fraud

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Suit: 'Psychic' Was Paid $1K, Still Didn't Lift Witch's Curse

Mauro Restrepo now wants $25K from 'psychic love specialist' Sophia Adams

(Newser) - A California man is suing a self-proclaimed psychic who he says promised to remove a curse on his marriage, ordered by an ex-girlfriend. Mauro Restrepo says he was in the midst of some bad luck when he performed a Google search for psychics on Sept. 17 and came across Sophia...

Detained Huawei CFO Headed Back to China After US Deal

Meng Wanzhou had been held on fraud charges in Canada since 2018, awaiting extradition to US

(Newser) - For nearly three years, Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou has been detained in Canada, awaiting extradition to the United States on fraud charges. On Friday, all of that changed, as the US and China reached an agreement and the US Justice Department dropped its extradition request, allowing Meng to go free,...

At Elizabeth Holmes' Trial, a Familiar but Unexpected Face

Ex-SecDef James Mattis testified that former Theranos CEO misled him on blood-testing tech

(Newser) - Former US Secretary of Defense James Mattis testified Wednesday in the trial of fallen tech star Elizabeth Holmes, saying the entrepreneur misled him into believing she was on the verge of rolling out a blood-testing breakthrough that he hoped would help save lives of troops in battle. Mattis' appearance came...

After Surfside Condo Collapse, an 'Abhorrent' Alleged Crime

3 are charged with stealing the identities of 7 victims following shopping sprees

(Newser) - Two women and a man allegedly stole the identities of seven victims of the condominium collapse in Surfside, Fla. , in the days after the tragedy and spent thousands of dollars on shoes and a Versace purse. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle described the suspects—Betsy Alexandra Cacho-Medina, 30; her...

Cops: Tesla Camera Proves 'Hit-and-Run' Was Bogus

Slidell man accused of faking an accident

(Newser) - Tesla is having trouble with its autopilot , and it’s a serious story. The backup cameras, however, haven’t been in the news much. Also, they record what they see. So when a man in Louisiana spotted a Tesla backing up in a gas station and flopped to the ground...

Feds Indict Family That Cashed 13K Lottery Tickets in 8 Years
Prosecutors: Family's
Lottery Luck Was Too Fishy
in case you missed it
Aug 28, 2021 5:30 AM CDT

Prosecutors: Family's Lottery Luck Was Too Fishy

Massachusetts' Ali Jaafar, 2 sons accused of $21M fraud

(Newser) - Ali Jaafar, 63, was the top individual lottery ticket casher in Massachusetts in 2019. His sons Mohamed, 31, and Yousef, 28, were third and fourth respectively, per Complex . According to prosecutors, family luck had nothing to do with it. In reality, the three men who cashed in more than 13,...

Vatican Indicts Cardinal in Financial Crimes

Charity money was lost in high-risk schemes, charges say

(Newser) - The Vatican announced Saturday that 10 people, one of them an Italian cardinal, will be put on trial this month on financial charges including extortion, corruption, and fraud. Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu was indicted on charges of abuse of office, bribery, and embezzlement, CNN reports. Becciu, 73, issued a statement...

Scope of Unemployment Fraud in Pandemic Is Staggering

Axios reports that half of benefits, totaling hundreds of billions of dollars, might have been stolen

(Newser) - Stories about rampant fraud related to unemployment benefits paid out during the pandemic have been percolating for a while. The AP reported in March that states were being overwhelmed by bogus claims. Earlier this week, WBTW noted that the FTC has logged 400,000 complaints so far from people who...

Feds: Scammer Impersonated Trump Family Members

Joshua Hall allegedly pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations

(Newser) - A 22-year-old Pennsylvania man scammed hundreds of thousands of dollars from Donald Trump supporters last year by impersonating the then-president's relatives and urging people to donate to a nonexistent political organization, federal prosecutors say. Joshua Hall has been charged with wire fraud and aggravated identify theft and faces a...

Retired FBI Agent Accused in Major Con

Authorities say William Stone bilked woman out of $800K

(Newser) - A month after retiring from the Dallas field office, an FBI agent allegedly began a yearslong fraud scheme that earned him more than $800,000—and potentially up to 178 years in federal prison. William Roy Stone Jr., 62, is charged with wire fraud, impersonating a federal officer, and other...

