All posts tagged: fraud

JD Vance goes all in on immigrant fraud hoax

JD Vance goes all in on immigrant fraud hoax

These days, it’s hard to tell if Donald Trump is mocking JD Vance again, or if the president is just sleepy.  “He looks like Eliot Ness,” the president declared of his veep in a televised Cabinet meeting in May while high-level administration officials pretended to laugh. “You ever see Eliot Ness,” Trump continued, saying Vance’s posture “looks like a movie.” It appears the nearly 80-year-old president confused the infamous Prohibition agent with Kevin Costner’s portrayal of Ness in the 1987 film “The Untouchables.” Trump, who is reportedly growing ever more impatient with the vice president, was probably taunting Vance with such an implausible comparison. Still, the reference to 1930s-era Chicago law enforcement was apt, because it was an era of police lawlessness, where unconstitutional practices like the third-degree were justified as necessary to stopping organized crime. Vance, along with White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, are similarly embracing the view that law, morality and ethics should not get in the way of their radical political agenda. But unlike Ness, who did have real …

Florida pastor and son’s  million Covid fraud case comes to bizarre end

Florida pastor and son’s $8 million Covid fraud case comes to bizarre end

It was one of the strangest Covid fraud cases brought by the Justice Department, with the kind of wild details that seemed ripped from a Hollywood script. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. There was an $8.4 million pandemic relief loan based on records purportedly signed by a dementia-stricken accountant. Bags of shredded documents were discovered in a Mercedes SUV. Cellphones were found inside pouches specially designed to block radio frequencies to keep them from being tracked. And there were allegations of faked mental health problems that recalled the notorious case of mobster Vincent “The Chin” Gigante. At the center of it all was a supposed man of God — a Florida-based pastor with an unusual past, who is alleged to have run a sham ministry. The pastor, Evan Edwards, and his son, Josh, were arrested in late 2022 on charges of fraudulently obtaining millions in Covid relief aid and trying to use some of the money to buy a luxury home near Walt Disney World. …

U.S. jury finds investor Andrew Left guilty of securities fraud

U.S. jury finds investor Andrew Left guilty of securities fraud

Andrew Left, founder of Citron Research, arrives at federal court in Los Angeles, California, US, on Monday, July 7, 2025. Activist short seller Andrew Left is set to appear in federal court Monday in a securities fraud case that shook the industry a year ago, setting up a battle over investor tips and free speech. Eric Thayer | Bloomberg | Getty Images A U.S. jury found prominent investor Andrew Left guilty of securities fraud on Monday, the Justice Department said, in a blow to a divisive cohort of short sellers who have for years ‌goaded public companies in the U.S. and overseas with allegations of fraud and mismanagement. U.S. authorities charged Left in July 2024, alleging he had manipulated the stock market and defrauded investors with misleading claims about his positions in multiple companies’ shares, including Nvidia and Tesla, making at least $20 million in the process. Left, who runs Citron Research, denied the allegations and had pleaded not guilty. After two days of deliberations, however, the jury found him guilty of engaging in a …

US Jury Finds Investor Andrew Left Guilty of Securities Fraud

US Jury Finds Investor Andrew Left Guilty of Securities Fraud

June 1 (Reuters) – A U.S. jury found prominent investor Andrew Left ⁠guilty ⁠of securities fraud on Monday, the Justice ⁠Department said, in a blow to a divisive cohort of short sellers who have for years goaded ​public companies in the U.S. and overseas with allegations of fraud and mismanagement. U.S. authorities charged Left in July 2024, alleging he had manipulated the stock ‌market and defrauded investors with misleading claims ‌about his positions in multiple companies’ shares, including Nvidia and Tesla, making at least $20 million in the process. Left, who runs Citron Research, denied the ⁠allegations and had ⁠pleaded not guilty. After two days of deliberations, however, the jury found him guilty of engaging ​in a securities fraud scheme and 12 of 16 other counts related to specific trades. It acquitted him of four other counts, a Justice Department spokesperson said, adding Left will be sentenced on August 31.  An attorney for Left did not immediately answer a call seeking comment or a subsequent text message asking ​if Left would seek to appeal. “Not …

Burbank laboratory owner jailed after Medicare fraud funded gambling habit

Burbank laboratory owner jailed after Medicare fraud funded gambling habit

A Burbank blood-testing laboratory owner who used Medicare reimbursement money to support a gambling habit, pay personal expenses and evade millions in taxes has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison. Armen Muradyan, 60, from California, was ordered to serve 51 months behind bars by U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt. The court also directed him to pay $15.16 million in restitution. A Burbank man, Armen Muradyan, 60 was sentenced today to 51 months in federal prison for evading the payment of more than $11.2 million in federal taxes by using a shill to illegally collect Medicare reimbursement payments made to his blood-testing company, and to fraudulently… pic.twitter.com/Vc5EqUpCox — FBI Los Angeles (@FBILosAngeles) May 28, 2026 Muradyan pleaded guilty in August 2025 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion. Federal prosecutors said his conduct involved a long-running effort to conceal his role in a laboratory business, obtain Medicare payments and hide income from tax authorities. Court hears how Burbank laboratory owner devised scheme to fund gambling habit …

