Investigative Press Releases
Thursday, September 22, 2022
LOS ANGELES – A Beverly Hills man – whose sons pleaded guilty earlier this month to felonies for defrauding COVID-relief programs – pleaded guilty today to a federal criminal charge for fraudulently seeking more than $6.7 million in COVID-related small business loans for more than half a dozen fake companies.
Ramiro Da Rosa Mendes, 61, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Thursday, September 22, 2022
Thursday, September 22, 2022
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Bruce Minor, 46, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to two years in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $462,256 restitution and forfeit the same amount by United States District Court Judge Chad F. Kenney for his scheme to embezzle money from his former employer, the Philadelphia Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center (VAMC).
Thursday, September 22, 2022
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Parkville, Mo., man who was charged in two federal cases was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a $335 million scheme to defraud federal programs that award contracts to firms owned by minorities, veterans, and service-disabled veterans, and in a separate case to filing false tax returns that cheated the government out of more than $615,000 in taxes owed.
Thursday, September 22, 2022
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Robert Butzlaff (57, Volusia County) guilty of four counts of fraudulent use of an unauthorized access device and aggravated identity theft. Butzlaff faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each of the fraudulent use of an unauthorized access device charges and a consecutive 2-year mandatory minimum on the aggravated identity theft charge. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 7, 2022.
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
NEWARK, N.J. – A former U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee was sentenced to 13 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining unemployment insurance benefits, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Khaori Monroe, 29, of Newark, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Julien X. Neals to an information charging him with one count of wire fraud. Judge Neals imposed the sentence by videoconference on Sept. 20, 2022.
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
NEWARK, N.J. – An Illinois man was sentenced to 39 months in prison for using other individuals’ personal identification information to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits while he was incarcerated, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Spokane, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Dondre Charles Jackson, age 29, of Moses Lake, Washington, pled guilty to fraudulently obtaining $49,999 in COVID-19 relief funds. This case is part of the Eastern Washington COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force launched by the U.S. Attorney’s Office earlier this year. District Judge Thomas O. Rice accepted Thomas’ guilty plea, and set sentencing for January 5, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. in Spokane, Washington.