TRENTON, N.J. – A Passaic County, New Jersey, man and a Bergen County, New Jersey, man have been arraigned for their respective roles in a reverse mortgage scheme that took advantage of several elderly homeowners, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today. Rafael Peralta, 46, of Clifton, New Jersey, and Philip Puccio Jr., 40, of Mahwah, New Jersey, were indicted Feb. 8, 2019, by a federal grand jury on one count of conspiracy to commit bank…

(Source: WashingtonPost.com) A former contract specialist for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has pleaded guilty in a federal bribery scheme that involved giving private information on contracts to a Maryland business in exchange for more than $38,000 in money, travel and hotels and tickets to Washington Redskins and Washington Wizards games. Authorities said Kevin Jones, 48, of Laurel, Md., was a contract oversight…

WASHINGTON – Kevin Jones, 48, a former contract oversight specialist with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), pled guilty today to a federal bribery charge stemming from a scheme in which he provided non-public information about pending HUD contracts to a business owner in exchange for tickets to sporting events, travel, and cash. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director…

Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney John H. Durham today announced that the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office have filed a lawsuit in the District of Connecticut alleging that female tenants and applicants of residential rental properties in and around New London, Connecticut, were subjected to sexual harassment, coercion, intimidation and threats,…

(Source: www.kstp.com) A Minneapolis woman faces charges after authorities say she stole funds from a nonprofit she worked at while she was on probation for defrauding another nonprofit, according to a release from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.  The release said Cynthia Waight faces one count of identity theft and one count of theft by swindle.  The county attorney's office said Waight was investigated by a special agent…

Four individuals were charged in an eight-count indictment, unsealed today, which alleges federal program fraud, money laundering and perjury, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider. Schneider was joined in the announcement by Brad Geary, Special Agent in Charge of the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General and Special Agent in Charge Timothy R. Slater, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division…

BOSTON – A Lynn accountant pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to assisting a multi-year mortgage fraud scheme by creating fraudulent tax returns and submitting fraudulent letters to lenders.  David Plunkett, 53, of Lynn, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of aiding in the submission of false tax returns. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for June 25, 2019. George…

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Adam C. McFadden, and George H. Moses, both of Rochester, NY, were charged by criminal complaint with wire fraud; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; money laundering; and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard A. Resnick, who is handling the case, stated that…

A Euclid woman was sentenced to more than nine years in prison for a scheme in which she fraudulently enrolled students into Ohio community colleges to defraud the U.S. Department of Education out of $1.8 million. Basheera Perry, 45, was sentenced to 114 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $1.9 million in restitution. She previously pleaded guilty to numerous charges, including conspiracy, wire and mail fraud and aggravated identity…

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced today that Sierra Pacific Mortgage Company Inc. (SPM), a national mortgage lender headquartered in Folsom, has agreed to pay the United States $3,670,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by falsely certifying compliance with Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance requirements in connection with certain loans. During the time period…

A contractor from North Royalton was indicted for paying cash bribes to a City of Cleveland building official. Martin Fano, 69, was indicted on seven counts of honest services mail and wire fraud. According to the indictment: Fano owned and operated ABC Construction LLC, a business that provided demolition and construction services in the Cleveland area. The company did demolition work for the City of Cleveland, the Cuyahoga County Land Bank…

(Source: Cleveland.com) CLEVELAND, Ohio — A North Royalton contractor is charged with paying bribes to a former Cleveland official, as part of an expanding federal probe into corruption within the city’s demolition operations. A federal grand jury indicted ABC Construction owner Martin Fano Wednesday on seven counts of honest services mail and wire fraud. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement that the 69 year old paid cash bribes to…

(Source: NEWS5CLEVELAND.COM) NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio — A North Royalton contractor was indicted for allegedly paying cash bribes to a Cleveland building official, according to a news release from the Department of Justice. Martin Fano, 69, was indicted on seven counts of honest services mail and wire fraud, according to the release. Fano, who owned and operated ABC Construction LLC, did demolition work for the City of Cleveland, the Cuyahoga…

(Source: crainscleveland)  A North Royalton contractor was indicted Wednesday, Feb. 6, by a federal grand jury for paying cash bribes to a Cleveland building official. Martin Fano, who owned and operated ABC Construction LLC, was indicted on seven counts of honest services mail and wire fraud. According to the indictment, ABC Construction, which did demolition work for the city of Cleveland, the Cuyahoga Land Bank and others, paid bribes…

(Source: www.tristatehomepage.com) On Monday, United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced that the former Echo Housing Corporation Executive Director Stephanie Tenbarge was indicted on three counts of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds. Tenbarge, 71, was arrested Monday and will appear before a federal magistrate judge for her initial appearance. Click here to read the indictment. Tenbarge was accused in 2018 of misusing…

Evansville –United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced today that an Evansville, Indiana woman who worked as the Executive Director at Echo Housing Corporation, was indicted on three counts of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds. Stephanie L. TenBarge, 71, Evansville, was arrested today and will appear before a federal magistrate judge for her initial appearance. Echo Housing Corporation is a non-profit organization based in…

(Source: Newsweek.com) A New Jersey man pleaded guilty to financial theft, money laundering and drug charges on Monday after admitting to taking cash from a Hurricane Sandy victim. Ocean County prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said yesterday that Robert Brower, 45, of Seaside Heights, acknowledged he had taken more than $750,000 from a Toms River homeowner while working as a contractor on the residence in the wake of the devastating superstorm. He…

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (“SDNY”), Ben Carson, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”), and Andrew Wheeler, Acting Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), announced today the signing of an administrative agreement (“Agreement”) with the NEW YORK CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY (“NYCHA”) and the CITY OF NEW YORK (the “City”) requiring…

DAYTON – Cynthia A. Faulkner, 32, of Dayton, Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to fraudulently obtaining food card benefits and submitting false income tax documents. Specifically, she pleaded guilty to three counts of making a false document, two counts of aiding in the filing of a false income tax return and one count of misprision of a felony. Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Ryan L.…

(Source: brownsvilleherald.com) A man admitted to defrauding the Brownsville Housing Authority Tuesday afternoon by concealing income he earned through selling firearms, gun kits and ammunition, court documents and hearings revealed. Gilberto Usdel Tello pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera to lying to a special agent with the Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of the Inspector General, or HUD-OIG, by…