The Grime
Masoud Barzani, $30M Military Bribery, Beverly Hills Mansion Forfeiture, California 2022
BODY:A luxurious Beverly Hills mansion worth millions is on the chopping block after a scheme to defraud the U.S. military and bribe an Iraqi official unraveled. Masoud Barzani, a contractor at the center of the scandal, allegedly used $30 million in ill-gotten gains to purchase the lavish property in 2018. The funds were transferred from…
Alexis Armando Hernandez, MS-13 Racketeering Conspiracy, Maryland 2026
In a grim reminder of the brutal reach of MS-13, eight members of the notorious gang have been sentenced to decades in prison for their roles in a racketeering conspiracy that left multiple victims dead, including some as young as 14. The defendants, all of whom are illegal aliens, were found guilty of participating in…
Angleo Martino, Ransomware Conspiracy, Florida 2026
Florida Man Betrayed His Own Clients to Fuel Ransomware Empire In a shocking turn of events, 41-year-old Angleo Martino of Land O’Lakes, Florida, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to deploy ransomware and extort U.S. victims. Martino’s betrayal of trust was particularly egregious, as he worked as a ransomware negotiator for a U.S.-based cyber incident response…
Adam Schlueter, Child Sex Abuse and Assault, Georgia 2026
In a disturbing case of abuse, Adam Schlueter, a 37-year-old former U.S. Army member, has been convicted of physically and sexually assaulting two minors while serving abroad in Germany. The heinous crimes took place between 2009 and 2013, when Schlueter was stationed in Grafenwöhr, Germany. According to court documents, Schlueter physically, emotionally, and sexually abused…
Hussein Jamil Suarez, Prostitution Ring Operation, U.S. Virgin Islands 2026
BODY:A federal investigation in the U.S. Virgin Islands has brought down a notorious prostitution ring operating out of a St. Thomas strip club. Hussein Jamil Suarez, 56, also known as Tony, has been charged alongside two accomplices, Magda Castro Santos, 39, also known as Tatiana, and Julio Hidaldo De Pena, 65, for their alleged roles…
Dustin Stover Bowles, Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor, West Virginia 2006
BODY: A federal jury in the Southern District of West Virginia has convicted Dustin Stover Bowles of a heinous crime that shook the lives of multiple young victims. Between September 2006 and December 2006, Bowles, a former US Army soldier stationed in Hanau, Germany, subjected a minor under the age of 12 to aggravated sexual…
Darius Moore, Fentanyl Trafficking, Tennessee 2026
Memphis, TN – In a blow to the city’s notorious Young Mob street gang, Darius Moore, 39, was sentenced to 210 months in prison for his role in a massive fentanyl trafficking operation. Moore’s conviction comes on the heels of a trial that saw him and two co-defendants, Mervin Anderson and Mario Gardner, found guilty…
Hyung Ki Kim, Visa Fraud and Tax Evasion, New Jersey 2026
BODY:A New Jersey man has pleaded guilty to a 13-year scheme that brought foreign nationals to the US through fraudulently obtained visas. Hyung Ki Kim, 60, of New Jersey, was the Director of the International Leadership Training Program (ILTP), an organization he claimed was a leadership training and character development program. However, court documents reveal…
Jordan Gilmore, RICO Conspiracy for Drug Trafficking and Over $500,000 in Fraud, Michigan 2026
Detroit, Michigan – In a move that’s sure to send shockwaves through the city’s streets, 27-year-old Jordan Gilmore, a self-proclaimed founder of the notorious Purple Heart Vets (PHV) gang, pleaded guilty to a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Conspiracy charge on April 16, 2026. According to court documents, Gilmore and his crew used a…
Jorge Antonio Escobar, Child Sexual Abuse Material Receipt, Virginia 2026
In a dark corner of the internet, a predator lurked, preying on the innocence of children. Jorge Antonio Escobar, a 50-year-old Colombian national, was sentenced to eight years in prison and 15 years of supervised release for his heinous crime. The sentence was handed down on April 16, 2026, in a Virginia court. According to…
