wire fraud News

Ex-Law Firm Employee in Rhode Island Charged with Embezzling Almost $750K

A former bookkeeper for a Rhode Island law firm has agreed to plead guilty to charges related to the embezzlement of nearly three-quarters of a million dollars from her employer, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Sarah Gaulin, 39, will plead guilty …

Connecticut Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Nonprofit of $240K

A Connecticut man pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing $240,000 from the nonprofit he worked for as well as some of the organization’s developmentally disabled clients, federal prosecutors said. Michael Verzella, of Branford, Conn., was the supervisor of recreation and operations …

Man Gets 15 Years for Conspiring to Set Fire to His Business in Maryland

A man convicted of conspiring to set fire to his Maryland business to collect insurance money has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. The office of the U.S. Attorney in Maryland said Demetrios Stavrakis, 54, of Lutherville-Timonium, was …

Harsh Sentence Sought for Rhode Island Woman Who Took $5M from Loved Ones

A Rhode Island woman who cheated relatives, her closest friends and her husband’s firefighting colleagues out of nearly $5 million to fund a lavish lifestyle should face the harshest sentence possible, federal prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum Thursday. Monique …

Court Rules Events After Email Instruction Don’t Erase Claim for Phishing Loss

A $1.7 million email phishing fraud that included phone calls with a fake lawyer and an intervention by a Wells Fargo fraud investigator is still a fraud and Ironshore Indemnity is liable for the claim, a split panel with the …

Feds Say Florida Officials Bilked FEMA Out of Hurricane Money

Two former officials of a Florida city are charged with conspiring with two businesses to bilk the federal government out of $5 million in Hurricane Michael cleanup money, the U.S. attorney’s office announced Tuesday. U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe said the …

Maryland Business Owner Convicted for Defrauding Insurer of More Than $15M

A Maryland business owner has been convicted after a trial on federal charges for conspiring to burn down his business in order to obtain insurance proceeds. A federal jury convicted Demetrios ‘Jimmy’ Stavrakis, age 53, of Lutherville-Timonium, Md., for an …

Philadelphia Businessman Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for $34M Fraud

A Philadelphia businessman who amplified the size of his legal benefits firm to gain more than $30 million in loans has been sentenced to 17 1/2 years in prison. Gary Alan Frank was sentenced in Philadelphia where the judge described …

Philadelphia Bookkeeper Sentenced for Embezzling Nearly $1.6M from Employer

A Philadelphia bookkeeper who embezzled nearly $1.6 million from his New Jersey employer over a 10-year period has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison. Peter Goodchild must also pay restitution under the sentence imposed Thursday. Prosecutors …

Connecticut Woman Pleads Guilty to Fraud for Embezzling $400K from Employer

A Connecticut woman has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $400,000 from her employer. Federal prosecutors say 56-year-old Vicki Miller, of Colchester, pleaded guilty to wire fraud Friday in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport. Prosecutors say Miller was a bookkeeper …