FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending January 15, 2010
- FBI Headquarters: Haitian Earthquake Relief Fraud Alert
The FBI reminds Internet users who receive appeals to donate money in the aftermath of Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti to apply a critical eye before responding to those requests. Past tragedies and natural disasters have prompted individuals with criminal intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organization and/or a good cause. Full Story
- Los Angeles: Glendale Resident and Two Iranian Men Charged in Scheme to Illegally Export Technology to Iran Without a License
Three men have been charged in a conspiracy to ship items from the United States to Iran, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and in violation of U.S. sanctions imposed on the country of Iran. Full Story
- Detroit: Thirteen Detroit-Area Individuals Arrested and Charged for $14.5 Million Medicare Fraud
Thirteen Detroit-area residents were arrested by federal agents from the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General and FBI in connection with an alleged home health care scheme to defraud the Medicare program of more than $14.5 million. Full Story
- Chicago: Tahawwur Rana And David Headley Indicted For Alleged Roles In India And Denmark Terrorism Conspiracies
A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment adding three defendants, including Tahawwur Rana, to charges filed last month against David Coleman Headley, alleging that they and others participated in conspiracies involving a planned terrorist attack against a Danish newspaper and the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, that killed approximately 164 people, including six Americans. Full Story
- Newark: Local Government Employee Indicted for Allegedly Accepting Bribes
The FBI is investigating nine suspicious white powder letters received at the offices of four U.S. Senators and Representatives throughout the state of Alabama. The handwritten letters, which also contained a white powder, were sent to the offices of U.S. Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions, and U.S. Representatives Jo Bonner and Mike Rogers, in Montgomery, Birmingham, Mobile, Foley, and Anniston, Alabama. The white powder substance has been field screened and the tests have met with negative results for hazardous materials. Full Story
- Memphis: U.S. Army Major Charged with Smuggling Cash from Iraq and Making False Statements
U.S. Army Major Charles E. Sublett was arrested on charges of bulk cash smuggling and making false statements to a federal agency. Major Sublett was charged in an indictment with smuggling more than $100,000 in currency, concealed in a shipping package, into the United States from Iraq in January 2005. Major Sublett also allegedly failed to declare that he imported the money. Full Story
- Los Angeles: Man Sentenced to Over 13 Years in $21 Million Ponzi Scheme
After hearing from 15 victims who described the ramifications of losing their life savings, a federal judge sentenced John Anthony Miller to 159 months in prison for operating a Ponzi scheme in which victims lost more than $21 million. Miller pleaded guilty last March to a mail fraud count related to the Ponzi scheme, as well as bribery, passport fraud and identity fraud charges resulting from his attempt to procure a fraudulent passport and flee the country after his scheme collapsed. Full Story
- New York: Superseding Indictment Filed Against Alleged Somali Pirate Charging Involvement in Two Additional Hijackings Prior to Maersk Alabama
Abduwali Abdukhadir Musé was charged in a superseding indictment that alleges Musé and others hijacked two ships, the second of which is still being held hostage. Musé was previously indicted on May 19, 2009, for his alleged participation in the April 8, 2009 hijacking of a third ship – the Maersk Alabama – and the subsequent taking of the captain of the ship as a hostage. Full Story
- Washington Field: Two Former Executives of Indicted Video Relay Services Company Plead Guilty to Defrauding FCC Program
Anthony Mowl, the former assistant vice president of business development for Viable Communications Inc. (Viable), and Donald Tropp, the former human resources manager for Viable, pleaded guilty to engaging in a conspiracy to defraud the Federal Communications Commission’s Video Relay Service program of more than $2.5 million. Full Story
- Honolulu: Brothers Plead Guilty in Conspiracy to Hold Thai Workers in Forced Labor in Hawaii
Defendants Alec Sou and Mike Sou, co-owners of Aloun Farm, pleaded guilty in federal district court in Honolulu to conspiring to commit forced labor. The two, who are brothers, each face up to five years in prison for their respective roles in the labor trafficking scheme that held 44 Thai agricultural workers in service at Aloun Farm. They admitted using a scheme of physical restraint and threats of serious harm to intimidate the workers and hold them in fear of attempting to leave. Full Story
