fraud

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

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

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

Ex-Sheriff Gets a Presidential Pardon for Bribery Sentence

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

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

Fraudulent Diagnoses Financed Doctor's Posh Lifestyle

Jorge Zamora-Quezada collected millions from insurers while mistreating patients

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

Prosecutors: 'Injured' Cop Who Couldn't Work Went to Disney

California prosecutors allege Nicole Brown also went to a music fest, ran 5Ks

(Newser) - In the spring of 2023, a California police officer who claimed she suffered debilitating injuries on the job appeared in a Zoom call to discuss her employment. The room she was in was darkened and she neither spoke nor looked at the camera, say prosecutors, who said her lawyer joined...

FBI Shuts Unit That Investigates Congressional Corruption

GOP senator had said the squad was misused against Trump

(Newser) - The FBI squad that investigates allegations of fraud and corruption against members of Congress and other federal employees is being shut down. The unit worked on the leadup to special counsel Jack Smith's election fraud investigation of Donald Trump and his allies, NBC News reports. The move is another...

UnitedHealth Under Criminal Investigation: Report

DOJ investigating possible Medicare fraud, per WSJ

(Newser) - UnitedHealth Group is facing another government investigation, this one reportedly centered on possible criminal Medicare fraud. Since at least last summer, the Justice Department has been investigating the health insurance company for fraud related to its Medicare Advantage business, reports the Wall Street Journal . Medicare Advantage insurers receive extra payment...

Crypto Boss 'Made Millions While Customers Lost Billions'

Celsius Network founder Alexander Mashinsky gets 12 years on fraud charges

(Newser) - Celsius Network founder Alexander Mashinsky was sentenced Thursday to 12 years in prison for defrauding customers out of millions of dollars in a crypto lending scheme that collapsed in 2022 . US District Judge John G. Koeltl described the crimes as "extremely serious," noting that Mashinsky, 59, personally...

Bachelor Star on 'Paternity Scheme': 'Nightmare Is Over'

Clayton Echard cheers felony charges against woman who sought child support

(Newser) - Clayton Echard, star of Season 26 of The Bachelor, says he never had sex with a woman who claimed she was pregnant with his children. But Arizona resident Laura Michelle Owens had more than just claims made under oath. The 34-year-old allegedly offered an ultrasound image and video she said...

The Shrimp on Your Plate May Not Be What You Think

Genetic tests reveal widespread shrimp fraud that hurts Gulf Coast shrimpers

(Newser) - It would be reasonable to expect Gulf Coast shrimp on your plate when dining by the water in the South, but many restaurants are serving imports sourced from thousands of miles away—without lowering their prices. As Brett Anderson writes for the New York Times , a newly developed genetic...

Disney Worker Who Messed With Menus Gets 3 Years

After he was fired, Michael Scheuer made some potentially deadly changes

(Newser) - A former Disney employee who made some potentially deadly changes to menus has been sentenced to three years in federal prison. Prosecutors said that after he was fired for misconduct last year, former menu production manager Michael Scheuer hacked into menu-creating software and made changes including "manipulating allergen information...

Prosecutors: Long Island Beekeeper Hid Role in Genocide

Feds say Faustin Nsabumukunzi, 65, obscured his role in Rwanda while applying for US citizenship

(Newser) - In 2003, Faustin Nsabumukunzi applied for refugee status in the US, settling in the Hamptons on Long Island and resuming the beekeeping he'd done in his native Rwanda. He eventually received a green card and applied for US citizenship. But federal prosecutors now say Nsabumukunzi harbored a "dark...

Nonprofit CFO Accused of 'Simply Astonishing' Fraud
Ex-Nonprofit CFO Sentenced
for Stealing $44.3M
UPDATED
Apr 25, 2025 7:00 AM CDT

Ex-Nonprofit CFO Sentenced for Stealing $44.3M

William Smith gets 19 years in prison for embezzling from Detroit Riverfront Conservancy

(Newser) - The ex-CFO for a Detroit nonprofit has learned his fate for stealing $44.3 million from his group's coffers. On Thursday, William Smith, 52, formerly of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, was sentenced to 19 years behind bars, with Smith acknowledging his fraudulent misdeeds. "I allowed selfishness, pride, and...

JPMorgan Chase Files More 'Infinite Money Glitch' Suits

Bank is now chasing those who stole under $75,000 in check scam

(Newser) - JPMorgan Chase is going after more people who stole funds in what was referred to in TikTok videos as an "infinite money glitch" when "easily traced check fraud" would have been a more accurate term. The bank, which filed four lawsuits last fall against four people and businesses...

Fugitive Jeweler Sought in Massive Fraud Is Arrested

India's Mehul Choksi is detained in Belgium 7 years after huge scandal

(Newser) - A fugitive jeweler from India has been arrested in Belgium, bringing renewed attention to a scandal that rocked the nation's financial sector seven years ago and led to an international manhunt. Mehul Choksi, 65, is accused of taking part in a a $1.8 billion fraud involving the...

Startup Founder Guilty of Defrauding JPMorgan Chase

Charlie Javice could see lengthy jail time for bilking bank out of $175M in sale of financial aid firm

(Newser) - Charlie Javice, the charismatic founder of a startup company that claimed to be revolutionizing the way college students apply for financial aid, was convicted on Friday of defrauding one of the largest US banks, JPMorgan Chase, out of $175 million by exaggerating her customer base by 10 times. A jury...

Nonprofit Founder Convicted in $250M COVID Relief Fraud

Aimee Bock stole money intended to feed poor children

(Newser) - A jury found a woman prosecutors say was the ringleader of the nation's largest COVID-19 relief fraud case guilty on all counts Wednesday. Federal officials say Aimee Bock's scheme stole $250 million from a program meant to feed children in need. Salim Ahmed Said, a co-defendant, also was...

Director Faces 90 Years for Allegedly Defrauding Netflix

Carl Erik Rinsch pocketed $11M meant to fund his TV series, prosecutors say

(Newser) - A director expected to make a TV series for Netflix could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted of defrauding the streamer. Carl Erik Rinsch, director of 47 Ronin starring Keanu Reeves, had pitched a science-fiction series about artificial humans called White House, later renamed Conquest. A...

Woman Charged With Murder in Death of Super Bowl Reporter

Danette Colbert already faced property crime charges

(Newser) - The woman arrested in connection with the death of a TV reporter who was found in his New Orleans hotel room while he was in the city to cover the Super Bowl has now been charged with second-degree murder. Danette Colbert, 48, had previously been charged with robbing victim Adan...

Most-Wanted Fugitive Posed as Dead Classmate: Feds

Stephen Craig Campbell collected $100K, bought property before 4-decade ruse unraveled

(Newser) - A man who disappeared in 1983 while awaiting trial on attempted murder charges in Wyoming allegedly spent the next four decades living under the identity of a dead classmate before his arrest last month. Stephen Craig Campbell, 76, who found himself on the US Marshals' most-wanted list, was arrested Feb....

DOJ Investigating Fraud at UnitedHealth

WSJ suggests company used questionable diagnoses to boost Medicare payments

(Newser) - The Justice Department is investigating Medicare billing practices at UnitedHealth Group, the $400 billion company that owns the largest US health insurer, whose CEO was gunned down in early December. According to the Wall Street Journal , a civil fraud investigation is examining whether the company recorded questionable diagnoses to trigger...

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