Tag: west virginia
WV Doc Bilks IRS for $2.5M
⏱ 3 min read Wheeling gastroenterologist Nitesh Ratnakar, 50, learned a hard lesson in Elkins federal court today – nearly $2.5 million in unpaid payroll taxes will get you 41 months in prison. Ratnakar, who also owns a medical equipment manufacturer, systematically stiffed the IRS, pilfering funds he’d already withheld from his employees’ paychecks. From…
WV Licensing Official Skimmed Fees From Aspiring Nail Techs
GAULEY BRIDGE, WV – A West Virginia licensing official used her position to line her pockets, stealing from individuals simply trying to earn an honest living. Crystal Renee Severson, 45, pleaded guilty today to federal fraud charges stemming from a five-year scheme to pilfer fees paid by applicants seeking nail technician licenses. The case, a…
WV Doc Bilks IRS Out of $2.5M, Gets 41 Months
Wheeling gastroenterologist Nitesh Ratnakar, 50, will spend the next 41 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to a brazen tax fraud scheme that ripped off the IRS for $2.5 million. The case, prosecuted in the Northern District of West Virginia, reveals a calculated effort to steal money directly from his employees and then further…
WV Drug Ring’s Sinaloa Link Unravels with Key Plea
MARTINSBURG, WV – The stench of fentanyl and desperation hangs heavier over the Eastern Panhandle after a major drug trafficking operation, with deep roots in the Sinaloa Cartel, began to crumble this week. David Reyes, 61, of Hagerstown, Maryland, traded a guilty plea to federal prosecutors, becoming the latest domino to fall in a case…
Wheeling Truck Boss Cashes in on COVID Chaos
⏱ 2 min read Bradley Temple, 48, the ex-head of Righteous Brother’s Trucking, just confessed to ripping off nearly $300,000 in COVID-19 relief money. The Wheeling, WV native, now living the high life in Delray Beach, Florida, admitted to falsifying documents to snag funds from both the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury…
Grave Robbery: WV Cemetery Owner Admits Fraud
⏱ 2 min read RELATED: NOLA Man Packed Heat & Poison: Fed Indictment WHEELING, WV – Jeffrey Phares, 65, wasn’t laying loved ones to rest. He was robbing the grieving. The Fayetteville man, who ran four cemeteries across North Central West Virginia – Greenlawn Memorial Park (New Martinsville), Elkins Memorial Gardens, Greenlawn Memorial Cemetery (Clarksburg),…
Wheeling Trucker Pilfered $300K in COVID Relief
⏱ 2 min read Bradley Temple, the former head of Righteous Brother’s Trucking, wasn’t hauling freight – he was hauling federal cash. The Florida man is facing a decade in prison after federal investigators discovered he raked in as much as $300,000 in COVID-19 relief money he wasn’t entitled to. Temple allegedly used the funds…
WV Barber Board Staffer Pilfers Fees
⏱ 2 min read RELATED: WV Barber Board Staffer Pilfered Fees SEE ALSO: Elderly Ripped Off: $5M Scam Lands DR National in US Jail GAULEY BRIDGE, WV – Crystal Renee Severson, 45, copped a plea in federal court today, admitting she skimmed nearly two grand in licensing fees from aspiring nail technicians. Severson, who worked…
Felon Busted with Glock in Kanawha Co.
⏱ 2 min read RELATED: Haverhill Hustler Busted for $625K Crypto Scam SEE ALSO: NOLA Man Packed Heat & Heroin: Fed Indictment CHARLESTON, WV – Robert Thomas, 30, of St. Albans, copped a plea today admitting he had a Glock .40-caliber pistol while already a convicted felon. The bust went down January 27th in the…
WV Biz Owner Cashed In on COVID Chaos
⏱ 2 min read Bradley Temple, 48, formerly of Wheeling, West Virginia, is facing years in federal prison after copping to ripping off nearly $300,000 in COVID-19 relief money. Temple, now living in Delray Beach, Florida, pled guilty in Wyoming federal court this week to unlawful money transactions. The feds say he systematically siphoned funds…
