After Nationwide Bust of Child Prostitution Ring, Two South Carolina Defendants Plead Guilty A man and a woman, who were arrested in July during a huge bust of a national child prostitution ring, have pleaded guilty to child prostitution charges in a federal court in South Carolina. Andrea Bostic and Thomas Tyrell Summers, both 21, pleaded guilty to forcing a 16-year-old girl into prostitution. William J. Gibson, a third defendant in the case, appeared in court but did not make a plea. US District Judge Joseph Anderson accepted the … [Read more...]
Illegal Gambling Trial Defendants Sentenced for Crimes
December 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The Parkers and Associate Receive Sentences for Illegal Gambling Operation After five hours of deliberation in September, a jury found Brett Parker, his father Jack Parker, and their business associate Douglas E. Taylor, guilty of operating an illegal gambling ring in the Columbia and Irmo areas. Now, Judge Cameran McGowan has issued sentenced for the group’s illegal gambling operations. Jack Parker will spend five months in community confinement, five months under house arrest, and will pay $3,000 in fines. His associate, Taylor, has … [Read more...]
Judge Will Not Toss Wiretaps in Federal Kickback Case
December 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Judge Won’t Toss Wiretap Evidence in Jonathan Pinson’s Federal Kickback Case A federal judge has denied a motion to throw out wiretap evidence submitted in the upcoming trial of Jonathan Pinson, accused of breaking federal kickback laws while working as the board chair for South Carolina State University. US District Judge David Norton also refused to dismiss a federal racketeering charge on Wednesday, December 18th. Pinson’s attorneys claimed that the wiretap evidence was wrongfully collected during an FBI investigation into the federal … [Read more...]
Former BP Engineer Convicted for Obstruction of Justice
December 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Former Engineer Convicted for Obstruction of Justice in Federal BP Oil Spill Trial A former engineer for British Petroleum, or BP, was convicted on one count of obstruction of justice, after he allegedly deleted important text messages that could have been used as evidence in the BP Oil Spill trial. Kurt Mix was acquitted on a second charge of obstruction of justice, but for his first charge, the jury convicted him after nine hours of deliberation. His sentencing hearing is still to come, scheduled for March 26th, but he faces up to 20 … [Read more...]
Facebook Account Leads to Man’s Arrest on Federal Child Porn Charges
December 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Myrtle Beach Man’s Facebook Pictures and Email Accounts Tie Him to Child Pornography, Arrested on Federal Child Porn Charges Earlier this year, federal investigators in Boston teamed up with Facebook to help identify a sexual predator, using facial recognition software from the social media company to find the identities of the predator and his victim. Now, a Myrtle Beach man has been arrested on federal child pornography charges. Joseph Robert Smith has been arrested and is currently being held at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center, on … [Read more...]
Man Sentenced to 28 Years in Prison for Charity Fraud
December 19, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Man Convicted in $100 Million Navy Veterans’ Charity Fraud Case A man accused of running a charity fraud case out of Florida has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for running the scam. On November 14th, an Ohio jury found the mystery man, referred to in court documents as “Mr. X,” guilty of charity fraud that cost donors $100 million over several years. The defendant claims he is a man named Bobby Thompson, but prosecutors and authorities both say that he is actually a former attorney named John Donald Cody. Authorities traced the … [Read more...]
Arizona Man Pleads Guilty in Multimillion Dollar SC Ponzi Scheme
December 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Man from Arizona Pleads Guilty to Federal Fraud Charges in South Carolina Ponzi Scheme A 22-year-old Arizona man, who was indicted with his brother this past spring, pleaded guilty to charges for his role in a multimillion dollar Ponzi scheme in South Carolina. Benton T. Hall, from Mesa, Arizona, has pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Hall and his brother Gordon were indicted in March of this year for their alleged involvement in a Ponzi scheme run in South Carolina by Ron “Ronnie” Wilson, a former … [Read more...]
Drug Addict Pleads Guilty to Cancer Scam Charges
December 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
New York Drug Addict Pleads Guilty to All Charges Regarding Cancer Scam for Heroin Money A suburban woman whose cancer scam helped her glean money for heroin has pleaded guilty to all 24 charges filed against her. Brittany Ozarowski, 22, from Medford, NY, pleaded guilty on Monday, December 9th, to all of the charges in the indictment filed against her in April of this year. Charges included first-degree scheme to defraud, third-degree grand larceny, and first-degree offering a false statement for filing, according to … [Read more...]
Texas Actress Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for Ricin-Laced Letters
December 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Woman Who Sent Ricin Letters to Obama, Bloomberg Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges On Tuesday, December 10th, a Texas-based mother of six and former actress pleaded guilty to federal charges for sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Shannon Guess Richardson’s guilty plea was part of a deal to limit her prison sentence to only 18 years. She was in court for a federal charge of possessing and producing a biological toxin. Richardson, a 35-year-old mother of six and actress who had small … [Read more...]
Guilty Verdict Issued in First RICO Cybercrime Case
December 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Man Charged with RICO Cybercrimes Over the Internet Ruled Guilty A young man from Arizona was arrested for RICO crimes involving identity theft, and is the first person in the US to be found guilty of cybercrime using federal racketeering legislation. David Ray Camez, 22, was convicted by a federal jury in Las Vegas on Friday, December 6th, under the Racketeering and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). The verdict came after a three-week trial, in which Camez was charged for identity theft under RICO laws for stealing identities through his … [Read more...]
