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MSM: "Top Blagojevich Adviser And Obama Pal Tony Rezko Gets 10½ Years" [11/23/11] "Hailed by prosecutors as a "wake-up call," Antoin Rezko was sentenced to 10½ years in prison today for extorting millions of dollars from firms seeking state business or regulatory approval while he was a top fundraiser and adviser to then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Rezko's daughter broke down sobbing as U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve handed down the sentence, telling Rezko his "selfish and corrupt actions" had damaged the trust people have in their government. "You defrauded the people of Illinois, you engaged in extensive corruption throughout the state of Illinois," the judge said, adding that she hoped other politicians would take note of the penalty for corruption. [...]"  

MSM: "Longtime Cop Looking at Hard Time" [11/18/11] "A 19-year veteran of the Houston Police Department was convicted Tuesday of taking a bribe to escort narcotics using his police car. Leslie Aikens, 46, of Houston, took a $2,000 bribe to provide protection for a vehicle he believed to be transporting 7 kilograms of cocaine. [...]"  

Legal Case: "Pennsylvania Judge Gets 28 Years In 'Kids For Cash' Case" [08/16/11] "A northeastern Pennsylvania judge was ordered Thursday to spend nearly three decades in prison for his role in a massive bribery scandal that prompted the state's high court to toss thousands of juvenile convictions and left lasting scars on the children who appeared in his courtroom and their hapless families. Former Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella Jr. was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison for taking a $1 million bribe from the builder of a pair of juvenile detention centers in a case that became known as "kids for cash." Ciavarella, who denied locking up youths for money, had no reaction as the sentence was announced. From the gallery, which was crowded with family members of some of the children he incarcerated, someone shouted "Woo hoo!" In the wake of the scandal, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned about 4,000 convictions issued by Ciavarella between 2003 and 2008, saying he violated the constitutional rights of the juveniles, including the right to legal counsel and the right to intelligently enter a plea. Ciavarella, 61, was tried and convicted of racketeering earlier this year. His attorneys had asked for a "reasonable" sentence in court papers, saying, in effect, that he'd already been punished enough. [...]"  

Legal Case: "St. Louis: Cops Steal, Plant Drugs, Arrest Falsely and Go To Prison - Now The Lawsuit" [08/16/11] "A man claims corrupt cops stole his casino winnings - twice - then had him falsely convicted and sent to prison for 7 years on bogus drug charges. Eddie Johnson claims St. Louis cops stole a total of $8,100 in his casino winnings during two traffic stops in 2001. [...] On or about September 9, 2001, as Mr. Johnson was standing on the porch of a house ... defendant Garrett and defendant [Leo] Liston approached him and pulled him from the porch. They told him that he 'was going to wish he had not gone to the Internal Affairs Division,' or words to that effect. They told him they would 'see to it that he did 20 years hard federal time,' or words to that effect." Johnson claims Garrett and Liston then planted cocaine in his truck and arrested him for possession of cocaine base with intent to sell. Johnson says he pleaded guilty rather than face 20 years in federal prison if found guilty at trial. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, was released after 7 years and is still on probation." [...] Johnson says the officers' true intent was revealed later. "Defendant Carr has since admitted that he and defendant Garrett planted evidence, namely drugs, on persons for the purpose of charging them with drug-related offenses and seized money from citizens and split it between themselves," the complaint states. "Defendants Garrett, Liston and Carr are serving time in federal prison for said offenses." Johnson claims the St. Louis Police Department knew of Garrett's, Carr's and Liston's illegal actions before his unjust arrest; that the department knew or should have known of their illegal conduct; and that it delayed investigating their conduct. Johnson seeks damages for civil rights violations, false arrest, malicious prosecution, abuse of process and false imprisonment. His wife seeks damages for loss of consortium. Named as defendants are the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, individual members of the Board of Police Commissioners of the City of St. Louis, and Bobby Lee Garrett, Vincent T. Carr and Leo Liston.  

Exposé: "'Sheriff Joe' Workers Busted for Human Trafficking" [05/26/11]   "So much for not taking your work home with you. Three employees of immigrant archenemy Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona—including a deputy in the human-smuggling unit—were arrested for alleged involvement in a drug- and human-trafficking ring. One is also 8 months' pregnant with the child of a Sinaloa drug cartel member, reports the Arizona Republic.  Investigators found two illegal immigrants at the home of Deputy Alfredo Navarrette—one of the first members of Arpaio's controversial racial profiling squad—following a yearlong investigation. Two detention officers are also accused of moving drugs and cash for a Phoenix-based drug ring with ties to Mexico. "The fight against drugs, illegal immigration and human trafficking is important not only to me but the citizens of Arizona," says Arpaio. "That a deputy sheriff would provide information and associate with these drug and human traffickers is despicable." [...]"   

