Category Archives: Fraud News From World

A “Fraud News From World” directory is a collection of news articles about fraud and scams from around the world. These directories can be a valuable resource for staying informed about the latest scams and how to protect yourself from them. The directory typically includes information about the scam, such as the type of scam, the target audience, the location of the scam, and the date of the scam. It may also include information about how to protect yourself from the scam, such as how to identify a phishing email or how to report a scam to the authorities.

Fraud News From World

Cyber Crime: Shan Shi Was Convicted Of One Count Of Conspiracy To Commit Theft Of Trade Secrets

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Texas Man Convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Theft of Trade Secrets

A Texas man was convicted today by a federal jury in Washington D.C. of conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets.

Following a nine-day trial, Shan Shi, 54, of Houston, Texas, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets. Shi was originally indicted in June 2017 for conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets, and a superseding indictment containing one count of conspiracy to commit economic espionage and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering charges issued in April 2018. Shi was acquitted on the other charges.

“Shan Shi and his coconspirators went to great lengths to cash in on the Chinese government’s desire to obtain syntactic foam technology,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “As this case demonstrates, the Department of Justice is and will remain on the front lines of defending U.S. companies against the theft of their trade secrets.”

“The jury’s verdict makes clear that Shan Shi conspired to steal trade secrets by poaching employees from a U.S. company and enticing them to bring technical data to his company,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “He did this against the backdrop of China’s strategic plan to close the gap between China and United States in buoyancy technology and with the benefit of millions of dollars of funding from China. Like our many other prosecutions implicating China’s economic aggression, this case exemplifies both the threat to American companies and our commitment to confront it.”

“We take very seriously the theft of intellectual property that was developed in the United States through long years of research, development, and innovation,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia. “Shi chose to steal the secrets of a U.S. company rather than do the hard work necessary to succeed honestly in the free market. He is now being held accountable for that choice.”

“Shan Shi attempted to obtain sophisticated U.S. technology with both military and civilian uses for the ultimate benefit of China,” said Assistant Director John Brown of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “It is no secret that China is determined to achieve superiority in virtually all high-tech areas, and the FBI is equally determined to stop individuals who commit illegal acts to help China achieve its goals. The stakes are high both for U.S. national security and for American companies who invest so much money and time on research and development.”

“FBI Houston’s elite counterintelligence investigators worked for years to dismantle Mr. Shi’s prolific network and bring him to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI’s Houston Field Office. “Our highly trained agents and intelligence analysts work every day to protect American businesses from unscrupulous foreign adversaries. We are pleased by today’s verdict, and we will continue to aggressively protect America’s economic security and intellectual property from those who would do us harm.”

Evidence introduced at trial established that Shi conspired with others to steal trade secrets from a Houston-based company, Trelleborg Offshore, relating to syntactic foam, a strong, lightweight material with commercial and military uses that is essential for deep-sea oil and gas drilling. In public statements of its national priorities, China has made clear its desire to develop this technology. Shi sought to obtain information about syntactic foam for the benefit of CBM-Future New Material Science and Technology Co. Ltd. (CBMF), a Chinese company based in Taizhou, and for the ultimate benefit of the People’s Republic of China. Four of Shi’s codefendants—some of whom worked at Trelleborg—had pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal trade secrets, and two testified as cooperating witnesses at trial. From 2014 to 2017, CBMF sent Shi’s company in Houston approximately $3.1 million from China in order to promote Shi’s activity in the United States.

Sentencing has been set for Oct. 25, 2019.

The FBI’s Houston Field Office conducted the investigation. Senior Counsel Joss Nichols of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Pearlman and Luke Jones for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

Fraud News From World

Financial Fraud: JASON And YALE SCHIFF Is Charged With Multiple Counts Of Bank Fraud

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Federal Probe into Bank Fraud in North Suburbs Adds Two New Defendants

CHICAGO — A federal investigation that previously led to bank fraud and identity theft charges against a north suburban businessman has resulted in indictments against two additional defendants, including the businessman’s brother.

JASON SCHIFF, 40, of Lincolnwood, is charged with three counts of bank fraud, according to a superseding indictment returned July 24, 2019, in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The superseding indictment also charges Jason Schiff’s brother, YALE SCHIFF, 44, of Riverwoods, with 12 counts of bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Yale Schiff was initially charged in the case last month. The Schiffs pleaded not guilty today during arraignments before U.S. Magistrate Judge Young B. Kim in Chicago.

A separate indictment returned July 17, 2019, charges Yale Schiff’s business associate, DAVID IZSAK, 44, of Chicago, with eleven counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. During the investigation, federal authorities seized Izsak’s 57-foot Carver 570 Voyager yacht known as the “Flying Lady.” The indictment seeks forfeiture of the yacht, as well as a personal money judgment against Izsak of approximately $4 million. Izsak pleaded not guilty at his arraignment earlier this month.

The indictments were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the FBI; and Craig Goldberg, Inspector-in-Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri H. Mecklenburg.

According to the charges against the Schiffs, Yale Schiff made false statements in loan applications to obtain millions of dollars in mortgage loans secured by a variety of properties. The charges allege that Yale Schiff filed with the Cook County Recorder of Deeds fraudulent letters from financial institutions claiming that loans on the properties were paid in full and that the mortgages were released, when, in fact, the loans were not paid in full and the mortgages had not been released. Yale Schiff then kept the financing paid by the banks, as well as proceeds from the eventual sales of the properties, without paying the mortgages, the indictment states. The fraud allegedly committed by Jason Schiff arose out of bank loans for vehicles and a loan secured by real estate purchased from Yale Schiff.

The charges against Izsak accuse him of fraudulently obtaining loans secured by real estate and vehicles. Izsak allegedly submitted or caused to be submitted to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds fake letters purporting to be from the lender, purporting to congratulate Izsak for paying his loan in full and releasing the lien. In reality, the letters were not from the lender, the loans were not paid in full, and the liens were not released, the indictment states.

Izsak and Yale Schiff are each accused of fraudulently obtaining loans by using names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth that did not belong to them. Izsak also used a stolen identity to obtain a credit card, while Yale Schiff used fake and stolen identities to fraudulently obtain a charge card at Nordstrom department store and loans for a Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Lexus RX350, the indictment states.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Each bank fraud count is punishable by a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, while each count of aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory sentence of two years. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

Fraud News From World

Financial Fraud: Complaint Against Digital Currency Exchange BTC-e And Alexander Vinnik

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United States Files $100 Million Civil Complaint Against Digital Currency Exchange BTC-e And Chief Owner-Operator Alexander Vinnik

Complaint seeks to enforce federal penalties for alleged violations of Bank Secrecy Act

SAN FRANCISCO– The Department of Justice filed a civil complaint in federal court against digital currency exchange BTC-e, also known as Canton Business Corporation, and one of its chief owners and operators Alexander Vinnik, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Director Kenneth A. Blanco. The complaint seeks to enforce monetary penalties FinCEN assessed against BTC-e and Vinnik for alleged violations of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), 31 U.S.C. §§ 5311-14 and 5316-32.

BTC-e is a digital currency exchange organized as a corporation under the laws of Cyprus and/or the Seychelles Islands. BTC-e operated in Bulgaria, the Seychelles Islands, and other jurisdictions, including the Northern District of California, and allowed its users to buy and sell bitcoin and other digital currencies anonymously through its web domain, btc-e.com. Vinnik, a Russian national, occupied a senior leadership position within BTC-e, controlled multiple BTC-e administrative accounts used to process BTC-e’s transactions, and participated in the direction and supervision of BTC-e’s operations and finances. The civil complaint alleges that Vinnik operated several BTC-e accounts, including some tied to thefts from other virtual currency exchanges such as Mt. Gox. Vinnik is currently incarcerated in Greece and is the subject of an extradition request to the Northern District of California in connection with criminal charges filed in this district.

