O.C. lawyer pleads guilty to $8.7M fraud scam that ripped off investors
SANTA ANA, California – A Newport Beach lawyer who claimed she was providing loans to the rich and famous plead guilty on July 24 to federal felony charges for using her…
Two O.C. women arrested for defrauding lenders and investors out of millions
LOS ANGELES – The owner of a now-shuttered health care business management services company and three other people were arrested today on a nine-count federal grand jury indictment alleging they…
Feds announce results of their crackdown on telemarketers
The Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced today a crackdown on telemarketing operations responsible for billions of illegal calls to U.S. consumers. The U.S.…
O.C. man charged in alleged $1.8M investment fraud scheme
SANTA ANA, California – An Orange County-based businessman who portrayed himself as a wealthy and successful entrepreneur – sometimes bragging that he was one of the richest men in Africa…
Santa Ana man sentenced for $1.2M COVID-19 fraud
SANTA ANA, California – An Orange County man was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison for fraudulently applying for more than $1.2 million in COVID-19 pandemic unemployment insurance…
Anaheim tax preparer sentenced for a COVID-19 scam involving prisoners
Sandra Pineda, 37, an Anaheim tax preparer, was sentenced on Friday to six years in prison for a COVID- 19 pandemic unemployment insurance scam that involved four state prisoners. Pineda…
An O.C. woman was sentenced for embezzling $3M from two Anaheim companies
SANTA ANA, California – An Orange County woman who embezzled more than $3 million from two companies while she worked as their financial controller, cheated on her taxes, and fraudulently…
Connected ex O.C. Democrat official pleads guilty to attempted wire fraud
Melahat Rafiei, 45, a former very powerful Democratic Party official in both Orange County and Sacramento, pleaded guilty on Friday to charges of attempting to defraud one of her political…
Scammers are posing as Westminster police officers to rip off residents
The Westminster Police Department has received information that scammers identifying themselves as Westminster Police officers are calling, messaging, and emailing victims that they have an arrest warrant or citation that…
Investigators seek additional victims of alleged fraud by former O.C. insurance agent
ORANGE, Calif. — Formerly licensed insurance agent Gregory Magedman, 77, of Fullerton, appeared in court today on one felony count of grand theft by embezzlement after he allegedly secured insurance for…
Former SAPD police officer has to pay $95K restitution after a fraud conviction
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A 39-year old Santa Ana police officer convicted of committing workers’ compensation insurance fraud for continuing to accept his full pay without working even though he…
Irvine man heads to prison after he spent $5M in COVID-19 funds on sport cars
LOS ANGELES – An Orange County man was sentenced today to 54 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining $5 million in COVID-relief loans for his sham businesses, then used…
Learn how to avoid identify theft in Orange County
(Santa Ana, Calif.) Orange County Chairman Donald P. Wagner and Treasurer Shari Freidenrich are kicking off Identity Theft Awareness Week by urging Orange County residents to take steps to safeguard…
Santa Ana man indicted for $1.25M COVID-19 fraud
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com SANTA ANA, California – A federal grand jury today returned an eight-count indictment charging an Orange County man with defrauding California’s unemployment insurance program…
Four suspects were arrested in Tustin while trying to cash a fraudulent check
Tustin police officers were called to a local bank after employees noted an attempted fraudulent check transaction. A total of four subjects were arrested and booked at Orange County Jail…