Legal Case: "Fla. Port Authority Exec Guilty of Taking Bribes" [05/24/11] "A federal jury convicted Jacksonville Port Authority Chairman Tony Nelson for demanding and accepting $143,500 in bribes. Nelson, 51, solicited the bribes from Subaqueous Services owner Lance W. Young, in exchange for dredging contracts between 2006 and 2008, the jury found Friday. Nelson denied any illegal relationship in official investigations. He was convicted of 36 corruption-related charges, including conspiracy, bribery, mail fraud and false statements.  Indicted on Jan. 1, 2010, Nelson faces 20 years and a $250,000 fine for a conspiracy count; 20 years and $250,000 for each of 11 honest service mail fraud counts; 20 years and $500,000 for each of 11 money laundering counts; 12 years and $250,000 for each of 12 bribery charges; and five years and $250,000 for a solitary false- statement charge.  [...]"  

Legal Case: "Missouri Mayor Indicted for Fraud, Theft" [05/24/11] "The mayor for the city of Kinloch was indicted Monday on charges that he used city funds to take personal vacations and to fund a Florida vacation home. [...]"   

"Dying Ex-Cop Gets 22-Plus Years For Sex With Teen Girls" [03/01/11] "A perverted ex-NYPD officer who's dying of cancer was slapped with a nearly 23-year prison term today for transporting three underage girls across state lines for sex.Trent Young, who also ran a martial-arts studio in New Jersey, was sentenced while lying in bed at the prison ward of the Westchester Medical Center, where he's been receiving treatment for the past several months.White Plains federal Judge Kenneth Karas said the "magnitude of the conduct here outweighs the medical issues" faced by the disgraced former cop, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.  [...]"  Note:  Perhaps they will introduce him to Elaine Bobbit .... it would be yet another irony in his life.

"Ex-Army contractor sentenced for bribery" [01/26/11] "An ex-U.S. military contractor employee drew a 37-month prison sentence in a bribery scheme for contracts supporting the Iraq war, the Justice Department said. Dorothy Ellis, 53, of Texas City, Texas, was sentenced Tuesday for her role in a conspiracy to pay $360,000 in bribes to U.S. Army contracting officials stationed in Kuwait, after pleading guilty to a count of conspiracy to bribe public officials, the department said in a release. In addition, U.S. District Judge David Hittner in Houston sentenced Ellis to three years of probation following her prison term and ordered her to pay $360,000 in restitution. The case against Ellis arose from a corruption investigation focusing on Camp Arifjan, a U.S. military base in Kuwait. Court documents indicate Ellis was a liaison for the camp's military contractor, [...]" 

Report: "When cops go to jail " [01/25/11] "When former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge reports to prison to serve his 54-month sentence for perjury and obstruction of justice, he may want to consider the experiences of one of his former homicide detectives.  William Pedersen served 15 months in the federal prison at Oxford, Wis., on a 1992 conviction for theft of public records. He ran into trouble with the law in his side job doing background checks of job applicants. The moment he walked into prison, he knew he was under a microscope by his fellow inmates because he was a cop. “You would get hit with shoulders as you walked down the hall the first month,” said Pedersen, now 64 — a year older than Burge. [...]" See "InjusticeNews"  Related: "Police fear war on cops" "In just 24 hours, at least 11 officers were shot. The shootings included Sunday attacks at traffic stops in Indiana and Oregon, a Detroit police station shooting that wounded four officers, a shootout at a Port Orchard, Wash., Wal-Mart that injured two deputies. On Monday morning, two officers were shot dead and a U.S. Marshal was wounded by a gunman in St. Petersburg, Fla.  On Thursday, two Miami-Dade, Fla., detectives were killed by a murder suspect they were trying to arrest. "

Legal Case: "Cop Gets 4½ Years for Lying About Torture" [01/25/11] "Former Chicago police Commander Jon Burge was sentenced to 4½ years in prison for lying about the police torture of suspects. Burge denied that officers ever abused suspects in custody, but evidence at a 2003 trial showed that he suffocated suspects with plastic bags, shocked them with electrical devices and put loaded guns to their heads. [...]"  

Legal Case: "NY Life Agents Accused of Heartless Predation" [01/25/11] "The court-appointed guardian of an institutionalized 85-year-old woman with Alzheimer's dementia claims New York Life Insurance salesmen took advantage of the chronically ill woman and used elaborate schemes, including an arranged marriage, to sell her 20 life insurance policies for $600,000. And, the trustee adds, New York Life refuses to investigate the suspicious transactions, for which "the primary motivation" was "commissions and premiums." [...]"   

"Gov't worker gets 80 years for child porn" [01/20/11] "A former Pentagon worker was sentenced to an 80-year prison term in what the judge said was probably the worst case of child exploitation he had ever seen.  [...]"   