On July 26, 2017, FinCEN assessed monetary penalties against BTC-e and Vinnik for violations of the BSA. FinCEN assessed $12 million in penalties against Vinnick and $88,596,314 in penalties against BTC-e for BTC-e’s alleged willful violations of the BSA. The civil complaint seeks to enforce the monetary penalties issued by FinCEN.

According to the complaint, FinCEN assessed penalties based, in part, on the following conduct:

Failure to Register as an MSB: BTC-e did not register with FinCEN as a Money Services Business (MSB). The BSA defines an MSB and requires, among other things, MSBs to register with FinCEN within 180 days of beginning operations. In this case, FinCen assessed penalties, in part, because the agency concluded BTC-e was an MSB and failed to register with the agency.

Failure to Establish Anti-Money Laundering Programs and Procedures: Under the BSA, an MSB must develop, implement, and maintain an effective anti-money laundering (AML) program that is reasonably designed to prevent the MSB from being used to facilitate money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities. FinCEN’s fines were based, in part, on BTC-e’s failure to have reasonable AML policies or procedures in place to prevent criminal activity on the digital currency exchange.

Failure to File Suspicious Activity Reports: Under the BSA, an MSB must file a suspicious activity report (SAR) if it becomes aware of transactions that the MSB “knows, suspects, or has reason to suspect” are suspicious where those transactions involve the MSB and aggregate to at least $2,000 in value. FinCEN’s penalties were assessed, in part, because BTC-e did not file SARs and instead received proceeds from ransomware schemes, transferred funds to and from known dark net marketplaces, and deposited funds stolen from other digital currency exchanges into BTC-e accounts that Vinnik controlled.

This case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Kirstin Ault and U.S. Department of Justice Trial Attorney John Siemietkowski with assistance from Tina Louie.

Fraud News From World

Visa Fraud: WEIYUN HUANG Charged With One Count Of Conspiracy To Commit Visa Fraud

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Federal Grand Jury in Chicago Indicts Chinese Businesswoman on Charges of Visa Fraud

CHICAGO — A Chinese businesswoman has been indicted in Chicago on federal fraud charges for allegedly providing false verifications of employment for Chinese nationals seeking to stay in the United States on F-1 or H-1B visas.

WEIYUN HUANG, also known as “Kelly Huang,” 30, of Beijing, China, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and five counts of visa fraud, according to an indictment returned Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Huang has been in federal custody since March after her arrest in the Northern District of California. Arraignment in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the FBI; and James M. Gibbons, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shoba Pillay.

An F-1 visa permitted a foreign national to study in the United States at a university or other academic institution. An F-1 visa-holder could extend the visa by participating in a program that required the student to obtain temporary employment in their area of study. An H-1B visa permitted U.S.-based employers to temporarily employ foreign nationals in specialty occupations. Foreign nationals with an H-1B visa were permitted to stay in the U.S. for three years, with the possibility of extending their stay to six years.

According to the indictment, Huang founded two companies – FINDREAM LLC and SINOCONTECH LLC – for the purported purpose of employing foreign nationals in the United States. Huang advertised Findream as a “startup company in technology services and consulting,” with clients in China and the U.S. Huang used a China-based website, “Chinese Looking for Job,” and a China-based WeChat platform, “Job Hunters of North America,” to advertise Findream and Sinocontech to F-1 visa-holders in the U.S. seeking employment and H-1B visas.

In reality, the companies did not deliver any technology or consulting services nor did they employ any of the individuals who responded to the advertisements, the indictment states. In exchange for a fee, Huang and the companies provided written proof of employment to their customers, knowing that the companies did not actually employ them, the charges allege. Huang, Findream and Sinocontech also provided false offer letters and verification of employment letters as purported evidence of employment, knowing the forms were bogus, the indictment states.

The fraud scheme allowed at least approximately 2,685 customers to list Findream or Sinocontech as their employer in order to stay in the U.S. on the visas, according to the indictment. Huang and her two companies received at least approximately $2 million from customers for whom they agreed to falsely certify employment, the indictment states.

Findream, which was incorporated in California, and Sinocontech, which was incorporated in Delaware, are also charged in the indictment. Findream is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and four counts of visa fraud, while Sinocontech is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and one count of visa fraud.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Each count of visa fraud is punishable by up to ten years in prison, while the conspiracy count carries a maximum sentence of five years.

Fraud News From World

Health Care Fraud: Dinesh Goyal Pleaded Guilty To One Count Of Conspiracy To Commit An Offense Against The United States

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Owensboro Man Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud Conspiracy

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Today, an Owensboro man admitted in federal court that he participated in a conspiracy to defraud health insurance programs of more than $1.3 million.

Dinesh Goyal, 60, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, before United States District Judge Joseph Hood. Goyal owned a toxicology laboratory in Owensboro, Kentucky called Tristate Medical Laboratory (“Tristate”). His co-conspirators, Mason Routt and Sam Ford, owned or were affiliated with a Nicholasville, Kentucky toxicology lab known as C.A.L. Laboratory Services (“CAL”). Among other things, CAL provided urine drug testing services for physician clients. Beginning in late 2015, health care organizations who administer the Kentucky Medicaid program placed payment restrictions on CAL’s claims seeking reimbursement for urine drug tests, due to concerns about the legitimacy of those claims. In October 2016, Goyal, Routt, and Ford agreed that urine drug tests referred to and performed by CAL would be billed to the health insurance programs using Tristate’s billing information, falsely representing that the tests were performed by Tristate. In this way, CAL evaded the payment restrictions placed upon it by the insurers, and received reimbursements to which it was not entitled. In exchange for the use of his lab’s billing information, Goyal agreed to receive 40% of these fraudulent reimbursements. In the plea agreement filed today, Goyal admitted that these fraudulent claims caused Humana Caresource, Aetna Coventry Cares, and Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield Medicaid to suffer a combined loss of $1,378,449.

Goyal was charged by way of information in the Eastern District of Kentucky, waiving his right to indictment by a federal grand jury. Sam Ford, one of his co-conspirators, pled guilty to the same offense in March 2019 and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 12, 2019. Mason Routt, the owner of CAL and the other co-conspirator, passed away unexpectedly in August 2017.

In addition to his guilty plea, Goyal entered into a separate settlement agreement resolving his civil liability under the federal False Claims Act for the same misconduct. Pursuant to the False Claims Act settlement agreement, Goyal is obligated to sell personal and commercial property and remit 75% of the net sale proceeds to the United States, in addition to certain cash payment obligations. Goyal also agreed to be excluded from the Medicare and Kentucky Medicaid programs for a period of 10 years, meaning that he cannot own or work for any company that submits claims to those federal health insurance program.

Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; James Robert Brown, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisville Field Office; and Derrick L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Atlanta Field Office, jointly announced the guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and HHS-OIG. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul McCaffrey in the criminal case, and by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Corndorf in the parallel civil case.

Goyal is scheduled to be sentenced on October 15, 2019, in federal court in Lexington. He faces up to 5 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the amount of loss caused by his crime, whichever is greater. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal statutes.

