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Tag: FBI

BULLETIN: Another Spectacular Florida Ponzi Case Emerging; Nevin K. Shapiro Charged Criminally, Civilly In Alleged $900 Million Fraud

BULLETIN: Nevin K. Shapiro, the founder and president of Capitol Investments USA Inc., surrendered to authorities this morning after being charged both criminally and civilly in an alleged $900 million Ponzi and fraud scheme in south Florida and elsewhere, the SEC said. Shapiro, 41, is a prominent Miami Beach businessman and philanthropist in the wholesale…

Apr 21, 2010
FBI Director Again References ‘Shadow Banking System’ In Congressional Testimony; Warns About ‘Homegrown Violent Extremists’ And ‘Lone Actor’ Terrorists

EDITOR’S NOTE: Still selling autosurfs and HYIPs? Quick! Name your autosurfing neighbor, his or her neighbors, the source of their funding — and describe their intent. Do you even know the names of the program owners, the venues from which they operate and the sources of their funding? How many companies do they own? How…

Apr 16, 2010
Federal Judge Dispatches U.S. Marshals To Arrest Convicted Ponzi Schemer; Michael Derrick Peninger Did Not Show Up At Sentencing Court In South Carolina

UPDATED 5:45 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) A federal judge has issued a bench warrant for Michael Derrick Peninger after Peninger did not show up for sentencing yesterday in a $7 million, Ponzi-scheme case in South Carolina. Peninger, 50, of Charleston, was convicted in October of eight counts of mail fraud and one count of making a…

Apr 13, 2010
BULLETIN: Trevor Cook, Minnesota Ponzi Scheme Figure, Pleads Guilty In $190 Million Fraud Case

BULLETIN: (UPDATED 12:35 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) Trevor G. Cook, implicated in a $190 million Ponzi scheme that pushed tremendous sums of money all over the world and is believed to have fleeced investors out of at least $139 million, has entered a guilty plea in federal court in Minnesota. No sentencing date has been sent.…

Apr 13, 2010
Another Fraud Case In Minnesota: Renee Marie Brown Accused By SEC Of Starting ‘Sham’ Investment Fund Known As ‘X’

UPDATED 7:52 A.M. EDT (April 13, U.S.A.) On the very day Tom Petters was sentenced in Minnesota to 50 years in prison for operating a colossal Ponzi scheme, a federal judge froze the assets of Renee Marie Brown after the SEC accused her of ripping off clients by persuading them to invest in a mysterious…

Apr 12, 2010
NEWS/UPDATES: Feds Charge Donald Young In Massive Ponzi In Pennsylvania; Matthew Pizzolato Pleads Guilty In Louisiana; Jeffrey Mowen Loses Cars In Utah; ‘Today’ Show Interviews Daughter Who Turned In Mom For Ponzi

A grand jury has returned an indictment against a suburban Philadelphia man, accusing him of operating a Ponzi scheme that gathered at least $95 million and fleeced investors of more than $25 million. Charged criminally with mail fraud and money-laundering was Donald Anthony Young, who also has been sued by the SEC. Meanwhile, Matthew Pizzolato…

Apr 2, 2010
BULLETIN: Trevor Cook Charged Criminally With Mail Fraud And Tax Evasion In Alleged $190 Million Ponzi Case In Minnesota

BULLETIN: Trevor Cook, the reputed head of a $190 million Ponzi scheme in Minnesota, has been charged criminally with mail fraud and income-tax evasion. Cook, 37, previously had been charged civilly by the SEC and the CFTC. The criminal charges filed today came after a probe by the FBI and the IRS Criminal Investigations Unit,…

Mar 30, 2010
BULLETIN: Autosurf Biz Takes Another Pounding; Federal Judge Adds Noobing As Receivership Defendant In Fraud Case Against Parent Company; 14 Other Subsidiaries Named

UPDATED 6:05 P.M. EDT (U.S.A., Jan. 20, 2011.) In yet another case that portends disaster for the so-called “autosurf” industry, a federal judge has ordered the Noobing autosurf to be added as a receivership defendant in a fraud case brought against its parent company. The FTC and attorneys general from Minnesota, North Carolina and Kansas…

Mar 25, 2010
Astonishing Case Of Bank Fraud Alleged In New York; Charles J. Antonucci Sr. Charged With Bilking Pastors, TARP Program — And The Bank He Led

EDITOR’S NOTE: At the moment, I don’t have the time to do this story justice. The allegations, however, are astonishing. And law-enforcement officials at both the state and federal levelÂ are calling it another case that has been solved by the Interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. A New York man has been arrested on…

Mar 16, 2010
BULLETIN: CFTC Busts 2 Alleged Ponzi Schemes; Patrick H. Rakotonanahary Arrested By FBI In Florida After Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force Probe

A Florida man has been arrested by the FBI on 21 counts of wire fraud amid allegations he operated a forex Ponzi scheme, collecting more than $10.2 million and pocketing $1 million for himself. The announcement of the arrest of Patrick H. Rakotonanahary, 34, ofÂ Punta Gorda, Fla., was made in Hawaii after a joint…

Mar 16, 2010
WELCOME TO PLANET CYBERFRAUD, U.S. REGION: IC3 Report Shows Tremendous Surge In Dollars Lost To Online Scams; Nevada, Utah, Florida, D.C. Among Cyberscam Capitals

Welcome to the rapidly evolving world of Planet Fraud, U.S. Region — or, more precisely, the U.S. Region of Planet Cyberfraud, the electronic web of deceit that often exists out of view and is sucking wealth at an alarming pace. Its capitals last year, according to a new report from The Internet Crime Complaint Center…

Mar 12, 2010