Legal Case: "Rattner to Pay $10 Million in Settlement With Cuomo" [12/30/10] "The New York attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo, announced on Thursday an agreement with Steven L. Rattner that resolves allegations that Mr. Rattner engaged in a kickback scheme involving the state’s pension system. Under the terms of the settlement, Mr. Rattner will pay $10 million in restitution to the State of New York and will be barred from appearing in any capacity before any public pension fund in the state for five years. He did not admit to any wrongdoing. [...]"  Note:  "Steven L. Rattner is a financier who led the Obama administration's efforts to restructure the auto industry. He stepped down from that post in July 2009 as he became embroiled in a scandal involving New York State's pension fund.  [...]"  More 

Border Patrolman Could Get Life in Prison [09/27/10] "A Customs and Border Patrol officer is charged with conspiring to import cocaine and taking bribes. Oscar Osbaldo Ortiz-Martinez accepted $22,000 to let loads through his lane at Calexico, and was arrested during a meeting at which he thought he would get another $30,000, federal prosecutors said. [...]"  

Former IBM Exec Gets 6-Month Sentence [09/15/10] "A former senior executive at IBM was sentenced on Monday to 6 months in prison for his role in what prosecutors call the largest hedge fund insider trading case in history. Robert Moffat, a former senior vice president of IBM, is one of 12 defendants to plead guilty. In March he admitted that he had leaked information about IBM's possible merger with Sun Microsystems to Danielle Chiesi, a consultant for New Castle Funds. [...]"   

Celeb money manager Kenneth Starr pleads guilty to running $50M scam [09/11/10] "Disgraced money manager Kenneth Starr, who managed to hook a host of boldface Hollywood and Broadway names as clients, pleaded guilty today to running what amounted to a $50 million scam that lasted five years. Starr, 66, appeared in Manhattan federal court, admitting that he swindled clients to fund a lavish lifestyle for himself and his pole dancing-expert wife Diane Passage -- including a $7.5 million Upper East Side triplex boasting a swimming pool in its basement. “I used a portion of the money for my own purposes,” Starr said. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud, money laundering and investment advisor fraud. In doing so, he agreed to a non-binding plea deal that calls for 121 to 151 months behind bars.  [...]"  

Top McHenry County,IL Prosecutor charged with felony conspiracy [09/11/10] "McHenry County’s top prosecutor is charged with ordering his administrative manager and others to do political work on county time, according to an indictment made public today. McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis Bianchi, 67, of Crystal Lake, and his manager Joyce Synek, 62, of Woodstock, face felony conspiracy charges that carry potential prison time of two to five years. [...]"  

Monica Conyers Goes To Jail [09/10/10] "Disgraced Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers, wife of House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, will spend the next three years incarcerated (if you can even call it that) at a West Virginia federal detention center appropriately nicknamed Camp Cupcake. Located along a river in the scenic foothills, the facility resembles a college campus and has hosted famous inmates such as Martha Stewart. Never the less, Conyers mounted an aggressive fight to avoid becoming a “cupcake” tenant. After pleading guilty to one of her many transgressions—taking bribes from a developer—the flamboyant politician tried to change her plea when a judge sentenced her to 37 months in prison and two years of probation. The developer paid Conyers $6,000 to change her vote on a multi million-dollar city sewage contract and the FBI had electronic surveillance evidence of her taking cash bribes in fast-food parking lots. But Conyers went ballistic during her March sentencing hearing, exploding in court and declaring that she wasn’t going to jail for something she didn’t do. She tried withdrawing the guilty plea and took her case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit when the judge refused. This week the appellate court denied Conyers’ last-ditch effort to stay out of jail, ruling that she must begin serving her sentence while she continues the appellate process. No word if her beloved husband, who chairs the House committee that oversees the U.S. Attorney’s office and the FBI, will accompany her when she turns herself in today. After all, despite his $174,000 annual salary, the veteran congressman wouldn’t pay for his wife’s criminal defense attorney. Taxpayers had to pick up the tab, even though Monica Conyers’ guilty plea waives the right to contest her jail sentence. The Conyers case is just one of many public corruption scandals to rock Detroit in the last few years. The beleaguered city’s mayor (Kwame Kilpatrick) went to jail for a multitude of crimes, its deputy mayor pleaded guilty to bribery and several public school employees have been charged with numerous felonies for embezzling education funds.  [...]"  

Former Interpol Chief convicted for corruption [08/07/10] "On 3 August 2010, Jackie Selebi was handed down a 15-year sentence by a Johannesburg Court on charges of corruption. Evidence was provided that the defendant had received huge bribes from a mafia chief and had fabricated false evidence. His lawyer immediately lodged an appeal hoping for a suspended sentence. The defendant was released on bail and walked out laughing. Meanwhile, the police unit involved in the investigation was dissolved. Mr. Selebi was a top member of the ANC leadership, the Ambassador of South Africa to the United Nations (2000-09), Interpol President (2004-08), Chair of the Anti-Landmine Conference and Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights. Jackie Selebi inflates the list of bandits who served as Interpol presidents. The names include Austrian SS Otto Steinhäusl (1938-40), and perpetrators of crimes against humanity Reinhard Heydrich (1940-42) and Ernst Kaltenbrunner [...]"  

