Two from Toms River among three indicted for COVID-19 relief program fraud

CAMDEN, N.J. — Three New Jersey residents have been indicted for their involvement in a multimillion-dollar mortgage fraud scheme, with two of the three also charged with defrauding federal COVID-19 relief programs,…

Bergen County Man Charged in COVID-19 Fraud Scheme

NEWARK, N.J. — A Bergen County man was indicted today for allegedly fraudulently obtaining hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Malak Faltawws, also…

COVID-19 Facemasks Are Back in the South, Can They Return to New Jersey, New York Schools?

TRENTON, NJ – Remember the days of endless Zoom classes, sanitizer on every corner, and facemasks that became a permanent part of our outfits? Well, it seems like a déjà vu moment…

Pennsylvania Man Indicted for Mail and Wire Fraud in COVID-19 Relief Scheme and Auto Fraud

PHILADELPHIA, P.A. — Justin Heimbach, 33, of Bath, Pennsylvania, has been indicted on charges of mail fraud and wire fraud in connection with schemes to defraud the federal government and several local…

New Jersey Couple Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Federal COVID-19 Relief Program

TRENTON, N.J. — A New Jersey couple admitted to fraudulently obtaining approximately $790,000 in federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) payments, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced on Tuesday. Diana Valteri, 42,…

New Jersey Resident Sentenced to Over a Year in Prison for COVID-19 Fraud

NEWARK, NJ — Two more defendants have been sentenced in connection with a national COVID-19 fraud scheme, bringing the total number of sentenced individuals to 22. Toni A. Smith, 46, of New…

D.C. Resident Sentenced for Defrauding COVID-19 Assistance Program

WASHINGTON, DC – Khin Phoo Ngon, a 27-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in D.C. Superior Court to 23 months in prison for her involvement in a scheme that defrauded…

New Jersey Still Allows You To Report Your Friends and Neighbors for COVID-19 Violations

TRENTON, NJ – If you’re one of those people still hiding in your house masked up, with stocks of toilet paper and bottled water, we have the thing for you. In a…

Bars from a prison jail cast a shadow on the floro.

Police Say Opioid Withdrawl Contributed to Female Inmate’s COVID-19 Related Death

BEL AIR, MD—The Office of the State Medical Examiner has determined that the death of Brittani Ugrotzi, a 33-year-old inmate at Harford County Detention Center (HCDC), was due to natural causes compounded…

President Biden Allegedly Tests Positive for COVID-19

LAS VEGAS, NV — President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19, as announced by a leader at the UnidosUS conference in Las Vegas. Janet Murguia, president of UnidosUS, shared the news…

New Hampshire Lawmaker Suggests Biden May Have Long COVID

CONCORD, NH—New Hampshire State Representative Wendy E. Thomas has raised the possibility that President Joe Biden might be suffering from long COVID, rather than the widely speculated dementia. Thomas, who is a…

New York CEO Convicted of Securities Fraud Over COVID-19 Rapid Test Claims

NEWARK, N.J. – The former CEO of SCWorx Corp. (SCWorx), Marc Schessel, was convicted today on two counts of securities fraud. A federal jury found Schessel guilty of misleading investors about the…

New York Governor Hochul Sounds COVID-19 Alarm As Cases Rise Slightly

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on COVID-19 Situation Amid Rising Hospitalizations ALBANY, NY— Governor Kathy Hochul today addressed the current state of COVID-19 in New York, highlighting the impact of new variants…

Former Virginia Army Doc Sentenced for Raping Wife After COVID Quarantine Lifted

In Fairfax County, Virginia, a former Army doctor, Drew Steiner, 61, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday for attacking and binding his wife with duct tape to a pole…

Nurse Sentenced for Forging COVID-19 Vaccination Records and False Prescriptions

(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Julie DeVuono, 51, of Amityville, was sentenced following her guilty plea in September of 2023 to charges including filing forged COVID-19 Vaccination Record Cards, money laundering, and filing…

Philadelphia Bank Manager, New York Accomplice Nabbed for 38 False COVID-19 Loans

CAMDEN, NJ – Tommy Hawkins, a former branch manager of a national bank, and Sieff Robert Sargeant, a New York resident, have pleaded guilty to charges related to a multi-state COVID-19 relief…

New York City Man Sentenced for COVID-19 Relief Fraud

SEATTLE, WA – Donte McClellon, a 30-year-old from New York City, was sentenced today to 42 months in prison on charges of wire fraud and bank fraud for misusing the COVID-19 Paycheck…

Nonprofit Linked To COVID Lab Leak Theory Cut Off From Government Funding

A nonprofit focused on health research that has been subjected to scrutiny due to its association with the Wuhan Institute of Virology is losing access to federal funding, according to a memorandum…

Wheatland Man Pleads Guilty to Submitting False Claims Against the United States in Relation to COVID-19 Fraud Scheme

According to court documents, Toland attempted to obtain a total of over $13.4 million in COVID-19 pandemic relief, including by filing multiple false tax returns with the IRS seeking refunds for the…

Omaha Man Sentenced for COVID-19 Relief Program Fraud

During 2020 and 2021, Harper, assisted by another person, submitted applications for Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program loans. Those loan programs were created or expanded by…

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