Immigrants Defrauded Out Of $40K By Fake Ronkonkoma Attorney: DA Immigrants Defrauded Out Of $40K By Fake Ronkonkoma Attorney: DA
Immigrants Defrauded Out Of $40K By Fake Ronkonkoma Attorney: DA A Ronkonkoma woman will spend up to four years in prison after posing as an immigration attorney and defrauding undocumented immigrants of more than $40,000, the Nassau County District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday, Dec. 18. Tania Gonzalez, 48, also known as Tania Ayala, pleaded guilty earlier this year to grand larceny and scheme to defraud charges. Between December 2015 and March 2020, Gonzalez falsely claimed to be an immigration lawyer, offering legal assistance to immigrants desperate for help, according to DA Anne T. Donnelly. The DA's investigation revealed that Gonzalez mi…
From Recycling Dream to Environmental Nightmare: Maryland Man Gets Jail Time For Tire Dump: AG From Recycling Dream to Environmental Nightmare: Maryland Man Gets Jail Time For Tire Dump: AG
From Recycling Dream to Environmental Nightmare: Maryland Man Gets Jail Time For Tire Dump: AG A Maryland man is heading to jail after illegally dumping more than 250,000 scrap tires in Allegany County, leaving others to deal with the environmental fallout and cleanup efforts. Michel Osei, 48, of Hanover, pleaded guilty to 17 environmental crimes after abandoning a scrap tire operation in Westernport that investigators in Maryland say violated nearly every regulation on the books. The fallout resulted in Osei receiving five years of incarceration, with all but 45 days suspended, along with five years of probation.  Investigators from the Maryland Attorney's General's Office say…
Payback Time: NY Delivery Drivers Will Get Cut Of $4M Settlement Over Withheld Tips Payback Time: NY Delivery Drivers Will Get Cut Of $4M Settlement Over Withheld Tips
Payback Time: NY Delivery Drivers Will Get Cut Of $4M Settlement Over Withheld Tips Thousands of local delivery drivers are in for a much-deserved payday. Drizly, a now-defunct alcohol delivery platform, reached a $4 million settlement with the State of New York on Tuesday, Dec. 17, for failing to ensure that delivery workers received their rightful tips. According to New York Attorney General Leitita James, Drizly encouraged customers to tip delivery workers but sent the funds to liquor store owners instead. Store owners were responsible for distributing the tips, but in many cases, workers did not receive the money they earned. The investigation also revealed that Driz…
Six Members Of Catalytic Converter Theft Ring Sentenced: Bucks DA Six Members Of Catalytic Converter Theft Ring Sentenced: Bucks DA
Six Members Of Catalytic Converter Theft Ring Sentenced: Bucks DA Six members of a multi-million-dollar catalytic converter theft ring that spanned the Delaware Valley have been sentenced, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday, Dec. 16. The defendants included Michael Williams, the 53-year-old owner of TDI Towing in Philadelphia, his three sons-in-law Michael Bruce, Kevin Schwartz, and Patrick Hopkins, his wife Deborah Davalos, and her sister Lisa Davalos. Williams, of Huntingdon Valley, was sentenced to 2 ½ to 5 years in state prison, followed by two years of probation, and was ordered to pay $124,900 in restitution to 157 vic…
Maryland Home Builders Ordered To Pay Nearly $1 Million For Defrauding Buyers: AG Maryland Home Builders Ordered To Pay Nearly $1 Million For Defrauding Buyers: AG
Maryland Home Builders Ordered To Pay Nearly $1 Million For Defrauding Buyers: AG A Maryland homebuilder and his companies have been ordered to pay over $950,000 after being found guilty of hundreds of consumer protection violations involving unfinished modular homes and misappropriated funds, officials announced. Prince George’s County Circuit Court Judge Krystal Q. Alves affirmed a Final Order against Finish Werks Corp., Finish Werks Custom Builders, Inc., and their owner, William Karl “Harris” Woodward, for violations impacting families in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, and Montgomery counties, according to Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown. The companies committed…
Newark Man Gets 5+ Years For Running Phony Car Ring That Netted $285K: Feds Newark Man Gets 5+ Years For Running Phony Car Ring That Netted $285K: Feds
Newark Man Gets 5+ Years For Running Phony Car Ring That Netted $285K: Feds A Newark man was recently sentenced to 70 months in prison for running a multistate car theft and fraud operation that defrauded victims of more than $285,000, authorities said. Warren Guerrier, 47,  had previously pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, US Attorney Phillip Sellinger said. From November 2016 to June 2020, Guerrier led a scheme to steal vehicles, fabricate titles, and sell them to unsuspecting buyers, Sellinger said. Guerrier and his accomplices tracked vehicles, photographed them, and advertised them online. Buyers were given fake cer…
$4.4M Medicaid Fraud Scheme: Five In Orange, Saratoga Counties Plead Guilty, NY AG Says $4.4M Medicaid Fraud Scheme: Five In Orange, Saratoga Counties Plead Guilty, NY AG Says
