Homeland Security Investigations

PP Blog Tag archives on references to "Homeland Security Investigations."

TelexFree Probe Continues; ‘Substantial Amount’ Of YouTube Video Content Sought In Search Warrant Served Oct. 16

TelexFree Probe Continues; 'Substantial Amount' Of YouTube Video Content Sought In Search Warrant Served Oct. 16

The TelexFree probe continues in the United States, with prosecutors revealing today that federal agents served a search warrant on Google on Oct. 16 that sought a “substantial amount” of content on YouTube. Precisely what content prosecutors are seeking was not immediately clear. Google told agents that “compliance will take several weeks,” according to the […]

PONZITRACKER.COM: New Ponzi Scheme Uncovered Every 118 Hours; Alleged TelexFree Fraud Heads 2014 List

PONZITRACKER.COM: New Ponzi Scheme Uncovered Every 118 Hours; Alleged TelexFree Fraud Heads 2014 List

If you’re a student or educator or employee or boss with a traditional M-F schedule, chances are you’ll be hearing about a new Ponzi scheme before the final bell rings or the final whistle blows on Friday. During the first six months of 2014, a Ponzi scheme was discovered every 4.9 days (or every 118 […]

Missouri Raised ‘Grave Concerns’ Over TelexFree

Missouri Raised 'Grave Concerns' Over TelexFree

The staff of the Missouri Public Service Commission raised “grave concerns” that permitting TelexFree’s telecom registration to remain intact in the state could “assist in the perpetuation of a fraud on investors,” records show. Missouri approved the registration in March 2014. TelexFree applied for it the previous month, according to records. Those records included a […]

Purported ‘Sovereign Citizen’ Who Bizarrely Claimed His Authority Came From ‘The Vatican’ Convicted Of Issuing Bogus Diplomatic Credentials

Purported 'Sovereign Citizen' Who Bizarrely Claimed His Authority Came From 'The Vatican' Convicted Of Issuing Bogus Diplomatic Credentials

EDITOR’S NOTE: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are referenced in the story about purported “sovereign citizen” James T. McBride below. ICE/HSI also are involved in the investigation of the alleged TelexFree Ponzi- and pyramid scheme. Whether TelexFree had any “sovereign citizens” in its ranks is unclear. “Sovereign citizens,” however, […]

SPECIAL REPORT: Prior To Brazil’s TelexFree-Related ‘Operation Orion,’ United States Used Same Name In Sting; U.S. Department Of Homeland Security Has Office In Brasilia And History Of Cooperating With Brazilian Investigators

SPECIAL REPORT: Prior To Brazil's TelexFree-Related 'Operation Orion,' United States Used Same Name In Sting; U.S. Department Of Homeland Security Has Office In Brasilia And History Of Cooperating With Brazilian Investigators

If you’ve been following TelexFree developments, you’ve probably heard about “Operation Orion,” the code name for the investigation that led to raids against TelexFree’s Ympactus arm last week by the Brazilian federal police. The Orion name was chosen, police said, because it fit splendidly within the context of a pyramid-scheme case. How so? The Pyramids […]

BULLETIN: Prosecutors Ask Judge Not To Release Money To TelexFree Figure James Merrill

BULLETIN: Prosecutors Ask Judge Not To Release Money To TelexFree Figure James Merrill

BULLETIN: Federal prosecutors handling the criminal case against TelexFree figure and alleged co-owner James Merrill have asked a judge not to release $4 million Merrill says he needs to pay for his criminal defense. On July 1, Merrill asked for an evidentiary hearing aimed ultimately at securing “an order returning the identified funds” to him. […]

EDITORIAL: TelexFree’s La-La Land Leaves Trail Of Missed Signals, Willful Blindness And MLM Arson

EDITORIAL: TelexFree's La-La Land Leaves Trail Of Missed Signals, Willful Blindness And MLM Arson

In case you missed the big news yesterday, TelexFree figures James Merrill and Carlos Wanzeler were charged criminally. Unofficially this brings the number of charged MLM HYIP “programs” (or clients) with links to MLM attorney Gerald Nehra to three in recent years. Nehra was an “expert witness” for AdSurfDaily in 2008. He testified that ASD, […]

BULLETIN: Merrill, Wanzeler Charged With Wire-Fraud Conspiracy; Wanzeler Labeled ‘Fugitive’; Scope Of TelexFree Fraud ‘Breathtaking,’ Top Federal Prosecutor Says; Undercover Probe Had Been Under Way For Months, With ‘Intelligence Research Specialist’ Placing ‘Ads’ And Undercover Agent Mixing With Promoters

BULLETIN: Merrill, Wanzeler Charged With Wire-Fraud Conspiracy; Wanzeler Labeled 'Fugitive'; Scope Of TelexFree Fraud 'Breathtaking,' Top Federal Prosecutor Says; Undercover Probe Had Been Under Way For Months, With 'Intelligence Research Specialist' Placing 'Ads' And Undercover Agent Mixing With Promoters

BULLETIN: (18th Update 8:15 a.m. EDT, May 10, U.S.A.) TelexFree figures James Merrill and Carlos Wanzeler have been charged criminally with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Merrill, 53, was arrested in Worcester, Mass. Wanzeler, 45, of Northborough, Mass., has been labeled a “fugitive.” In similar prosecutions, U.S. authorities have notified INTERPOL about the subjects of […]

BULLETIN: U.S. Trustee Says ‘Compelling Evidence Of Fraud’ And ‘Reasonable Grounds’ To Believe ‘Criminal Conduct’ Occurred On Road To TelexFree Bankruptcy Filing

BULLETIN: U.S. Trustee Says 'Compelling Evidence Of Fraud' And 'Reasonable Grounds' To Believe 'Criminal Conduct' Occurred On Road To TelexFree Bankruptcy Filing

BULLETIN:  (11th Update 2:35 p.m. EDT U.S.A.) The United States’ trustee who serves the region (Nevada) in which TelexFree’s bankruptcy case was filed on April 13 has alleged there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that “criminal conduct” occurred at TelexFree. Trustee Tracy Hope Davis, who works for a division of the U.S. Department of Justice, […]

UPDATE: In SEC’s TelexFree Case, Agency Says Department Of Homeland Security And Sheriff’s Deputy Stopped Nearly $38 Million From Leaving Firm’s Massachusetts Office During Execution Of Search Warrant; Money Is Now Frozen

UPDATE: In SEC's TelexFree Case, Agency Says Department Of Homeland Security And Sheriff's Deputy Stopped Nearly $38 Million From Leaving Firm's Massachusetts Office During Execution Of Search Warrant; Money Is Now Frozen

EDITOR’S NOTE: See story from earlier today on the SEC’s complaint and fraud allegations against the TelexFree “program,” executives and key promoters. ** ______________________________ ** A Bristol County Deputy Sheriff at the scene of a Tuesday raid by the Department of Homeland Security at TelexFree headquarters in Marlborough, Mass., stopped nearly $38 million in cashier’s […]

DEVELOPING STORY: Federal Agents Raid TelexFree, Massachusetts Newspaper Reports (And Publishes Photo)

(UPDATED 9:58 A.M. EDT U.S.A.) Agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) have raided the TelexFree office in Marlborough, Mass., the MetroWest Daily News is reporting. And the newspaper has published a photo showing federal agents and police officers inside the TelexFree office. The scene is similar to a scene at AdSurfDaily’s Florida headquarters in August […]