Category: Fraud

Blatter, Platini Finally Going to Court in FIFA Fraud Trial

GENEVA—Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini’s 11-day trial on charges of defrauding FIFA starts Wednesday—finally bringing the epic downfall of soccer’s former world leaders into criminal court. The fallout from the case ousted Blatter ahead of schedule as president of FIFA and ended Platini’s campaign to succeed his former mentor. It also removed Platini as president…


Alleged Voter Fraud Leads to Overturned Result in Local California Election

The results of a Council seat race in Compton, California, were overturned in the midst of an election fraud scandal that resulted in charges against the winner. Compton Councilman Isaac Galvan must be replaced by the challenger, Andre Spicer, after a judge said that four votes in the race—which was decided by only one vote—were…


Can a Lost Apple Watch Lead to Credit Card Fraud? Disney Visitor Says She Lost $40,000

A visitor to a Walt Disney Co. theme park has said she lost $40,000 in credit card fraud after losing a wearable made by Apple Inc.. What Happened The visitor lost her Hermes edition Apple Watch while enjoying a ride at the Disney-operated EPCOT theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, reported Apple Insider. The watch reportedly fell through the grated floor…


Allianz to Pay $6 Billion in US Fraud Case, Fund Managers Charged

NEW YORK/MUNICH—Germany’s Allianz SE agreed to pay more than $6 billion and its U.S. asset management unit pleaded guilty to criminal securities fraud over the collapse of a group of investment funds early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Allianz’s settlements with the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission are among the largest…


Ex-Banker Charged With Conspiring in Murdaugh Money Scheme

COLUMBIA, S.C.—A grand jury has indicted the former CEO of a South Carolina bank on charges of conspiring with once-prominent, now- suspended attorney Alex Murdaugh to defraud victims—including the family of a deaf man who became quadriplegic after a car crash — of $1.8 million. Russell Laffitte, who headed Palmetto State Bank until he was…


Supreme Court to Look at Whether One Spouse Can Be Held Liable for the Other’s Fraud in Bankruptcy

The Supreme Court agreed on May 2 to take a case about whether a bankrupt debtor can escape liability for a debt arising out of someone else’s fraudulent act. Kate Bartenwerfer, who filed for bankruptcy after an ill-fated real estate deal, appealed after the often-reversed U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled she…


UK Government Accused of Being ‘Complacent’ Over COVID-19 Loans Fraud

The British government has been accused of complacency when it came to handing out £47 billion ($59 billion) in loans to businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Public Accounts Committee said in a report published on April 27 that the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) had been “complacent” in preventing fraud…


Chinese National Sentenced to 52 Months in Prison Over $20 Million Pandemic Fraud Scheme

A Chinese national has been sentenced to more than four years in prison over a scheme to defraud $20 million in federal pandemic relief loans meant for distressed small businesses. New York resident Ma Muge falsely claimed to have hundreds of employees under two phony companies, New York International Capital LLC (NYIC) and Hurley Human…


US Government Charges 21 People With $150 Million in COVID-19 Related Fraud

Twenty-one people nationwide have been hit with criminal charges for their alleged participation in various health care related fraud schemes that exploited the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on April 20. The cases resulted in nearly $150 million in alleged false billings and theft from federal pandemic assistance programs. The DOJ seized…


UK Bank Warns Over Impersonation Fraud as Cases Soar by 300 Percent

A bank has warned people to be on the alert for scammers as cases of impersonation fraud surge. TSB said the average victim of impersonation fraud loses £4,000, with household names like Royal Mail, Amazon, and BT being used to lure unsuspecting people into sending money to scammers. Paul Davis, director of fraud prevention at…