Eleven alleged members of the Gambino crime family were tossed in jail this week on federal charges, including threatening people who owed them money. Federal agents alleged one was told to pay $100,000 or lose his teeth. (ABCnewsgo.com) Court documents cited other recordings that provide a vivid, behind-the-scenes look at the fallout from the murder… Read More »

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez, who was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in September, was hit with 21 more charges this week. Investigators allegedly found evidence of child pornography on his cell phone and laptop associated with the same case. District Judge Charles Moore in Mount Pleasant PA denied Vazquez’s request to… Read More »

A professor at the University of Miami was arrested on federal charges last week after he allegedly laundered corruption proceeds from a book he co-wrote about organized crime. The money allegedly was laundered in Venezuela. (NBCMiami.com). Professor Bruce Bagley has been accused by the US Department of Justice in a federal investigation of opening bank… Read More »

Three people who worked for Grand View Financial LLC were indicted last month for operating a mortgage fraud scheme throughout California. (Sandiegouniontribune.com). The mortgage scam targeted the elderly and financially distressed homeowners by promising them foreclosure relief. The combined losses from the victims was more than $7 million, said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Becerra… Read More »

A former official of the United Auto Workers pleaded guilty last week to the federal charge of financial misconduct, while nearly 50,000 UAW members voted on whether they should end a five-week strike at General Motors. (Reuters.com). Jeffrey Pietrzyk, previously a co-director of the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit… Read More »

Earlier this year, the US District Court of Massachusetts indicted Randall Crater, the man alleged to have led a ‘My Big Coin’ cryptocurrency fraud that stole more than $6 million from mostly New York investors. (Crowdfundinsider.com) Crater was charged with four counts of wire fraud and three counts of unlawful money transactions related to receiving… Read More »

Federal law enforcement has long tried to crush the opioid crisis in the US with tough criminal charges for street dealers and drug cartel leaders who traffic in dangerous drugs such as fentanyl and oxycodone. (Nyt.com) For the first time this month, federal agents are bringing similar federal drug trafficking charges against a pharmaceutical distributor,… Read More »

Sixty doctors, nurses and pharmacists in seven states were arrested by federal agents on April 17 in a massive sting operation targeting medical professionals who overprescribed opioids to patients. In some cases, the highly addictive prescription drugs were handed out in ‘shockingly unethical circumstances.’ (Rollingstone.com). Federal and state officials have called it the biggest prescription… Read More »