Fraud News From World

Financial Fraud: James A. Young Charging With Two Counts Of Wire Fraud And Three Counts Of Failure To File Tax Returns

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Former Financial Planner Indicted For Investment Fraud Scheme And Failure To File Tax Returns

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Former financial planner James A. Young III, 49, of Milton, Florida, was arraigned today in the U.S. District Court in Pensacola after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with two counts of wire fraud and three counts of failure to file tax returns over a three-year period. The indictment was announced today by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

The indictment alleges that between 2010 and 2014, while working as a financial planner, Young solicited his clients and others to invest money in false “side investments” in real estate and natural resource rights. The indictment also alleges that Young presented false documents to potential investors and falsely told them he was also personally invested to convince them to invest.

The indictment further alleges that Young then pocketed the money, which totaled over $500,000, and used it for his own personal use. Further, in some instances, Young is alleged to have used money obtained from investors to pay back other investors, fraudulently representing the funds were returns or interest on their investments in order to keep the scheme going. Young also allegedly failed to file his federal tax returns for 2012, 2013, and 2014.

The maximum penalty for wire fraud is twenty years’ imprisonment. The maximum penalty for failure to file tax returns is one year imprisonment. The trial is scheduled for September 3, 2019, at 9:00 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola.

Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes is prosecuting the case following an investigation by the Emerald Coast Financial Crimes Task Force consisting of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative, which combats elder abuse and financial fraud targeted at seniors and is a key priority of the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html

Fraud News From World

Financial Fraud: Todd Ficeto Found Guilty Of One Count Of Conspiracy To Commit Securities Fraud And Wire Fraud

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Ex-Beverly Hills Stockbroker Convicted of Securities Fraud in $200 Million Portfolio-Pumping Stock Manipulation Scheme

LOS ANGELES – A former Beverly Hills stockbroker who worked with fugitive hedge fund manager Florian Homm was found guilty by a jury late this afternoon of 18 federal criminal charges for participating in a stock manipulation scheme designed to pump up the reported profits of hedge funds that fraudulently caused investors approximately $200 million in losses.

Todd Ficeto, 52, of Marion, Ohio, was found guilty after a 17-day jury trial. The jury found Ficeto guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, seven counts of securities fraud, two counts of investment adviser fraud, one count of money laundering conspiracy, five counts of unlawful money transactions, one count of obstruction of justice, and one count of making false statements.

Ficeto was the president of a Beverly Hills-based broker-dealer, Hunter World Markets, which he co-owned with Florian Wilhelm Jürgen Homm, who was first indicted in March 2013 on charges of securities fraud and wire fraud after he was arrested in Italy. Homm later fled to Germany and is a fugitive from justice. Homm was the founder and chief investment officer of Absolute Capital Management Holdings (ACMH), a Cayman Islands-based investment advisor that operated from Palma de Majorca in Spain and managed eight hedge funds (the Absolute Funds).

Between September 2004 and September 2007, Homm directed the Absolute Funds to buy billions of shares of thinly traded, United States-based “penny stocks” through Hunter World Markets that Ficeto located and brought to Homm through investment banking deals. Ficeto then facilitated the manipulative stock purchases and caused millions of shares of the same penny stocks to be given to Homm, Hunter World Markets, and CIC Global Capital, which was controlled by co-defendants Colin Heatherington, of Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada; and Craig Heatherington, of Queensland, Australia.

Ficeto, Homm, and other co-conspirators fraudulently manipulated the penny stocks to inflate and artificially prop up their prices to exaggerate the purported profitability of the Absolute Capital hedge funds. As a result, the co-conspirators were able to sell their own shares of the penny stocks at the inflated prices to the hedge funds. The stock price inflation also served to fraudulently overstate the performance of the hedge funds which, in turn, generated substantial performance fees and other compensation for defendant Homm and his co-conspirators. The co-conspirators then used the inflated performance figures to induce investments from unsuspecting victim-investors.

Ficeto and his co-conspirators worked together in an elaborate conspiracy to launder the illicit proceeds throughout the world.

Ficeto also engaged in unlawful monetary transactions by sending nearly $10 million of illicit proceeds to an account in the Cook Islands days before his testimony before the Securities and Exchange Commission, and then lied to the SEC about the Cook Islands account. Ficeto also used a hedge fund called the Hunter Fund, in which the Absolute Funds invested and also was used to conceal investments by the Absolute Funds in the penny stocks and to manipulate the stock market.

As the scheme unraveled, Homm abruptly resigned from the firm in the middle of the night on September 18, 2007, according to court documents.

In March 2013, Homm was taken into custody in Italy after being arrested at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Homm was arrested pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant sought by federal prosecutors in Los Angeles after they filed a criminal complaint containing charges related to the alleged fraud scheme. The United States sought Homm’s extradition to the United States and he was ordered extradited by the Italian Ministry of Justice, but Homm ultimately was released and is believed to have fled to Germany, where he remains a fugitive.

Colin Heatherington is in Canada and facing extradition to the United States.

United States District Judge Virginia A. Phillips has scheduled an October 7 sentencing hearing for Ficeto. Each charge of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and securities fraud carry a statutory maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison. The money laundering charges each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. Each charge of investment adviser fraud, obstruction of justice, and false statements carry a maximum statutory penalty of five years in federal prison.

This matter was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Financial and Regulatory Authority provided assistance to the FBI’s investigation.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Cassie D. Palmer of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section, Scott Paetty of the Major Frauds Section, and Ian V. Yanniello of the General Crimes Section.

Fraud News From World

Violent Crime: R. Kelly Charged With Producing And Receiving Child Pornography

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Recording Artist R. Kelly Arrested on Federal Child Pornography and Obstruction Charges

CHICAGO — Chicago recording artist ROBERT SYLVESTER KELLY, also known as “R. Kelly,” has been arrested on federal child pornography and obstruction charges.

A 13-count indictment returned Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges Kelly with producing and receiving child pornography, and enticing minors to engage in criminal sexual activity. The charges accuse Kelly of engaging in sex acts with five minors and recording some of the abuse on multiple videos. The indictment also charges Kelly with conspiring to intimidate victims and conceal evidence in an effort to obstruct law enforcement, including an investigation in the 2000s that resulted in his trial in 2008 in Cook County on state child pornography charges.

Kelly, 52, of Chicago, was arrested Thursday night. He is scheduled to appear for an arraignment and detention hearing on Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber in Chicago. Kelly is charged with one count of conspiracy to receive child pornography, two counts of receiving child pornography, four counts of producing child pornography, five counts of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.

The indictment also charges two former employees of Kelly’s music business: DERREL MCDAVID, 58, of Chicago (one count of conspiracy to receive child pornography, two counts of receiving child pornography, one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice), and MILTON BROWN, also known as “June Brown,” 53, of Chicago (one count of conspiracy to receive child pornography). McDavid is scheduled to make an initial court appearance today at 11:00 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Young B. Kim in Chicago, while Brown is scheduled to make an initial appearance before Judge Kim on July 19, 2019, at 11:00 a.m.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; James M. Gibbons, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago; and Tara Sullivan, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago. Substantial assistance was provided by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Chicago Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angel Krull, Abigail L. Peluso and Jeannice W. Appenteng represent the government.

“This indictment demonstrates our office’s commitment to holding individuals such as Kelly accountable for criminal sexual abuse of minors, protecting the victims of such crimes, and punishing those who obstruct law enforcement investigations,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch. “I thank the courageous individuals who provided law enforcement with important information related to these allegations, and I encourage others with helpful information to do the same. Together with our law enforcement partners and with the help of victims and other witnesses, we will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children.”

