One of the suspects accused of engaging in a gruesome torture plot inside a SoHo townhouse to retrieve an Italian man’s Bitcoin password was released from Rikers Island on a $1 million bond Thursday, according to online jail records. Jonathan Woeltz, 37, posted the mammoth sum a week after a Manhattan judge agreed to release
The suspects accused of kidnapping and torturing an Italian man inside a luxurious SoHo apartment in a bid to access his cryptocurrency password were granted bail by a Manhattan judge Wednesday. After hearing arguments from their lawyers and the Manhattan district attorney, state Supreme Court Judge Gregory Carro said he would release William Duplessie, 33,
A Colorado pastor and his wife face dozens of charges connected to a cryptocurrency scam that investigators say they used to deceive and steal from their Christian community, according to the Denver district attorney’s office. Eli, who ran the online-only Victorious Grace Church, and Kaitlyn Regalado were indicted by a Denver grand jury on 40
An Aspenite who sold a majority stake in his luxury jewelry company for $200 million in 2021 has been sued by two investors who accuse him of stealing more than $14 million. The lawsuit, filed last month in Pitkin County District Court, is the latest fallout from a financial scandal involving Lugano Diamonds, which has
OAKLAND — A former African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church bishop pleaded guilty Tuesday to wire fraud, mail fraud and conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud for transferring church property deeds to an entity he created then using them to obtain loans, prosecutors said. Staccato Powell, a 65-year-old resident of Wake Forest, North Carolina, agreed
Two people who allegedly took around $1 million from investors who believed they were buying stock options or franchises of a pizza restaurant chain have been charged in San Diego Superior Court with more than two dozen counts related to fraud or theft. The victims, which included senior citizens and military veterans, paid between $5,000
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
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
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
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