Trio Ran $500K Luxury Car ID Theft Ring On LI, Dragged Cop While Fleeing: DOJ
Three men are accused of running a sophisticated identity theft ring that used stolen personal information of unsuspecting victims to buy luxury cars—some of which were stored on Long Island.
The defendants—Tiansi Gong, 26, of Manhattan; Kevin McCarthy, 31, of Selden; and Matthew Hibner, 36, of Huntington Station—are accused of conspiring to obtain high-end vehicles using stolen identities, then stashing the cars at a lot on Zorn Avenue in Yaphank.
Investigators determined that the scheme involved more than $500,000 in fraudulent vehicle loans tied to at least 35 identity theft victims, acc…
Funeral Home Owner Who Stashed 190 Decaying Bodies Gets Maximum Federal Sentence: 'Inhumane'
A Colorado man who gave grieving families urns filled with dry concrete instead of their loved ones’ ashes has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison — the maximum possible sentence, authorities announced Friday, June 27.
Jon M. Hallford, 45, of Colorado Springs, was the owner of Return to Nature Funeral Home, which operated in Colorado Springs and Penrose alongside his wife, Carie Hallford.
Over a four-year period, Hallford failed to cremate or bury at least 190 bodies — while collecting more than $130,000 from families for services he never provided, the U.S. Attorney’s Office…
Perth Amboy Beauty Salon Owner Admits She Fraudulently Obtained Covid Loan: Feds
A 42-year-old Perth Amboy woman pleaded guilty on Wednesday, June 25, to fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 loans and pandemic unemployment insurance benefits, authorities said.
Damaris Valerio, who owns and operates La Vogue House of Beauty, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba said.
From April 2020 through December 2021, Valerio fraudulently obtained $194,212 in COVID-19 emergency relief funds, which were meant for distressed small businesses and pandemic unemployment insurance benefits for unemployed workers, by submitting false and fraudulent applica…