Tag: DOJ
John Bains, COVID-19 Testing Fraud, Texas 2026
⏱ 2 min read A Dallas laboratory, Magnolia Diagnostics, and its owners, John Bains and Kelly Bains, have agreed to pay $19.2 million to resolve allegations of COVID-19 testing fraud. The laboratory allegedly billed Medicare for medically unnecessary respiratory pathogen panel testing performed on seniors receiving COVID-19 tests in Dallas, Texas. The scam exploited vulnerable…
Brandon Piper, Drug Trafficking, Michigan 2026
⏱ 2 min read Brandon Piper, a 35-year-old from Gobles, Michigan, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for his role in a scheme to import and sell unapproved, misbranded prescription drugs from China. The drugs, including peptides like semaglutide and tirzepatide, were sold to customers in the US through a Canadian website and later…
Marcos Chavez-Nieto, Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain, California 2023
⏱ 2 min read This week, a staggering 122 border-related cases were filed by federal prosecutors in Southern California, exposing a rampant surge in illicit activities along the US-Mexico border. The crimes, which include bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the US after deportation, and importation of controlled substances, have been committed by various…
Daniel Thomas Coldewey, Fentanyl Distribution, Iowa 2026
⏱ 2 min read Daniel Thomas Coldewey, a 33-year-old from Council Bluffs, Iowa, has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for distributing counterfeit pills containing fentanyl in the Council Bluffs area for nearly five years. The crimes took place between 2020 and 2025, with a notable incident occurring on April 14, 2025, when…
Gladys Ibanez-Olea, Human Trafficking, Illinois 2026
⏱ 2 min read Gladys Ibanez-Olea, a 37-year-old member of the Juarez Cartel, has been sentenced to 9 years in prison for her role in a human trafficking scheme that brought victims from Mexico to the Chicagoland area. From September 2022 to February 2024, Ibanez-Olea recruited victims in Mexico, smuggled them into the United States,…
Elaine Escoe, COVID-19 Relief Fraud, Florida 2025
⏱ 2 min read Elaine Escoe, 41, is accused of masterminding a massive $32 million COVID-19 relief fraud scheme in South Florida. The alleged scam involved conspiring to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and other crimes to steal federal funds meant for struggling businesses during the pandemic. Escoe was charged by indictment in 2025, but…
Darius Paduch, Sex Abuse, New York 2023
⏱ 3 min read Weill Cornell Medicine in New York has resolved a criminal investigation into its handling of sex abuse allegations against Dr. Darius Paduch, who is now serving a life sentence. The investigation found that the hospital’s policies and programs were inadequate to detect, prevent, and respond to the sexual abuse of patients.…
Andrey Shevlyakov, Exporting Sensitive Electronics, New York 2025
⏱ 2 min read Andrey Shevlyakov, an Estonian national, pleaded guilty in Brooklyn federal court to exporting sensitive electronics to the Russian military, undermining US national security. The crime occurred over nearly a decade, with Shevlyakov operating a foreign procurement network that supplied sophisticated US technology to hostile Russian military actors. The guilty plea was…
Steven R. Harper, Child Pornography Possession, Nebraska 2026
⏱ 2 min read A federal grand jury in Nebraska has indicted 21 defendants, including Steven R. Harper, Scott Wellensiek, and Jose Alfredo Sandoval-Huitzil, for various crimes in Omaha. The charges include possession of child pornography, methamphetamine possession with intent to distribute, and failure to register as a sex offender. The alleged crimes occurred between…
Jay Lucas, Securities Fraud, New York 2017
⏱ 2 min read Jay Lucas, the founder of Manhattan-based private equity firm Lucas Brand Equity, has pleaded guilty to running a massive Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of over $50 million. The scheme, which began in 2017, involved Lucas convincing investors to put their money into his firm, promising to invest it in emerging…
