Tag: financial crimes
Milwaukee Mom Swindled Medicaid for $2.3M
⏱ 3 min read Milwaukee mom Markita Barnes, 33, is starting a decade-plus stretch in federal prison after a jury convicted her of systematically looting Wisconsin’s Medicaid program. Barnes ran a prenatal care coordination company in Milwaukee and siphoned off a staggering $2,361,799.17 meant to help at-risk pregnant women and mothers with young children. The…
WV Barber Board Staffer Skimmed Fees
⏱ 3 min read Gauley Bridge, WV – Crystal Renee Severson, 45, admitted in federal court she was quietly robbing the West Virginia Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists. For nearly two years, from August 2019 through January 2022, Severson, an administrative assistant, siphoned off over $1,855 in application fees, lining her own pockets. It wasn’t…
Wheeling Doc Gets 41 Months for $2.5M Tax Rip-Off
⏱ 3 min read Nitesh Ratnakar, 50, a gastroenterologist and medical equipment manufacturer from Elkins, West Virginia, is trading his stethoscope for stripes. Ratnakar was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison today in Clarksburg after admitting to cheating the IRS out of $2.5 million between 2020 and 2022. He ran a scheme where he…
WV Grave Robber Ripped Off Grieving Families
⏱ 3 min read Jeffrey Phares, 65, of Fayetteville, West Virginia, is a cold-hearted thief who preyed on families at their most vulnerable. The cemetery owner pleaded guilty to a massive fraud scheme where he pocketed cash from grieving relatives for grave markers, then failed to deliver. The scam unfolded across four cemeteries in North…
Wheeling CEO Nabbed in $300K COVID Scam
⏱ 2 min read Bradley Temple, 48, the former CEO of a Wheeling, Alabama business, copped a plea this week to a felony charge for ripping off nearly $300,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. The feds say Temple wasn’t using the cash to keep his business afloat, but lining his own pockets. The scheme unfolded sometime…
WV Biz Owner Pilfered $300K in COVID Funds
⏱ 2 min read Bradley Temple, 48, a former Wheeling, West Virginia business owner, just confessed to treating nearly $300,000 in COVID-19 relief funds like a personal piggy bank. He pled guilty today in federal court to unlawful money transactions, admitting he didn’t use a cent of the money for its intended purpose. The scheme…
San Antonio Advisor Ran $2.5M Scam
⏱ 3 min read San Antonio financial advisor Brooklynn Chandler Willy, 46, admitted in federal court Thursday to running a classic Ponzi scheme that ripped off investors for at least $2.5 million. Willy, operating Texas Financial Advisory (TFA) and Chandler Capital Holdings, wasn’t building fortunes—she was building a house of cards with other people’s money,…
WV Trucker Fleeced COVID Funds
⏱ 2 min read Bradley Temple, 48, a former Wheeling, West Virginia trucking boss now living in Florida, just confessed to ripping off $277,456 in COVID-19 relief cash. Temple, who ran Righteous Brother’s Trucking, lied on applications for both Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds. The scheme unfolded during 2020-2021,…
San Antonio Advisor Ran $3M Scam
⏱ 2 min read San Antonio financial advisor Brooklynn Chandler Willy, 46, admitted in federal court Thursday to running a brazen Ponzi scheme that bilked investors out of at least $3 million. For years, Willy operated Queen B Advisors LLC, also known as Texas Financial Advisory (TFA), and Chandler Capital Holdings, promising wealth management while…
AL Advisor Bilked Victims in $3M Ponzi
⏱ 2 min read Brooklynn Chandler Willy, 36, confessed in a San Antonio federal courtroom today to masterminding a $3 million Ponzi scheme that bled investors dry. The Alabama-based financial advisor didn’t invest a dime of their money – she spent it on herself. The scheme, a classic bait-and-switch, used funds from new investors to…
