Articles
How scams work, who they target, and what to do — explained in plain English.
Showing 361–387 of 387 articles (page 13 of 13)
Gheorgui Martov ran a Chicago crew that put debit card data and PINs stolen in Europe onto blank cards and drained accounts at ATMs. Seven years.
· 3 min read
Infomercial pitchman Kevin Trudeau got 10 years for criminal contempt for misrepresenting his weight-loss book, violating an FTC order. Released 2022.
· 3 min read
Tiffany Hall phoned seniors posing as a bank or state fraud investigator, then sent runners for their cards and cash. 159 months; her husband got 10 years.
· 3 min read
Pharmacist Ronald Kielar used customers' insurance details to bill $1.7M for Procrit he never dispensed, then forged records. He got 84 months.
· 2 min read
Chicago trader Bradley Schiller raised $10M with fake brokerage statements and false net worth claims, lost it trading and paid Ponzi returns. 78 months.
· 2 min read
Jamal Lawson Sr. promised churches and small businesses $650M+ in loans via Evangel Capital and other firms, took advance fees, funded none. 52 months.
· 3 min read
Washington National Trust took fees from Aurora-area homeowners, promising to halve mortgages and stop foreclosures. Sentences: 150, 60 and 45 months.
· 4 min read
Disbarred attorney Harvey Wright ran straw-buyer 'double closings' on South Side homes through a Downers Grove title company. 34 months, affirmed.
· 3 min read
Medicall Physicians Group billed Medicare for visits to dead patients and doctors working 24+ hours a day. Rick Brown got 87 months; Mary Talaga, 45.
· 4 min read
Colbi Andry and Everett Pope took upfront loan modification fees using aliases and a fake attorney, then delivered nothing. Andry got 48 months.
· 3 min read
Four memorabilia dealers who altered jerseys and sold them as 'game used' to collectors and trading card makers got 3 to 6 months in federal prison.
· 3 min read
Keith Austin of Icy Investments led a scheme that got 52 mortgages through straw buyers, mostly on Chicago's West and South sides. 121 months.
· 3 min read
Accountant Robert Rome took $4.3M from a client family's trusts for boats, Florida homes and jewelry. 63 months and a bar from accounting work.
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Robert G. Nelson sold 'safe' promissory notes promising up to 45% in three months through F.C. Financial and Future Capital Financial. 66 months, affirmed.
· 3 min read
William Block took $1.6M from investors for 'fees' on money he said Liberia owed him. 75 months; probation later said he resumed the pitch.
· 4 min read
Anthony DeFilippo sold vacuums and sewing machines on eBay that a partner bought on Walmart.com with stolen cards, sending money abroad. 18 months.
· 2 min read
Two Chicago-area doctors charged in a May 2013 Medicare fraud sweep pleaded guilty: Cecilia Ibrahim (false surgery bills), Nalini Ahluwalia (kickbacks).
· 3 min read
Michael Morawski and Frank Constant of Michael Franks LLC raised $21M for apartment deals and ran a Ponzi; 267 investors lost $18M. 10 and 7.5 years.
· 3 min read
James Brandolino raised about $4.8M from roughly 60 investors, many friends and family, faked statements and spent $2M on himself. Sentenced to 107 months.
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Christopher Varlesi promised 'guaranteed' 5% to 7.5% monthly returns from an unregistered trading pool and rented a Trump Tower apartment. 5 years.
· 2 min read
Ex-loan officer Fred Haywood paid straw buyers and faked loan files in 65 deals, mostly South Side homes, and kept going after indictment. 151 months.
· 3 min read
Christopher Andersen, Daniel Parrilli and John Lauer met in federal prison, then ran a film and comic-rights Ponzi that cost about 100 investors $3.6M.
· 3 min read
Dimitry Vishnevetsky sold stakes in Oxford Capital funds that existed only on paper and showed fake 36% returns. Clients lost $1.6M; he got 6 years.
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Broker Joshua T.J. Russo got clients to tap IRAs for 'conservative' Peak Performance Fund shares, then made losing speculative trades. 4 years.
· 2 min read
James Pantazelos pitched Destiny's Partners 'private trading platforms' promising up to 200% returns and charity giving. He took $4.3M; 114 months.
· 3 min read
Randy Cho claimed a Goldman Sachs tie to sell discounted pre-IPO shares of Google, Facebook and others, but bought none. He took nearly $8M; 12 years.
· 3 min read
Kenneth Dachman raised $4M from 51 investors for Northbrook sleep-disorder firms, faked a PhD, hid 7 bankruptcies and spent the money. 10 years.
· 3 min read