Tag: December 2016
Tracy Man Indicted in $250K H-1B Visa Fraud Scheme
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Abhijit Prasad, 49, of Tracy, is facing a federal indictment on 31 counts of H-1B visa fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft, marking one of the most extensive visa abuse cases uncovered in Northern California in recent years. The charges, handed down Thursday by a federal grand jury, expose a…
Sacramento Man Faces Child Porn Charges
GRIMY TIMES EXCLUSIVE: Mark Corum, 60, of Sacramento, California, faced arraignment on charges of distributing child pornography. The grim allegations surfaced after Corum is accused of transmitting explicit images of prepubescent children to another person over the internet. Court documents reveal the shocking incident occurred on June 23, 2016. The Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children…
Gearhart, McKown Indicted in $10M Indiana Securities Fraud
Richard E. Gearhart, 66, of Lowell, Indiana, and George R. McKown, 65, of Indianapolis, Indiana, have been indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, securities fraud, and wire fraud in a scam that allegedly siphoned millions from retirees’ life savings. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the duo operated through a company…
Richard Shusterman Gets 18 Years in $242M Hospital Debt Scam
Baltimore, Maryland — Richard Shusterman, 53, of Highland Beach, Florida, was sentenced today to 18 years in federal prison for masterminding a $242 million wire fraud conspiracy that preyed on investors seeking returns from portfolios of hospital patient debt. U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar handed down the sentence, calling Shusterman the ringleader of a…
Rome Man Pleads Guilty to Felon Ammo Possession
Alfred Laquan Thomas, 31, of Rome, New York, stood before a federal judge today and admitted he was caught with live ammunition just minutes after a violent shooting — a move that slammed him back into the crosshairs of the law. Thomas pleaded guilty to possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, a charge stemming…
Brandy C. Anderson Gets 100 Months for Heroin, Gun Charges
Brandy C. Anderson, 33, of East St. Louis, Illinois, is headed to federal prison for 100 months after being sentenced on heroin and firearms charges. The conviction marks the end of a federal case tied to a November 2015 arrest that exposed a dangerous mix of narcotics and illegal weapons on the city’s streets. Anderson…
Demea Loyd Sentenced in $358K Sears Fraud
Demea Loyd of Salem, Missouri, is going to prison after ripping off Sears for more than $358,000 in a calculated wire fraud scheme that spanned nearly two years. The 45-year-old store owner was sentenced to three months behind bars followed by six months of home confinement after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud…
Indialantic Bandit Convicted of Armed Bank Heist and Felonious Firearm Posession
Orlando, FL – The grim tale of a brazen bank heist has reached its conclusion as Skyler Christian Awad (27), a resident of Indialantic, was found guilty by a federal jury in an Orlando courtroom. Accused of armed robbery, carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, attempted robbery affecting interstate…
Brewer, Vinch, Dixon Indicted in Calif. Bid-Rigging Scheme
Sacramento, CA — A federal indictment unsealed today hammers three individuals with a calculated bid-rigging conspiracy aimed at defrauding California’s public contracting system. John Brewer, 47, of San Francisco; Brent Vinch, 47, of Manorville, New York; and Loraine Dixon, 55, of Granite Bay, are accused of manipulating the state’s competitive bidding process to line their…
William Cafarella Indicted in $395K West County Honda Fraud
William Cafarella, former general manager of West County Honda in Ellisville, Missouri, has been indicted on federal charges for orchestrating a multi-year fraud scheme that netted him over $395,000 in illicit bonuses while inflicting more than $1.8 million in losses on the dealership. The 12-count indictment, returned December 1 by a federal grand jury in…
