Sixth Defendant Pleads Guilty in SCSU Federal Corruption and Kickbacks Trial A sixth defendant in the Jonathan Pinson and South Carolina State University federal corruption and kickbacks trial has pleaded guilty. Edwin Givens, a former attorney and chief of staff at the university, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, May 13th, to one charge of misprision of a felony. Givens allegedly played a small role in the federal corruption scheme at SCSU. The FBI planted wire taps on several phones for years, listening to a recording conversations between … [Read more...]
Federal Theft Charges Against School Leader
May 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Head of Defunct School Charged with Federal Theft of Government Property The former director of a controversial charter school in the Midlands now faces federal theft charges over government property, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Benita Dinkins-Robinson has been charged with two counts of theft of government property while she ran the Mary L. Dinkins Higher Learning Academy, in Sumter and Beaufort. Allegedly, Dinkins-Robinson took government grants from the US Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Education and used … [Read more...]
WWII Vet Sentenced in Federal Conspiracy Cocaine Case
May 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Elderly Man Who Ran Cocaine Receives Sentence in Federal Conspiracy Case On his 90th birthday, an elderly Indiana resident who pleaded guilty last year to serving as a drug mule for a cocaine cartel has been sentenced for federal conspiracy charges. Leo Sharp, 90 years old on May 7th, was sentenced to three years in prison for smuggling more than 1 ton of cocaine into Michigan on behalf of a Mexican drug cartel. "All I can tell you, your honor, is I'm really heartbroken I did what I did," Leo Sharp told a judge. "But it's done." Sharp … [Read more...]
“Real Housewives of Atlanta” Husband Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges
May 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Husband of “Real Housewives of Atlanta” Star Pleads Guilty Federal Charges Including Bank and Wire Fraud Apollo Nida, husband of “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Phaedra Parks, has pleaded guilty to several federal charges, including bank, wire, and mail fraud. On Tuesday, May 6th, the 35-year-old pleaded guilty to federal charges after dodging questions about his indictment for a year. Last year, the US Attorney General’s Office alleged that Nida and several co-conspirators were part of a huge identity theft ring, cashing stolen US … [Read more...]
Supreme Court Clarifies Mortgage Fraud Restitution
May 12, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Supreme Court Sets Down Rules for Mortgage Fraud Calculations and Restitution On Monday, May 5th, the Supreme Court clarified rules for how restitution is calculated in mortgage fraud cases. In a unanimous decision, the justices agreed that restitution to a bank that has been defrauded must be calculated on the value of the property when the property is sold, not the value of the property when it has been foreclosed upon. The decision centers on a case of a fraudulent loan application for two houses in WIsconsin, for $470,000, filed by … [Read more...]
Two Face Federal Charges in $17 Million Drug Scam
May 12, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Two Men Indicted on Federal Charges for $17 Million Drug Scam The two operators of a drug supply company in Great Neck, New York, were arrested on federal charges on Wednesday, April 30th, for their roles in a multimillion dollar medical device and drug scam. William Scully, 45, and Rodi Lameh, 40, were charged for selling more than $17 million worth of misbranded or counterfeit medical devices and drugs, including fake cancer drugs and birth control. Both men pleaded not guilty to the federal charges stemming from the 73-count … [Read more...]
Illinois Lawmaker Faces Federal Child Pornography Charges
May 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Graphic Federal Complaint Against Former Illinois Lawmaker Leads to Child Porn Charges An Illinois state lawmaker resigned his seat in March of this year and on Monday, April 28th, received formal charges in a federal child pornography case. Former Representative Keith Farnham, 66, was charged with having two child pornography videos on his computer at his state office and another computer from his home, which were seized on March 13th as part of the federal investigation. The complaint also details extensive and graphic communications … [Read more...]
Former Homeless Ministry Official Faces Embezzlement Charges
April 29, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Former Charleston Homeless Ministry Official Charged with Embezzlement A former official with the homeless ministry in Charleston, SC has been arrested on embezzlement charges. Carol Libby, 56, from Mount Pleasant, has been charged with embezzling more than $440,000 from taking money from the Crisis Ministry between 2006 and 2013. She has been officially charged with five counts of wire fraud. Libby was fired last summer after she was arrested by Charleston police and charged with breach of trust, a white collar charge that led to the … [Read more...]
Two Convicted on Federal Mortgage Fraud Charges
April 29, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Former Countrywide Loan Officer and Former Corrections Officer Convicted on Mortgage Fraud Charges On Friday, April 18th, two men were convicted for their roles in an extensive mortgage fraud scheme that included the fraudulent purchase of over 40 properties in New Haven, Connecticut. Andrew Constantinou, of Unionville, Connecticut, and Jacques Kelly, of Poughkeepsie, New York, were convicted on all federal charges after a three-week trial, including conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and bank fraud. The jury also found Kelly guilty of one … [Read more...]
Allstate Awarded $3.8 Million in RICO Trial
April 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Allstate Insurance Awarded $3.8 Million in Trial Against RICO Violators After a 6-week jury trial, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled that defendants in a RICO violations trial would pay $3.8 million to Allstate, whom they defrauded. The jury found Michael Kent Plambeck, D.C., Jennifer Giessner, Douglas Friedman, Randal Toca, and other persons and entities guilty of racketeering, in violation of the Federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), and the Ohio Corrupt Practices … [Read more...]