DC: Former contracting official gets jail [07/19/10] "A former U.S. Army contracting official has been sentenced to 42 months in prison for a bribery and kick-back scheme involving off-base housing in Kuwait. [...]"     

Real Estate Fraudster Gets 85 Years [07/07/10] "A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced the executive vice president of Cobalt Real Estate Services to 85 years in prison for defrauding hundreds of people of $23 million. A jury convicted Irving Stitsky, 55, of Milan, N.Y., and two co-defendants, after a 3-week trial. [...]"  

Priest Sentenced to Nearly 7 Years [06/29/10] "A priest was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison for trying to have sex with a minor. James P. Grady, 59, exchanged more than 25 emails with an address listed in the "adult services" section of Craigslist before undercover police arrested him at his home on July 29, 2009, prosecutors said. [...]"  

Hedge Fund CFO Gets 5½ Years [06/29/10] "Ezra Levy, former CFO of the Boston Provident hedge fund, was sentenced on Monday to 5½ years in federal prison for swiping $3 million from the Manhattan-based company. Levy, 33, of New York, N.Y., pleaded guilty in March to securities fraud and wire fraud. He also must pay $3 million in restitution. [...]"  

72-Year-Old Man Gets 9 Years [06/29/10] "A 72-year-old man who lives in the wealthiest enclave in the nation was sentenced on Monday to 9 years in prison for defrauding investors of $25 million. Richard M. Hersch of Rancho Santa Fe promised 2% to 6% weekly returns from his company, All States ATM, which allegedly kept ATM machines on the "back side" of horse-racing tracks - where the public could not see or use them. [...]"   

Judge to sentence Rubashkin to 27 years in prison [06/23/10] "A former manager of an Iowa kosher slaughterhouse will be sentenced to 27 years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $31 million restitution when he's sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court. A jury found Rubashkin guilty on 86 federal financial fraud charges last fall. [...]"  

Victim's Attorney, Media Ask Judge to Open Boy Scouts' Sex Abuse Files [06/15/10] ""Secrecy is the fertilizer of sexual abuse!" attorney Kelly Clark thundered in his opening remarks, urging Multnomah County Judge John Wittmayer to vacate a protective order on nearly 20,000 pages of evidence documenting sexual abuse in the Boy Scouts of America. The trial ended in May with the jury awarding Clark's client $18.5 million in punitive damages. The documents, the so-called "perversion files," were admitted after the Boy Scouts lost a long legal battle to keep them out of court. The issue went all the way to the Oregon Supreme Court. [...]"   

Travel Biz Called Giant Pyramid Scam [06/15/10] "YTB.com (YourTravelBiz.com) is a $500 million pyramid scheme - one of the largest frauds in Illinois history, a class action claims in Madison County Court. The class claims YTB sells promises of cheap travel and million-dollar payouts, but the only way customers can profit is by recruiting others to join an illegal pyramid scheme. [...]"   

Class Calls Health Careers School a Sham [06/15/10] "The Illinois School of Health Careers defrauded students by charging $13,750 tuition for classes that did not qualify them to take state boards, as promised, as the school's program was not approved by the state, a class action claims in Cook County Court. Most students were "low-income residents of the Chicagoland area," according to the complaint. [...]" 

American Express Faces Antitrust Complaint [06/15/10] "In an antitrust class action against American Express, the National Supermarkets Association claims its members have to raise prices across the board because of a surcharge that AmEx imposes on retailers. The group of 400 independent grocers claims AmEx's surcharge is illegal. [...]"  

Systemic Sexual Abuse Alleged in Prison [06/15/10] "Five women claim a grievance officer at Nassau County Correctional Center raped, threatened, stalked and harassed inmates, one of whom he impregnated. The women claim in Federal Court that prison staff knew about Marc Barber's abuses, but did nothing to stop it. [...]"   

Women Say Massage Center Hired Molester [06/15/10] "A massage therapy center employed a man who was on professional probation and barred from practicing, and he sexually molested at least two clients, the women say in a class action in King County Court. The women claim The Northwest Massage Center hired John D. Atkinson's though his massage therapy license had suspended by the state for previous sexual misdeeds. [...]"  

Convicted Attorneys Face Hard Time [06/05/10] "Two attorneys were convicted of federal wire and tax fraud conspiracy: taking millions of dollars in fraudulent referral fees in connection with a tax shelter. One of them, John B. Ohle III, of Wilmette, Ill., also was found guilty of tax evasion for omitting $6 million in income from referral fees and embezzlement. [...]"  

