Former Car Dealer from Myrtle Beach Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges in Plea Deal On Wednesday, November 27th, Howie Lavin pleaded guilty to a federal charge of bank fraud, after being arrested for orchestrating a long-running check-kiting scheme against local financial institutions. Lavin is currently free on an unsecured $200,000 bond. He will formalize his plea agreement on Tuesday, December 3rd in a federal court in Florence, SC. The bank fraud charge is very serious – once convicted, Lavin could face a maximum of 30 years in prison, … [Read more...]
Pinson and Associate Enter Not Guilty Pleas for Federal Kickback Charges
November 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Jonathan Pinson and Eric Robinson Claim Not Guilty in Federal Kickback Case On Tuesday, November 19th, former South Carolina State University board chair Jonathan Pinson and his co-defendant Eric Robinson entered pleas of not guilty for charges related to a federal kickback case. The latest criminal charges involved kickbacks and bribes for the River’s Edge Housing Project. They were indicted with the new federal charges on November 7th. Pinson’s attorney filed to have wiretap evidence suppressed on Friday, November 15th. The November … [Read more...]
Five Points Shooter Arraigned for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm
November 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Man Who Paralyzed USC Student in Five Points Shooting in Federal Court for Charges of Felon in Possession of a Firearm The suspect charged with accidentally shooting and paralyzing a USC student after firing a gun in Five Points has been denied bond after receiving federal charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Michael Juan Smith, 20, was in court on Tuesday, November 19th, for violating federal law stating that convicted felons cannot possess firearms. He entered a plea of not guilty, but was denied bond. On October 13th, … [Read more...]
Internet Pimp Gets 14 Years for Federal Charges
November 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Federal Charges of Racketeering and Child Prostitution Land “Internet Pimp” in Prison A man that, according to authorities, was beaten as a young child into joining the Bloods street gang, has been sentenced to serve 14 years in federal prison on serious federal charges, including racketeering. Joshua Kitt, aka “Metro,” 24 years old, pleaded guilty to the charges in April, and was sentenced on Monday, November 18th, in a South Carolina federal court. Evidence presented at Kitt’s trial showed that, although the young man was forced to … [Read more...]
More People Sought in Massive Bank Fraud Ring
November 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment
More Suspects Sought in Huge South Carolina Bank Fraud Operation On Thursday, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department announced that they had uncovered more suspects in a massive bank fraud scheme. Nine suspects have been arrested so far. The latest investigations into the bank fraud ring uncovered almost 90 individuals who had been recruited to open new bank accounts with TD Bank, Wells Fargo, and Wood Forest Bank in South Carolina. Opening an account cost as little as $100, then accounts were established and a book of starter checks were … [Read more...]
Mobster “Whitey” Bulgar To Serve Two Life Sentences for Federal Crimes
November 19, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Infamous Boston Mob Boss, Whitey, Receives Two Life Terms Plus Five Years for Serious Federal Crimes On Thursday, November 14th, infamous Boston-area mob boss Whitey Bulgar was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, plus an additional 5 years, related to a slew of serious federal crimes including racketeering, murder, extortion, money laundering, narcotics distribution, and obstruction of justice. Bulgar operated in Boston primarily throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s. After he received a tip from an FBI informant in 1994, Bulgar fled … [Read more...]
Ohio Jury Finds Mystery Man Guilty of $100 Million Charity Fraud Case
November 19, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Jury Finds Man Guilty of $100 Million Navy Charity Fraud Case Out of Florida On Thursday, November 14th, an Ohio jury found a man guilty of charity fraud to the tune of $100 million, based on a business he set up in Florida to raise funds for Navy veterans. The man is referred to in much of the trial as “Mr. X,” because of some confusion about his name. He 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 name Bobby … [Read more...]
Jonathan Pinson Receives More Charges in Federal Kickback Case
November 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Former SCSU Chairman and Cohort Face More Charges in Federal Kickback Case On Thursday, November 7th, new criminal charges were filed in the federal kickback case against Jonathan Pinson and Eric Robinson, some in connection with Columbia’s multimillion dollar Village at River’s Edge development. The Columbia branch of the US Attorney’s Office is now charging Pinson with 51 counts of various kinds of fraud and illegal activities, including federal kickback charges, and Robinson with 11 counts of federal kickback fraud and illegal … [Read more...]
Three More Men Plead Guilty in Jonathan Pinson Federal Kickback Case
November 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Former SC State Trustees Plead Guilty in Federal Kickback Charges Related to Jonathan Pinson’s Case Three men have pleaded guilty to charges related to Jonathan Pinson’s federal kickback trial. The men – Lancelot Wright, Robert Williams, and Phillip Mims – pleaded guilty on Wednesday, November 6th, in a federal court in Charleston, SC. Prosecutors allege that the three falsified invoices and used loans for purposes other than what they were intended for, part of which was to purchase land in Jonathan Pinson’s federal … [Read more...]
Federal Judge Denies Brett Parker’s New Trial Request
November 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Brett Parker and Associate’s Gambling Case Will Not Receive a New Trial On Tuesday, November 5th, a federal judge denied a request for Brett Parker and his business associates, his father Jack Parker and Douglas E. Taylor. In September, the three men were found guilty of running an illegal gambling operation. Brett Parker’s attorneys asked for a new trial in the wake of allegations against a key witness for the prosecution, who is now undergoing his own federal fraud trial. US District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie filed a 19-page order on … [Read more...]
