Tag: white collar crime
Tina Feuerstein, Embezzlement, Illinois 2026
⏱ 2 min read A Chicago-area company’s subsidiary took a hit from a top financial executive’s shady dealings. Former CFO Tina Feuerstein, 53, of Hanover, Penn., embezzled more than $1 million from her former company over five years. She used a company credit card to buy personal items, including luxury furniture and designer clothing, and…
Terrance Hatley and Jason Pogue, Aiding and Assisting in the Preparation of False Tax Returns, Texas 2020
⏱ 2 min read Two North Texas men have been caught in a web of deceit, accused of running a tax refund fraud scheme that bilked the government out of thousands. Terrance Hatley, 33, and Jason Pogue, 45, allegedly used Hatley’s tax prep business, Empowered Finances, to file false returns claiming Coronavirus leave credits and…
Jeffrey Thomas Higgins, Investment Fraud, Oregon 2007
⏱ 3 min read A cunning investment scam unfolded in rural Oregon, leaving a trail of financial devastation in its wake. For nearly 17 years, Jeffrey Thomas Higgins, 54, of Baker City, convinced his clients to hand over their hard-earned cash, promising sky-high returns. But instead of investing their shares, Higgins bought the stocks at…
TD Bank, Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, New Jersey 2025
⏱ 3 min read TD Bank coughed up a staggering $1.43 billion in fines and $328 million in criminal forfeiture for its role in the largest bank money laundering scandal in US history. The Newark-based financial giant pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act program failures. According to the US…
Zechariah Yi, Tai Ryoung Rho, Bribery and Wire Fraud, Texas 2023
⏱ 2 min read Four scammers who bribed their way to $15 million in US Postal Service contracts have been sentenced to 99 months in prison in Texas. Zechariah Yi, a former USPS analyst, and Tai Ryoung Rho, another USPS employee, solicited $1.5 million in kickbacks from trucking company owners in exchange for sweet deals.…
Rico Tomas Garcia, Hand Sanitizer Scam, CO, 2023
A Colorado man is staring down serious prison time after a federal jury convicted him of a brazen $2.4 million fraud scheme that exploited the desperate need for hand sanitizer at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rico Tomas Garcia, 51, of Castle Rock, didn’t deliver a single bottle of the promised disinfectant, instead diverting…
Michael Jett, Tax Evasion, Missouri 2023
Independence, MO – Michael Jett, 60, is trading timeshare pitches for prison stripes after a federal judge handed down a 23-month sentence for systematically defrauding the IRS and the state of Missouri. Judge Douglas Harpool didn’t just stop at jail time, adding three years of supervised release and a crippling $361,078.81 restitution order, meaning Jett…
Christopher Ferguson, Falsifying Records, New York 2026
⏱ 3 min read Christopher Ferguson, the former CEO of publicly traded Edison Nation, and Brian McFadden, a consultant for the company, are facing the consequences after admitting they cooked the books. The pair pled guilty to falsifying records to mislead the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) about supposed orders for personal protective equipment (PPE)…
Frank Hamilton Sentenced to 5.5 Years for SBA Scam, California, 2023
⏱ 2 min read RELATED: Stolen Ride, State Lines: OK Man Admits Transporting Hot Car SEE ALSO: Meth Dealer Gets 20 Years PHILADELPHIA – Frank Hamilton, a 55-year-old from Simi Valley, California, is headed to federal prison for 5.5 years after admitting he masterminded a brazen scheme to rip off banks and the Small Business…
Tracey Hernandez, Tax Refund Scheme, Burlington NC, 2022
⏱ 3 min read Tracey Hernandez, 39, of Burlington, North Carolina, is headed to federal prison for 25 months after pleading guilty to cooking up a million-dollar tax refund scheme. The feds say Hernandez filed over 200 bogus tax returns for clients in 2021 and 2022, raking in fraudulent refunds. The sentencing came down this…
