Tag: New York
Catoria Noel, Darren Stephenson, and Imani-Kai Brown, Identity Theft, New York 2022
⏱ 2 min read A brazen identity theft ring, including a former bank employee, has been busted for stealing over $1.6 million from dozens of victims in New York. Catoria Noel, Darren Stephenson, and Imani-Kai Brown were arrested and charged with conspiring to fraudulently take over bank accounts and initiate unauthorized wire transfers and ATM…
Nydira Adams, Student Loan Forgiveness Fraud, New York 2026
⏱ 2 min read Nydira Adams, a Florida woman, was sentenced to 2 years in prison for orchestrating a multimillion-dollar federal student aid loan forgiveness fraud scheme in New York. Adams charged federal student loan borrowers to submit documents containing misrepresentations and false statements to the US Department of Education, seeking to cause the Department…
Basil Lazore, Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Controlled Substances, New York 2026
⏱ 2 min read Three individuals, Basil Lazore, 47, Michael Arquette, 38, and Patricia Ransom, 81, all dual Canadian-American citizens from Akwesasne, were arrested on July 30, 2026, for their alleged roles in a major international drug-smuggling operation along the northern border. The arrests were made in both the United States and Canada, as part…
Mohammad Yousef Hasna, Conspiring to Provide Material Support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, New York 2023
⏱ 2 min read Mohammad Yousef Hasna, a Turkish resident and global director of a sham charity, was arrested in the UK for conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, a US-designated foreign terrorist organization. Hasna allegedly used his position to coordinate with Hamas’s senior leadership to deliver funds and supplies to Gaza. The arrest…
Zvonko Klapan, Social Security Benefits Theft, New York 2016
⏱ 2 min read Zvonko Klapan, a 68-year-old man from Liverpool, NY, has been indicted for a decade-long scheme to defraud the Social Security Administration. Between August 2016 and April 2026, Klapan allegedly stole over $142,400 in Social Security benefits intended for his deceased mother-in-law. The scheme began when Klapan’s mother-in-law passed away in 2016,…
Omari Scott, Sex Trafficking and Murder, New York 2025
⏱ 2 min read Omari Scott, a Brooklyn man, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for sex trafficking and murder in the course of sex trafficking. Scott, also known as ‘Prince’ and ‘Sir Prince’, exploited women at an open-air sex market in Brooklyn known as the ‘Penn Track’. He orchestrated the murder of a…
Matthew Melton, Securities Fraud, New York 2026
⏱ 2 min read Matthew Melton, a convicted fraudster, ran a Ponzi scheme in New York, promising investors guaranteed returns of up to 12% per month through his ‘Price Physics’ investment vehicle. However, instead of investing the funds as promised, Melton used the money to pay his personal expenses, including mortgage payments and sailing excursions,…
Lori Zeno and Rashad Ruhani, Embezzlement, New York 2023
⏱ 2 min read Lori Zeno, the former executive director of Queens Defenders, a non-profit legal services organization, and Rashad Ruhani, a former employee, were sentenced to prison for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the organization in Queens, New York. The scheme, which took place over an unspecified period, resulted in the theft…
Lomere Holliman, Gun Trafficking, New York 2025
⏱ 2 min read Lomere Holliman, a 23-year-old from Syracuse, New York, was involved in a string of crimes that included selling firearms, ammunition, and fentanyl in Syracuse from March to September 2025. He used his gun sales to fuel his drug trafficking business, putting the community at risk. Holliman was sentenced on July 8,…
Edward Gene Smith, Rape and Child Pornography, New York 2015
⏱ 3 min read Edward Gene Smith, a former senior bank executive, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for a string of heinous crimes, including drugging and raping women, and possessing child pornography. The crimes took place in New York, where Smith used his wealth and status to hide his predatory behavior. Between…
