Latest Fraud Headlines
All the headlines from our Fraud Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas’ Blue Bell Creameries to Pay $17.25M in Criminal Penalties for Listeria Outbreak
Oct 5 2020 // Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries L.P. has been ordered to pay $17.25 million in criminal penalties for shipments of contaminated ice cream products linked to a 2015 listeriosis outbreak, according to the U.S. Justice...
New Jersey Man Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Role in Insurance Fraud Scheme
Oct 2 2020 // A New Jersey man has been sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for his role in an automobile accident scheme supporting fraudulent insurance claims. Luis G. Aguirre, of Hudson County, N.J., was sentenced for his...
California Nursery Worker Arraigned for Alleged Workers’ Comp Fraud
Oct 2 2020 // Fernando Torres Garcia, 46, self-surrendered and was arraigned at the Kern County Superior Court in California this week on nearly a dozen felony counts of insurance fraud after allegedly misrepresenting an injury in order...
Judges Dismisses $18M in Liens Filed by California Medical Provider Convicted of Fraud
Oct 1 2020 // An administrative law judge in California has dismissed liens valued at $18 million filed by convicted medical provider Michael E. Barri, bringing to a close one of the earliest cases aimed at combatting fraud in...
Cease and Desist Order Issued for Louisiana Agent for Alleged Premium Theft
Oct 1 2020 // The Louisiana Department of Insurance has issued a cease and desist order and summary suspension of producers license to a Lake Charles, La., agent for alleged misappropriation of premium funds. Valerie M. Muse reportedly...
Police Report $1M in Jewelry Stolen from Georgia Kay Jewelers Store
Sep 30 2020 // Police say $1 million worth of jewelry has been stolen from a store in coastal Georgia. WTOC-TV reports the heist took place before dawn Friday at Kay Jewelers in Hinesville. Officers responded to an alarm at the store,...
Dismissal Rejected; Arkema Chemical Fire Criminal Trial Resumes in Houston
Sep 25 2020 // A criminal case against the U.S. arm of a French chemical maker accused of releasing pollution that injured 21 people resumed on Sept. 24 under a cloud as a judge ruled out a motion to dismiss the case. Prosecutors...
Michigan Man Faces Felony Charges Over Alleged Fake Auto Insurance Certificates
Sep 23 2020 // A formerly licensed insurance agent in Flint, Michigan, faces multiple felony charges for allegedly selling fraudulent automobile insurance certificates. The Michigan Department of Financial Services (DIFS) said 24-year...
Juul’s Defense of Marketing E-Cigarettes to Youth Targets Use of Organized Crime Law
Sep 23 2020 // Juul Labs Inc. has the Mafia to thank for the most potent legal claims accusing the e-cigarette maker of igniting an epidemic of youth nicotine addiction. The company will try to persuade a federal judge Monday that...
Florida OKs Emergency Adjusters, Brings In Fraud Strike Teams for Sally Recovery
Sep 23 2020 // The Florida Department of Financial Services has deployed its Disaster Fraud Action Strike Team (DFAST) to the Florida Panhandle, as well as activated the state’s emergency adjuster license system to assist with...
California Farm Worker Arraigned for Alleged Workers’ Comp Fraud
Sep 22 2020 // Eduardo Medina Ruelas, 46, of Sanger, Calif., was arraigned this week on multiple counts of felony insurance fraud after allegedly defrauding his employer and RISICO Claims Management Co. to collect $38,000 in...
Data of About 200K Nevada University Alumni, Donors May Have Been Stolen
Sep 21 2020 // University of Nevada, Reno alumni and donors may have had their information stolen in a data breach that occurred in May, university officials said. The school was told of the breach on July 16 by Blackbaud, a third-party...
New York Charges Johnson & Johnson with Insurance Fraud Over Opioid Claims
Sep 18 2020 // New York state filed civil charges on Thursday accusing Johnson & Johnson of insurance fraud for downplaying the risks of opioid painkillers, including to doctors and elderly patients. Governor Andrew Cuomo said the...
Florida’s Citizens Urges Insureds to Avoid Fraud, Scams After Hurricane Sally
Sep 18 2020 // In an effort to help insureds avoid falling victim to scams and abuse, as well as to speed up the claims process, Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is urging its policyholders to “Call Citizens First” as they...
Rental Car Company to Pay $80K in Penalties, Implement Reforms Over Fraud Allegations
Sep 17 2020 // A discount car rental company operating out of Newark and JFK Airports has agreed to pay $80,000 in penalties, enter binding arbitration to resolve consumer complaints and change its policies and practices following New...
Pennsylvania Authorities Arrest Alleged Fraud Network Participants
Sep 15 2020 // Pennsylvania authorities filed criminal charges on July 13 in Dauphin County against Kenneth Torres, Louis Torres, Ruth Negron-Acevedo, Juan Lopez-Barco and Philadelphia-based businesses EZ Multi-Services and Saul Auto...
Florida Couple Accused of Hurricane Irma Disaster Assistance Fraud
Sep 15 2020 // A Florida husband and wife have been charged with lying about damage caused by Hurricane Irma. Christina Catalano, 38, and Joseph Catalano, 54, both of Holiday, were arrested Sept. 9, according to federal court...
California Ag Firm Owner, Daughter Arraigned in $2.5M Workers’ Comp Scheme
Sep 14 2020 // Felipe Saurez Barocio, 63, of Atwater, owner of Agriculture Services Inc., and his daughter, Angelita Barocio-Negrete, 33, of Merced, were arraigned today on multiple felony counts of insurance fraud after allegedly...
Ex-Iowa City Development Aide Gets Prison for Theft; Must Repay Nonprofit, Insurer
Sep 14 2020 // The former office manager of the Iowa City Area Development Group was sentenced Friday to 27 months in prison for a 13-year theft scheme in which she misspent more than a half-million dollars, federal prosecutors...
Data About 200K Nevada University Alumni, Donors May Have Been Stolen
Sep 14 2020 // University of Nevada, Reno alumni and donors may have had their information stolen in a data breach that occurred in May, university officials said. The school was told of the breach on July 16 by Blackbaud, a third-party...
