Investigative Press Releases
Friday, December 11, 2020
BOSTON – Former Massachusetts State Police (MSP) Lieutenant Daniel J. Griffin and former MSP Sergeant William W. Robertson were arrested today and charged in federal court in Boston with conspiracy, federal programs embezzlement and wire fraud in connection with an overtime scheme dating back to 2015. Griffin was also charged with filing false tax returns and wire fraud related to his scheme to defraud a private school.
Friday, December 11, 2020
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden man today admitted conspiring to distribute and selling high-dose oxycodone pills in connection with his role in a drug trafficking ring, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Erick Bell, 48, pleaded guilty today by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb to an information charging him with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone and distributing and possessing with intent to distribute quantities of oxycodone.
Friday, December 11, 2020
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on December 9, 2020, Francisco Rodriguez-Polanco, age 35, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to 54 months’ imprisonment and a two-year term of supervised release by United States District Judge Robert D. Mariani, for conspiring to defraud the government and for committing aggravated identity theft.
Friday, December 11, 2020
PITTSBURGH - Residents of Los Angeles, California, and Henderson, Nevada, pleaded guilty this week in federal court to charges of healthcare fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, and conspiracy to violate the federal anti-kickback statutes, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today. Additionally, 16 corporate entities (pharmacies) pled guilty to charges of healthcare fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, and/or conspiracy to violate the federal anti-kickback statutes.
Friday, December 11, 2020
Miami, Fl. -- Two Miami residents accused of stealing 192 U.S. government-owned medical ventilators worth about three million dollars were indicted on federal charges. According to court documents, the ventilators were heading to a COVID-19 intensive care facility in El Salvador as part of a United States Government COVID-19 aid program when they were stolen in South Florida, while in transit.
Friday, December 11, 2020
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe today announced the indictment of two people in a far-reaching conspiracy scheme to allegedly steal, defraud, and profiteer by cheating the state's educator testing, certification, and licensing process. The indictment says the couple and employees of their private company repeatedly took state-required exams in order to memorize the questions so they could then profit by selling them to prospective educators.
Factory Manager at USP-Marion Pleads Guilty After Hiding Outside Payments from Government Contractor
Friday, December 11, 2020
Shawn E. Whitecotton, 49, of Herrin, Illinois, pleaded guilty today to a two-count felony information charging him with making false statements on government forms. As part of his guilty plea, Whitecotton admitted concealing from the federal government thousands of dollars he received from a government contractor. Sentencing will be held at the federal courthouse in Benton, Illinois, on March 11, 2021, at 10:00am. Whitecotton faces up to 5 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
Friday, December 11, 2020
BOSTON – A Fitchburg woman pleaded guilty today to fraudulently receiving Social Security disability benefits, MassHealth and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Rhonda Bernal, 62, pleaded guilty to three counts of theft of public funds and two counts of making false statements. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for April 5, 2021. In July 2019, Bernal was arrested and charged.
Thursday, December 10, 2020
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A former bank president, Thomas Hinkebein, 59, was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison, by Chief United States District Judge Danny C. Reeves, after previously pleading guilty to one count of embezzlement by a bank officer.