32 indicted in NYC welfare fraud crackdown [04/28/10] "Authorities say 32 people, some of them financially well-off, have been indicted in a welfare-fraud crackdown.
Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes says the defendants stole about $1 million in benefits, including welfare, Medicaid and food stamp assistance.  ..."    

Bank Of America Employee Busted For Hacking Into ATM Machines And Stealing Money [04/11/10] "A Bank of America worker installed malicious software on his employer's ATMs that allowed him to make thousands of dollars in fraudulent withdrawals, all without leaving a transaction record, according to federal prosecutors. Rodney Reed Caverly, 37, was a member of the bank's IT staff when he installed the malware. The Charlotte, North Carolina, man made fraudulent withdrawals over a seven-month period ending in October 2009, according to prosecutors, who've charged him with one count of computer fraud. ..."   

IBM Exec Pleads Guilty to Inside Trading [03/31/10] "A former senior vice president for IBM pleaded guilty Monday to federal charges in what prosecutors call the biggest hedge fund inside trading case in history. Robert Moffatt Jr., 53, admitted passing inside dope to Danielle Chiesi, who worked for New Castle Partners, federal prosecutors said. Chiesi, who has pleaded not guilty to inside trading charges, is awaiting trial. ..."  

Jury Whacks Pfizer for $141 Million [03/31/10] "A federal jury fined Pfizer $141 million for illegally pushing its epilepsy drug Neurontin for unapproved uses, such as treating bipolar disorder and migraines. The jury's $47 million penalty was automatically tripled under the federal RICO law. ..."   

Toy Exec Accused of Embezzlement [03/31/10] "Federal prosecutors say a former executive of the company that made the popular Zhu Zhu pet toys embezzled $400,000 from the company. Joseph B. Van Gronigen, 41, of Hillsboro, Mo., was charged with two counts of mail fraud. He allegedly embezzled more than $400,000 from Cepia LLC between September 2007 and January this year. ..."   

$160 Million Claim Over Electric Rates [03/23/10] "Morgan Stanley and KeySpan Corp. conspired to inflate Consolidated Edison customers' electric bills by $160 million, a class action claims in Bronx County Court. The class claims Keyspan and Morgan Stanley used "a complex financial derivative 'swap' transaction" to do so, and that the Department of Justice fined Keyspan $12 million for it. Con Ed is not named as a defendant. ..."  

Frenchman sentenced in beheading [03/11/10] "A French postman who chopped off his wife's head because she refused to have sex with him was sentenced to 18 years in prison for murder, officials say. ..."    

Wife of Rep. Conyers sentenced to 37 months in prison (for bribery) [03/11/10] "A federal judge sentenced the former councilwoman despite her having tried to withdraw her guilty plea in the case, the Detroit Free Press reported. Prosecutors had sought a sentence as long as four years. Conyers pled guilty to accepting bribes to influence a key city council vote on a contract for disposal of sludge and waste. Hmm, could this be why Conyers never followed through on his Bush Impeachment hearings? ..."  

9 Years for Ponzi Scheme in Grain [03/02/10] "The dealer responsible for the largest grain brokerage failure in Missouri history was sentenced to 9 years in federal prison for mail fraud. Cathy M. Gieseker, 45, of Martinsburg, Mo., took in $27 million through a Ponzi scheme, prosecutors said. ..."  

Union Boss Charged With Extortion [02/27/10] "A 75-year-old school bus drivers union boss was arrested Thursday and charged with extorting $500,000 from bus company owners. Warren J. Annunziata, a boss in Local 91 of the United Craft and Industrial Workers' Union, is charged with extortion and violating the Taft-Hartley Act ..." 

Rabbi Sentenced Two Years for Tax Fraud [02/25/10] "The head of an Orthodox Jewish group was handed a two-year prison sentence today in Los Angeles for his part in what prosecutors said was a decade-long tax fraud and money laundering scheme. ...The head of an Orthodox Jewish group was handed a two-year prison sentence today in Los Angeles for his part in what prosecutors said was a decade-long tax fraud and money laundering scheme. The 61-year-old rabbi, Naftali Tzi Weisz, pleaded guilty last August to criminal conspiracy charges before U.S. District Judge John F. Walter. "I'm embarrassed beyond words,'' Weisz told the judge. "My remorse is deep and heartfelt.'' Prosecutors said Weisz and other sect members helped donors avoid paying federal income taxes by having them make contributions to charitable groups run by Spinka, a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Orthodox Jewish group led by the rabbi. An assistant, Gabbai Moshe Zigelman, 62, pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy and was also sentenced to a two-year federal prison term. The operation, according to the government, had two goals: to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service and to further an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Although Weisz had faced up to five years in federal prison, Walter imposed the lesser penalty, determining that the rabbi did not undertake the fraud to enrich himself."   