Facebook and Instagram owner faces multi-billion legal case over scams | UK | News

Facebook and Instagram owner faces multi-billion legal case over scams | UK | News

Facebook owner Meta is facing a group legal action over fraud on its platforms (Image: AFP via Getty) Facebook and Instagram owner Meta is to face a multi-billion pound group legal action after being accused of enabling scam advertisements that have devastated the financial lives of tens of thousands of Britons. Every year, tens of thousands of people are scammed out of their savings after responding to fraudulent online advertisements promoting fake investment schemes, cryptocurrency fraud and bogus financial products. Yet social media platforms are estimated to have made more than £430million from UK users alone last year through hosting such fake adverts. Victims are targeted by algorithms which track online activity. As a result, someone searching for pension advice or looking to invest may be shown relevant adverts – some of which may be fake. The legal claim is being launched by two law firms, Humphries Kerstetter and Richardson Hartley Law, to recoup the billions of pounds that are lost each year in online scams through Facebook and Instagram. Martin Richardson, Senior Partner at …

Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ fraud lawsuit gets first hearing in China — 10 owners seek 3K

Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ fraud lawsuit gets first hearing in China — 10 owners seek $583K

A Beijing court held its first hearing in a consumer fraud lawsuit against Tesla over its “Full Self-Driving” software, with 10 owners seeking more than 3.95 million yuan ($583,000) in damages. The case, which we first covered when it was filed last September, has grown from 7 to 10 plaintiffs and marks China’s first collective legal challenge targeting Tesla’s FSD promises. What the owners claim According to a report from The Beijing News, the plaintiffs each paid 56,000 yuan (~$7,800) for Tesla’s FSD package between 2019 and 2021. They allege that Tesla sales staff and CEO Elon Musk assured them “full self-driving” capability was imminent and that the price would increase — motivating them to buy. The reality turned out differently. When Tesla began rolling out its driving assistance software in China last this year, it only supported vehicles equipped with HW4.0 hardware. Owners with older HW3.0 vehicles, which includes all cars produced between 2019 and 2023, were excluded. Advertisement – scroll for more content The plaintiffs argue Tesla’s FSD system has not received regulatory …

NBA Player Terry Rozier Hit With New Bribery Charges in Sports Gambling Sting

NBA Player Terry Rozier Hit With New Bribery Charges in Sports Gambling Sting

Federal prosecutors have indicted ex-Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier on additional charges in connection with a sports gambling sting, alleging he took a hefty bribe to exit a game early in March 2023. Rozier, 32, was charged Thursday in a superseding indictment in Brooklyn federal court with bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy. Superseding indictments are used when prosecutors want to change or add new charges to an existing criminal case. Rozier has denied participating in the gambling scheme, and has been fighting to have the case dismissed after pleading not guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy charges in December. His attorneys argue in part that the government’s theory of the case — that he prevented sportsbooks from making informed decisions about accepting certain bets — runs afoul of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that narrowed the federal wire fraud statute. The new indictment “just confirms that our motion to dismiss was righteous — new charges, new theories, but all just an effort to make something stick,” …

Scandal after scandal lands Spain’s Sánchez on the ropes – POLITICO

Scandal after scandal lands Spain’s Sánchez on the ropes – POLITICO

This isn’t the only scandal affecting the Sánchez government, is it? No. Last June, Sánchez was forced to apologize after it emerged that his confidant and Socialist Party No. 3, Santos Cerdán, was under investigation for involvement in a massive public contract kickback scheme. Also caught up in that scandal was José Luis Ábalos, a former senior figure in the Socialist Party and transport minister, who had already been under investigation. Deepening the party’s embarrassment, evidence also emerged that Ábalos paid prostitutes on a number of occasions. Both men have denied involvement in the kickback scheme. Spanish Prime Minister speaks during a plenary session at the Spanish Parliament on July 09, 2025 in Madrid, Spain. | Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images Ábalos has already gone on trial once, alongside his former adviser, Koldo García and businessman Víctor de Aldama, accused of taking kickbacks from the purchase of €50 million-worth of facemasks during the pandemic. They are awaiting the verdict but are expected to face trial again in the future over other probes. That all sounds pretty …

Trump-IRS case should be reopened so court can probe fraud: Ex-judges

Trump-IRS case should be reopened so court can probe fraud: Ex-judges

U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters before boarding Air Force One on May 20, 2026 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Trump is traveling to Connecticut to deliver the commencement address at the United States Coast Guard Academy. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images President Donald Trump’s recently dismissed $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service should be reopened so the judge who oversaw it can investigate “whether a fraud occurred,” 35 former federal judges argued Wednesday. Trump, his two eldest sons and the Trump Organization on May 18 abruptly dropped their case against the IRS and the Treasury Department, which was based on leaks of their tax information by an ex-IRS employee in 2019 and 2020. Federal Judge Kathleen Williams of Miami District Court accordingly ordered the case dismissed with prejudice, while noting that the move cancels an upcoming deadline related to her efforts to scrutinize the matter. She also noted in her ruling that the plaintiffs made no reference to a settlement and that the defendants did not submit any settlement documents. The …