Tag: scranton
Jimmy Bell, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Pennsylvania 2026
⏱ 2 min read A ruthless Scranton, PA kingpin got 20 years in the slammer for cooking up a massive meth and weed operation, with guns blazing. Jimmy Bell, 33, was sentenced to 240 months in prison by Judge Karoline Mehalchick on May 13, 2026, after a guilty plea. According to the feds, Bell masterminded…
Tiago Bettencourt, Possession of a Deadly Weapon, Pennsylvania 2026
⏱ 2 min read Tiago Bettencourt, a 22-year-old inmate at FCI Schuylkill, was caught with a deadly prison-made weapon on February 27, 2026. The incident occurred at the federal correctional institution in Pennsylvania, where Bettencourt was already serving time. According to the indictment, Bettencourt possessed a 9-inch sharpened piece of plexi-glass with a cloth handle,…
Karen McGinnis, Tax Evasion, PA, 2023
⏱ 2 min read Karen McGinnis, 46, of Mountain Top, Pennsylvania, is heading to federal prison after a two-year scheme to skim over $400,000 from the taxpayers of Fairview Township. U.S. District Judge Karoline Mehalchick slapped her with a 20-month sentence yesterday, a small price to pay for betraying the public trust. From March 2023…
Nicole Hilstolsky, Attempted Armed Robbery, Pennsylvania 2018
⏱ 2 min read Nicole Hilstolsky, 48, of Swoyersville, PA, walked into federal court in Scranton today and got 8 months in prison for a pathetic scheme. Back on October 15, 2018, she didn’t just steal $16,247 from the now-defunct WOD Federal Credit Union – she tried to pin it on masked gunmen. The attempt…
Nicole Hilstolsky, Embezzlement, Pennsylvania 2018
⏱ 2 min read Nicole Hilstolsky, 48, of Swoyersville, Pennsylvania, is trading her street clothes for an orange jumpsuit after a federal judge sentenced her to eight months in prison for a brazen scheme at the now-defunct WOD Federal Credit Union. Back on October 15, 2018, Hilstolsky didn’t wait for a robbery – she orchestrated…
Karen McGinnis, Embezzlement, Pennsylvania 2023
⏱ 2 min read Karen McGinnis, 46, of Mountain Top, Pennsylvania, is trading her office for a federal cell after admitting she siphoned over $400,000 from the taxpayers of Fairview Township. The former tax collector used her position to write checks to herself from collected property taxes between March 2023 and January 2025. The scheme…
Nicole Hilstolsky, Embezzlement, Pennsylvania 2018
⏱ 2 min read Nicole Hilstolsky, 48, of Swoyersville, Pennsylvania, is headed to federal prison for eight months. She didn’t need a gun or a mask, just a lie. Back on October 15, 2018, Hilstolsky, then an employee of the now-defunct WOD Federal Credit Union, lifted $16,247 from the teller and safe, then dialed 911…
Nicole Hilstolsky, Armed Robbery, Pennsylvania 2018
⏱ 2 min read Nicole Hilstolsky, 48, of Swoyersville, Pennsylvania, is heading to federal prison for eight months. She didn’t pull off a daring heist—she faked one. On October 15, 2018, Hilstolsky, then an employee of the now-defunct WOD Federal Credit Union, grabbed $16,247 from the teller and safe, then called 911 reporting an armed…
