fraud

Published on: November 1, 2025

Former PTO Treasurer Stole $44K from School Funds

A woman who formerly served as treasurer of the Parent-Teacher Organization at a Southern Florida charter school is facing charges for allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the organization’s bank account.

According to reports, the woman, who had spent nearly four years as the Parent-Teacher Organization treasurer at Imagine Charter School in Coral Springs, was relieved of her duties last year after she was suspected of taking money from the organization’s funds. It was believed that she was a likely suspect since she had direct access to the bank account where the money was kept. The situation began in the summer of 2024, when a board member reportedly noticed that a substantial amount of money appeared to be missing from the Wells Fargo account. It was initially believed that $12,000 was unaccounted for, but later, the authorities alleged that they found approximately $44,000 had been taken.

As a result of the accusations, the 55-year-old was fired from her position as treasurer. The authorities continued their investigation and reportedly discovered that 183 transactions were made using a debit card. The records allegedly showed that a large portion of the money was spent at various restaurants, retail stores, and rideshare services. The police also reported that records of multiple ATM withdrawals and Zelle money transfers were found.

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Published on: October 21, 2025

Connecticut Man Accused of Limo Service Scam

by Staycie R. Sena

A man in Connecticut was arrested on several charges after an investigation led the police to believe he had charged people seeking his limousine services and then failed to provide them with rides or refunds.

According to reports, the Eastern Rentals & Transportation limousine service company posted an advertisement on Facebook, and multiple people booked rides with the company. They were required to pay in advance and reportedly told that if they had to cancel, they would be issued a refund if they did so at least 72 hours before their scheduled ride.

Throughout the summer, the authorities received several reports from people claiming they had booked a reservation with the company, but their limo never showed up. They also reported that they were not issued refunds and had trouble getting in touch with anyone from the company when they tried. Additionally, individuals made Facebook posts warning people about the alleged scam.

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Published on: October 9, 2025

Fire Official Arrested for $47K Fraud and Secret Recordings

by Staycie R. Sena

A longtime fire department battalion chief in Florida was arrested on 29 felony counts after a lengthy investigation allegedly implicated him in financial fraud, unlawful surveillance, and stalking.

In September 2024, it was reported that suspicions were raised about the financial management of a regional urban search and rescue task force. Upon an initial investigation, the authorities believed that discrepancies had occurred because the battalion chief, who had overseen the program for about seven years, allegedly used task force credit cards for personal shopping. Investigators claim that between 2019 and 2024, more than $47,000 was spent on non-job-related items from online retailers and storage companies. When they looked further into the situation, the authorities alleged the man attempted to manipulate financial records to conceal the purchases.

As the inquiry continued, investigators also uncovered evidence that the chief had purchased hidden cameras and GPS tracking devices with the same accounts tied to the fraudulent spending. Authorities believe the devices were concealed in private areas to record individuals without their knowledge. The GPS tracker was reportedly used to monitor specific people, leading to aggravated stalking charges.

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Published on: January 14, 2025

Grandmother Arrested for Medical Abuse of Granddaughter

by Staycie R. Sena

A woman from Voss, Texas, has been arrested in Tarrant County on allegations of abusing her 7-year-old granddaughter, whom she had been caring for since the girl was an infant.

According to reports, the child was hospitalized at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth in August 2023. She was reportedly suffering from severe dehydration, vomiting, and diarrhea. When she was checked, medical staff found ulcers in her gastrointestinal tract in addition to damage to her intestines and colon. They were unable to diagnose a specific medical condition based on the youngster’s symptoms. As part of her treatment, doctors used a gastric feeding tube to give her medication.

During the medical interventions, the child’s condition got better and then worsened, but the doctors could not find a reason. In January 2024, family members became concerned and suspected the grandmother could be harming the child. They reported their concerns, and the grandmother was told she could no longer stay at the hospital because she was not the youngster’s legal guardian. According to the doctors, the child’s health improved significantly after her grandmother left. It was reported that the authorities believe the child’s grandmother may have been poisoning her by putting Mean Green Degreaser cleaner in her feeding tube.

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Published on: December 9, 2024

Intoxicated Florida Man Left 3 Injured in Hit-and-Run

by Staycie R. Sena

A Florida man is facing multiple charges for allegedly fleeing after causing a car crash and then smashing into a police vehicle in an alleged attempt to get away.

