Investigative Press Releases
Monday, July 26, 2021
Jacksonville, Florida – Ethan Burkett (25, Live Oak, FL), Coty Michael Wiltgen (31, Live Oak, FL), and William Story Shackelford (24, Valdosta, GA) have pleaded guilty to beating an inmate in their custody, in violation of the inmate’s civil rights. Each faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
Monday, July 26, 2021
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge William Jung has sentenced Dr. Richard Davidson (Delray Beach, 42) to six years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud. As part of his sentence, the court ordered Davidson to forfeit approximately $650,000 in funds traceable to the offense or as substitute assets. The court also entered a money judgment of $2.47 million and ordered $10.72 million in restitution. Davidson lost his medical license due to his conviction.
Friday, July 23, 2021
LOS ANGELES – Interface Rehab (Interface), headquartered and operating in Orange County, has agreed to pay $2 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by causing the submission of claims to Medicare for rehabilitation therapy services that were not reasonable or necessary.
Friday, July 23, 2021
Greenville, South Carolina --- Acting United States Attorney M. Rhett DeHart announced today that three South Carolinians have been sentenced by a federal judge after pleading guilty to bank fraud charges in schemes that defrauded the federal government’s Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).
Friday, July 23, 2021
BOSTON – A former New Bedford man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston yesterday to federal wire fraud charges arising from claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) funds.
Arthur Pacheco, 47, previously of New Bedford, Mass., pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for Nov. 18, 2021. Arthur Pacheco was arrested and charged in December 2020 with his wife Tiffany Pacheco, who is scheduled to plead guilty on Aug. 30, 2021.
Friday, July 23, 2021
Acting United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the July 2021 Federal Grand Jury B.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Friday, July 23, 2021
NEWARK, N.J. – A Pennsylvania doctor and his wife were charged today for their roles in schemes to solicit and receive kickbacks and bribes in exchange for ordering genetic tests, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced today.
Friday, July 23, 2021
A former IRS officer was sentenced today to three years in prison for obstructing federal tax laws, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah.
Former Revenue Officer Sonya Vivar, 55, pleaded guilty in November to one count of corrupt endeavor to obstruct or impede the due administration of internal revenue laws. She was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman.
Friday, July 23, 2021
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JILL LEWIS (“LEWIS”), age 40, resident of Slidell, Louisiana, entered a plea of guilty on July 21, 2021 to Conspiracy to Commit Mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of her involvement in a postal fraud scheme.