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...]
Former Athletics Director Will Serve Embezzlement Sentence on Weekends
December 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Former High School Athletics Director Will Serve Embezzlement Sentence on Weekends, Mostly Probation The former athletics director for White Knoll High School who was arrested in 2010 on embezzlement charges has been sentenced to 160 days in jail, and 5 years’ probation. He will serve the jail sentence on weekends, according to reports. Bryan Butz, 49, used a forgotten booster club bank account to steal $112,000 from the school, which was meant for athletics uniforms and other items. The booster club, and other school organizations, wrote … [Read more...]
Gambling Machine Hackers Cleared of Federal Charges
December 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Hackers Who Broke Into Gambling Machines Cleared of Federal Charges Two gambling hackers who took advantage of a software bug in modern gambling machines have been cleared of federal charges just in time for the Thanksgiving holidays. On Friday morning, November 21st, a federal judge cleared John Kane, 55, and Andre Nestor, 42, of all federal charges, including wire fraud and computer fraud. The two were arrested in July 2009 at the Silverton Casino Lodge in Las Vegas for hacking into some of the video poker machines to win a small fortune. … [Read more...]
