Atlanta real estate agent Eric Hill sentenced for mortgage fraud
Atlanta real estate agent Eric Hill has been sentenced for his participation in a mortgage fraud scheme that netted more than $21 million in fraudulent mortgage loans. Many of the fraudulent loans were insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), resulting in over $850,000 in claims being paid for mortgages that have defaulted. Hill also […]
‘Madea Goes to Jail’ star Ion Overman among 19 charged with PPP fraud
Actors, musicians and athletes are among the 19 people around the country who have been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on Paycheck Protection Program loan fraud. Among the most notable is Madea Goes to Jail star Ion Overman, 45, who is also known for her roles as Det. Elena Ruiz in CBS’ “Wisdom of […]
Pretty Ricky’s Baby Blue sentenced on fraud charge
Pretty Ricky member Baby Blue has been sentenced to prison for 20 months after being arrested in a Payment Protection Program scheme. The rapper pleaded guilty on Aug. 4, 2021, after being apprehended on Oct. 6, 2020, for filing the loan application, which turned out to be fraudulent. Blue received $24 million in emergency funds […]
Ex-NFL player sentenced to prison for PPP scam
An ex-NFL player is on his way to prison for the next three years. Joshua Bellamy has been sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for his role in the misuse of COVID-19 relief funds. In September 2020, the FBI arrested Bellamy in Florida and charged him with wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to […]
9 therapists accused of stealing $3M from program for children
Federal prosecutors claim nine therapists have stolen over $3 million from the New York State Early Intervention Program, NBC New York reports. The EIP provides services for children age 3 or younger with a confirmed disability or developmental delay. Some of the services include nutrition, physical therapy, occupational therapy, special instruction and speech pathology. The […]
Georgia man spent COVID relief funds on $57K Pokémon card
Sometimes you just have to catch them all at any price. A Georgia man spent more than two-thirds of his COVID-19 relief loan to pay for a Pokémon card, the Macon Telegraph reports. Official Southern District of Georgia records show on Oct. 19, Vinath Oudomsine, of Dublin, Georgia, was charged with wire fraud. From July […]
18 former NBA players have been charged with fraud
The U.S. Department of Justice has handed down indictments against 18 former NBA players for allegedly attempting to defraud the league’s health and welfare benefits plan to the tune of almost $4 million. The legal documents were unsealed in a federal court in New York on Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021. Federal prosecutors accuse the 18 […]
Reality star Mo Fayne labeled a ‘con artist’ as bail request decision is given
“Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” star, businessman and rapper Mo Fayne, was dealt another loss in regards to his guilty plea last week on charges related to his PPP loan scandal. Mo Fayne, whose real name is Maurice Fayne, pleaded to a judge on Monday, May 24, to be released from jail until he’s sentenced […]
Mo Fayne enters plea in PPP loan fraud case
Businessman Mo Fayne, best known as Karlie Redd’s boyfriend on “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta,” has pleaded guilty in the infamous PPP loan scandal. Fayne 38, whose full name is Maurice Fayne and who made his splash on season 8 of the popular reality TV show, accepted a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice […]
Georgia teen arrested after allegedly swindling Kroger out of nearly $1M
A former employee at an Atlanta-area Kroger has been arrested for swindling the grocery chain out of nearly $1 million from December 2020 to January 2021. According to NBC News, 19-year-old Tre Brown was arrested by Gwinnett County Police detectives on Thursday, Jan. 21. A statement released by Gwinnett County police spokesman Corporal Collin Flynn […]
Rapper G Herbo named in federal fraud investigation
Chicago rapper G Herbo was recently named to the Forbes 30 under 30 musicians list. This accolade is a result of the work he has put in as an artist in recent years. As the news of Herbo’s most recent accomplishment traveled the internet a more provocative and potentially life-changing story surfaced. According to the […]
‘LHHMIA’ star Diamond Blue Smith busted for scamming government out of millions
Pretty Ricky band member Diamond Blue Smith is the latest to be arrested for allegedly using business loans from the federal government and using it for personal purchases. The U.S. Department of Justice says Smith, 36, who is a star on the reality show “Love and Hip Hop: Miami,” was reportedly arrested by FBI agents […]
Atlanta’s former CFO indicted for possession of machine guns, fraud and more
The former Chief Financial Officer for the City of Atlanta, Jim Beard, has been indicted on eight federal charges, which include possession of machine guns, wire fraud, theft from the government, making a false statement and obstructing federal tax laws. A federal grand jury indicted Beard yesterday, Sept. 16, 2020. “Jim Beard allegedly abused his […]
African Development Bank suspends Chinese company building Kenyan power project
Kenyans in rural areas and a port city region who expected to get electricity next year might be disappointed. The African Development Bank Group suspended the China-based Sinotec company for three years for fraud — a move that will likely delay the second phase of a $150 million electricity project, which was targeted for completion […]
Karlie Redd’s ex-fiancé Arkansas Mo arrested on federal PPP loan fraud charges
Many things have changed since the coronavirus pandemic hit, but some things seem to never change. The federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was created to help small businesses keep their employees on payroll and their rent paid during these difficult times. But, unfortunately, there are always those who don’t play by the rules. It seems […]
Aspiring rapper pleads guilty to stealing $4M from his job to fund music career
An aspiring rapper could spend the next 20 years of his life behind bars for stealing $4 million to fund his music career. On Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, Chad Arrington, who also goes by the stage name Chad Focus, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges that stem from his use of a company’s American […]
Pastor allegedly stole $1 million from church to buy new Bentley
A pastor in Chicago peddled religion for a payday. Rev. Clarence Smith, Jr. allegedly used his storefront church, New Life Impact Church in the Lawndale neighborhood, as a way to make himself wealthy, according to New York Post. Rev. Smith, 45, allegedly defrauded the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program that is administered by […]
Former NFL superstars face decades in prison
Former NFL superstars Clinton Portis, Joe Horn and multiple other ex-players have either been arrested, or soon will be, after allegedly defrauding the league’s retirement health care fund of millions of dollars, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. According to court documents obtained from the results of the Federal Bureau of Investigation probe, Portis […]
Suspicious email from Synchrony Bank citing Amazon credit card scares people
I, along with many others received a suspicious email on Monday, Nov. 25, 2019, supposedly from Synchrony Bank with the subject line: “A Trial Deposit Has Been Successfully Made to Your AMAZON CREDITBUILDER.” I haven’t signed up with Amazon Credit Builder, and I’m not a Synchrony Bank customer unless they privately run another company’s credit […]
Rapper jailed after allegedly charging $4 million on credit to fund career
An aspiring rapper allegedly spent millions on a credit card to fund his career. Chad “Chad Focus” Arrington was making a big name for himself on the Baltimore rap scene. But according to The Baltimore Sun, the 31-year-old rapper used his American Express card to rack up over $4 million in unauthorized purchases. The FBI and […]