“Today’s arrest serves as a reminder of HSI’s commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society – our children,” said HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Gibbons. “We will continue to work in partnership with fellow law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to bring those engaged in child exploitation to justice.”

A separate federal indictment was unsealed today in the Eastern District of New York charging Kelly with racketeering for allegedly operating a criminal enterprise that promoted Kelly’s music and recruited women and girls to engage in illegal sexual activity. Kelly will appear for a removal hearing on the New York charges today at 1:45 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheila Finnegan in Chicago.

Kelly is an award-winning recording artist and record producer who has operated various music businesses in Chicago. According to the indictment in the Northern District of Illinois, Kelly met the five victims in the late 1990s. Kelly engaged in sex acts with the victims while they were all under the age of 18, and he created numerous explicit videos with four of them, the indictment states. The charges allege that Kelly and McDavid in 2001 began paying an acquaintance hundreds of thousands of dollars to collect the videos for the purpose of concealing and covering up their existence. When the acquaintance later planned to hold a news conference to publicly announce that he recovered the videos, Kelly, McDavid and others paid him approximately $170,000 in exchange for agreeing to cancel the event, the indictment states.

Kelly and McDavid also agreed to pay one of the minors and another individual for their efforts to return the videos, but only after they took polygraph examinations to confirm they returned all copies in their possession, the charges allege.

The indictment seeks forfeiture of a personal money judgment of approximately $1.55 million.

The public is reminded that charges contain only accusations and are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Producing child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison and a maximum of 20 years. Receiving child pornography and conspiring to receive child pornography are each punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years. The maximum sentence for enticement of a minor is ten years. Conspiracy to obstruct justice is punishable by up to five years. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation by Robert Sylvester Kelly, you are encouraged to contact HSI’s confidential tip line by calling 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or by logging on to https://www.ice.gov/webform/hsi-tip-form. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Fraud News From World

Financial Fraud: Dennis Blieden Charged With 11 Counts Of Wire Fraud, One Count Of Aggravated Identity Theft

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Former Hollywood Digital Marketing Executive and Professional Poker Player Charged with Embezzling $22 Million from His Employer

LOS ANGELES – A former executive at StyleHaul Inc., a digital marketing company that represents “influencers” on YouTube and Instagram, has been arrested pursuant to a federal grand jury indictment charging him with embezzling $22 million from his employer and using the stolen money for buy-ins at professional poker tournaments, crypto-currency investing, and other personal expenses.

Dennis Blieden, 29, formerly of Santa Monica and now residing in Nevada, was taken into federal custody yesterday in Las Vegas. The indictment, which a federal grand jury returned on Tuesday and was unsealed today, charges him with 11 counts of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and two forfeiture counts.

Blieden made his initial court appearance today in United States District Court in Las Vegas, and he will be arraigned on the indictment in Los Angeles at a later date.

According to the indictment, between October 2015 and March 2019, Blieden was the controller and vice president of accounting and finance for StyleHaul, a digital company once based in Hollywood, but which relocated to London in April. In this role, Blieden had control over the company’s bank accounts, and allegedly abused this authority to wire the company’s money to his personal bank accounts.

Blieden is charged with disguising his fraudulent behavior in various ways, including creating a fictitious lease in May 2018 for the rental of a condominium in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, which bore a forged signature of a StyleHaul executive.

The indictment further alleges that Blieden illicitly transferred $230,000 of StyleHaul’s funds for his own personal use by falsely representing that the condominium was being rented for business purposes for StyleHaul’s clients and employees. Blieden also created fictitious wire transfer letters purportedly from Western Union to make it falsely appear that he had caused wire transfers from StyleHaul to a client to pay money due to the client, the indictment alleges.

Blieden, who has entered and won professional poker tournaments, also frequently engaged in online gambling with crypto-currency he purchased with embezzled money, according to the government’s motion requesting detention in this case. During the course of the alleged scheme, Blieden used money he stole from his employer to write $1,204,000 in personal checks to poker players, $1,134,956 was used to pay off his credit cards, and $8,473,734 was transferred to Blieden’s crypto-currency accounts, according to court documents.

Shortly before his dismissal from StyleHaul, on February 21 and 22, Blieden entered into two poker tournaments, wherein the buy-in amounts were $52,000 and $103,000, respectively, court papers state.

If convicted of all charges, Blieden would face a statutory maximum sentence of more than 200 years in federal prison.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Valerie L. Makarewicz of the Major Frauds Section.

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Financial Fraud: John Muyeka Pleaded Guilty In Connection With His Role In a Phony Check Scheme

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New Jersey Man Admits Role in $2 Million Fraudulent Check Scheme Targeting Home-Improvement Stores

NEWARK, N.J. – A Middlesex County, New Jersey, man pleaded guilty today in connection with his role in a phony check scheme that resulted in the theft of over $2 million in merchandise from multiple home improvement stores throughout the country, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

John Muyeka, 44, of Sayreville, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging him with one count of misprision of a felony before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Starting in December 2013 and continuing through February 2017, Muyeka and other conspirators agreed to obtain merchandise or store credit from home improvement stores in locations along the eastern United States, including New Jersey, by purchasing items with fraudulent checks.

The individuals entered home improvement and other retail stores and gathered several high-value items like air conditioners or hardwood flooring. They then typically “purchased” the items either by handing a cashier a fraudulent check with a phony name but authentic account and routing numbers, or by pretending to be an authorized signatory on a store credit account that the individuals had previously opened with a phony check.

During some of the transactions, the conspirators displayed fake driver’s licenses that had been created by Muyeka, which either duplicated the phony name imprinted on the fraudulent check they presented for payment or matched the name of an authorized signatory on a store credit account that they had previously opened.

In total, the conspirators allegedly stole over $2 million in merchandise from various retailers in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and South Carolina.

The count of misprision carries a maximum potential penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 15, 2019.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge James Buthorn, and special agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey, with the investigation. He also thanked the Union Township Police Department, the Holmdel Police Department, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, the Totowa Police Department, and the Monroe Township Police Department for their assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason S. Gould of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.

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Financial Fraud: ROBERT J. BARRY Sentenced For Stealing From His Elderly Client Trust Accounts

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Southbury Attorney Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Elderly Clients

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ROBERT J. BARRY, 78, of Woodbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 21 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, the first six months of which Barry must serve in home confinement, for stealing from his elderly client trust accounts.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Barry was a partner in the law firm of Sturges and Mathes, located in Southbury. The firm specialized in trust and estates work, and Barry headed that practice. As part of his practice, Barry drafted trust agreements for clients designating himself as successor trustee in the event of the client’s death or incapacity. He also prepared wills for clients that named Barry as executor of the client’s estate upon death.

Beginning in June 2010 and continuing until approximately December 2015, Barry engaged in a scheme to defraud an elderly victim by stealing money from the victim’s client trust accounts while the victim was alive, and then stealing money from the victim’s estate after the victim died. Barry, in his role as executor and successor trustee for the victim, directed Sturges and Mathes staff members to prepare checks drawn on the victim’s accounts payable to the Sturges and Mathes operating account. Once the money was deposited into the firm’s operating account, Barry directed staff to cut a check against the firm operating account payable to a special account in the firm’s name over which Barry had exclusive control. Barry then wrote himself checks from the special account to his personal bank account.

In furtherance of the scheme, Barry caused numerous false and misleading statements to be sent to the victim and the victim’s residual beneficiary about the disposition of assets.

