Articles
How scams work, who they target, and what to do — explained in plain English.
Showing 271–300 of 387 articles (page 10 of 13)
Robert Gorodetsky posed as a successful day trader, then took $8.74M more for sports bets and bought luxury cars. He got 28 months and owes $7.2M.
· 3 min read
Alvin Wilkinson took about $13.5M from 30-plus friends, relatives and colleagues for funds that never traded. He got 7 years 4 months in 2019.
· 3 min read
Psychologist Pamela Antell billed insurers and Medicare for therapy never given, even while away. She got 6 months, a $100,000 fine and $1.46M restitution.
· 2 min read
Cameron York bought 8,796 stolen card numbers online, tried to use 4,800 and opened utility accounts in victims' names. He was sentenced to 102 months.
· 2 min read
Latrice Harrell was charged with billing Blue Cross $1.6M for autism therapy never given, using staff names without consent. She pleaded guilty in 2021.
· 2 min read
Andrew Kandalepas pumped his company's stock with end-of-day trades in an acquaintance's account. His year-and-a-day term was cut to time served.
· 2 min read
Jeffrey Batio claimed his 3-in-1 laptop-tablet-phone was nearly ready for 13 years, taking $5M from investors and $700K on Indiegogo. Conviction upheld.
· 3 min read
Richard Booy falsely claimed ties to Principal Financial Group to take $1.4M from at least 15 clients, many elderly. He was sentenced to 5 years in 2019.
· 3 min read
John Knapp posed as his mid-90s mother-in-law on calls to her investment firm and took more than $175,000. He was sentenced to 4½ years in 2019.
· 2 min read
Michelle Labra was charged with taking $23M from investors for secured home loans that never existed and blaming IRS levies. She pleaded guilty in 2019.
· 2 min read
Robert Tomlinson told investors their money would fund a diabetes drug, then spent $2.2M on a Michigan home, club dues and futures trading. He got 4 years.
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Tracy Monti told investors she could buy event tickets at face value and resell them at a profit. She spent $5M on a house, a car and shopping: 46 months.
· 2 min read
Lucita Zamoras told mostly older Filipino immigrant women their retirement savings were safe, then gambled it and made Ponzi payments. She got 54 months.
· 3 min read
Vishal Savla's VCAP fund lost nearly everything, but he sent fake profit statements and blamed a 'fat finger' trade that never happened. He got 42 months.
· 2 min read
Todd Fendler used insurance applicants' bank details to create fake e-checks and make unauthorized withdrawals. He got 50 months and $965,879 restitution.
· 3 min read
Chicago psychiatrist Kirk Hopkins, charged in the 2018 national health care fraud takedown, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and got 36 months in prison.
· 3 min read
Henry Meyer sold family and friends a nonexistent European Derivative Investment Program and took $6.5M. He was sentenced to 69 months in 2018.
· 2 min read
Planner Chuck Hansen moved retirees from fixed annuities into failing real estate firms and hid the risk. Investors lost about $732,000; he got 3 years.
· 2 min read
First Farmers Financial sold 26 nonexistent USDA-backed loans to a Milwaukee firm for $179M. CEO Nikesh Patel got 25 years and President Timothy Fisher 10.
· 3 min read
Daniel Glick stole $5.2M from clients, including his elderly in-laws and nursing-home residents, using forged checks. He got 151 months in 2018.
· 2 min read
Richard Carter showed Blue Guru investors fake clearinghouse statements claiming $6.1M when the firm held $9,000. He pleaded guilty and got 32 months.
· 3 min read
Ex-judge Jessica Arong O'Brien was convicted of mortgage fraud tied to $1.4M in South Side loans and got a year and a day. Maria Bartko pleaded guilty.
· 4 min read
Attila Gyulai, co-owner of West Loop restaurant Embeya, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and got time served, 3 years' probation and $125,000 in restitution.
· 3 min read
Brothers Steven and Michael Garcia were charged with using a front appraisal firm to rig home valuations for loans. Michael pleaded guilty in 2020.
· 4 min read
Posing as 'Lisa Conti' from a Costa Rica call center, Corinne Dziesiuta helped con an elderly Palatine man out of $4.1M in fake sweepstakes fees.
· 2 min read
Chiropractor Steven Paul ordered x-rays and MRIs regardless of need and billed Blue Cross for phantom therapy across six clinics. He got 20 months.
· 3 min read
Lawyer Robert Jon Schlyer was convicted of using fake trust papers to get $300,000 from an elderly couple and stall an Aurora foreclosure.
· 4 min read
Tyris D. Maxey of RB Mister Enterprises pleaded guilty to wire fraud for taking about $950,000 from a retired teacher for sham investments: 36 months.
· 3 min read
Randall Rye claimed an algorithmic trading program, then spent $1.72M of investors' money on travel and tickets, including $110K for World Series seats.
· 2 min read
Nick Wurl raised $11.2M from 60+ investors by posing Ludiera Capital as a profitable corn and soybean trader, using phony bank records. He got 9 years.
· 2 min read