fraud

Published on: October 16, 2017

Researcher for Trump’s Voter Fraud Commission Arrested on Alleged Child Pornography Charges

Last year after winning the election President Donald Trump issued an executive order establishing the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. Chaired by the Vice President the commission was formed to investigate Trump’s posit that voter fraud in the United States needs to be addressed, after he made claims that numerous phony ballots were counted causing him to lose the popular vote to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. According to a senior administration official who asked to remain anonymous, a man working as a researcher on the commission was arrested on alleged charges of child pornography after law enforcement observed the pornographic material on his cell phone.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children issued a tip to the Maryland State Police’s Internet Crime against Children Task Force about possible circulation of child pornography traced to a specific internet address. The suspect was purported to be 37-year-old Ronald Williams II, a researcher working with the Advisory Commission on assignment from an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency called the Office of the Special Counsel.

State police reported that they searched Williams’ home and on initial inspection of his cellphone, “multiple files of child pornography” were located. He was taken into custody and he is facing 11 counts of possession and distribution of child pornography.

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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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Published on: March 10, 2017

Two Charged in $3.5 million Real Estate Scam

by Staycie R. Sena

Angel Bronsgeest, a 55 year old woman from Lake Forest, plead guilty on Monday to federal charges of being involved in a real estate scam that cost Southern California investors $3.5 million, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.

Bronsgeest admitted that she, along with Shawn Watkins, a 46 year old man from Utah, would allegedly solicit the victims at Orange County hotel seminars and ask them to invest in their company, The Equity Growth Group. The two claimed that their company managed hundreds of properties, generating income from their rents, which was used to buy new properties. The investors were told they would be getting interest payments and that their money was secured by collateral through filing deeds of property trusts.

“Investor money was not used to acquire new properties, nor was it secured by collateral, and many victims did not receive interest payments. In fact, money that was paid to some victims as purported interest or a return on their investment came from investments made by other victims,” the Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

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Published on: March 3, 2017

Owner of Axis Benefit Administrators is Sentenced to 46 Months in Federal Prison for Healthcare Fraud

by Staycie R. Sena

On Wednesday in Portland, Oregon a U.S. District Judge sentenced Darren Bottinelli to 46 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for healthcare fraud. Bottinelli was also order to pay $3,093,918 in restitution to his victims. The purpose of his company was to put money into trust accounts for employees of his clients, who could then draw upon those monies for eligible health expenditures.

Darren Bottinelli was the sole shareholder, officer, and director of Axis, based in Portland, Oregon. His company administered employee health reimbursement and flexible spending accounts for client employers nationwide.

Some of his clients included Goodwill Industries, Job squad, Cascade Christian Services, VersAbility Resources, and Vets Securing America; which employed veterans, mentally and physically disabled adults, other vulnerable individuals, as well as government contractors and other companies who hire hourly and minimum wage contract workers.

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Published on: February 7, 2017

Ex-HBO Employee Steals Nearly $1 Million

by Staycie R. Sena

A 39 year old Los Angeles woman, Jennifer Choi, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to stealing nearly $1 million over her 10 year career.

Choi’s job was to schedule hairstyling and makeup services for HBO’s actors and actresses. Without HBO’s knowledge, Choi developed her own company called Shine Glossy, which claimed to provide makeup and styling services, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Through her company, Shine Glossy, she submitted phony invoices for services that were not provided, falsely using the names of actors, making the invoices appear legitimate.

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Published on: December 13, 2016

15 Meat Factory Workers Charged With Food Stamp Fraud

by Staycie R. Sena

As a result of a food stamp fraud program ran by three sheriffs in Butler county, Ohio, 15 employees of two meat distributing companies were indicted in September for charges of illegally trading food stamp benefits for cash and narcotics, while many more also potentially face penalties.

The 15 employees of US Beef Cincinnati LLC and Butcher Shop Food Distributors LLC face charges of wire fraud, food stamp benefits fraud, theft of U.S. government property, money laundering and possession with intent to distribute and actual distribution of controlled substances.

The owners of US Beef, 45-year old Scott Traum and 43-year old Joey Traum, pleaded guilty in federal court last week to charges arising from their involvement in food stamp fraud. Both will be sentenced April 12.

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