All articles tagged with #forgery
A former Long Island nurse, Julie DeVuono, earned about $1.5 million by selling fake COVID-19 vaccine cards to parents of 162 schoolchildren between 2019 and 2022; she pleaded guilty in 2023 to forgery and money laundering, and the New York Department of Health imposed a $544,000 civil penalty—the largest for vaccination fraud in its 125-year history.
A former Amityville nurse, Julie DeVuono, ran a large-scale scheme selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards for 162 families, earning about $1.5 million; she pleaded guilty to forgery and money laundering and was hit with a record $544,000 civil penalty by the New York State Department of Health, plus forfeiture of $1.2 million, 840 hours of community service, and five years of probation after laundering $236,980 to pay a mortgage.
In Madison, former Trump aides and attorneys, including Jim Troupis, pleaded not guilty to multiple felony forgery counts tied to the 2020 fake elector scheme in Wisconsin, underscoring ongoing probes into attempts to overturn the election results; the piece also references Kenneth Chesebro’s prior plea deal in Georgia as context.
Kouri Richins, a Utah grief author, was convicted in March of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, fraud and forgery in her husband Eric Richins’s 2022 death, which prosecutors say involved a lethal, illicit dose of fentanyl. She faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the aggravated murder charge, and prosecutors sought a standing protective order for Eric’s family—though a judge said he could not issue it under current law. Three children provided victim-impact statements describing fear if she is released. The sentencing follows weeks of trial testimony detailing alleged infidelity, a potential poisoning incident with a sandwich, and accounts from a housekeeper; Richins did not testify. Her grief-focused book Are You With Me? was removed from Amazon.
A Missouri woman, Lisa Findley, was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison for attempting to fraudulently auction Elvis Presley's Graceland estate by forging signatures and creating a false deed to extort funds from the Presley family.
A World War II-era Indian Air Force airstrip in Ferozepur, used in three wars, was allegedly sold off in 1997 by a mother-son duo with fake documents, leading to a police FIR and a high court-ordered investigation into the long-concealed scam involving strategic defense land, which was only recently restored to the Ministry of Defence.
Israeli investigators are examining allegations that aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have forged phone records related to events on October 7. This investigation is part of a broader scrutiny into the actions and communications of Netanyahu's team during a critical period.
A self-described "identity thief" claims responsibility for the attempted foreclosure and auction of Graceland, stating his operation is based in Nigeria. Riley Keough's attorneys blocked the sale, alleging forged documents. The FBI in Memphis is investigating but has not commented.
Austin Smith, a Republican lawmaker in Arizona and senior director for Turning Point Action, resigned from his position and withdrew from his re-election bid after being accused of forging voters' signatures in a court complaint. Smith, who has been vocal about election skepticism, denied any wrongdoing but cited financial burden as the reason for his withdrawal, claiming that Democrats engineered the complaint against him.
State Rep. Austin Smith, a senior director at Turning Point Action, resigned after being accused of forging voter signatures on official paperwork to run for reelection in the Arizona House. A Democratic activist filed a complaint alleging that Smith submitted petition sheets with forged voter signatures. Smith denied the allegations, attributing them to a "coordinated attack" by Democrats and critics of his politics. His resignation drew immediate reaction from members of his own party, with some calling for his resignation from office.
A 280 million-year-old fossil believed to be a well-preserved ancient reptile has been revealed as a forgery, with researchers discovering that the dark outline of the lizardlike body encased in rock is actually black paint covering a couple of bones and carved rock. The fossil, known as Tridentinosaurus antiquus, was initially found in the Italian Alps in 1931 and had raised questions about early reptile evolution. The study's findings, published in the journal Paleontology, highlight the unusual forgery and the challenges it posed for experts in interpreting the fossil's preservation.
A rare 280 million-year-old fossil resembling a lizard-like creature, named Tridentinosaurus antiquus, was found to be mostly a carved rock painted black, with only genuine hind-limb bones and tiny bone scales preserved in the rock. The discovery was made when researchers reexamined the fossil with modern techniques, revealing that the dark coloration previously thought to be preserved skin was actually paint. The study's lead author, Valentina Rossi, believes the additional carving and paint may have been poor fossil preparation in years past, rather than an outright forgery. The fossil's identity remains uncertain, but the presence of osteoderms leads researchers to believe it was a reptile-like animal of some kind.
A renowned 280-million-year-old fossil, Tridentinosaurus antiquus, discovered in the Italian Alps in 1931 and thought to show preserved soft tissues, has been revealed to be partly a forgery, with its body outline being painted. New research led by Dr. Valentina Rossi of University College Cork, Ireland, shows that the fossil's celebrated soft tissues are mostly black paint on a carved lizard-shaped rock surface, cautioning against its use in future studies. However, genuine bones and tiny bony scales have been identified, demonstrating how modern analytical paleontology can resolve long-standing enigmas.
James Renner, one of 16 Republicans charged with being "fake electors" for Trump in Michigan, testified in court that he never intended to forge public records. He claimed he would have challenged the meeting if he thought a crime was being committed. The alleged scheme involved replacing Michigan's electoral votes for Biden with votes for Trump. The state is still pursuing charges against the other 15 defendants, who have all pleaded not guilty.
Craig Wright denies forging evidence to prove he is Satoshi Nakamoto on the second day of the COPA trial, claiming that inconsistencies in documents actually prove their authenticity. He faces cross-examination and accusations of industrial-scale forgery from an alliance of crypto advocates and developers. Wright attributes inconsistencies to self-plagiarizing, printing errors, and other factors, while facing scrutiny over evidence including credit card payments, emails, and tweets. The trial is ongoing, with Wright's interrogation scheduled to continue until at least Feb. 13.