Through this scheme, Barry stole more than $2.4 million from the victim and the victim’s estate.

In order to hide the excess fees that he had taken, Barry also caused a false federal estate tax return to be filed with the IRS. The tax return underreported the amount of the victim’s estate by approximately $937,000.

Judge Chatigny ordered Barry to pay $2,440,285 to the victim’s estate, and $1,507,240 to residual beneficiaries of other estate clients.

On September 5, 2018, Barry pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.

Barry, who is released on a $100,000 bond, was ordered to report to prison on September 3, 2019.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Susan Wines and Jennifer Laraia.

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Investment Fraud: Ronald Chernin Sentenced For His Role In A Multi-Year Insider Trading Scheme

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California Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Role in Three-Year, Cross-Country Insider Trading Scheme that Netted More Than $3.9 Million

TRENTON, N.J. – A day trader from Oak Park, California, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for his role in a multi-year insider trading scheme that made over $3.9 million in illicit profits by exploiting material information in violation of confidentiality agreements, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Ronald Chernin, 70, of Oak Park, California, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and one count of securities fraud. Judge Shipp imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Chernin and co-defendant Steven Costantin, 58, of Farmingdale, New Jersey, worked as day traders for Costantin’s brother-in-law, Steven Fishoff, 62, of Westlake Village, California. Between May 2010 and August 2013, Chernin, Costantin, and Fishoff, as well as a business associate referred to as “Trader A,” expressed interest in participating in numerous stock offerings by publicly traded companies.

Chernin, Costantin, and other members of the day trading operation falsely characterized their trading entities as legitimate, full-service financial management firms with as much as $150 million in assets under management, in order to increase the likelihood that the investment bankers would solicit them to participate in the stock offerings.

Before providing confidential information concerning the companies or the terms of the proposed sales, the investment bankers first required that Chernin, Costantin, Fishoff, Trader A, and their associated trading entities, enter into confidentiality, or “wall-crossing,” agreements, whereby they agreed not to disclose or trade on the inside information and were brought “over the wall” for the narrow purpose of determining whether to purchase the offered securities.

Instead, Chernin, Costantin, and Fishoff violated the confidentiality agreements by directly or indirectly tipping each other and others with the inside information concerning the stock offerings; short selling the issuers’ stock in anticipation of a drop in price when the stock offerings were disclosed to the public; and covering their short positions once the stock offerings were disclosed. Additionally, Fishoff tipped his friend, Paul Petrello, 57, of Boca Raton, Florida, and another conspirator, Joseph Spera.

By trading on the nonpublic information, Chernin, Costantin, and their conspirators gained more than $3.9 million in illicit profits over the course of the three-year scheme. Chernin and Costantin shared 50 percent of their profits with Fishoff.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Shipp sentenced Chernin to three years of supervised release and fined him $2,000.

Costantin previously pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme and was sentenced to one year in prison. Petrello previously pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme and was sentenced to three years of probation. Fishoff pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Spera pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme and was sentenced to one year of probation.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s New York Regional Office, under the direction of Marc Berger.

The government is represented by Nicholas P. Grippo, Attorney in Charge of the U.S. Attorney’s Trenton Office; Sarah Devlin, Chief of the Office’s Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Unit (ARMLU), and Senior Trial Counsel Barbara Ward of the ARMLU.

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Cyber Crime: JEFFERY DOUGLAS MANN Sentenced For His Scheme With Gift Card Fraud

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Leader of Gift Card Fraud Ring That Stole More Than $700,000 From Target and Customers Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

Reverse-Engineered Gift Card Numbers and Stole Balances without ever Possessing the Cards

A 30-year-old man arrested last year in Snohomish County, Washington was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to five years in prison and three years of supervised release for his scheme to defraud Target and its customers of more than $700,000, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran. JEFFERY DOUGLAS MANN, of Marysville, Washington, led a group of five people who used a system to decipher gift card identifying numbers and used them across five western states for fraud. U.S. District Judge James L. Robart ordered MANN to pay more than $214,000 in restitution saying MANN, “is obviously talented and used that talent to break the law… This is not a victimless crime — it impacts real people.”

According to records filed in the case, between May 2017 and December 2017, the ring stole gift card balances worth more than $700,000, and often sold illegally purchased goods or store gift cards for bitcoin on an internet marketplace. The co-conspirators used a formula to reverse-engineer and identify unique bar code numbers of thousands of authentic gift cards sold by Target to legitimate customers. Members of the scheme then used the retailer’s automated customer service telephone system to verify balances linked to the various stolen gift card numbers. They then loaded active gift card numbers onto a mobile or electronic wallet app on their phones, which the co-conspirators used to purchase merchandise and legitimate gift cards at various Target store locations across at least five states: Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada and Colorado. For example, on a single occasion in November 2017, MANN and others used roughly 180 compromised gift card numbers to make $6,900 in purchases at the Southcenter Mall Target store in Tukwila, Washington.

When the actual cardholders later tried to use their gift cards, they discovered that they had zero balance. In December 2017, Target modified its gift card system in response to the fraud, putting an end to the scheme. Target reimbursed customers for their losses.

MANN pleaded guilty to wire fraud in March 2019. Four other defendants have resolved their criminal charges: Corey Mosey was sentenced to 46 months in prison; Joshua Newman was sentenced to 38 months in prison and Derrick Quintana was sentenced to 27 months in prison. Kennady Weston is resolving her case with participation in federal drug court. Those defendants agreed to pay a total of roughly $263,000 in restitution in addition to that ordered from MANN.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, with assistance from the Kirkland, Lynnwood, and West Linn (OR) Police Departments, and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Diggs and Assistant United States Attorney Steven Masada.

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Financial Fraud: Germaine Howard And Daniel D. Dxrams Convicted For His Role In a Scheme To Defraud Banks

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Two New Jersey Men Found Guilty in Phony Debt Elimination Scheme

NEWARK, N.J. – Two individuals were found guilty today for their respective roles in using phony monetary instruments to obtain luxury vehicles and other high value items; one of the defendants was additionally convicted of bankruptcy fraud, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Germaine Howard King, a/k/a “Germaine Howard,” 43, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was convicted for his role in a scheme to defraud banks and other lenders using phony money orders to fraudulently discharge a $400,000 mortgage, to fraudulently obtain two Mercedes Benz (one 2007 and one 2010) cars, and to pay off credit card bills. In addition, King was convicted of a scheme to use phony cashier’s checks to pay off his co-defendant’s five luxury cars.

Daniel D. Dxrams, currently known as “Daniel Kusi,” formerly known as “Danny D. Dxrams,” 40, of Maplewood, New Jersey, was convicted for his role in a scheme to fraudulently pay off a Rolls Royce, Bentley, and three Mercedes Benz cars (two 2015 cars and one 2016 car). In addition, Dxrams was convicted of bankruptcy fraud and making a false oath during a bankruptcy proceeding.

According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:

King conspired with Melissa Reynolds to make fraudulent money orders on their home computers. They mailed these phony money orders to a credit union in an effort to fraudulently pay off their two Mercedes Benz cars. Although the credit union rejected both bogus money orders, King and Reynolds mailed correspondences to the credit union falsely claiming that the debt was satisfied. They then stopped paying their car loans, and King kept the car. King and Reynolds mailed a fraudulent money order in the amount of $432,000 to a financial institution to pay off their mortgage. The financial institution erroneously accepted the fraudulent payment and credited it as a payoff for the mortgage. When the financial institution filed a suit seeking to reinstate the fraudulently discharged mortgage, King and Reynolds continued to allege in court that the mortgage had been paid and submitted a phony receipt for the bogus money order. King also made and mailed fraudulent money orders in an attempt to pay off his credit card bills.

