Latest Fraud Headlines
All the headlines from our Fraud Topic Page, ordered by recency.
States Look to Kill-Switch Laws to Stem Smartphone Thefts
Aug 12 2014 // All smartphones sold in California would have to come with a “kill switch” to render them inoperable if lost or stolen under a bill passed by the legislature on Monday, the latest effort to stem an epidemic of...
Female Bank Robbery Conspirator Charged With Workers’ Comp Fraud
Aug 11 2014 // Aurora Barrera, 33, of Downey was arrested on charges related to her allegedly submitting a fraudulent workers’ compensation claim for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder associated with a robbery, she...
Ohio Roofer Gets Prison Time for Insurance Fraud, Money Laundering
Aug 11 2014 // Columbus, Ohio, roofer Terrance J. King, owner of Home Improvement Terrance King, which also did work in the Dayton area, has been sentenced to 48 months in prison and ordered to pay $241,000 in restitution. In November...
Davis Named Assoc. Commissioner of Fraud Unit at Texas Insurance Dept.
Aug 11 2014 // The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) appointed Chris Davis as the new associate commissioner of TDI’s Fraud Unit. Davis is a licensed Texas attorney and peace officer. He was previously employed as a managing...
Investigation Underway Following Nascar Tragedy; No Criminal Charges Pending
Aug 11 2014 // Tony Stewart’s about-face decision to skip yesterday’s Nascar race a day after his car struck and killed a fellow driver in a sprint car event was the right thing to do, according to a crisis...
Ex-Insurance Agent Strikes Plea Deal in Kansas Fraud Case
Aug 7 2014 // A former Wichita insurance agent accused of defrauding policyholders has struck a deal with prosecutors for a 42-month prison sentence. Jason Matthew Pennington pleaded guilty on Aug. 5 to two counts of wire fraud and one...
Conn. Chiropractor Gets 27 Months in Insurance Fraud Scheme
Aug 6 2014 // A Stamford, Connecticut, man has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison in an insurance fraud scheme and ordered to pay nearly $1.7 million in restitution. The U.S. attorney’s office and FBI said...
Tennessee Tornado Victim Had Stolen Goods in Home: Police
Aug 4 2014 // When neighbors in Kingsport, Tennessee went to help a man whose home bore the brunt of a tornado, they made a discovery police say couldn’t have been caused by the wind. Police spokesman Thomas Patton told WBIR-TV in...
Trucking Company Owner Pleads Guilty in Missouri to Cargo Theft Scheme
Aug 4 2014 // A Memphis, Tenn., business owner has pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a cargo theft scheme that included a theft in West Plains, Mo. Tammy Dickinson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri,...
Louisiana Agent Booked with 29 Counts of Insurance Fraud
Jul 31 2014 // Louisiana State Police have booked a 58-year-old West Monroe man with 29 counts of insurance fraud and one count of theft. Trooper Albert Paxton tells The News-Star that John Whittington, a licensed insurance agent,...
U.S. Attorneys in Dakotas Turning Up Heat on Health Care Fraud
Jul 30 2014 // The top federal prosecutors from South Dakota and North Dakota say they have increased their efforts to fight health care fraud. U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson of South Dakota said he has restructured his office to allow...
Vermont Transportation Boss Faces Insurance Fraud Charge
Jul 28 2014 // A Vermont Transportation Agency foreman is facing charges he lied to police and his insurance company after reporting damage to his personal truck was a hit-and-run accident, when it was hit by a new employee. Roger...
Penn. Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority Appoints Executive Director
Jul 23 2014 // Thomas A. Donahue III The Pennsylvania Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority (IFPA) in Mechanicsburg, Penn., has appointed Thomas A. Donahue III as executive director, effective August 5. Donahue succeeds current Executive...
Texas Man to Pay $42.1K Restitution for Home Repair Fraud in Oklahoma
Jul 22 2014 // After a four-year pursuit, the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office says it has secured $42,158 in restitution from a Texas man for Oklahoma victims of home repair fraud. The office said that Randy Leroy Madewell of...
Trucking Company Owner Pleads Guilty in Missouri to Cargo Theft Scheme
Jul 18 2014 // A Memphis, Tenn., business owner pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a cargo theft scheme that included a theft in West Plains, Mo. Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri,...
Washington Sheriff’s Deputy Charged With Insurance Fraud
Jul 18 2014 // Jeremy B. Jeske, 43, a Spokane County Sheriff’s deputy, has been charged with two counts of insurance fraud in connection with a case that was investigated by Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s...
Stanford Scheme Victims Not Eligible for Securities Coverage: Court
Jul 18 2014 // A U.S. appeals court dealt a blow to the victims of Allen Stanford’s Ponzi scheme on Friday, ruling that they are not 0eligible under federal law to file claims seeking compensation for their losses. The decision by...
Hearing Set in Insurance Fraud Case Against Former Kansas Agent
Jul 17 2014 // A federal judge will hear arguments on whether to dismiss the bulk of a wide-ranging indictment accusing a former Kansas insurance agent with stealing nearly $2 million from policyholders. U.S. District Judge J. Thomas...
AIG Settles for $650M from BofA in Mortgage Securities Fraud Case
Jul 16 2014 // Bank of America agreed to pay American International Group Inc. $650 million to settle long-running legal disputes over defective mortgage-backed securities sold in the run-up to the financial crisis. The deal, which the...
Iowa Agent Gets 41 Months in Prison for Defrauding Insurance Companies
Jul 15 2014 // A former Des Moines, Iowa, insurance agent was sentenced to 41 months in prison for insurance fraud, the Iowa Insurance Division announced. Melissa Ilene Williams, of Dike, Iowa, also was ordered to pay restitution for...
