Category: Fraud
Hiam Hmaidan, Unemployment Insurance Fraud, Illinois 2026
Hiam Hmaidan, a Chicago tax preparer, has been convicted of a brazen unemployment insurance fraud scheme that left a trail of devastation in its wake. The 48-year-old’s scheme, which spanned from May 2020 to December 2022, saw her and her co-conspirators submit nearly 700 fraudulent claims to a COVID-19 assistance program. The result? A staggering…
Tiffany Williams, Covid Tax Credit Scheme, New York 2026
Brooklyn Woman Lands 36 Months Behind Bars for $600M Covid Tax Scam In a brazen scheme that left taxpayers footing the bill, Tiffany Williams, a 43-year-old Brooklyn tax preparer, has been sentenced to 36 months in prison for her role in a massive Covid tax credit scam. The scheme, which spanned from November 2021 to…
Pablo Renato Rodriguez, Pyramid Scheme, New York 2023
In a brazen scam that left thousands of victims in the dust, AirBit Club’s co-founder Pablo Renato Rodriguez and his cohorts peddled a fake virtual currency mining and trading scheme to unsuspecting investors. The pyramid scheme, which began in late 2015, promised guaranteed daily returns on virtual currency investments, but in reality, no such mining…
Danny Seibel, Bank Fraud, Oklahoma 2026
LINDSAY, OK – In a shocking turn of events, Danny Seibel, the former president and CEO of the now-defunct First National Bank of Lindsay (FNBL), pleaded guilty to bank fraud charges yesterday. The 55-year-old Lindsay resident was an executive at the bank from February 2007 until his termination in September 2024. According to court documents,…
Thet Min Nyi, Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud, California 2026
San Diego’s streets are about to get a whole lot grimier, as at least 276 scammers have been taken down in a massive international crackdown on cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes. The operation, led by the Dubai Police, has left a trail of destruction in its wake, with millions of dollars in losses suffered by unsuspecting…
Rajesh Pankaj Budhabhatti, Bribery of a Public Official, Hawaii 2026
BODY:A multimillion-dollar scheme to bribe a public official in Hawaii has landed three men behind bars. Rajesh Pankaj Budhabhatti, 65, of Morro Bay, California, was sentenced to 90 months in prison, while Gary Charles Zamber, 56, of Keaau, Hawaii, received 70 months. Paul Joseph Sulla, 79, of Hilo, Hawaii, was sentenced to 60 months in…
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…
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…
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…