Dxrams, King, and Reynolds conspired to fraudulently pay off Dxrams’ five luxury cars. They sent a bogus $101,000 cashier’s check to a finance company that enabled Dxrams to obtain a 2012 Bentley for free. Dxrams sold the car to a third party for approximately $82,000 and then issued a bank check to King for approximately $25,000. The defendants also used this scheme in an effort to fraudulently obtain three Mercedes-Benz cars and a Rolls Royce.

Dxrams was also convicted of bankruptcy fraud and making a false oath before the bankruptcy court. In December 2017, Dxrams filed a bankruptcy petition under penalty of perjury. He falsely concealed his ownership of a car rental business and the gross receipts he earned through this car rental business, his sale of the Bentley, his receipt of money from a personal injury lawsuit, his ownership of firearms, and his marital status, among other things. In January 2018, Dxrams appeared before the bankruptcy trustee and, after being placed under oath, made false statements concerning his bankruptcy petition and his sale of the Bentley.

Reynolds previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and mail fraud affecting financial institutions, and is awaiting sentencing. Another defendant, Arthur M. Martin III, has also pleaded guilty for his role in a scheme to fraudulently discharge a mortgage on his home, and is awaiting sentencing.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark; the N.J. Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, under the direction of Director Jared Maples; the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General Eastern Regional Office, under the direction of Assistant Special Agent in Charge Debbi Mayer; and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christina Scaringi with the investigation leading to the convictions.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Moscato, Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s National Security Unit, and Lakshmi Srinivasan Herman, of the National Security Unit, in Newark.

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Cybercrime: Djevair Ametovski Sentenced For Access Device Fraud And Aggravated Identity Theft

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Operator of Global Cybercrime Marketplace Sentenced to 90 Months’ Imprisonment

Defendant’s “Codeshop” Website Sold Troves of Stolen Credit Card Data and Bank Account Logins on the Black Market

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Djevair Ametovski, a Macedonian citizen, was sentenced by United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano to 90 months’ imprisonment after previously pleading guilty to access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. Those crimes related to Ametovski’s operation of “Codeshop,” a website he created for the sole purpose of selling stolen credit and debit card data, bank account credentials and personal identification information. Judge Vitaliano also ordered the defendant to forfeit $250,000 and to pay restitution in an amount to be determined by the Court at a later date. Ametovski was arrested in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in January 2014, and was extradited to the United States in May 2016.

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and David E. Beach, Special Agent-in-Charge, United States Secret Service, New York Field Office (USSS), announced the sentence.

“Ametovski and his co-conspirators were merchants of crime, stealing victims’ information and selling that information to other criminals,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “This Office and our law enforcement partners will tirelessly pursue cybercriminals who seek to profit at others’ expense.” Mr. Donoghue thanked the Slovenian Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Justice, the United States Marshals Service, the U.S. Department of State Regional Security Officers in Slovenia and the Netherlands, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, for their assistance with the investigation and prosecution of the defendant.

“The sentencing of this transnational cybercriminal emphasizes the commitment of the Secret Service to disrupt and dismantle global criminal networks,” stated USSS Special Agent-in-Charge Beach. “The Secret Service will continue to work closely with our network of law enforcement partners to dismantle criminal enterprises seeking to victimize innocent people, regardless of geographic distance or borders.”

Ametovski and his co-conspirators operated Codeshop between August 2010 and January 2014, victimizing hundreds of thousands of individuals around the world by hacking into the computer databases of financial institutions and other businesses and through “phishing” scams designed to induce accountholders to unwittingly surrender private identification information. They packaged this stolen data for sale and posted it on the Codeshop website, a fully indexed and searchable website that allowed users to search by bank identification number, financial institution, country, state and card brand to find the data they wanted. The stolen data could then be used to make online purchases and to encode plastic cards to withdraw cash at ATMs. Ametovski used a network of online money exchangers and anonymous digital currencies, including Bitcoin, to reap revenues from the Codeshop website and to conceal all participants’ identities, including his own. Over the course of the scheme, Ametovski obtained and sold stolen credit and debit card data for more than 1.3 million cards.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security & Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Saritha Komatireddy and David K. Kessler are in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendant:

DJEVAIR AMETOVSKI (also known as “xhevo,” “codeshop,” “sindrom” and “sindromx”)
Age: 32

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-409 (ENV)

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Financial Fraud: Marian Annette Cluff And Alsie Cluff Jr. Pleaded Guilty To Mail Fraud And Conspiracy To Commit Tax Evasion

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Charter School Victims to Receive More Than a Half-Million in Restitution

Announcement comes on the heels of National Crime Victims Rights Week

HOUSTON – More than 4,000 parents who had entrusted their children to administrators at the Varnett Charter School are set to receive payments totaling more than $600,000, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick along with Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI, Special Agent in Charge Neil Sanchez from the Department of Education – Office of Inspector General (ED-OIG) and Acting Special Agent in Charge Sarah Kull of IRS – Criminal Investigation (CI).

Marian Annette Cluff, 70, was the founding superintendent of The Varnett Public School, a charter school with three locations in Houston, while her husband – Alsie Cluff Jr., 69, was the facilities and operations manager. They pleaded guilty Aug. 25, 2017, to mail fraud and conspiracy to commit tax evasion charges for embezzling millions of dollars from the school.

In June 2018, U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon sentenced Marian Cluff to 120 months imprisonment and to pay a $295,596 fine, while her husband was ordered to serve a 36-month term of imprisonment and pay a $88,678 fine. More importantly, however, was that both were also ordered to pay a total of $4,443,755.69 in restitution.

In less than a year following the sentencing hearing, the Financial Litigation Unit (FLU) of the U.S. Attorney’s Office – with the substantial assistance of the U.S. Marshal Service (USMS) – collected the total restitution ordered in the case.

In an amended order issued in March 2019, U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen ordered that $604,889.76 of that amount be distributed to the identified victim parents of the school. The U.S. District Clerk’s Office has indicated that restitution payments to the parents will be handled on an expedited basis.

At the time of the sentencing, the court heard that the couple embezzled millions of dollars in funds that were intended for the operation and function of the charter school and its programs. These included “money orders” parents had submitted to pay for school field trips and student fundraisers, such as chocolate sales, book fairs, school carnivals and other school-related activities.

The Cluffs used their positions of trust and authority and diverted and concealed money received from vendors of the school, insurance companies and federal agencies into the off-book accounts for the purpose of diverting money intended for the charter school for their own personal use and benefit. The Cluffs concealed the accounts from the charter school office manager, the school’s external accountant and their income tax preparer.

Testimony at sentencing also revealed the Cluffs conspired to commit tax evasion of approximately $1,827,477.55 in tax, interest and penalties owed to the IRS. The Cluffs did not pay income taxes on the money they received as a result of the scheme.

The Cluffs were ordered to surrender to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons in August 2018 and are currently serving their sentences.

Today’s announcement comes as National Crime Victim Rights Week (NCVRW) draws to a close. Every April, the Office for Victims of Crime leads communities throughout the country in their annual observances of NCVRW. This year’s theme – Honoring Our Past. Creating Hope for the Future – celebrated the progress made by those before us as we look to a future of crime victim services that is even more inclusive, accessible and trauma-informed.

