32 tracked private-fraud cases in California — sourced from DOJ, FBI, SEC, FTC and 230+ news outlets.
A California man was sentenced to 78 months in prison for perpetrating a bank fraud scheme that defrauded seven financial institutions of approximately 39 million dollars over nearly 10 years.
Mahender Makhijani, an Orange County real estate investor, pleaded not guilty to federal bank fraud charges involving approximately $100 million.
A Concord sports memorabilia dealer pleaded guilty to wire fraud for selling a baseball bat falsely claimed to have been used by Willie Mays in the 1954 World Series and was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison.
Jedrek Upton was sentenced to one year in prison followed by 36 months supervised release for wire fraud and money laundering in connection with a scheme to steal approximately 1.5 million dollars in COVID-relief loans and use the funds for a lavish lifestyle.
Gilberto Barron pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft relating to his participation in a nearly $10 million real estate fraud scheme operated with a federal inmate serving time for another fraud conviction.
Daniel Damato pleaded guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for knowingly selling counterfeit sports memorabilia and attempting to obstruct an FBI investigation.
James Raymond Hanes pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with a vehicle financing scheme involving stolen identities, fake driver's licenses, and fraudulent loans used to obtain and resell cars.
Julianna C. Lung pleaded guilty to health care fraud for marketing and selling hearing protection devices to federal employees and their family members, then falsely billing insurance providers under the Federal Employees Health Benefits program by submitting approximately 385 fraudulent claims misrepresenting beneficiaries as having hearing loss or tinnitus.
A Northern California man pleaded guilty to engaging in more than 3,000 instances of manipulative trading and spoofing during a years-long scheme to manipulate the securities markets.
The DOJ charged 10 Southern California defendants with healthcare fraud involving approximately $270 million in allegedly fraudulent Medi-Cal claims and $27 million in Medicare fraud, as part of a nationwide operation targeting 455 defendants in schemes totaling over $6.5 billion in alleged fraud.
Roosevelt Gulley was sentenced to four years and six months in prison and ordered to pay $575,425 in restitution after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to unemployment insurance fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A mother and daughter are charged with conspiring to defraud Medicare by allegedly billing millions of dollars for wound care services while the mother, a licensed nurse practitioner listed as the provider, was serving time in federal prison.
Carlos Mencia pleaded not guilty to a dozen felony tax-related charges alleging approximately 8.7 million dollars in unreported income.
Emanuel Tucker pleaded guilty to his role in a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration out of approximately $15.9 million in loans.
Daniel Chartraw was convicted of operating a wide-ranging series of fraudulent schemes involving cryptocurrency companies, sham business ventures, and false investment guarantees that defrauded investors of nearly 1 million dollars across the country.
Comedian Ned Arnel Mencia is charged with tax fraud in the first case prosecuted by L.A. County's tax fraud unit.
A contractor is charged with bank fraud in connection with an alleged scheme involving fabricated lien waivers totaling approximately $188,000.
Victor Hugo Villalobos Almazan and Nayeli Noemi Montoya Rodriguez pleaded guilty to bank fraud charges for their participation in a conspiracy to fraudulently sell homes they did not own and launder approximately one million dollars in proceeds through bank accounts they controlled.
The FTC alleges that defendants operated a deceptive mortgage assistance relief operation that misled homeowners into paying unlawful upfront fees by falsely claiming their program was associated with the federal CARES Act.
Four defendants are charged in connection with an alleged $93 million COVID-19 tax credit fraud scheme described as the nation's largest known scheme of its kind. The FBI and IRS-CI conducted the investigation and arrests.
An activist short seller was convicted of securities fraud for operating a long-running market manipulation scheme that generated profits of more than $21 million.
Philip Fredrick Camino pleaded guilty to a $4 million fraud scheme and was sentenced to 41 months in prison.
Frank Musoke is alleged to have embezzled over $2 million from a celebrity client and is charged with five counts of wire fraud and three counts of other charges.
Two suspects are alleged to have orchestrated a $50,000 fraud scheme at a Nordstrom store in Glendale by purchasing designer items and returning counterfeit versions to obtain refunds.
A Southern California man is alleged to have laundered at least 3.5 million dollars in stolen cryptocurrency for individuals called "crypto kids".
The California man was sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly aiding a cybercriminal organization that stole $260 million in cryptocurrency.
Evan Tangeman is alleged to have laundered $230 million stolen in a cryptocurrency heist and was sentenced to 70 months in prison.
The California Attorney General charged 21 individuals with alleged Medi‑Cal hospice fraud that used stolen identities to enroll fake patients and bill the state for non‑existent care.
Three individuals are alleged to have committed insurance fraud by staging luxury car thefts using bear costumes. The defendants were sentenced in California.
Three individuals were sentenced to jail for an insurance fraud scheme that involved staged bear attacks on high-end vehicles using a bear suit, according to the California Department of Insurance.
The California Attorney General charged 21 individuals with orchestrating a $267 million hospice fraud scheme that used stolen identities to fraudulently bill Medi-Cal.
Five individuals are alleged to have committed a hospice fraud scheme that defrauded California's Medi-Cal system, involving fraudulent billing and stolen identities, with losses of $267 million.