Federal authorities have just unsealed an indictment against seven defendants accused of identity theft and draining the bank accounts of their victims. According to the indictment, they stole over $1 million in funds from unsuspecting victims draining their accounts of tens of thousands of dollars at a time. The scheme…
A man has been sentenced to 90 months in federal prison after eight years as a fugitive in Utah. The man was charged in connection with the theft of over $2.2 million from his employer when he worked as a bookkeeper. The defendant was responsible for paying invoices to vendors,…
In a case filed against a foreign national who had never set foot in Chicago (or the United States for that matter), a Ukrainian industrialist is facing charges related to a conspiracy to bribe an Indian official. Unfortunately, the bribe never happened and the deal fell apart. However, that has…
A Trump associate was convicted in Manhattan after he enabled Paul Manafort to get $16 million in loans in exchange for an interview for a job with the Trump Administration. Stephen Calk was convicted of financial institution bribery and conspiracy. Calk insisted that he had broken no law nor done…
A Chicago rabbi is facing federal charges alleging that he defrauded at least 75 people out of a reported $23 million. One of the people, federal officials noted, was a survivor of the holocaust. The fraud involved the purchasing of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Zvi Feiner will face…
Rahul Shah became the first person in the Chicago area with the dubious distinction of defrauding the federal government for coronavirus relief funds. Shah applied for a $441,000 federal loan earmarked for small business relief during the coronavirus pandemic. When confronted concerning the suspicious forms used to apply for…
State Senator Tom Cullerton is now facing federal charges that embezzled funds from the Teamsters. Federal authorities are accusing Cullerton of collecting a nearly $190,000 salary plus bonuses for vehicle and cellphone usage. He is also said to have taken $64,000 in health and pension contributions while doing apparently nothing…
10 of 12 jurors did not believe that the state had proven its case against Jitesh Thakkar, but the remaining two refused to budge and thus the criminal trial resulted in a hung jury. The federal government had accused Thakkar of “spoofing,” which, in the context of illicit trading and…
White-collar crime may consist of various charges at both the state and federal level. The stereotype of an individual engaging in white collar crime may be the high-level corporate executive in a tailored suit who sacrifices the future of his company for personal gain. But a crime of this nature…
To better protect consumers and business owners, courts have been punishing those who commit white collar crimes more severely. After the banking system in the United States nearly collapsed, the prosecution of Bernie Madoff, Martha Stewart, Enron executives, and many other high-profile cases took center stage. Many executives of large…