June 26, 2025

crime and public safety

Loans

Morrison man sentenced to federal prison for fake PPP loans

A Morrison man was sentenced to nearly four years in prison after he illegally obtained two Paycheck Protection Program loans during the COVID-19 pandemic, federal officials announced Tuesday. Richard Nieto, 39, took a deal and pleaded guilty last month to wire fraud and money laundering in federal court, according to court records. The plea deal

Read More
Banking

Some banking scams to watch out for

CHICO — I want to start by saying that I appreciate a lot of the money apps we have now. I ended up going to a Pride event on Saturday and was able to easily buy things and split payments with friends for lunch with Venmo and it just made life way easier. What I

Read More
Funds

Former Geminus employee sentenced to two years for stealing federal funds

A former employee of a Merrillville-based not-for-profit service agency was sentenced to two years in prison Tuesday morning after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud in February. United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon sentenced Valencia Franklin of Lynwood, Illinois, to 24 months in prison followed by a year of supervised release

Read More
Loans

14 people arrested in alleged scam involving more than $25 million in COVID-19 relief and business loans – The Mercury News

Fourteen people, including several Southern California residents, were arrested Wednesday, May 28, and accused of scamming the government out of more than $25 million in COVID-19 relief funds and federal small business loans, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Two federal criminal complaints named 18 defendants, four of whom are believed to be in

Read More
Investment

California man indicted after allegedly stealing more than $4 million in investment scheme – The Mercury News

A Redondo Beach man was charged last week in North Carolina after he allegedly posed as an investment adviser and defrauded victims of more than $4 million over the course of several years. Jon Patrick Kubler, 52, was indicted on charges of securities fraud and transactional money laundering  after he allegedly provided investment planning and

Read More
Crypto

NYPD arrests second suspect in SoHo crypto-kidnapping where victim was tortured

A second suspect in the kidnapping and torture of an Italian man inside a luxurious SoHo apartment in a failed bid to get him to give up his cryptocurrency password was criminally charged Tuesday after turning himself in to authorities, police said. William Duplessie, 33, surrendered at 7:45 a.m. to cops at the 13th Precinct

Read More
Funds

Ex-San Diego surrogacy consultant sentenced for stealing client funds – San Diego Union-Tribune

The former owner of a trio of San Diego businesses that provided surrogacy consulting services to prospective parents was sentenced Friday to two years in prison for stealing money from her clients. Lillian Arielle Markowitz, 40, who owned My Donor Cycle, Surrogacy Beyond Borders and Expecting Surrogacy, pleaded guilty to taking hundreds of thousands of

Read More
Investors

California attorney sentenced to prison for scamming investors out of $8.7 million to finance lavish lifestyle

A Newport Beach attorney who admitted that she swindled investors out of $8.7 million in order to bankroll her lavish lifestyle and high-rolling gambling habit was sentenced Monday, May 5 to one year and nine months in federal prison. A luxuriant lifestyle of high-end jewelry, luxury cars, a six-month stay at a opulent Las Vegas

Read More
Finance

Oakland finance director resigns; mayor delays release of budget

OAKLAND — Oakland’s interim mayor is delaying the release of a deeply consequential, two-year budget proposal that had been expected to detail how the city would balance a looming $265 million budget shortfall. The move by Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins comes just two weeks after Oakland’s top finance official quietly resigned from the job she’s

Read More
Funds

Caltrain employee guilty of using public funds to build secret apartment in train station – The Mercury News

REDWOOD CITY – A jury on Wednesday found a former Caltrain deputy director guilty of embezzling public funds to build a personal “crash pad” in a historic Burlingame train station, declining the defense’s argument that his supervisor had given him permission to put the funds toward renovating the apartment and residing there while working 80-hour

Read More
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. View more
Accept
Decline