Investigative Press Releases
Thursday, February 4, 2021
NEWARK, N.J. – The owner of a Georgia consulting company and a Texas man were charged today in connection with their roles in a conspiracy to pay kickbacks and bribes in exchange for referrals of patient DNA samples and genetic tests to a laboratory, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Thursday, February 4, 2021
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – A federal grand jury in Tallahassee has returned a three-count indictment charging a federal correctional officer with sexually abusing three inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee. Jimmy Lee Highsmith was charged with Sexual Abuse of a Ward. Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the indictment, which was issued on February 2.
Thursday, February 4, 2021
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces that Kelly Wolfe (49, Indian Rocks Beach) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and filing a false tax return. She faces a maximum penalty of 13 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Thursday, February 4, 2021
BILLINGS — The former executive director of the Montana Native Women’s Coalition today admitted stealing federal funds for an unapproved trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif Johnson said.
Sheryl Lynn Lawrence, 44, of Colstrip, pleaded guilty to theft of federal funds. Lawrence was the executive director of the Montana Native Women’s Coalition. Lawrence faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
Thursday, February 4, 2021
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge announced today that Wavy Curtis Shain, 38, of La Grange, Kentucky was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for conspiring to commit mail fraud. Shain pleaded guilty to the charge in September 2020. U.S. District Judge Janet T. Neff also ordered Shain to pay $23,373.92 in restitution and imposed a $40,000.00 fine.
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO-- U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow and Tyler R. Hatcher, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement today in an effort to prevent taxpayers from falling victim to criminals.
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Arlington businessman pleaded guilty today to making false statements to multiple federal agencies in order to fraudulently obtain multimillion-dollar government contracts, COVID-19 emergency relief loans, and undeserved military service benefits.
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Defendant’s husband also pled guilty in January for his role in the conspiracy to fake her death at the New River Gorge
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
McALLEN, Texas – A 50-year-old executive is headed to prison for falsely telling patients they had mere months to live and increasing revenue by enrolling them in hospice programs for which they were not qualified nor needed.
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
ATLANTA - Karla Suzanne Spiker has been sentenced for her role laundering money for an international telephone scam. Spiker began laundering money after having been a victim of a mortgage scam, which is believed to have originated in India.