June 21st, 20241Five sisters are facing decades in federal prison for an elaborate mail fraud scheme that netted them more than $1 million over about two years.
Federal prosecutors say the sisters would make fraudulent returns by pretending to return an item through the mail to get a refund, then returning the item at an actual store to then get a...
February 3rd, 20230A Michigan doctor, Francisco Patino, M.D., was sentenced to 16.5 years in prison for his role in a fraudulent health care scheme. This scheme generated more than $250 million in false and counterfeit claims that were submitted to Medicare, Medicaid and other health insurance programs, as well exploited patients suffering from addiction...
January 27th, 20230Juliette Long, an 81-year-old widow, was looking to sell her home of 28 years as it was facing foreclosure. A pair of real estate agents listed her home in Canton for sale and got an offer for it after two months on the market.
This offer would leave Long with a large amount of money from her home's equity and would allow her to move...
October 21st, 20220LANSING — State lawmakers have agreed to set aside $20 million to settle a lawsuit by thousands of people who were wrongly accused of fraud when seeking unemployment benefits.
The money was included in a larger bill recently signed into law by Democratic Governor Whitmer. It followed an agreement reached by the Attorney General’s...
July 19th, 20220DEARBORN — Dearborn resident Hussein Adnan Bazzi, owner of A-Star Valet, is being accused of wire fraud by federal authorities who say he attempted to defraud investors out of more than $1 million.
An indictment filed in court by the U.S. Attorney’s Office says Bazzi sought large investments into his valet business from local...
May 6th, 20220DETROIT – Dearborn resident Ali Rameh Bazzi was sentenced to 33 months in prison on Wednesday on charges of wire fraud and money laundering arising out of an approximately $500,000 investment fraud scheme.
In addition to the 33 months of imprisonment, Bazzi was ordered to pay $441,231 in restitution to his victims.
Bazzi was...
October 25th, 20210WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new report published by the federal government's consumer affairs watchdog agency shows a disproportionate impact of certain scams which target communities of color.
The staff report by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) highlight the unique types of consumer problems that these communities face, as well as how...
November 20th, 20200DETROIT — Two local doctors are being charged in a criminal complaint for their alleged roles in a fraudulent immigration scheme.
A psychologist and medical doctor are accused of creating fake medical diagnoses to help immigrants fraudulently obtain their citizenship.
United States Attorney Matthew Schneider announced charges...
September 27th, 20200With the rise in unemployment and general economic insecurity brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, federal and state authorities have been tracking increased instances of consumer scams.
Adding to an already tragic situation, scammers prey on the desperation of those whose means of living are halted by mass economic shut-downs all...
November 23rd, 20190TEL AVIV — Shortly after Israel’s ceremonial President Reven Rivlin informed parliament that neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main political rival were able to form a coalition, the country’s attorney general formally charged Netanyahu on serious charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
With an...
December 24th, 20180DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A businessman who once allegedly planned a "hit" on an assistant Wayne County prosecutor was sentenced to 144 months in a federal prison for his role as the leader of a commercial fraud ring and ordered to pay more than $2 million in restitution to his victims.
Sabastian Restum, 49, also plead guilty to charges of...
October 8th, 20180TEL AVIV - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, appeared in court on Sunday for the first hearing in the fraud trial against her, in which she is alleged to have misused state funds in ordering catered meals.
According to the indictment, Sara Netanyahu, along with a government employee, fraudulently obtained from...
September 23rd, 20180Scammers follow the news — and the money.
A few months ago, the Federal Trade Commission shared the news that Medicare is sending new cards to everyone who gets Medicare benefits, replacing your Social Security number with another number. As expected, scammers have been trying to cash in on this change.
These scammers typically...
August 13th, 20180With the summer travel season in high gear, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning drivers about skimming scams at the pump.
Skimmers are illegal card readers attached to payment terminals. These card readers grab data off a credit or debit card’s magnetic stripe without your knowledge. Criminals sell the stolen data or use...
July 22nd, 20180Would you donate to a charity called Help the Vets? What about if you get a robocall that asks you to donate your car to “Veterans of America?” Unfortunately, just because the word “veterans” is in the name, it doesn’t mean that an organization actually helps veterans.
For example, Help the Vets didn’t help disabled and...
February 16th, 20180TEL AVIV — Almost half of Israel's electorate believe the Israeli police, who say they have gathered evidence against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called for him to be charged with bribery, a poll showed on Wednesday.
A police statement on Tuesday said enough evidence had been found for the 68-year-old Israeli...
December 22nd, 20171WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, the Education Department canceled the student-loan debts of 12,900 people defrauded by defunct Corinthian Colleges, but its announcement that it will give varying amounts of debt relief in the future set off fierce criticism.
For-profit higher education provider Corinthian collapsed in 2015 amid...
September 12th, 20172WICHITA ― Sattar Ali, a Dearborn man who moved his family to Kansas says he regrets the decision, after he, his wife, and daughter were all in handcuffs while attempting to deposit a large check that was acquired through the sale of their home.
According to the Kansas-based TV station, the Ali family recently sold their Dearborn...