The Department of Justice’s Mega Victim Case Assistance Program (MCAP) has also conducted research in this case to identify the current addresses for parents of former students. If your child attended the Varnett Public School between 2007–2014 and you have not received any correspondence from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, please contact the Victim Witness Unit at 713-567-9445.

The FBI, IRS-CI and Ed-OIG conducted the investigation. ED-OIG, USMS, FLU, U.S. District Clerk’s Office and MCAP worked collectively to assist in the restitution matter.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Quincy L. Ollison prosecuted the criminal case.

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Financial Fraud: James Campbell And Hammed Akinola Sentenced Of Conspiracy To Commit Wire Fraud

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Two Sentenced for Victimizing Many Across the Nation

HOUSTON – A 53-year-old Houston man has just been ordered to prison following his conviction of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. James Campbell and co-defendant Hammed Akinola, a Nigerian citizen, entered guilty pleas Oct. 9, 2019.

Today, U.S. District Judge David Hittner sentenced, Campbell, 53, to 90 months in prison. At a hearing April 12, 2019, Judge Hittner upwardly departed from the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and ordered Akinola to serve 180 months in federal prison.

In handing down the sentences, Judge Hittner noted the defendants ruined the lives of many across the nation in taking or attempting to take large sums of money from approximately 45 victims. Several of such victims included individuals sending money to their title company to close on a home in which, unbeknownst to them, money was fraudulently being transferred to a bank in Houston the defendants controlled. Not only did the victims lose their money, the banks took a large hit as well.

From on or about January 2016 through November 2017, Campbell and Akinola were involved in an international wire fraud conspiracy that consisted primarily of Business Email Compromise (BEC) fraud which targeted businesses and individuals that regularly perform wire transfer payments. They compromised legitimate business e-mail accounts through social engineering or computer intrusion techniques to conduct unauthorized transfers of funds by international co-conspirators.

The international co-conspirators hacked into the victims accounts and sent what appeared to the victims to be legitimate emails from banks or title companies. The victims, tricked into thinking such emails were from the bank or title companies, would then transfer the money to the accounts the defendants controlled, not knowing they were fraudulent emails.

Akinola was working with overseas conspirators who were orchestrating the BEC victimization. Those conspirators needed domestic bank accounts where they could send the funds stolen from the BEC fraud. Akinola and Campbell agreed to work together to open bank accounts and to recruit individuals in and around the Houston area to open bank accounts in order to receive the BEC wires.

Campbell and Akinola then recruited 20 other individuals who did open bank accounts to receive fraudulent funds. The proceeds of the fraud scheme were disbursed between the account holders, Campbell, Akinola and international accomplices.

In total, the Campbell and Akinola’s activity participating in the scheme and laundering its proceeds resulted in victims’ of BEC fraud transferring or attempting to transfer $10.3 million into to accounts they controlled.

Both have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Suzanne Elmilady and Melissa Annis are prosecuting the case.

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Health Care Fraud: Group Of Individuals guilty For Implicated In The Forest Park Medical Center Bribery Scheme

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Seven Guilty in Forest Park Healthcare Fraud Trial

Following four days of deliberations, a federal jury returned guilty verdicts for seven individuals implicated in the Forest Park Medical Center bribery scheme Tuesday evening, announced U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox.

Wilton McPherson “Mac” Burt, Jackson Jacob, Douglas Sung Won, Michael Bassem Rimlawi, Shawn Mark Henry, Mrugeshkumar Shah, and Iris Kathleen Forrest were all convicted of conspiracy to pay or receive healthcare bribes.

“The verdict in the Forest Park case is a reminder to healthcare practitioners across the District that patients – not payments – should guide decisions about how and where doctors administer treatment,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “We are grateful to the Forest Park jury, 12 men and women who listened attentively through seven long weeks of trial. It’s obvious from the verdict that they deliberated each charge carefully, and we appreciate their service.”

Ten other defendants had already pleaded guilty in the $200 million scheme, designed to induce doctors to steer lucrative patients – particularly those with high-reimbursing, out-of-network private insurance – to the now defunct hospital.

Most of the kickbacks, which totaled more than $40 million, were disguised as consulting fees or “marketing money” doled as a percentage of surgeries each doctor referred to Forest Park.

Instead of billing patients for out-of-network co-payments, instituted by insurers to de-incentivize the high costs associated with out-of-network treatment, Forest Park allegedly assured patients they would pay in-network prices. Because they knew insurers wouldn’t tolerate such practices, they concealed the patient discounts and wrote off the difference as uncollected “bad debt.”

Hospital manager Alan Beauchamp, who testified for the government, admitted that Forest Park “bought surgeries,” and then “papered it up to make it look good.”

The verdict was as follows:

Mr. Burt, Forest Park’s managing partner, was found guilty on 10 of 12 counts, including one count of conspiracy, two counts of paying kickbacks, six counts of commercial bribery in violation of the Travel Act, and one count of money laundering. He faces up to 65 years in federal prison.

Mr. Jacob, owner of the shell companies through which some of the bribes were routed, was found guilty on four of 14 counts, including conspiracy and three counts of paying kickbacks. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

Dr. Won, a spinal surgeon, was found guilty on one of two counts, conspiracy. He faces up to 5 years in federal prison.

Dr. Rimlawi, a spinal surgeon who partnered with Won, was found guilty on three of four counts, including conspiracy and two counts of receiving kickbacks. He faces up to 15 years in federal prison.

Dr. Henry, a spinal surgeon who invested in FMPC, was found guilty on three of three counts, including conspiracy, commercial bribery, and money laundering. He faces up to 30 years in federal prison.

Dr. Shah, a pain management doctor, was found guilty on four of four counts, including conspiracy, two counts of paying kickbacks, and one count of commercial bribery. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

Ms. Forrest, a nurse who recruited and preauthorized worker’s comp requests, was convicted on two of two counts, including conspiracy and paying kickbacks. She faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

Dr. William Daniel “Nick” Nicholson, a bariatric surgeon who invested in FPMC, was found not guilty on all three counts against him.

The jury could not come to a verdict as to Ms. Carli Adele Hempel, and the judge declared a mistrial for her.

Defendants who pleaded guilty before the case went to trial include: Alan Andrew Beauchamp, Richard Ferdinand Toussaint, Jr., Wade Neal Barker, Kelly Wade Loter, David Daesung Kim, Israel Ortiz, Andrea Kay Smith, Frank Gonzales, Jr., Andrew Jonathan Hillman, and Semyon Narosov.

Sentencing dates for convicted defendants have not yet been set.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Defense – Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Wirmani, Kate Pfeifle, Marcus Busch, Mark Tindall and Gail Hayworth are prosecuting the case.

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Financial Fraud: Antonio Buzaneli Sentenced Sentenced In Investment Fraud Scheme Involving Brazilian Factoring

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Florida Executive Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison For Orchestrating $150 Million International Ponzi Scheme

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of ANTONIO CARLOS DE GODOY BUZANELI, 57, to 240 months in prison for his role in a $150 million investment fraud scheme involving Brazilian factoring. BUZANELI, who entered his guilty plea on April 19, 2018, was sentenced today before Senior Judge Michael J. Davis in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota. BUZANELI’S co-conspirators, JOSE MANUEL ORDOÑEZ, JR., 48, was sentenced on January 23, 2019, to 120 months in prison and JULIO ENRIQUE RIVERA, 62, will be sentenced on April 16, 2019.