Brooklyn rabbi is charged with $4M hedge fund blackmail scheme [02/20/10] "A Brooklyn rabbi, accused seven years ago of stealing government grants, was busted Thursday for blackmailing a Connecticut hedge fund to give $4 million to two schools he works with, prosecutors said. Rabbi Milton Balkany, 63, was charged with extortion, blackmail and making false statements as part of an elaborate scheme to shake down the hedge fund, prosecutors charged. ..."   

Ex-Moscow police chief gets life sentence [02/20/10] "Former Moscow Police Chief Denis Yevsyukov will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing two people in a 2009 shooting spree, a court said Friday. ..."  

Five Get Jail Time for $13M Mortgage Fraud [02/20/10] "Five Los Angeles-area residents have been sentenced to jail for defrauding struggling homeowners out of $13 million through a bogus refinancing scam, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles announced. ..."  

Kerik Gets 4 Years for Lying to White House [02/19/10] "Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard "Bernie" Kerik, considered a national hero after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, was sentenced to four years in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to eight felony charges, including tax fraud and lying to the White House while being vetted in 2004 for the job of Homeland Security secretary. "I know I must be punished," The Associated Press quoted Kerik as saying before sentencing. "I only ask that you allow me to return to my wife and two little girls as soon as possible." At his plea hearing last November, prosecutors say Kerik admitted to receiving $255,000 worth of renovations to his Riverdale, N.Y., apartment between 1999 and 2000 through Interstate, a New York-area contractor. Officials say Kerik also admitted to not reporting the value of the renovations on his tax returns, and that he lied to White House officials concerning the renovations when he was being considered for the position of Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. "It is a very sad day when the former Commissioner of the greatest police department in the world is sentenced to prison for base criminal conduct," U.S. District Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. The sentence "is one of the most powerful recent reminders that no one in this country is above the law." Kerik, 54, also was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay nearly $188,000 in restitution. ..."   "The fact that Mr. Kerik would use that event (9/11) for personal gain and aggrandizement is a dark place in the soul for me," Judge Robinson said during the trial, The NY Daily News reports. Kerik was accused of secretly accepting more than 250,000 dollars in renovations to his apartment from a construction firm with suspected mafia ties while he was Corrections Department commissioner under former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

NJ Cop Bribed Sex Abuse Victims With Drugs [02/19/10] "A 20-year-veteran of the Newark police force is behind bars for allegedly covering up sexual relationships with minors by supplying them with cocaine and marijuana. ..."   

IL: 6 Year Sentence for Former Police Chief : Chicago Mob Linked Suburb of Melrose Park [02/18/10] "Former Melrose Park Police Chief Vito Scavo was sentenced to six years in prison today for extorting business owners in town to hire his private security firm — a considerable break in sentencing from the maximum 25 years prosecutors had sought. ..."  Note: Just think, some people think only police officers should own guns. You'll want to read the whole article. The sentencing judge sure is a tolerant person!

NY: Accountants Accused of $2M Embezzlement [02/18/10] "An accounting firm embezzled $2 million from the trusts it was supposed to manage by stealing premiums and overcharging for its work, according to a complaint in Westchester County Court. Dr. Mark Bronsky, a dentist, claims Goldstein Financial Management and Goldstein & Derrico overcharged by more than $1.1 million for managing the Mark J. Bronsky Irrevocable Insurance Trust and the Bronsky Family Irrevocable Trust. ..."   

Long Beach Man Admits to $33M Ponzi Scam [02/18/10] "A Long Beach man pleaded guilty to defrauding more than 50 investors out of $33 million in a real estate Ponzi scheme, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Wednesday. ..."  

Drugs: 28 airplanes seized in Venezuela [02/18/10] "The Venezuelan authorities have seized 28 airplanes inside a hangar on the outskirts of El Sombrero, located about 143 miles (230 kilometers) from Caracas. The airplanes were presumably being used by drug runners to transport the merchandise to and from Colombia. Venezuela has been using increasingly sophisticated methods in its fight against drug trafficking since suspending its cooperation with the US Drug Enforcement Agency. In 2009, the Venezuelan authorities confiscated over 60 tonnes of drugs. ..."  

Public Officials Accused of Corruption, Bribery [02/11/10] "Two former San Bernardino County officials accepted bribes of $100,000 each for their help in approving a $102 million fraudulent settlement with a land developer, state Attorney General Edmund Brown Jr. claims in Superior Court, in what he calls "one of the most appalling corruption cases ever seen in California." ..."  

A Year and a Day for Inside Trading [02/10/10] "Former Ernst & Young partner James Gansman was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison on Monday, for giving confidential information on mergers and acquisitions to an investment banker who made $230,000 by trading on it. ..."   

