Former Maryland resident charged with multi-million-dollar Medicare fraud, Ponzi schemes

BALTIMORE, MD—A South Carolina man faces federal charges in Maryland for allegedly orchestrating multi-million-dollar Medicare fraud and Ponzi schemes, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday. Two indictments unsealed in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore accuse Charleston resident Michael Britton-Harr, 45, of defrauding Medicare and customers of his private charter jet company, according Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of […]

Baltimore County business owner sentenced to prison for bribing broadband CEO

BALTIMORE, MD—A Harford County man who ran a Baltimore County-based business has been sentenced to 20 months in federal prison for bribing the former CEO of a Maryland broadband cooperative, according to federal prosecutors. Wayne I. Kacher, Jr., 52, was found guilty by a federal jury on May 21, 2024 of conspiracy, honest services wire fraud, and federal program bribery. […]

Former Baltimore Department Of Finance employee sentenced To 4 years in connection with bribery, COVID-19 CARES Act scheme

BALTIMORE, MD—A former Baltimore City employee has been sentenced to prison after being sentenced for a bribery and wire fraud scheme. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Joseph Gillespie, 35, of Baltimore City, to four years in federal prison and three years of supervised release in connection with a bribery scheme and conspiracy to commit wire fraud scheme involving […]

Russian cybercrime group behind $16M Phobos ransomware attacks busted

BALTIMORE, MD—The US Department of Justice announced the unsealing of criminal charges against two Russian nationals, Roman Berezhnoy, 33, and Egor Nikolaevich Glebov, 39, this week. They are accused of operating a cybercrime group that used Phobos ransomware to attack over 1,000 organizations worldwide, earning more than $16 million in ransom payments. Berezhnoy and Glebov are alleged to have been […]

Baltimore County man sentenced after pretending to be paralyzed to receive VA benefits

BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore County man who lied about needing a wheelchair for a service-related injury was sentenced to home confinement after prosecutors said he fraudulently obtained more than $750,000 in disability benefits. William Rich, 44, of Windsor Mill, was found guilty in June of wire fraud and theft of government property following a four-day trial. Rich, who served in the […]

Maryland man charged in $1 million unemployment benefits fraud scheme

BALTIMORE, MD—A federal grand jury charged a Maryland man with conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft for his role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $1 million in unemployment benefits, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland. Mervyn Fombe Abiko, 35, also known as “Magic,” was indicted on May 22, 2024. The indictment was unsealed upon […]

Baltimore City employee admits to bribery, PPP fraud

BALTIMORE, MD—A former Baltimore City employee has admitted to taking bribes and defrauding the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Joseph Gillespie, 35, of Baltimore, was found to have stolen more than $250,000 in bribes and received more than $138,000 in fraudulent PPP loans. Gillespie pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bribery. He worked for the […]