Panhandler arrested in Irvine for using stolen benefit credit cards
Earlier this month, a female suspect used stolen New York State benefit credit cards to make fraudulent purchases at a store in Irvine. It is believed she is part of…
A reporter used a forged IRS document in a hit piece against O.C. Supervisor Do and his family
December 20, 2023 – SANTA ANA, CALIF. Today, Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do called on LAist’s publisher and editor to fire reporter Nick Gerda for using a forged IRS document,…
Former Placentia resident gets 41 months in prison for a $2.8M unemployment insurance fraud scheme
SANTA ANA, California – A Riverside County woman who participated in a scheme that used stolen identities to fraudulently apply for just over $2.8 million in unemployment insurance (UI) benefits from…
Married former Tustin cops faked disability while scuba diving, paddle boarding and mountain biking
SANTA ANA, Calif. – Two married former Tustin Police Officers have been charged with numerous felonies related to false workers’ compensation claims they filed with the City of Tustin, claiming…
Attorney who ran sober living homes in California sentenced for $22M fraud involving urine tests
Philip Ganong, a 70-year-old attorney from Bakersfield who oversaw a $22M chain of sober living homes, pleaded no contest on Monday to 10 counts of submitting fraudulent claims for a…
O.C. man pleads guilty to a $17M house flipping scam
LOS ANGELES – A Costa Mesa man pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for running fraudulent investment schemes that raised more than $17 million by promising investors – several…
O.C. man gets 7½ years in prison for firearms crimes and a $1.2M check fraud scheme
SANTA ANA, California – A convicted felon from Orange County who used social media to instruct his Instagram followers on how to defraud banks was sentenced today to 90 months in…
Former Fiscal Director of an O.C. public school district arrested for embezzling over $14M
SANTA ANA, California – The former senior director of fiscal services at an Orange County public school district was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint alleging he embezzled more than…
So. Cal. woman gets less than four years in prison for a $6M real estate fraud scheme
Bianca Gonzalez, 41, a resident of Walnut, was sentenced on Monday, Oct. 16, to three years and 10 months in federal prison for an estimated $6 million real estate fraud in…
The Irvine Police arrested a suspect for allegedly stealing over $1M from multiple victims
After a two-year-long investigation into a fake investment scheme, Howard Silverstein, 78, of Newport Beach, was arrested on Tuesday morning by Irvine Police Department detectives for stealing over $1 million…
Feds announce the results of their national COVID-19 fraud crackdown
The Justice Department announced today the results of a coordinated, nationwide enforcement action to combat COVID-19 fraud, which included 718 enforcement actions – including federal criminal charges against 371 defendants…
O.C. tax preparer sentenced for $3.7M tax fraud scheme led by a corrupt social worker
SANTA ANA, California – The owner of a Westminster-based tax preparation business was sentenced today to 41 months in federal prison for participating in a scheme orchestrated by a corrupt…
O.C. doctor gets five years in jail for a scheme to defraud Medi-Cal of over $20M
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the sentencing of a Southern California doctor for an illegal prescription scheme that defrauded the state Medi-Cal program of over $20 million. Mohamed El-Nachef,…