money laundering

Published on: March 5, 2023

Florida Lawyer Stole $840,000 from Client Settlements

A Florida attorney with a private practice was jailed for accusations of pilfering more than $840,000 from his clients.

Approximately 7 years ago, a 44-year-old personal injury lawyer opened a private practice in Seminole to work with clients who had been injured in automobile accidents.

Last October, a woman who retained the attorney to represent her said her insurance company informed her that the case against her had been settled for $100,000 several months prior. The woman reportedly never received a notification about the status of her case, and she was allegedly not given any of the money from the settlement.

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Published on: January 16, 2020

Wife Facing Charges For Stealing From Wealthy Elderly Husband

by Staycie R. Sena

The 26-year-old wife of a 77-year-old millionaire is facing several theft-related charges after she allegedly tried to fraudulently obtain $1 million of his money without his knowledge.

Lin Helena Halfon, an Israel native, and her husband Richard Rappaport, the president of a Tampa-based medical device distribution company called Panther Medical, have been married for approximately 7-months. The couple reportedly lives separately with Halfon residing in her own apartment.

Last November, Halfon reportedly visited Amscot Financial in Tampa and presented a cashier’s check made out to her husband to the teller, and allegedly informed the staff that she and Rappaport planned to use the cash for the purchase of a yacht in Miami. The request was denied due to the fact that Rappaport was not present at the time.

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Published on: November 23, 2019

Professor Who Wrote Corruption Book Charged for Laundering

by Staycie R. Sena

A University of Miami professor who helped to author a book about organized crime has been accused of laundering money through Venezuela.

73-year-old Bruce Bagley is a University of Miami professor and collaborator on the book “Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime and Violence in the Americas Today,” released in 2015. He reportedly has an extensive and impressive resume revolving around the topics discussed in the book.

After investigating 17 alleged bank deposits made between 2017 and 2019, the authorities have accused Bagley of starting fake businesses so that he would have accounts in which to store money he was allegedly pilfering from deals he made in Venezuela. According to the indictment, the accounts appeared to be closed after not filing the required annual reports.

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Published on: September 2, 2019

Film Investors Reeled in For $14M on Fake Netflix Production

by Staycie R. Sena

A man who claimed he was making a Netflix movie in Hollywood has been accused of bilking $14 million out of the people he allegedly convinced to foot the bill for the false film.

Manhattan Beach, California, resident Adam Joiner ran a company called Dark Planet Pictures, LLC.

A few years ago, Joiner reportedly decided he wanted to work on a movie project for a 19^th Century period piece casting famous Hollywood actors in the roles and gave it the preliminary title of “Legends.”

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Published on: February 28, 2018

Self-Described Feminist and Her Son Accused of Running a Brothel

by Staycie R. Sena

A Santa Rosa woman and her son were arrested on Friday for allegations that they were running a prostitution ring involving up to 150 women over a 10-year period of time. They are also suspected of using properties as brothels to employ women as sex workers.

59-year-old Fay Ruth Romesburg is an author of female-empowering erotic literature under the pseudonym F.R.R. Mallory, and she identifies herself as a feminist. She is the mother of 38-year-old David Scott Romesburg III with whom she shares a home and declared as dependent on the earnings from her writing career.

At the end of last year, Rohnert Park Police was notified by an apartment manager reporting suspicious activity leading them to believe that one of the units was being used as a brothel. One of the neighbors added to the complaint and stated that men visited the apartment regularly. The Santa Rosa Police Department had also been notified with similar information regarding a private home in their district.

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Published on: December 8, 2017

Urban Decay Executive Faces Grand Theft Charges for Pilfering over $1 Million

by Staycie R. Sena

An executive for the cosmetics company Urban Decay has been accused of stealing more than $1 million through bank transfer transactions between the business and fraudulent accounts he created. He is facing felony charges for the allegations.

Irvine resident Ranjeet Reddy Paladugo holds a position as the vice president of finance at the Newport Beach based company Urban Decay. He is suspected of utilizing several banks in order to create fake accounts, which were similarly named after business affiliates of the company, in order to embezzle funds that he transferred from Urban Decay. On July 17 he allegedly stole over $1 million from Urban Decay.

Paladugo purportedly commissioned a transaction in the amount of $598,500 which he transferred through one of the phony accounts. He then transferred that money into his personal bank account. This procedure was repeated again in the same amount, and routed through a second bogus business account. Paladugo is said to have used the stolen money for personal use, including the down payment on a house.

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