Pennsylvania Corporation Guilty of Bid Rigging at Tax Lien Auctions in New Jersey

  On September 26, 2012, the Department of Justice announced that Crusader Servicing Corp. in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to rigging bids for municipal tax liens in New Jersey by making sure certain bidders would bid on specific liens.  The rigging is believed to have occurred between 1998 and 2006.  Scott ...

Former VP of Pierce Commercial Bank Faces 10 to 14 Years

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Washington announced that Shawn Portmann, the former senior vice president and loan officer of Pierce Commercial Bank, pleaded guilty to multiple fraud charges on September 18, 2012.  The charges in the mortgage fraud scheme were announced by U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan ...

Los Angeles Physician’s Assistant Receives 72 Months for $18.9 Million Scheme

On September 18, 2012, the Office of Public Affairs under the US Department of Justice announced that David James Garrison, a Los Angeles P.A., stole identities from doctors and wrote expensive prescriptions for unnecessary medical equipment and diagnostic tests.   Apart from the 72 months in federal prison, Garrison is also ordered ...

Pasadena Mortgage Company Owner Sentenced to 9 Years for $30 Million Fraud Scheme

On September 21, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California sentenced Eduardo Ruiz, the owner of a Pasadena mortgage brokerage firm, to 108 months in federal prison for obtaining more than $30 million in loans during a mortgage fraud scheme.  United States District Judge David O. Carter also ordered ...

9 Defendants Charged in Chicago Area for Paying and Receiving Kickbacks for Medicare Referrals

On September 25, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Illinois announced that 9 defendants, including two owners of a home health care agency and two physicians, were indicted for receiving kickbacks in exchange for referrals of Medicare patients.  The defendants include the following: · ...

Fake Psychiatrist Sentenced to Six Years in Prison

On September 19, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania reported that Jo Benoit (Elisa Jo Benoit) of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania has been sentenced to 72 months in prison for health care fraud.  During the fraud scheme, Benoit posed as a psychiatrist and wrote prescriptions.  She was not ...

Intel Executive Sentenced for Insider Trading

On September 24, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York announced that Rajiv Goel was sentenced to two years probation for participation in insider trading.  Goel was a former executive for Intel Corporation.  The announcements were made by United States Attorney Preet Bharara.  According ...

Scam Alert: FDA Fake Agents

On September 25, 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration reminded consumers to remain on the lookout for fake agents over the phone.  The FDA reports that since the scam started in 2008, “hundreds of people who have purchased drugs over the Internet or via telephone have unwittingly exposed themselves to extortion by individuals ...

Discover Bank to Pay $200 Million for Deceptive Marketing

On September 24th, 2012, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ordered Discover Bank to refund roughly $200 million to more than 3.5 million consumers and pay $14 million in civil penalties.  A joint investigation led by the FDIC and CFPB in 2011 found that Discover ...

McHenry Businessman in $7 Million Fraud Scheme

On September 24, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Illinois announced that Philip G. Reinhard of Rockford, Illinois was sentenced to 136 months in prison for teaching two co-owners of a business to undergo a  $7 million fraud scheme involving a company called InvestForClosures.  The sentencing occurred ...

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