Mortgage Fraud Ringleader Receives 6 Months in Prison and $2 Million Fine The ringleader of one of the biggest mortgage fraud schemes in the Carolinas was sentenced on Thursday, October 17th, to 6 months in prison with a $2 million fine. Mark Dain, CEO of Total Realty Management, must pay TD Bank (formerly Carolina First) in Myrtle Beach for seven fraudulent loans his company obtained for Georgetown residents of the Craven’s Grant neighborhood. The site along Winyah Bay was supposed to have 292 homes, but none of the lots were developed and … [Read more...]
Carolinas Mortgage Fraud Leader Sentenced to 6 Months, $2 Million Fine
October 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Investment Manager in Jail for Securities Fraud Released After 5 Days
October 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Notorious Investment Firm Manager Released from Jail After 5 Days Served for Securities Fraud Former Investment Firm Manager Arthur Field, who pleaded guilty to securities fraud charges in May, was released from jail a mere five days after he reported for his sentence. On Wednesday, October 16th, 60-year-old Field was released from prison after the state attorney general filed a motion asking the court to reconsider Field’s securities fraudsentence. Field began dissolving his firm in 2008, and shortly thereafter became the target of … [Read more...]
West Columbia Police Officer Arrested on Federal Sex Crime Charges
October 18, 2013 by
West Columbia Police Officer Fired, Arrested on Federal Sex Crime Charges A former police officer for West Columbia has been fired, and arrested on federal sex crime charges for sending explicit pictures of himself to a 13-year-old girl in Iowa. Andrew Alan Haney, 30, has been charged with interstate commerce of obscene material to a person under 16. He will appear in a Richland Count courtroom on Thursday, October 10th. A criminal complaint from the Southern District of Iowa alleged that Haney was involved in chatting with a 13 year old … [Read more...]
8 Arrested in Felony Lane Gang Case
October 16, 2013 by
8 Members of Felony Lane Gang Arrested on Criminal Charges, More Could Be Extradited from Florida On Tuesday, October 8th, Sheriff Leon Lott and SLED announced that, so far, eight members of the notorious Felony Lane Gang have been arrested on criminal charges. The group is comprised of several men and women, based in Florida, who have been charged with breaking into vehicles, stealing checks, IDs, and credit and debit cards. They then take stolen checks to bank drive-thrus, disguised as the victim, and take money out of the victim’s … [Read more...]
Elderly Drug Mule Pleads Guilty in Federal Conspiracy Case
October 15, 2013 by
89-Year-Old Caught Smuggling Drugs Pleads Guilty in Larger Federal Conspiracy Case On Tuesday, October 8th, in a move that will spare him from standing trial, an 89-year-old who worked as a drug mule for one of the most notorious Mexican drug cartels has pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges. Leo Sharp, from Michigan City, Indiana, appeared in front of the court just a week before his official trial was set to begin. He admitted his involvement in a smuggling operation, bringing 228 pounds of cocaine across the country for Mexico’s … [Read more...]
Charity Fraud Case Starts in Ohio
October 14, 2013 by
Fugitive Who Created $100 Million Charity Fraud Scheme Goes to Trial A man who reportedly masterminded a $100 million multi-state charity fraud scheme is going on trial in Ohio on Monday, October 7th. The 67-year-old defendant reportedly created a charity for Navy veterans, but used the charity for his own purposes. In court, the defendant refers to himself as Bobby Thompson, but authorities have identified him as John Donald Cody, a Harvard-trained lawyer and former military intelligence officer. Assistant Ohio Attorney Brad Tammaro … [Read more...]
Owner of Silk Road Arrested on Serious Federal Charges
October 9, 2013 by
Creator of BitCoin and Owner of Silk Road Exchange Website Arrested on Federal Charges for Drugs, Attempted Homicide Federal agents have officially seized and shut down the Silk Road, a billion-dollar website that operated using its own currency called BitCoins, and arrested its creator on serious federal charges. The government has been attempting to seize the website for years because it allegedly operated as a huge black market, notorious particularly for the sale of illegal drugs, fake drivers’ licenses, hacking services, and … [Read more...]
SC State University Chairman’s Federal Kickback Trial Delayed
October 9, 2013 by
Former Board Chairman for SC State University Sees Another Delay In Federal Kickback Trial The federal kickback trial for the former board chairman for South Carolina State University should have started this month, October, but has instead been set back again to January 2014. US Judge David Norton agreed to the continuance motion put forth by Jonathon Pinson and his codefendant, Greenville-area businessman Eric Robinson. The defendants’ attorney said they needed additional time to review “voluminous discovery” and prepare for the … [Read more...]
Key Witness in Brett Parker Case Faces Federal Fraud Charges
October 1, 2013 by
Former Financial Advisor to Parker Family Faces Federal Fraud Charges The US Securities and Exchange Commission has accused a Lexington County accountant, who was a key witness in both the criminal and gambling trials against Brett Parker, of federal fraud charges involving illegal profit from the assets of terminally ill people. Ben Staples, 63, reportedly victimized 44 dying people from 2008 to 2012, and converted about $6.5 million in the victims’ assets to his personal use, according to the federal fraud charges. The civil complaint … [Read more...]
Federal Judge Sides with Lance Armstrong’s False Claims
September 30, 2013 by
Lance Armstrong Gets Judicial Approval for False Claims in Books A group of former Lance Armstrong fans took the professional cyclist to court over claims in his books that turned out to be false, but on Tuesday, September 10th, they lost the False Claims case in California. US District Court Judge Morrison England sided with Lance Armstrong and the defendants, who claimed that any false statements made in Armstrong’s books were protected First Amendment free speech, and not a violation of the False Claims Act. "The Court concludes, … [Read more...]
