Fraud
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that Dequarius Hamler, 38, of Tangipahoa Parish, pleaded guilty to all six counts of a superseding indictment, including conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. The charges carry significant penalties, including up to 40 years imprisonment, $5
Theft
Patrick Garland, a California resident, pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport stolen cigarettes across state lines. According to the indictment, Garland and his accomplices stole cigarettes from a warehouse facility in November 2024. The group then traveled out of state, but was apprehended in Fort Stockton, Texas, the following day.
Theft
In a multi-agency operation, seven defendants have been charged with an organized retail theft scheme involving the return of counterfeit electronics goods in the San Francisco Bay Area. The scheme, which lasted over a year, involved purchasing genuine brand-name consumer electronics products and returning counterfeit versions to the same retailer
Fraud
Families of passengers who lost their lives in the two deadly crashes of Boeing 737 Max jetliners may finally get their chance to demand the company face criminal prosecution. A federal judge in Texas is scheduled to hear arguments on a U.S. government motion to dismiss a felony charge
Fraud
A Burbank man, Armen Muradyan, 60, has pleaded guilty to evading the payment of more than $11.2 million in federal taxes by using a shill to illegally collect Medicare reimbursement payments made to his blood-testing company, and to fraudulently obtaining nearly $100,000 in taxpayer-funded COVID-19 business relief. Muradyan&
Theft
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced the indictment of Kenneth Lawson, 39, and Areion Banks, 33, for conspiracy to commit theft and bribery concerning a program receiving federal funds in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371, 666(a)(1)(A), and 666(a)(1)(B)
Fraud
Federal prosecutors charged Boeing with conspiracy to commit fraud over the 2018 and 2019 crashes of Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines planes that killed 346 people. The company has been accused of withholding information about a flight-control system that was later implicated in the fatal flights. Boeing has spent six
Fraud
A former mine manager in Kentucky has pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) regarding an underground fire at the MC#1 Mine in Franklin County, Illinois, in August 2021. Timothy Brandon Parsons, 38, entered a guilty plea to conspiring to defraud
Theft
In a major crackdown on organized retail theft, seven defendants, including three Chinese nationals, have been charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, and trafficking in counterfeit goods in connection with a brazen scheme to steal genuine brand-name consumer electronics products. The
Fraud
A 60-year-old Burbank man, Armen Muradyan, has pleaded guilty to evading the payment of more than $11.2 million in federal taxes by using a shill to illegally collect Medicare reimbursement payments and to fraudulently obtaining nearly $100,000 in taxpayer-funded COVID-19 business relief. Muradyan, the owner and operator of
Theft
A scheme to exploit a program receiving federal funds led to the indictment of Kenneth Lawson and Areion Banks, two individuals accused of conspiracy and bribery. According to the indictment, Lawson, who was employed as a Grants Manager at the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office (OPSO), met Banks in
Fraud
Two senior pastors in the United States have been arrested in a $50 million human trafficking and money laundering conspiracy that utilized a network of call centers across the country. The operation, led by Michelle Brannon and David Taylor of the Kingdom of God Global Church, forced victims to work
