assistant attorney general nicholas: Live & Latest News Updates : Vimarsana.com
Published: 18 July 2021 18 July 2021
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - A Wisconsin man was sentenced Wednesday to 36 months in prison for fraudulently seeking over $600,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Stephen Smith, 42, of Milwaukee, pleaded guilty on April 12. According to court documents, Smith admitted that he fraudulently sought, on behalf of three different companies, over $600,000 in PPP loans through applications to an insured financial institution. According to his plea agreement, Smith caused fraudulent loan applications to be submitted that made numerous false and misleading statements about the companies’ respective payroll expenses. Smith then directed his co-conspirators to send him portions of the PPP funds within days of receiving them and used the proceeds for personal expenses.
WisconsinUnited-statesMilwaukeeChicagoIllinoisRoberte-hughesLaura-connellyKathy-enstromNicholasl-mcquaidLeslies-garthwaiteStephen-smithSharon-johnsonA federal jury convicted two men Wednesday for their roles in a $4.5 million telemarketing scheme that defrauded victims in the United States from a call center in Costa Rica.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Manuel Chavez, of Miami, Florida, and Mark Oman, of Long Beach, Washington, participated in a fraudulent telemarketing scheme in which co-conspirators, who falsely posed as U.S. government officials, contacted victims in the United States to tell them that that they had won a substantial "sweepstakes" prize. After convincing victims, many of whom were elderly, that they stood to receive a significant financial reward, the co-conspirators told victims that they needed to make a series of up-front payments before collecting their supposed prize, purportedly for items such as taxes, customs duties and other fees. Co-conspirators used a variety of means to conceal their true identities, including Voice over Internet Protocol technology, which made it appear as though they were calling from Washington, D.C., and other locations in the United States. Chavez helped to transmit victims' payments from the United States to Costa Rica, while Oman worked at the fraudulent call center soliciting victims and also collected victim funds in Costa Rica, according to the evidence presented at trial. Chavez, Oman, and their co-conspirators stole approximately $4.5 million from victims, the evidence showed.
MiamiFloridaUnited-statesCharlotteNorth-carolinaCriminal-divisionWashingtonCosta-ricaCincinnatiOhioSpainOmanDetails Written by Justice Department
San Francisco, California - A Swedish man was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison for securities fraud, wire fraud and money laundering charges that defrauded thousands of victims of more than $16 million.
Roger Nils-Jonas Karlsson, 47, pleaded guilty on March 4. According to court documents, Karlsson ran an investment fraud scheme from 2011 until his arrest in Thailand in June 2019. Karlsson induced victims to purchase shares in the scheme called “Eastern Metal Securities” using cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin and other online payment platforms. Karlsson promised victims astronomical returns tied to the price of gold. Instead, the funds provided by victims were transferred to Karlsson’s personal bank accounts, and he then used proceeds to purchase expensive homes, a racehorse and a resort in Thailand. Karlsson’s fraud targeted financially insecure investors, causing severe financial hardship for many of them. Meanwhile, Karlsson went to great lengths to prolong his scheme, including rebranding, offering updates and account statements that provided assurances to the victims of the states of their assets, and offering explanations for the payout delays – including falsely claiming to be working with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
New-yorkUnited-statesCaliforniaThailandHong-kongWashingtonSan-franciscoThaiKate-kaplanRoger-karlssonEdward-percarpioKaren-beausey