U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald said, “Antonio Buzaneli was the primary architect of a $150 million Ponzi scheme that targeted hundreds of victims worldwide, many of whom were elderly and vulnerable. Some victims lost their retirement savings, others lost the ability to provide a college education to their children or grandchildren. For these egregious crimes, Mr. Buzaneli will spend the next 20 years behind bars. I applaud our law enforcement partners for their steadfast efforts in seeking justice for the victims.”

“No matter how complex the scheme, the FBI is committed to stopping fraudsters like these from preying on people, especially elderly investors who may have lost their life savings in this case,” said Jill Sanborn, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis Division. “We are grateful for our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Minnesota Commerce Fraud Bureau for thoroughly investigating this global scheme and bringing these criminals to justice; and we believe this matter further illuminates the need for citizens to be wary of those peddling these kinds of fraudulent business investments.”

“Our securities enforcement unit and the Commerce Fraud Bureau began investigating this scheme after receiving a tip about a suspicious investment opportunity being offered in Minnesota,” said Steve Kelley, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce. “We are proud that the Commerce Fraud Bureau collaborated successfully with federal authorities, bringing to justice a far-reaching operation that deceived Minnesotans.”

According to his guilty plea, BUZANELI, along with his co-conspirators, ORDOÑEZ and RIVERA, were the principals of Providence Holdings International, Inc., a company based in Key Biscayne, Florida. BUZANELI and ORDOÑEZ became principals of Providence Financial Investments, Inc. and Providence Fixed Income Fund LLC (collectively, along with Providence Holdings International, Inc., “Providence”) in order to raise money from investors.

According to BUZANELI’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, from about 2010 until June 2016, Providence raised approximately $150 million from investors worldwide by representing that Providence would invest the money in Brazilian factoring. “Factoring” is a financial transaction in which accounts receivable are purchased at a discount. Providence’s marketing materials explained that in Brazil consumers write ten separate post-dated checks for $100 – one per month – to pay for $1,000 in retail items such as consumer electronics or groceries. The retailer then sells the post-dated checks to Providence for approximately $820, and Providence earns $180 over ten months as the checks mature. As a result, Providence claimed to make a 48 percent annual return on money invested in Brazil.

According to BUZANELI’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, Providence raised more than $64 million from U.S. investors by employing a network of brokers who sold promissory notes bearing annual interest rates between 12 percent and 24 percent. Investors were told their money would be used to factor accounts receivable in Brazil. BUZANELI, ORDOÑEZ and RIVERA provided the brokers with an Executive Memorandum to show investors that their money would be used to factor accounts receivable in Brazil. The Executive Memorandum falsely stated that funds would be used “for the sole purpose” of making loans to a Brazilian subsidiary of Providence “which will use the proceeds of the loan to acquire receivables or financial instruments such a post-dated checks and/or Duplicatas in the Brazilian Factoring Market.”

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, BUZANELI and ORDOÑEZ instead used a significant amount of the investors’ funds to make Ponzi-style payments to other investors and to make commission payments to Providence’s nationwide network of brokers. BUZANELI and ORDOÑEZ also diverted investor funds to other companies they controlled, including an import/export company, a travel company, a realty company, a credit rehabilitation company, and a catering company and food truck operated by BUZANELI’S wife.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, BUZANELI and ORDOÑEZ also opened Providence offices and affiliates in locations around the world, including London, Taipei, Shanghai, Singapore, Vancouver, and Panama. For example, in 2011 and 2012, BUZANELI and ORDOÑEZ opened Providence affiliates in the Bailiwick of Guernsey and in Hong Kong, through which they raised approximately $85 million from offshore investors based on the same lies they told investors in the United States – that their money would be used to invest in Brazilian factoring. Instead, much of the investors’ money was transferred to other Providence-controlled entities around the world as well as to bank accounts controlled by BUZANELI and ORDOÑEZ, where the money was used for payments unrelated to Brazilian factoring, including to pay commissions to U.S. brokers and to make interest payments to American investors in Providence’s U.S.-based entities. As a result of the fraud scheme, Providence investors worldwide – including more than 500 victims in the United States alone – lost a total of more than $100 million.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Minnesota Commerce Fraud Bureau. United States Attorney MacDonald would also like to thank the Securities and Exchange Commission for their assistance on this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly A. Svendsen and Joseph H. Thompson prosecuted this case.

Defendant Information:

ANTONIO CARLOS DE GODOY BUZANELI, 57

Coral Gables, Fla.

Convicted:

Conspiracy to commit mail fraud, 1 count
Sentenced:

240 months in prison
$51,353,861.45 in restitution
Three years of supervised release

Fraud News From World

Health Care Fraud: Mohamad Ali And Wansa Nabi Makki Charging With Multiple Health Care Fraud Offenses

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Pharmacy Owner and Pharmacist Charged in a Scheme to Bill Insurance for Medications Not Dispensed

An indictment was unsealed today charging Mohamad Ali Makki, R.Ph. and Wansa Nabi Makki with multiple health care fraud offenses, U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider announced today. At the same time, related criminal complaints were unsealed charging Mamoud Makki and Hossam Tanana (husband of Wansa Makki) of laundering some of the proceeds of the health care fraud scheme.

Schneider was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBI’s Detroit Division and Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Chicago Regional Office.

Charged in the indictment and criminal complaints are:

Wansa Nabih Makki, 41, of Dearborn

Mohamad Ali Makki, R.Ph., 43, of Dearborn Heights

Mahmoud Makki., 36, of Dearborn

Hossam Tanana, 53 of Dearborn

According to the indictment, between January 2010 and January 2018, Wansa Makki owned and oversaw the operations of two local pharmacies, LifeCare Pharmacy in Livonia and LifeCare of Michigan in Farmington Hills. Mohamad Makki was the pharmacist-in-charge at both pharmacies. Both pharmacies were “closed door” pharmacies, meaning that they were not open to the public and only filled prescriptions for individuals associated with various care facilities. The indictment alleges that during the course of the conspiracy, Wansa Makki and Mohamad Makki billed Medicare, Medicaid and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for approximately $9.2 million dollars for medications that were never dispensed. The fraud scheme was detected by Medicare, in part, because of a huge deficit between each pharmacy’s recorded inventories and the claims that each submitted for insurance reimbursement. As part of the scheme to defraud, the defendants billed insurance companies for allegedly submitting claims for delivering over 500 medications to people who had died prior to the claimed date of delivery.

According to the indictment and related criminal complaints, proceeds of the fraud scheme were laundered by overpaying consulting and delivery companies operated by close relatives of Wansa and Mohamad Makki. For instance, according to the complaints, Hossam Tanana was previously convicted for diverting controlled substances such as oxycodone, hydrocodone (Vicodin) and alprazolam (Xanax) while being licensed as a pharmacist. Two days after being released from federal custody in April of 2012, Tanana incorporated a pharmacy consulting company. Between the date of incorporation and December of 2013, Tanana’s consulting company received over $400,000 from the LifeCare Pharmacy. LifeCare Pharmacy also paid over one million dollars to a delivery service opened by Wansa Makki’s brother, Mahmoud Makki, in a 14-month period beginning in December of 2013.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted of a health care fraud charge, the defendants face a maximum sentence of imprisonment of ten years, and a maximum fine of $250,000. In addition to any sentence imposed for health care fraud, the defendants face a mandatory and consecutive two-year sentence if convicted of aggravated identity theft.

The case was investigated by Special Agents of the HHS and FBI, with cooperation and assistance from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Engstrom, Philip Ross and Shankar Ramamurthy.