fraud

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George Santos Is Not Going Gently Into the Prison Night

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

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

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

Court awards damages in long-running Autonomy fraud dispute

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

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

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

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

Music Streaming Service Makes Big Move Against AI

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

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

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

Fake Flight Attendant Boarded Dozens of Planes

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

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

Amid Threat of Tariffs, a New Wave of Customs Fraud

Fraudulent schemes offer US importers ways to sidestep steep duties

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

Judge Rejects Claim Over Origin of Flamin' Hot Cheetos

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

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

X Funds for Content Creators Went to a Click Farm

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

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

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

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

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

Ex-Sheriff Gets a Presidential Pardon for Bribery Sentence

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

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

Fraudulent Diagnoses Financed Doctor's Posh Lifestyle

Jorge Zamora-Quezada collected millions from insurers while mistreating patients

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

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...

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