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Feds Charge Man with “Music Streaming Fraud” for Distributing AI-Made Songs

In a fascinating new case that tests the legality of AI-generated art, Michael Smith, a 52-year-old musician from Cornelius, North Carolina, was arrested and indicted for using sophisticated artificial intelligence to create a streaming music fraud scheme that netted him more than $10 million.

Report Strahinja Nikolić | Sep 26, 2024

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Financial Gains

Solar Installer Indicted for Stealing Funds, Not Following Through on Projects

Daniel Jarrett Ridlinghafer, 37, of Marana, Ariz., was indicted on 11 charges of bank, wire and mail fraud by a federal grand jury in Tuscon on Aug. 14, according to a DOJ press release. Ridlinghafer defrauded homeowners out of more than $695,000, prosecutors say.

Report Strahinja Nikolić | Sep 25, 2024

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Tax Evasion

Georgia Business Owner Withholds Millions in Payroll Taxes from Employee Checks, Doesn’t Pay the IRS

Barry Lee White, a 59-year-old man from Carrollton, Georgia, was sentenced to 22 months in federal prison on Aug. 27 for willful failure to pay federal and payroll taxes, said the U. S. Attorney’s office in the Northern District of Georgia in a press release. He will also serve three years of supervised release and […]

Report Strahinja Nikolić | Sep 23, 2024

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Negligence

Ohio Man Who Killed Thousands of Fish By Dumping 7,000 Gallons of Waste into the Scioto River is Sentenced

Taking shortcuts to skirt environmental regulations isn’t a victimless crime, even when the victims themselves can’t speak.

Report Jessika Saunders | Sep 16, 2024

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Misrepresentation

Florida Man Sentenced in Fraudulent Movers Scam That Bilked 800 Victims of $3M

Moving to a new home – across the street or across the country – is stressful and expensive. Imagine the added stress and expense if the movers “kidnap” your worldly possessions and hold them for ransom.

Report Raymond L. Daye | Sep 16, 2024

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Financial Gains

Felon Indicted for Financial Fraud… Again

Alcides Roman, a 65-year-old man from Lebanon, Tennessee, has been indicted on charges of defrauding investors out of more than $1 million.

Report Strahinja Nikolić | Aug 20, 2024

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Embezzlement

Escrow Holder Defrauded Clients, Sentenced

Christopher Adam Jensen-Tanner, a former escrow company owner from Roswell, New Mexico, has been sentenced to 46 months in prison for defrauding his clients, according to a July 29 press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, New Mexico District.

Report Strahinja Nikolić | Aug 8, 2024

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Corporate

Why Doesn’t Facebook Do Better Against Scammers?

Fraud on Facebook isn’t new. But the social media platform is one of the likeliest places you’ll encounter a scam.

Feature Teresa Tennyson | Jul 12, 2024

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Identity Theft

Former Epsilon Employees Found Guilty of Selling Consumer Data to Fraudsters

Fraud is everywhere, and anyone can fall victim to it, but older populations, who aren’t always as tech-savvy, are especially vulnerable.

Report Matthew Koelher | Jun 25, 2024

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Tax Evasion

Florida Man Commits Ultimate Tax Fraud

Warning: if you bought something called the “Ultimate Tax Plan,” you might have purchased your way into the ultimate fraud.

Report Teresa Tennyson | Apr 11, 2024

Embezzlement

Former Goodwill CEO Allegedly Embezzled More than a Million

Nonprofit organizations perform some of the most laudable activities on earth: bringing medicine to the poor, education to the disenfranchised, and micro-loan programs so the impoverished can start their own businesses.

Report Teresa Tennyson | Apr 9, 2024