fraud Archives - Rolling Out

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

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…

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…

Former reality star Apollo Nida has been released from prison. Nida, 40, was serving out an eight-year sentence in federal prison after being convicted of defrauding the U.S. Department of the Treasury and scamming citizens. He left the FCI in Fort Dix, New Jersey, and moved to a Philadelphia halfway house on June 4, 2019,…

A Charleston, West Virginia, woman, who befouled the airwaves by denigrating former first lady Michelle Obama and likening her to an ape, is now staring at 30 years in prison for defrauding the U.S. government. Pamela Taylor, 57, made national headlines in 2016 when she put out a racist post about Obama comparing her to a primate.…

jail cell

The most recent Georgia gubernatorial race was full of highly charged divisive politics and accusations of racism by some candidates. The failed campaign of Georgia state Sen. Michael Williams (R), was a prime example of such tactics. Edwards infamously drove around in what he called a “deportation bus,” with messages that called for the arrest…

A presumed medically fragile child named Christopher, 8, has had a difficult life full of hospital visits and major surgeries. He now faces another crisis after being placed in foster care, his mom put in jail and his father fighting for custody of him because of a sick lie. His mother, Kaylene Bowen, 34, was…

Comedy and entertainment legend Steve Harvey has been hit with a lawsuit that alleges fraud. According to TMZ, Vincent Dimmock was hired by Harvey to raise funds for the Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation. The foundation is well-known for its philanthropic works that includes summer camps, trips to Disneyworld and aid to many community organizations.…

Promoter William McFarland, 25, was arrested in New York by the FBI. The organizer of the #epicfail Fyre Festival is charged with one count of wire fraud. Even though the much-anticipated April fete was backed by big-name millennial A-listers like Bella Hadid, the Fyre Festival, organized by McFarland and Ja Rule left partygoers stranded in the…

It seems that the news of church pastors taking advantage of their congregation by pimping God is never going to end. The latest pastor to join the ranks is Rev. Mark Q. Stafford of New Birth Powerplex Ministries in O’Fallon, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Stafford used his position to convince 31 people to…

A North Carolina couple featured on the 2011 season of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is back in the news and being accused of shameful behavior. Devonda and James Friday had seven children, five of the kids were siblings and had just been adopted. The family recorded a video of their small home and also their…

Terry Wayne Millender was once viewed as an upstanding member of the Alexandria, Virginia community. With 28 years of ministry, he was able to develop a large membership base at his Victorious Life Church. However, Millender, and his wife Brenda Millender, are being accused of stealing from the people who they were suppose to give…

Wells Fargo engaged in a massive, years-long bank fraud scam that affected millions of customers. As previously reported, the bank has fired over 5K employees who created fake accounts and moved funds around without the permission of its customers. This includes employees who have come forward stating that they were pressured by supervisors to engage…

If you’re a Wells Fargo bank customer you should start gathering your past bank records. It has been revealed that workers at the banking giant have been manipulating depositor’s money and accounts. A federal investigation revealed that employees of Wells Fargo across the country have been illegally opening new accounts that include checking, savings and…

Youree Dell Harris, aka Ms. Cleo (Photo Credit: Screenshot Ms. Cleo vintage TV ad)

The name of psychic Ms. Cleo and her famous “Call Me Now” slogan was a well known commercial during the ’90s. Her commercials were mainly seen during talk shows and soap operas and generated millions for the psychic call in line. But her career and the network all came crashing down after a scandal revealed that Ms. Cleo…