On August 19, 29-year-old Gerald L. Hawk, Jr. was sentenced to serve 18 months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release for his role in preparing fraudulent tax returns. Mr. Hawk was also ordered to pay restitution of the more than $72,000 he received in fraudulent refunds,…
Last month, a Royal Oak man pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gershwin Drain for his involvement in the fraudulent filing of tax returns with the IRS. Shane Bateman, 42, is alleged to have stolen the identities and obtained mailing addresses and other information to use for filing false tax…
On June 25, 29-year-old Alicia Marie Simatos is expected to be sentenced after pleading no contest to charges that she stole approximately $55,000 from her employer, Holistic Care Approach in Plainfield Township. Simatos could face up to 10 years in prison in connection with allegations that she embezzled money from…
Anthony Carta, a 53-year-old Detroit resident who formed a religious-based nonprofit and is the founder of Freedom by Faith Ministries, was arrested on Wednesday April 3. Carta allegedly bilked Detroit residents out of $300,000 in a mortgage scam by using faith to entice innocent victims, according to a news article…
Mande Lynn Bishop, a 39-year-old Grand Rapids woman formerly employed as an officer manager for Strategic National, a political consulting firm, recently pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $148,000 from her employer to play Keno. News reports at Mlive.com state Bishop embezzled the money over a six-month period beginning in…
Elizabeth Campbell, a 42-year-old former Portage City Councilwoman, has been ordered to stand trial on charges of embezzlement in connection with money she allegedly stole from the Portage Rotary Club’s coffers beginning in January of 2010, according to news articles. Campbell has been charged with a single count of embezzling…
Deborah Salmon, a 48-year-old former Kentwood Parks and Recreation clerk, recently pleaded guilty to stealing more than $100,000 from the city. Salmon pleaded guilty to embezzlement; city officials suspect that she may have stolen up to $300,000 from programs designed for seniors, children, and upkeep of the city’s parks. According…
50-year-old John William Wilson, a man who had just been released from prison, is reportedly headed back after being convicted of running a counterfeiting operation out of a South Haven hotel room. According to a news article at Mlive.com, Wilson used the bogus bills making purchases at local businesses. Wilson…
In January, we reported about a Lima Township man who had embezzlement charges against him dismissed, and new charges filed against him in connection with funneling money from A2 Auto Glass. Now, Oral and Janice Molden are scheduled to go on trial for embezzling roughly $250,000 from the glass company…
Patrick D. Winter, a 54-year-old father of nine children from Bloomfield Hills, will spend three years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to charges of mail and wire fraud. Winter was sentenced on Tuesday, June 25 of attempting to inflate an insurance claim by more than $230,000, and…