Do you want to stay current on the recent cases involving fraud and other crimes occurring across the U.S.? The Department of Justice and the FBI provide a wealth of news and information regarding mortgage fraud, bank fraud, identity theft, and other nationwide law enforcement actions.
Continue reading to learn about April 2018 fraud and other crime investigations appearing on the FBI and the United States Department of Justice websites.
Drug Trafficking, Opioids
Read Article: Operation Disarray: Shining a Light on the Dark Web
April 3, 2018
Nationwide – A nationwide law enforcement action aimed at shining a light on those who use the dark web to buy and sell illegal opiates has resulted in hundreds of interactions and arrests of individuals who may have considered their seemingly anonymous online transactions beyond the reach of authorities.
The FBI-led enforcement action last month, named Operation Disarray, is part of a recently launched Department of Justice initiative to disrupt the sale of opioids online and was the first operation of its kind to occur simultaneously in all 50 states. Read More
Mortgage Fraud
Read Article: Community Advisory: Protect Yourself from Mortgage Fraud
April 11, 2018
Denver, CO – Fraudsters are preying on individuals and institutions in our community. Mortgage fraud schemes are particularly resilient and adapt to economic changes and modifications in lending practices. The recent increases in real estate prices have made mortgage fraud that much more lucrative to criminals.
Mortgage fraud is a material misstatement, misrepresentation, or omission relied on by an underwriter or lender to fund, purchase, or insure a loan. Prevalent mortgage fraud schemes include loan origination, foreclosure rescue, real estate investment, equity skimming, short sale, illegal property flipping, title/escrow/settlement fraud, commercial loans, and builder bailout schemes. Home equity line of credit, reverse mortgage fraud, and loan modification are also of rising concern. Read More
Art Theft
Read Article: Chagall Oil Painting Recovered Nearly 30 Years After Heist
April 12, 2018
Nearly 30 years after an elderly New York couple’s 1911 painting by Marc Chagall was stolen from their Manhattan home, the modernist oil-on-canvas work is being returned to the family’s estate.
The painting, entitled Othello and Desdemona, was recovered last year after a Maryland man contacted the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The man’s repeated efforts to consign the painting had been rebuffed by a Washington, D.C., gallery owner who was suspicious about the lack of paperwork supporting the painting’s authenticity and provenance. The gallery owner suggested the man call law enforcement, which is how it became an FBI investigation. Read More
Bank Fraud
Read Article: Resident of The Colony Admits Role in $10 Million Fraud
April 18, 2018
Dallas, TX – Ima Maria Isham, 22, of The Colony, Texas appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rebecca Rutherford and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox of the Northern District of Texas.
Isham faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Restitution is mandatory. Isham remains on bond; a sentencing date was not set. Read More
Public Corruption
Read Article: School Employee Pleads Guilty to Role in Bribery Scheme Involving VA Program for Disabled Military Veterans
April 19, 2018
District of Columbia– The financial manager of Atius Technology Institute (“Atius”), a privately owned, non-accredited school specializing in information technology courses, pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe a public official at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) in exchange for the public official’s facilitation of over $1.4 million in payments that were supposed to be dedicated to providing vocational training for military veterans with service-connected disabilities.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of FBI’s Washington Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Kim Lampkins of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General (“OIG”), Mid-Atlantic Field Office made the announcement. Read More
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