffs, a New Wave of Customs Fraud

Fraudulent schemes offer US importers ways to sidestep steep duties

(Newser) - As the US prepares to ( maybe ) ramp up tariffs on foreign goods, a surge of shadowy offers from overseas shippers promising to make the taxes "disappear" has ignited a new wave of customs fraud—leaving honest American businesses scrambling to keep up. As tariffs imposed by...

Judge Rejects Claim Over Origin of Flamin' Hot Cheetos

But Richard Montañez is given a chance to amend lawsuit claiming he is the inventor

(Newser) - The long-contested legend that Richard Montañez invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos while working as a janitor at Frito-Lay hit a major legal snag this week. A federal judge dismissed Montañez's fraud and defamation lawsuit against Frito-Lay and PepsiCo, though he left the door open for Montañez...

X Funds for Content Creators Went to a Click Farm

Platform sues, seeking return of funds, end of engagement scheme using fake accounts

(Newser) - In a case that exposes the vulnerabilities of online revenue programs, a Vietnamese click farm is accused of siphoning funds from Elon Musk's X by using fake accounts and stolen identities to generate bogus engagement—and hefty payouts. Now, X is fighting back in court, alleging a sweeping...

4 Ex-VW Execs Involved in 'Dieselgate' Hear Their Fates

Convicted of fraud in emissions cheating scandal, 2 men get prison, 2 get suspended sentences

(Newser) - Four former Volkswagen executives were found guilty of fraud in a court in Braunschweig, Germany, on Monday, a decade after the company's emissions-cheating scandal was exposed. Jens Hadler, once head of diesel engine development at VW, received the longest sentence—four and a half years in prison, per...

Ex-Sheriff Gets a Presidential Pardon for Bribery Sentence

Trump issues pardon for Scott Jenkins, about to begin 10 years behind bars in Virginia on Tuesday

(Newser) - President Trump says he's pardoning Scott Jenkins, the former sheriff of Culpeper County, Virginia, who was due to start a 10-year prison sentence on Tuesday for accepting more than $75,000 in bribes. Jenkins, 53, was convicted last year of conspiracy, honest services fraud, and multiple bribery charges...

Fraudulent Diagnoses Financed Doctor's Posh Lifestyle

Jorge Zamora-Quezada collected millions from insurers while mistreating patients

(Newser) - Dr. Jorge Zamora-Quezada falsely diagnosed many of his patients, some as young as 13, with rheumatoid arthritis over the course of nearly 20 years—putting them through tests, hours of intravenous infusions, and what federal prosecutors described as other "excessive, repetitive and profit-driven" procedures. The more than $118 million...

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