How low can you go? Otis Josey, a 54-year old Detroit man, allegedly told a pre-school girl that he worked at a radio station and was raising donations for a children’s hospital charity. In exchange for a donation, he would give the donor a gift card. Police say he literally cheated the 5-year old girl… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Fraud
General Services Administration (GSA) Scandal
A hearing on an extravagant government conference in Las Vegas will enter its second day on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, April 17. During Monday’s session, a House committee heard from officials accused of wasting taxpayer money on fancy meals and over-the-top entertainment. The GSA inspector general, Brian Miller, says he believes the behavior he uncovered… Read more »
TaxMasters Trouble
A Houston-based tax advisory firm filed for bankruptcy Sunday, a little more than one day before it was scheduled in court to defend itself against fraud accusations. Best known for a national advertising campaign that made company’s bearded, red-haired founder Patrick Cox a recognizable figure, the company spent about $14 million in national advertising in… Read more »
Crime of Grime OR Sign of the Times?
Tide is flying off the shelves, according to the Associated Press. Unfortunately, retailers are not seeing the profits from this familiar laundry soap. Instead, Tide has become a hot commodity among thieves at supermarkets and drugstores in at least some parts of the country. While the maker of Tide, Procter & Gamble, has been baffled… Read more »
Can you say: Tapping a Swiss Bank account with Other People’s Money?
A Houston jury Tuesday convicted Texas financier R. Allen Stanford on all but one of the charges he faced for allegedly bilking investors out of more than $7 billion in one of the largest Ponzi schemes in U.S. history. Questions: 1. Why, if Allen Stanford faces up to 20 years in prison for the most… Read more »
A Ponzi Scheme in Ohio
In September, a prominent member of the Amish community in Sugarcreek, Ohio was arrested and accused by federal prosecutors of running a Ponzi scheme that betrayed his neighbors’ trust and wiped out more than $16 million of their savings. The elderly defendant, Monroe L. Beachy, had been a respected financial figure in his community for… Read more »
Audit Irregularities
According to a report released on Feb. 15 in San Francisco county, about 400 recent foreclosures were determined to involve either legal violations or suspicious documentation. This recent report suggests how pervasive foreclosure irregularities may be across the nation. Questions: 1. What is the acronym for the mortgage database that was started in 1995 to track… Read more »
No More “Neither Admit or Deny”
The Securities and Exchange Commission, in a fundamental policy shift, said Friday, January 6, that it would no longer allow defendants to say they neither admit nor deny civil fraud or insider trading charges when, at the same time, they admit to or have been convicted of criminal violations. This has been a longstanding practice… Read more »
A Feel-Bad Ending: Swell the Music for Rudy
If you look up memorable quotes by Rudy Ruettiger, they exact all the inspirational feelings you can muster about “acting on your dreams.” One of my favorites does not have such a pretty answer, now: –If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would your goals be? Sadly, the answer might be: –To attempt a “pump-and-dump… Read more »
How do you lose $1.2 Billion?
Three of MF Global Holdings Ltd.’s top executives said they didn’t know what happened to as much as $1.2 billion in client funds that went missing in the days before the New York-based brokerage filed for bankruptcy. Jon S. Corzine, former chairman and chief executive officer of the broker testified in Congress that he didn’t… Read more »