Fake Elon Musks Make Millions in Bitcoin Scams
FTC: Beware Fake Elon Musks
May 18, 2021 8:43 PM CDT

FTC: Beware Fake Elon Musks

Bitcoin scammers have stolen millions by impersonating Tesla CEO

(Newser) - Cryptocurrency scams involving fake Elon Musks have cost people a lot of real money. The Federal Trade Commission says crypto scams have surged along with the value of the digital currencies. The FTC says that between October and March, it received more than 7,000 complaints about scams involving Bitcoin...

&#39;Dead&#39; Fraud Suspect Exposed by Her Poodle
Her Parents Said She
Was Dead. Detectives
Followed Her Poodle
in case you missed it
May 9, 2021 5:05 PM CDT

Her Parents Said She Was Dead. Detectives Followed Her Poodle

Fraud suspect was found alive on Spanish island

(Newser) - A German woman embezzled $1.2 million from her employer, hid out on the Spanish island of Mallorca, and told her parents to say she was dead, authorities say. And she might have gotten away for it, if it wasn't for her giant poodle. The 47-year-old woman was tracked...

Back in Court, Holmes Looks on Verge of Small Win

Judge suggests it could be 'dangerous' for jurors to hear details of her luxury lifestyle

(Newser) - Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes' trial on fraud charges is still months away, but she was back in court for the first time in more than a year this week as the sides argued over what information should be included. The argument about whether jurors should hear about Holmes' luxury...

Lawyer Who Scammed Major Drug Dealers Hears His Fate

Attorney James Morris Balagia sentenced to 15-plus years in prison for defrauding drug traffickers

(Newser) - A Texas attorney who specialized in representing clients facing charges of drug possession and driving while intoxicated is now seeing the culmination of his own legal troubles. The New York Times reports that on Monday, James Morris Balagia, known as the "DWI Dude," was sentenced to more than...

Man Arrested Over Alleged Birthday Gift Scheme

Takashi Miyagawa is accused of dating 35 women to get birthday gifts out of them

(Newser) - It seems like an awful lot of trouble to go to in order to get $1,000 in gifts. The Telegraph reports a Japanese man has been arrested after allegedly juggling 35 different girlfriends in order to get a year-long stream of birthday presents. Takashi Miyagawa allegedly supplied the women...

Trump Donors Didn't Know the Charges Were Recurring

Reelection campaign has to return $122M

(Newser) - Former President Trump's reelection campaign had to return $122.7 million to donors after they realized they were being charged repeatedly. People who donated, say, $500 were being charged that amount not just once, but every month—or even every week—until the election. To avoid being overcharged, donors...

Huntsman's Brother Sues Mormon Church for Fraud

James Huntsman wants $5M in donations returned

(Newser) - The son of a billionaire industrialist and brother of a former Utah governor and US ambassador is suing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for fraud. James Huntsman, brother of Jon Huntsman , claims the Mormon church spent members' tithes on commercial purposes, rather than charity. This allegation was...

Mastermind of Massive Twitter Hack Is Sentenced

Graham Ivan Clark, who was 17 at the time, gets 3 years, plus probation

(Newser) - A teenager who hacked the Twitter accounts of Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Apple, and Uber as part of a Bitcoin scam last year has agreed to prison time. Graham Ivan Clark, 18, of Florida will serve three years in prison for the scam to...

They Paid $36M for Copper. Instead, They Got Rocks

Mercuria Energy is the victim of an elaborate fraud

(Newser) - One of the five biggest oil traders in the world paid $36 million for 6,000 tons of copper, but instead received a bunch of painted rocks. Mercuria Energy Group, a Swiss commodities trader, went to Turkish police after realizing the 300 containers shipped from Turkey to China on eight...

COVID Jobless Programs See 'Frightening Levels of Fraud'

$63B paid out improperly

(Newser) - With the floodgates set to open on another round of unemployment aid, states are being hammered with a new wave of fraud as they scramble to update security systems and block scammers who already have siphoned billions of dollars from pandemic-related jobless programs. The fraud is fleecing taxpayers, delaying legitimate...

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