Tag: Pennsylvania
US Postal Service Employee Swiped $6,581 in Bank Fraud
⏱ 2 min read A brazen bank heist unfolded in the mailroom of the US Postal Service in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Nicholas Pecko, 33, allegedly swiped two checks worth $6,581.59, meant for delivery to their rightful recipients. Pecko, a US Postal Service employee, is accused of altering the checks to make it look like he was…
Vet Milked the Military: $1M Fraud
⏱ 3 min read Donald Smith, 75, of Pittsburgh, isn’t a hero. A federal jury just slapped him with 13 counts of fraud and tax crimes for ripping off the U.S. military. The five-day trial revealed Smith ran a scheme to swindle the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) out of more than a million bucks, delivering…
Credit Union Thief Gets 8 Months
⏱ 3 min read Nicole Hilstolsky, 48, of Swoyersville, Pennsylvania, is headed to federal prison after admitting she cooked up a fake robbery to cover her tracks. Hilstolsky was sentenced today to eight months behind bars for pilfering $16,247 from the WOD Federal Credit Union back on October 15, 2018. The now-defunct credit union was…
Loan Shark Lands 5.5 Years in Federal Lockup
⏱ 3 min read Frank Hamilton, 55, of Simi Valley, California, is headed to federal prison for 5 and a half years after admitting he helped a network of crooks fleece banks and the Small Business Administration out of $6.09 million. Judge Wendy Beetlestone handed down the 66-month sentence in Philadelphia yesterday, along with two…
New Castle Dealer Gets 6+ Years
⏱ 3 min read Jauan Searcy, 44, of New Castle, Pennsylvania, is headed to federal prison for over six and a half years. The conviction comes after he pleaded guilty to pushing fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in the New Castle area between August 2023 and August 2024, and for being a convicted felon caught with…
PA Firm Bilks Medicare Out of $200K
PHILADELPHIA – Bucks County’s Segal Arts, LLC, and owner Irina Segal avoided criminal charges, but will repay $200,000 to Medicare after a federal investigation revealed a scheme to inflate bills. The company allegedly billed the program for one-on-one occupational therapy that never happened, instead offering group art sessions at nursing homes in Pennsylvania and New…
Philly Carjacking Crew Faces Justice in Marine’s Death
PHILADELPHIA – A five-man carjacking ring operating in Philadelphia has been brought down after a federal jury delivered guilty verdicts on charges ranging from murder to armed robbery. The crew wasn’t just stealing rides; prosecutors proved the stolen vehicles were shipped overseas, fueling a lucrative international resale operation. Mikal McCracken, 24, the alleged ringleader known…
Philly Guard Admits to Inmate Beatings
PHILADELPHIA – Former Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility guard Christopher Knight, 47, confessed in federal court today to a string of brutal assaults on inmates. Knight pleaded guilty to five counts of civil rights violations and two counts of falsifying records, admitting he repeatedly pepper-sprayed helpless prisoners and then lied about it in official reports. The indictment…
Philly Carjacking Crew Faces Life Behind Bars
Philadelphia streets ran red with fear for over two years as a ruthless crew of carjackers terrorized drivers, leaving a trail of shattered glass, bullet holes, and one dead Marine in their wake. Now, five members of that crew are staring down the barrel of life sentences after a federal jury delivered guilty verdicts on…
Bronx Dealer Gets 4 Years for 8 Kilo Coke Run
⏱ 2 min read PITTSBURGH, PA – A Bronx man is headed back to prison after a bust that landed eight kilograms of cocaine in Pennsylvania. Jose Baez Cabrera, 35, got 46 months in federal court today, courtesy of U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon. On top of the prison time, he’s facing another three years…
