Fraud

District Attorney George Gascón released two public service announcements today warning people to beware of scams based on the increased demand for COVID-19 testing. “The best way to protect consumers is with knowledge. My goal is to give consumers the information they need to avoid becoming victims,” said District Attorney Gascón. “These crimes are particularly egregious because fake COVID-19 tests...

Washington D.C. — The Securities and Exchange Commission has announced fraud charges against Eduardo Hernandez, Christopher Flagg, Daquan Lloyd, and Corey Ortiz, all currently or formerly of Long Island, New York, for perpetrating a multi-year “free-riding” scheme that generated more than $2 million in illicit profits. The SEC alleges that, from approximately November 2018 through January 2022, the defendants opened...

LOS ANGELES – A Riverside County man was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison for using hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for personal expenses such as luxury cars after he obtained a COVID-business relief loan for more than $7 million on behalf of his pothole-repair company. Oumar Sissoko, 59, of Murrieta, was...

A former coal company executive was arrested today on charges of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), laundering funds, and receiving kickbacks as part of an alleged scheme to pay bribes to government officials in Egypt in connection with contracts with an Egyptian state-owned and state-controlled company, Al Nasr Company for Coke and Chemicals (Al Nasr). The seven-count indictment...

Washington D.C. — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Jebara Igbara, the founder of Halal Capital LLC, in connection with a more than $8 million scheme that targeted investors from the New York metropolitan area’s Muslim community. According to the SEC’s complaint filed in federal court in Brooklyn, Igbara (a.k.a. Jay Mazini) started Halal Capital in October 2019 with...

Los Angeles (CA) – Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced today that a 56-year-old woman has been charged with scamming more than a dozen immigrants by pretending to be a consultant -- and at times -- an attorney. “We have seen time and time again predatory practices against the most vulnerable victims,” District Attorney Gascón said. “This person...

(HOUSTON) – A 56-year-old Houston resident has been ordered to federal prison for scheming to fraudulently sell 50 million non-existent N95 facemasks to the Australian government, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery. Arael Doolittle pleaded guilty July 27, 2021. Today, U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes ordered him to serve a 54-month sentence. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence...

SEC Halts Fraudulent Cryptomining and Trading Scheme Washington D.C. — The Securities and Exchange Commission this week announced fraud charges against MCC International Corp. (MCC), which does business as Mining Capital Coin Corp., its founders Luiz Carlos Capuci, Jr. (aka Junior Caputti or Capuci) and Emerson Souza Pires (Pires), and two other entities controlled by Capuci, CPTLCoin Corp. (CPTLCoin) and...

Los Angeles – Two downtown Los Angeles residents were arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging they fraudulently obtained more than $300,000 – and attempted to obtain an additional $1 million – in COVID-relief loans for several companies they claimed to own and operate. Sean Schoepflin, 42, a.k.a. “Sean Fitzgerald,” and Erika Leon, 44, a.k.a. “Erika Fitzgerald,” are each charged...

SEC Uncovers $194 Million Penny Stock Schemes that Spanned Three Continents This week the Securities and Exchange Commission announced charges against 16 defendants, located in the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Monaco, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, for participating in multi-year fraudulent penny stock schemes that generated more than $194 million in illicit proceeds....