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Tag: U.S. Postal Inspection Service

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
FTC Gives Nod To BBB For Helping It Solve Advanced-Fee Scam Operated By Recidivist Offender; James Nicholson Banned For Life From Telemarketing, Hit With $17.2 Million Judgment, Loses Power Boat

A Florida man who operated a previous scam has been banned for life from the telemarketing business after state and federal authorities and the Better Business Bureau worked together to expose the operation, the Federal Trade Commission said. “The FTC received invaluable assistance in this matter from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the University of…

Mar 29, 2010
FTC Announces Major, Multiagency Sweep; Says Government Will Seize Assets Of Scammers; Heralds New Partnerships With Craigslist, Microsoft, Others To Combat Online Fraud

The Federal Trade Commission has announced a major sweep involving numerous companies and defendants — and a new partnership with Craigslist, Microsoft, Monster.com and CareerBuilder to combat employment and work-at-home fraud. Meanwhile, the agency said it was working with AARPâ€™s Legal Counsel for the Elderly to keep America’s senior citizens’ pocketbooks out of the clutches…

Feb 17, 2010
FTC To Announce Major ‘Law Enforcement Sweep’; Justice Department, Postal Inspectors Will Be Present At News Conference Wednesday

Still pushing work-at-home schemes on the Internet? The Federal Trade Commission has a message for you. On Wednesday, the FTC will announce a major “law enforcement sweep cracking down on job and work-at-home fraud fueled by the economic downturn,” the agency said. Investigators will release “[s]till shots from the Web sites of some of the…

Feb 15, 2010
Feds Charge Husband And Wife In Alleged Work-At-Home Scheme; Philip Pestrichello Is Recidivist Offender

EDITOR’S NOTE: Recidivism, the tendency to continue committing crimes or breaking laws even after getting caught and perhaps even going to prison, is a common theme in the scam universe. It has been an element in many recent cases we’ve written about, including the AdSurfDaily Ponzi scheme case (principals Andy Bowdoin and Clarence Busby had…

Feb 9, 2010
PROSECUTORS: Man Operated Identity-Theft Fraud Scheme While Out On Bond In Ponzi Scheme Case; Bryant R. Filter Sentenced To 135 Months In Federal Prison

While completing its investigation of Bryant R. Filter for operating an insurance Ponzi scheme, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service discovered Filter was operating a second fraud scheme, federal prosecutors said. Filter, 39, of Mars, Pa., now has been sentenced to 135 months in federal prison for the Ponzi fraud, and a second scheme in which…

Feb 9, 2010
Nilton Rossoni Sentenced To 68 Months In Federal Prison For Colossal eBay Fraud; Elaborate Scheme Featured 59 Mail Drops, 260 Bogus Auction Accounts

It was a case that was all about the numbers. In the end, the number with the most meaning to Nilton Rossoni was 68 — the number of months he’ll be spending in federal prison. Rossoni conducted more than 5,500 fraudulent auctions on eBay. He pulled off his scheme by using at least 260 bogus…

Feb 5, 2010
POSTAL INSPECTORS: Ponzi Scheme Targeted Filipino Community In New York; Razel Canedo Arrested In Atlantic City In ‘Nanny’ Ponzi Scheme

EDITOR’S NOTE: If you’re keeping a “Bubba Blue” notebook on the ways to have a Ponzi scheme as opposed to having shrimp, here’s one you might want to list: an alleged “Nanny” Ponzi scheme. In yet another case that couples Ponzi and affinity fraud, Razel Canedo was charged with targeting Filipino immigrants in Greater New…

Feb 2, 2010
California Man Guilty In $62 Million Ponzi Scheme; Milton Retana Targeted Latinos, Ordered Evidence To Be Hidden In Back Of Religious Bookstore

In yet another case in which the name of a precious metal or mineral was used in a Ponzi scheme, Milton Retana has been found guilty of six counts of mail fraud and one count of lying to federal investigators. Evidence of the fraud was hidden in the back of a religious bookstore operated by…

Jan 22, 2010
SENIORS HARMED: Judge Issues Findings In CFTC Case Against Matthew B. Pizzolato; Says Investors Lost Retirement Savings In Scheme

A Louisiania man charged criminally in an alleged Ponzi scheme and sued civilly on the same day last month lied to investors, some of whom liquidated retirement savings and annuities only to suffer massive losses by entrusting funds to Matthew B. Pizzolato, a federal judge has ruled. The case against Pizzolato is proceeding on separate…

Dec 31, 2009
Man Jailed For Ignoring Court Order In Puerto Rico-Based Envelope-Stuffing Scheme Targeting Spanish-Speaking Customers; Translators, Postal Inspectors Assisted In FTC Probe

A man has been jailed for ignoring a court order in a civil case and continuing to operate an envelope-stuffing scheme from the area of Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, the Federal Trade Commission announced Dec. 23. Zoilo Cruz, also known as Zoilo Cruz Carrion, conducts business as International Marketing and Universal Wealth. The case was…

Dec 26, 2009