4 Years for Selling Bogus Medical Devices [02/10/10] "A 69-year-old San Diego man was sentenced on Monday to 4 years and 3 months in federal prison for 26 felony counts of selling bogus, unapproved medical devices, even while on pretrial release. James Folsom reaped more than $8 million from the mini-shock gizmos he called "AstroPulse," "NatureTronics" and other names, claiming they could cure everything from AIDS and diabetes to strokes and worms. ..."  

Nice Work if You Can Get It [02/10/10] "Federal prosecutors say the president of Mt. Vernon Money Centers, Robert Egan, defrauded Webster Bank of $12 million by taking the money from the bank's ATM machines. Egan was arrested Monday. ..."  

Ponzi Schemer Won't Quit, Investors Say [02/10/10] "Investors say the self-proclaimed "Chinese Warren Buffett" duped them out of nearly $3 million in a Ponzi scheme - and that he continued to troll for suckers after he was sued by the SEC and by Canada, claiming he needed another $1 million "to 'recoup' investor losses." ..."  

Long Terms for Fraud Out of Tech Bubble [02/10/10] "The former owners of Amerindo Investment Advisors were sentenced Friday to 12 and 5 years in federal prison for fraud. Alberto Vilar got 12 years, Gary Tanaka 5. ..."  

Ex-Intel Executive Admits to Inside Trading [02/10/10] "A former Intel executive pleaded guilty Monday to a two-count information charging him with conspiracy and securities fraud for his role in what federal prosecutors call the largest hedge fund inside trading case in history. ..."   

British Arms Maker Pays Up [02/07/10] "British defense giant BAE has agreed to pay the UK and U.S. governments almost $800 million in penalties after it finally admitted guilt in the face of long-running corruption allegations. The deal allows the company to avoid being placed on an international arms trade blacklist ..."  

NY Politico Gets 6 Years in the Slammer [02/06/10] "Anthony Seminerio, for 31 years an assemblyman from Queens, was sentenced on Thursday to 6 years in federal prison for corruption and ordered to cough up $1 million. Seminerio, 75, declared himself a consultant and took bribes to influence his official acts. In sentencing him, U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald said Seminerio "accepted bribes and engaged in extortion as part of a decade-long scheme to use his office - both literally and figuratively - for personal gain and at the expense of the public trust." ..."  Related:  Jail For N.Y. Lawmaker With “Godfather” Syndrome 

Feds Say Cop Conspired to Rob Dealers [02/05/10] "A New York City Police officer has been arrested and charged with conspiring to rob suspected drug dealers. Miguel Burgos faces federal charges of conspiring to commit armed robberies. ..."  

The Law in North Carolina [02/05/10] "Sheriff's deputies in North Carolina shot a black man in the back in his own home, for no good reason, and then lied about it to state investigators, the man claims in Federal Court. After the coverup, he says, the sheriff was convicted of state and federal crimes and forced from office. ..."   

Mortgage Fraudster Sent Up the River [01/30/10] "Manhattan real estate developer Michael Hershkowitz was sentenced Thursday to 4 years in federal prison for his part in a $27 million Ponzi scheme involving fraudulent loans secured by nonexistent mortgages. Hershkowitz persuaded around 100 victims to loan the money to the Kingsland Group, allegedly to renovate 16 apartment buildings in Upper Manhattan. ..."   

US: F.B.I. Charges Arms Sellers With Foreign Bribes [01/29/10] "On Tuesday, 22 top-level arms industry executives, including a senior sales executive at Smith & Wesson, were arrested in what Justice Department officials called the first undercover sting ever aimed at violations of the federal ban on corporate bribes paid to get foreign business. The individuals are being prosecuted under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.  ..."  

Judge Jails Ponzi Operator for Contempt [01/28/10] "A federal judge on Monday ordered Minneapolis-area resident Trevor G. Cook jailed for refusing to surrender more than $35 million in assets - including a submarine - that he got from a Ponzi scheme. Cook was taken from the courtroom to jail for contempt of court, and Chief Judge Michael Davis ordered him to stay there until he coughs it up. ..."     

EX-pentagon official who spied for China gets 3 years [01/23/10] "A former US Defense Department official has been sentenced to three years in prison on charges of spying for China and lying to investigators. ..."    

U.S. indicts four Israelis in armaments bribery case [01/22/10] "The United States Justice Department indicted 22 businessmen, including four Israelis, on Tuesday in an arms sting. The businessmen are suspected of attempting to bribe a person they thought was the defense minister of an African country in order to secure a multimillion-dollar contract to supply his country with military equipment. ..." 

Scholarship Trustee Had Sticky Fingers [01/22/10] "A trustee swiped hundreds of thousands of dollars from a trust fund for girls who graduate from Ukiah High School and want careers in medicine, California Attorney General Gerry Brown said. Brown's office said it recovered $650,000 from James L. Harrison, formerly a vice president of Savings Bank in Mendocino County. ..."  

