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Published on: February 18, 2025

Two Arrested for Mail Theft and Check Fraud

Two people from Spokane were arrested last week after the police alleged that they were involved in a mail and check fraud scheme affecting at least 50 alleged victims.

On January 31 in Post Falls, Idaho, a traveler saw a truck stopped in the middle of a traffic lane. The individual believed the driver and passenger were sleeping, and they decided to approach the vehicle. They woke the man and woman and suggested that they park on the side of the road while they slept, but the driver reportedly drove away instead. The person notified the authorities about the situation, and an officer from the Post Falls Police Department quickly found the truck nearby.

After pulling over the truck, a K9 at the scene signaled that they detected narcotics in the vehicle. According to reports, the police found meth paraphernalia, in addition to many pieces of mail addressed to different residences. They also allegedly came across checks they believed were forged by the driver and passenger.

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Published on: January 25, 2022

Woman Embezzled $10k from Youth Baseball Team

by Staycie R. Sena

A woman in Alabama allegedly stole almost $10,000 from a youth baseball team’s funds by using a team debit card and checks with the forged name of a board member.

The Slocomb Dixie Youth Baseball League is a nonprofit organization involved in providing baseball and softball for the youths in their community.

On January 6, the local authorities opened an investigation into the possibility of the team’s money, which is obtained through sponsorship and donations, being used in an improper and illegal manner.

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Published on: November 3, 2021

Wife Scammed Husband out of $600k by Telling Him he has Alzheimer’s

by Staycie R. Sena

A woman in Connecticut allegedly defrauded her husband out of more than half a million dollars by reportedly convincing him he had Alzheimer’s so he wouldn’t try to work with the finances.

63-year-old Donna Marino has been married to her husband since 2009.

In March 2020, Marino’s husband got in touch with the East Haven police to report that he believed his wife used $600,000 beginning in 1999.

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Published on: October 11, 2017

Auto Broker Cheats Car Buyers and Sellers out of Millions

by Staycie R. Sena

Scott Radtke, owner of California Motoring Company in Clovis, CA works as a broker by matching interested buyers with sellers of automobiles. Court documents allege Radtke conned at least $2.8 million from 17 car dealerships, 11 financial institutions and 48 customers through fraudulent car sales transactions.

Beginning in September 2016 the Department of Motor Vehicles started receiving several complaints from Radtke’s customers who had purchased cars and never received titles or registration, and car dealerships that never received money for sales. DMV issued a statement that they have a zero tolerance policy for business conducted in this manner and they opened an investigation.

Radtke is suspected of employing several methods of stealing money from clients, many of whom were reported as elderly. Some of the accusations include scamming customers who had purchased vehicles for which he accepted payment. He then forged their names on fraudulent loan applications or payment plans from lenders for thousands of dollars over the amount of the initial transactions, which would force them by contract to foot the bill for their purchased vehicle a second time. Another alleged ploy took the form of accepting and selling trade-in vehicles without giving customers the money he had acquired from the sales.

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Published on: October 10, 2017

Man Faces over 200 Charges for Swindling Seniors with Sweepstakes Scam

by Staycie R. Sena

Louisville resident Kingsley I. Ekpendu has been accused of targeting elderly people using a hoax consisting of telling them they had won cash prizes in a sweepstakes. He allegedly extorted money from the assumed winners after sending them counterfeit checks to deposit into their bank accounts. He then asked that they overnight money to a specified address. It is suspected that he was able to con hundreds of thousands of dollars from people in this manner.

Police stated that between September 2 and October 4 Ekpendu allegedly mailed letters to three or more addresses announcing they were winners of the Publishers Clearing House Super Cash Giveaway. The letters held fraudulent checks for amounts between $6,000 and $8,000, and instructions to deposit the check and overnight mail an amount ranging from $5,200 to $7,000 in order to claim their winnings.

Law enforcement received information from a local shipping company who became suspicious of the number and size of the packages being delivered to an address that appeared to be a vacant dwelling. Ekpendu received the first two of the three packages, and police intervened before he was able to get the third.

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