Tag: Burlington
Van Jackson, Wire Fraud and Money Laundering, Vermont 2026
⏱ 2 min read A ruthless scam artist from New York swindled a Vermont medical practice out of at least $400,000, federal prosecutors say. Van Jackson, 38, of Queensbury, New York, allegedly wired $68,000 into his personal bank account and used it to pay off a settlement with a medical practice in New York, where…
Jason Lee Ringold, Methamphetamine Conspiracy, Iowa 2024
⏱ 2 min read A ruthless meth kingpin has been brought to justice in Burlington, Iowa. Jason Lee Ringold, 47, sold over 600 grams of meth in the Burlington area between April and June 2024, flaunting a gun and threatening customers. Ringold’s reign of terror was short-lived, as federal authorities launched an investigation into his…
Jose Ignacio De La Cruz De La Rosa, Alien Smuggling, Vermont 2026
⏱ 2 min read Jose Ignacio De La Cruz De La Rosa, a 30-year-old Burlington, Vermont resident, was arrested on February 19, 2026, for his alleged role in a multi-year conspiracy to smuggle aliens into the United States and produce fraudulent identity documents. De La Cruz De La Rosa, also known as ‘Nacho,’ is accused…
Stephen James Lemelin, Obscene Material Transfer to a Minor, Massachusetts 2026
⏱ 2 min read A former high school wrestling coach in Burlington, Massachusetts, was sentenced for sending sexually explicit messages and obscene material to an undercover agent posing as a 14-year-old girl on Kik Messenger. Stephen James Lemelin, 51, was sentenced on March 26, 2026, after being convicted of three counts of attempted transfer of…
Richard J. Vardenski, Convenience Store Robbery, Massachusetts 2024
⏱ 2 min read Richard J. Vardenski, a 57-year-old man from Charlestown, Massachusetts, walked into a convenience store in Burlington’s Old North End on August 25, 2024, and robbed it at gunpoint. The ‘gun’ was later revealed to be a BB-gun. Vardenski made off with approximately $500 in cash and a pack of cigarettes. He…
JimmY Ylimaki, Telemarketing Fraud, Vermont 2026
⏱ 2 min read JimmY Ylimaki, a 36-year-old Canadian man, has been detained in Vermont for his role in a grandparent scam, a telemarketing fraud scheme that targets elderly individuals. On March 24, 2026, Ylimaki made his initial appearance in the United States District Court for the District of Vermont, where he pleaded not guilty…
Tracey Hernandez, Tax Refund Scheme, North Carolina 2022
⏱ 3 min read Tracey Hernandez, 39, of Burlington, North Carolina, is headed to federal prison for 25 months after pleading guilty to cooking up a million-dollar tax refund scheme. The feds say Hernandez filed over 200 bogus tax returns for clients in 2021 and 2022, raking in fraudulent refunds. The sentencing came down this…
Tracey Hernandez, Tax Fraud, North Carolina 2021
⏱ 3 min read Tracey Hernandez, 39, of Burlington, North Carolina, is trading her tax prep software for a federal prison jumpsuit. The IRS-CI busted Hernandez for a brazen $2.1 million tax fraud, and a judge handed down a 25-month sentence today. She ran the scheme in 2021 and 2022, filing hundreds of bogus tax…