$4.4M Medicaid Fraud Scheme: Five In Orange, Saratoga Counties Plead Guilty, NY AG Says Five Hudson Valley and Capital Region residents and seven transportation companies have admitted to stealing millions from Medicaid. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday, Dec. 5, that five have pleaded guilty to stealing more than $4.4 million from New York’s Medicaid program through fake billing, illegal kickbacks, and engaging in money laundering and other fraudulent schemes to conceal their crimes.  Muhammad Rizwan Khan, 38, Muhammad Usman Khan, 40, and Farhan Khan, 29, all of Orange County, and their related companies pleaded guilty on Wednesday, Dec. 4, in Or…
Maryland Man Who Abused Dozens Of Dogs In 'Deplorable' Conditions Learns Fate In Court Maryland Man Who Abused Dozens Of Dogs In 'Deplorable' Conditions Learns Fate In Court
Maryland Man Who Abused Dozens Of Dogs In 'Deplorable' Conditions Learns Fate In Court A Baltimore man was sentenced to 10 years with most of his term suspended and ordered to pay $12,000 in restitution after 83 dogs were rescued from his Central Park Heights property earlier this year, authorities announced. Robert Conley, who pleaded guilty to 42 counts of animal cruelty, will serve three years of supervised probation and is banned from owning animals, a judge ordered.  The Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office and Animal Control officers uncovered the abuse during a raid at Conley's home on Pembridge Avenue in May, where dogs were found in appalling conditions, officials sa…
Liberty Doulas Sued For Exploiting New Moms, Pocketing $55K Without Delivering Services: PA AG Liberty Doulas Sued For Exploiting New Moms, Pocketing $55K Without Delivering Services: PA AG
Liberty Doulas Sued For Exploiting New Moms, Pocketing $55K Without Delivering Services: PA AG New moms were left without critical care after paying thousands of dollars to a Philadelphia-area doula service that allegedly failed to provide postpartum support, Attorney General Michelle Henry announced Tuesday, Nov. 26. Liberty Doulas, owned by Sierra Mahoney, collected more than $55,000 in prepayments from parents for childbirth and postpartum services that were never delivered, according to the lawsuit. Families seeking vital help during one of life’s most vulnerable times were reportedly ignored, refused refunds, or misled about the company’s ability to provide care. “Childbirth i…
Westchester Pharmacies Tied To $11.5M Medicaid Fraud Scheme, Former Owner Gets Prison Time Westchester Pharmacies Tied To $11.5M Medicaid Fraud Scheme, Former Owner Gets Prison Time
Westchester Pharmacies Tied To $11.5M Medicaid Fraud Scheme, Former Owner Gets Prison Time The owner of several pharmacies in Westchester County and New York City has been sentenced to prison for running a multimillion-dollar Medicaid fraud scheme that endangered vulnerable HIV patients, officials said. Aftab Hussain was sentenced to two to six years in prison for stealing over $11.5 million through a scheme involving illegal kickbacks and black market medications, the Attorney General’s Office announced on Wednesday, Nov. 20.  According to the AG's Office, Hussain owned or controlled more than 20 pharmacies, including some in Westchester County, where he exploited low-…
Former Virginia Health Official Sentenced For $4.3M Fraud Scheme, Tax Evasion: Feds Former Virginia Health Official Sentenced For $4.3M Fraud Scheme, Tax Evasion: Feds
Former Virginia Health Official Sentenced For $4.3M Fraud Scheme, Tax Evasion: Feds A man who once oversaw Virginia’s emergency response programs will spend six years in prison for misappropriating millions from the state's Department of Health, federal authorities said. A former senior official with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) was sentenced to six years in federal prison this week for orchestrating a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme and evading nearly $2 million in taxes, according to court records. Adam Lamar Harrell, 41, of Midlothian, used his position as Associate Director of the Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) to siphon $4.3 million in public …
West New York Financial Advisor Gets 3+ Years for $4M Health Care Fraud Scheme: Feds West New York Financial Advisor Gets 3+ Years for $4M Health Care Fraud Scheme: Feds
West New York Financial Advisor Gets 3+ Years for $4M Health Care Fraud Scheme: Feds  A 55-year-old West New York financial advisor was sentenced to 41 months in prison on Monday, Nov. 18, for orchestrating a $4 million scheme to defraud public health insurance plans, authorities said. Kaival Patel was convicted last December in Camden federal court of conspiracy, health care fraud, and money laundering, US Attorney Phillip Sellinger said. Patel must also pay $4.72 million in restitution and serve three years of supervised release, Sellinger said. According to court documents and trial evidence, Patel operated ABC Healthy Living LLC, a company that marketed high-cost c…