School Says Official Embezzled Millions [01/22/10] "A public school district claims its business manager embezzled $3.4 million in six years. Jemez Mountain School District sued Kathy Borrego, the Accounting & Consulting Group, an independent auditor that failed to catch the embezzlement, and three friends to whom Borrego allegedly wrote checks from school district accounts. ..."   

FBI Sting Nets 22 Executives Charged with Paying Bribes Abroad [01/21/10] "When arms companies do this inside the U.S., it’s called lobbying. In other news: Bribes Represent Almost One Quarter of Afghanistan’s GDP. Will the FBI arrest the people responsible for installing the crooked Afghan regime?  Twenty-two executives at military and law-enforcement supply companies have been arrested in a sting operation by federal authorities. ......"   

Administrator made off with $42 million rightfully belonging to members of the Laborers International Union of North American (LIUNA). [01/19/10] " King, 58, a resident of Irvington, N.Y., through her home-based company, King Care LLC, handled all administrative functions for Sandhog benefit funds since 1980, and at an annual official compensation that eventually reached $540,000. That’s pretty lavish even for an international union president. Apparently, it wasn’t lavish enough. Starting in 2002, prosecutors charge, King illegally transferred about $42 million from three union accounts covering pensions, vacation pay and other benefits to accounts she personally controlled. A large portion of it, to put it lightly, was unrelated to union business. Of the alleged thefts, $7.2 million went to pay off American Express bills, more than $3 million to equestrian businesses (apparently she was grooming her daughter for an equestrian career), and $713,500 to a jewelry business. The criminal complaint states she also transferred $500,000 to an E*Trade Securities account without union authorization. ..."   

Web trader in stolen financial data faces jail [01/16/10] "The mastermind of DarkMarket, a website that traded stolen financial details from an internet cafe in Wembley, north-west London, is facing a prison sentence ..."   

Chicago: Schools superintendent charged with stealing $376,000 in public funds from bankrupt agency [01/16/10] "Charles Flowers, the beleaguered suburban regional school superintendent, brazenly used his taxpayer-funded credit cards for personal expenses and doled out cash advances to his sister and girlfriend, whom he placed on his payroll, State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said Thursday. Prosecutors alleged Flowers stole $376,000 in public money from the bankrupt Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education. He was held in custody Thursday after he surrendered to authorities on charges of theft and official misconduct. "Within months of taking office, this man engaged in a bold and brazen scheme to defraud. It is a repulsive example of public corruption," Alvarez said. "In this case, we have an elected official who is supposed to be working for the taxpayers of Cook County, who apparently had the absurd notion that the taxpayers were working for him." ..."    

Not Quite Home Free, Prosecutors Say [01/16/10] "The 26-year-old president of Home Free Realty was arrested Thursday and charged with defrauding customers of $1.5 million in "purported investments" in foreclosed property. Elviston Ramasir, of Manorville, claimed he could flip properties for a 40 percent profit, but stole $1.5 million of his victims' $2 million investment and never bought any property at all, federal prosecutors said. ..."   

Refco Attorney Sentenced to 7 Years [01/16/10] "The former outside attorney for Refco, a financial services firm, was sentenced Thursday to 7 years in prison for his role in the defunct company's $2.4 billion fraud. A federal jury convicted Joseph Collins, 59, of Winnetka, Ill., of conspiracy, wire fraud and securities fraud. ..."  

$1.6 Million Fine for Health Care Fraud [01/16/10] "Five nursing homes accused of gross negligence pleaded guilty to federal felony charges of health care fraud. Texas-based Cathedral Rock, which owned and operated the homes, will pay $1 million in criminal fines and penalties and $628,000 to resolve civil claims of defrauding Missouri Medicare and Medicaid. ..."  

Court Revives Suit Over Abusive Interrogations [01/16/10] "The 9th Circuit has reinstated a lawsuit accusing San Diego detectives of subjecting three teenage boys to hours of "grueling, psychologically abusive" interrogation before prosecuting them for a murder they didn't commit, the 9th Circuit ruled. ..." 

Judge Minces No Words With Assemblyman [01/16/10] ""'What the fuck does it mean [to be an] elected official?' Former New York State Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio's pre-sentence hearing ... provided in-depth insight into Seminerio's answer to his own question: 'It doesn't mean shit.'" So begins U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald's sentencing memorandum for Seminerio, who had represented Queens in the Assembly since 1978. ..."  

Giant Cybercrime Ring Alleged in Texas [01/14/10] "Federal prosecutors say 19 people, mostly North Texans, ran a "massive cybercrime conspiracy" that took $15 million in goods and services from a slew of people and businesses, including AT&T and Verizon, Wells Fargo Bank, credit reporting agencies, power companies, insurance companies, air-conditioning companies and Web site developers. ..."