All articles tagged with #fraud
Christine Hunsicker, former CEO of fashion-tech startup CaaStle, was sentenced to five years in prison for leading nearly $300 million in investor fraud. Her defense, which blamed a traumatic brain injury from a falling mirror, failed to sway the court, and she was ordered to repay about $283 million to victims.
A Brazilian woman, Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira (39? actually 37 per court release), was found guilty of fraud and false identity for living as a 12-year-old girl with a foster family for 14 months as part of a 15-year deception. The case notes she created a false identity and age, using a high‑pitched voice and even claiming hormones were used to look older. Oliveira was sentenced to one year, six months and 10 days in prison, plus four months and 18 days of detention. One of her lawyers said the scheme was a survival strategy, and Oliveira admitted she invented an identity, claiming she deceived people but did not intend to scam anyone; she also said she fled abuse. She plans to appeal the verdict.
A 37-year-old Brazilian woman, Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira, was found guilty of fraud and false identity after living with a foster family for 14 months while posing as their daughter. Authorities say she had been living as a child for roughly 15 years as part of an elaborate fraud, even adopting a high-pitched voice and claiming a history of abuse. She admitted to creating a false identity and age, saying she did it to survive and never intended to scam anyone. She was sentenced to one year, six months and 10 days in prison, plus four months and 18 days of detention, with plans to appeal.
Republican challenger Lisa Demuth accuses Sen. Amy Klobuchar of campaigning on fraud while not addressing Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future scandal in years of press releases; a Fox News Digital review found Klobuchar’s office urged action on other fraud but did not mention the $250 million Feeding Our Future scheme (prosecutors say the broader fraud could reach up to $9 billion). Demuth says Klobuchar could have pressed hearings and done more, while Klobuchar’s campaign says she will fight fraud and would audit on day one. The controversy unfolds as Walz faces fraud fallout and Klobuchar remains a leading candidate to replace him.
Hui Ka Yan, founder of Evergrande, was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to eight charges including misuse of funds and fundraising fraud; Evergrande Group and its property arm were fined billions of yuan as part of a government crackdown on debt-fueled real estate, with more than 50 related defendants also jailed and the company saddled with massive liabilities from a $300 billion debt crisis.
Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira, 37, spent more than 15 years posing as a child to receive shelter and attention, leading to fraud and identity-theft charges in Santa Catarina and Paraná. A court-ordered mental-health evaluation found her competent to stand trial; prosecutors say she deceived hosts and shelters, while her lawyers argue no financial loss occurred and that she sought care rather than to scam. The case has drawn wide public and media attention in Brazil.
A 37-year-old Brazilian woman who pretended to be a 12-year-old named Amanda for more than 15 years to gain shelter and attention faces fraud and identity-theft charges; investigators say she deceived families, shelters and religious groups, a mental health evaluation found her fit to stand trial, and her lawyers contend no financial loss occurred.
Todd Burkhalter, founder and CEO of Drive Planning in Atlanta, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for running what prosecutors call Georgia's largest Ponzi scheme, defrauding more than 2,000 investors of about $400 million from 2020 to 2024; funds financed an extravagant lifestyle, including a $2 million yacht and a $2.1 million Cabo San Lucas condo, with restitution exceeding $230 million; two other Drive Planning executives were also sentenced.
A federal jury convicted former New Mexico House Majority Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton and co-defendant Joseph Johnson on all 31 counts, including bribery, mail fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to defraud the United States, tied to an eight-year scheme to divert state and federal education funds; sentencing is expected within about 90 days.
Google says Chrome’s anti-abuse measures reduced unwanted Android notifications by more than 7 billion per day in Q1 2026, using a layered “Swiss cheese” defense that automatically revokes permissions from inactive or suspicious sites, throttles excessive prompts, and reshapes notification prompts to be less disruptive, while giving users ongoing control via Safety Hub and Android’s settings.
A former SPLC chief financial officer, Heidi Beirich, was indicted on fraud charges for overseeing payments to informants in hate groups, including diverting at least $140,000 to a joint account used for personal living expenses; prosecutors say she was romantically involved with an informant, while Beirich’s lawyer and the SPLC call the case politically motivated and deny fraud.
A BBC report highlights a surge in ‘flash marriage’ scams in Guiyang, where matchmaking agencies exploit China’s gender imbalance by pairing men with supposed brides in rapid, costly ceremonies; many victims lose large sums to fake spouses and shoddy background checks, as authorities launch a crackdown and victims struggle to recover.
Zach Holland, a former college golfer, admitted to faking a hole-in-one at WingHaven Country Club in Missouri during a membership event. After a video explaining the stunt went viral, he resigned his WingHaven membership, apologized, and said there are consequences for his actions. He had briefly left the group to call a friend, then claimed a hole-in-one after they arrived; security footage showed him driving by the fourth green beforehand. He called the act stupid and wrong and noted there was no excuse, noting the deception also cost two shots back to the field.
New York Attorney General Letitia James warned of a nationwide scam in which criminals use fake pop-ups and impersonate law enforcement to coerce older adults into withdrawing funds and delivering gold bars; victims are told to hand over cash and not discuss the breach. The scheme, which has led to losses of more than $100 million in New York over two years and has appeared in other states, relies on urgency and secrecy. The public is urged not to give remote access, not to call numbers from messages, to contact their banks, and to report suspicious activity to authorities.
In Kano, Nigeria, about 1,500 couples wed in a government-sponsored mass wedding funded with roughly 1.5 billion naira to cover dowries, furniture and initial home needs; each couple receives 100,000 naira as dowry and 100,000 naira as startup capital, plus household goods, and must pass comprehensive medical checks overseen by the Hisbah Islamic police. The program, started in 2012 and drawing thousands of applicants (around 5,000 this year), aims to assist low-income couples, but some applicants attempt to game the system with fake partners or altered tests, leading to ongoing vetting; the ceremony culminates at the Emir's palace with a governor-hosted breakfast.