Fernando Brown, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Georgia 2026
Columbus, GA – In a major blow to the city’s underworld, Fernando Brown, also known as “Nino,” was convicted of distributing massive quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana while armed. The 33-year-old repeat offender was found guilty by a federal jury after a four-day trial, which marked the 30th conviction or guilty plea in the…
Amiir Mawlid Ali, Machine Gun Possession, Minnesota 2024
BODY:A Minneapolis man’s reckless disregard for the law has landed him in hot water. Amiir Mawlid Ali, 19, was convicted by a federal jury in the District of Minnesota for possessing a machine gun created by attaching an illegal machine gun conversion device to a semi-automatic firearm. According to court documents, Ali was arrested during…
Akinade Adedeji Raheem, Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud, Georgia 2026
A Georgia man and a Nigerian national have been charged in a massive tax refund scheme that bilked the IRS out of over $100 million. Akinade Adedeji Raheem, 43, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Abayomi Quadri Eletu, 42, of the United Kingdom and Nigeria, were indicted in the Northern District of Georgia and the Western District…
Iris Villafranca, Off-the-Books Payroll Scheme, California 2026
BODY:In a shocking case of tax evasion and exploitation, two Honduran nationals have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a years-long off-the-books payroll scheme that caused a staggering loss of over $38 million to the United States. Iris Villafranca and Osman Donaldo Zapata, both Honduran nationals, were handed down prison sentences of 204…
Christian “Chris” Cruz, $11.4M Health Care Fraud, Florida 2026
BODY:A ruthless scam artist has been brought to justice, but not before raking in a staggering $11.4 million from unsuspecting Medicare beneficiaries. Christian “Chris” Cruz, a 45-year-old nursing assistant from Pompano Beach, Florida, was sentenced to nine years in prison and two years of supervised release for his role in a massive health care fraud…
Ruja Ignatova, Karl Sebastian Greenwood, OneCoin Cryptocurrency Fraud, New York 2024
The dark web of cryptocurrency scams has claimed another victim – this time, the unsuspecting investors of OneCoin Ltd. The Department of Justice has announced the beginning of the remission compensation process to provide recovery for victims of the international investment scheme involving OneCoin Ltd. Between 2014 and 2019, co-founders Ruja Ignatova and Karl Sebastian…
Saiful Islam, Alien Smuggling, Texas 2024
Laredo, Texas – In a major blow to human smugglers, Bangladeshi national Saiful Islam, 39, made his initial appearance in Laredo, Texas, yesterday after being extradited from Brazil. Islam is facing serious charges related to his role in a wide-ranging human smuggling operation. According to court documents, Islam participated in a complex conspiracy that smuggled…
Michael Lee, Medicaid Reimbursement Fraud, California 2026
A California man’s scheme to rip off the state’s Medicaid program has finally come to an end. Michael Lee, 42, pleaded guilty to orchestrating a massive $270 million medication reimbursement fraud scheme that left taxpayers footing the bill for unnecessary and unprovided prescription drugs. The scheme, which ran for 11 months, saw Lee and his…
Candies Goode-McCoy, COVID-19 Tax Credit Scheme, Nevada 2026
Las Vegas, NV – In a shocking display of greed, Candies Goode-McCoy, a 40-year-old business owner, was sentenced to 54 months in prison and three years of supervised release for her role in a massive COVID-19 tax credit scheme. The scheme, which lasted from June 2022 to September 2023, saw Goode-McCoy and her co-conspirators file…
AP of South Florida, LLC, Affordable Care Act Enrollment Fraud, Florida 2023
A South Florida-based insurance brokerage company has pleaded guilty to its role in a massive Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment fraud scheme. AP of South Florida, LLC (APSF) targeted thousands of vulnerable consumers, including those experiencing homelessness, unemployment, and mental health issues, and induced them to enroll in fully subsidized ACA plans with cash and…