Early in the morning on December 3, a man was driving in Tallahassee. When he was close to an intersection he allegedly crashed into another automobile. Two people in the damaged car were injured, and the man reportedly took off immediately after the accident. When the authorities learned about the situation, officers from the Tallahassee Police Department went to the scene. They set out to find the suspect and they saw him driving close to the accident site. When they attempted to pull him over, the man reportedly crashed into a curb before trying to drive away.

Police cars were parked around the suspect’s car to prevent him from leaving, but he reportedly stepped on the gas and hit an officer’s vehicle. When they interacted with him, the police reported that they believed he was driving under the influence.

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Published on: September 5, 2024

Fraud Accusation Led to Florida Man’s 75th Arrest

by Staycie R. Sena

After being accused of retail theft-related offenses in August, a Florida man with a criminal history dating back decades was booked into the same jail for the 75th time.

Last month, a man from Clearwater reached a troubling milestone – his 75th arrest and booking into the Orient Road Jail. The 57-year-old habitual offender was first arrested in 1985, and over nearly four decades, he has faced numerous charges that resulted in 11 stints in prison.

According to reports, agents from the Hillsboro County Sheriff’s Office Organized Retail Theft Unit were investigating claims that fraudulent activity had resulted in merchandise from Lowe’s stores in Hillsboro and Clearwater Counties being stolen an estimated total of ten times. They purported that the person executed the scheme by taking barcodes from less expensive items and placing them onto higher-priced merchandise, allowing them to purchase products at a significantly lower cost. They believed they had enough information to determine who had carried out the alleged fraud, and upon further investigation, the authorities said the suspect had posted multiple online ads selling what they assumed was merchandise from Lowe’s.

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Published on: June 27, 2024

Florida Couple Fell Victim to $400,000 Phone Scam

by Staycie R. Sena

A scammer reportedly called a couple in Florida and told them they would be arrested for illegal online account activity if they did not hand over $400,000 in gold bars to a person posing as a government official.

At the beginning of May, a married couple in Jensen Beach received a phone call from someone stating that they were an agent for Amazon, and they found what they believed was fraudulent activity on the 78-year-old man’s account. They additionally claimed his wife’s personal account was flagged for fraud. During the discussion, the alleged agent told the man the call was being transferred to a government agent.

According to reports, the person identified themselves as “Brian Alba,” who told the man that he had several active arrest warrants because of the situation. Alba reportedly negotiated a deal with the man, offering to keep him out of the lockup if he obtained $154,000 in gold. They said he should have his bank give him a cashier’s check to make the purchase, and once it was received, Alba would send a cashier’s check to the man in the amount of the purchase. He was instructed to wrap the gold in a box to make it look like a Christmas gift.

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Published on: April 18, 2024

Man Could Spend 100 Years in Prison for Drugs and Fraud

by Staycie R. Sena

A man in Texas is facing charges that could lead to a conviction of over 100 years in prison after the authorities alleged that he was fraudulently in possession of over 50 pieces of mail and other information in different people’s names.

According to jail records, a man from Bryan, Texas, was arrested on April 9 for allegedly stealing a vehicle, fraudulently possessing identifying information, and carrying less than a gram of drug. He was released from custody the following day.

Approximately one week later, the man found himself in trouble with the law again for several additional allegations. It was reported that on the evening of April 16, he was riding around on a moped. The authorities were notified by someone in the area who reported that a man on a motorbike was harassing people.

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Published on: August 3, 2023

Woman Posed as Doctor for Over a Year Using Relative’s License

by Staycie R. Sena

A woman in New Jersey is facing charges for allegedly using a family member’s name to write prescriptions for patients while reportedly practicing medicine without a license.

Between March 2022 and June 2023, a 62-year-old woman from Toms River, New Jersey, was reportedly working as a physician out of an office at Shore Medical Associates in Ocean County.

According to reports, the woman was not legally licensed to practice medicine, but she allegedly did so during her time at Shores Medical. She was reportedly using the name and valid medical license number of one of her relatives so she could treat patients and write prescriptions during her time at the facility.

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Published on: April 20, 2023

Couple Stole Millions from Malibu Doctor

by Staycie R. Sena

In June 2017, a couple met and became friends with a doctor from Malibu worth more than $60 million. The man had a mental health condition, and he was unable to take care of himself.

A couple of days later, the pair began residing with the doctor in his Malibu beachfront home, but they reportedly did not pay anything to stay there.

According to reports, they appointed themselves as his caretakers. They allegedly stopped him from communicating with his loved ones as they took control of his daily life. They also reportedly kept the man drugged with ketamine, marijuana, and LSD for the following year.

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