MARYLAND NEWS

City employee fraudulently obtained more than $138,000 in COVID-19 relief benefits and took more than $250,000 in bribes that caused losses to Baltimore City in excess of $1,250,000… The Defendant also admitted to engaging in a bribery scheme for over eight years, whereby, in exchange for bribes from various property owners in Baltimore City (the “City”), the Defendant would use his official position as an employee of the City to extinguish various financial obligations owed to the City, including for water bills and property taxes. Source: US Attorney, District of Maryland

Used the Proceeds to Purchase Property, a Luxury Vehicle and Pay His Personal Expenses. Source: US Attorney, District of Maryland. Source: US Attorney, District of Maryland

As part of the plea agreement, the former Council Member admitted to stealing $124,450.10 from the Friends of Mel Franklin campaign from 2020 through October 2023, and using those funds to pay for, among other things, personal loans and credit card debt, his personal rent, and personal subscriptions. He also admitted to using those funds for international trips and spending $11,500 on cosmetic procedures for himself and a close friend. Source: Maryland State Prosecutor

Delaware Department of Justice’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) alleges a Maryland resident tried to use a Pennsylvania-licensed nurse’s identity as well as fake education and professional credentials to obtain a Delaware nursing license.

Source: www.wmdt.com and NBC 10 via msn.com

The 11 News Investigates team has reported for more than a year on Medicare fraud involving COVID-19 tests — and now urinary catheters — that's impacting hundreds of Maryland residents and costing taxpayers billions of dollars each year. Source: WBAL-TV 11

Source: US Attorney, Eastern District of Louisiana

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a 50- year-old Glen Burnie man, a 40-year old Westminster man and a 39 year old Cleveland man with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a technical support scheme where victims were made to believe that their computers had been compromised by a virus, or were susceptible to hacking, and payments were needed for computer repair services or software. Source: US Attorney, District of Maryland

The Gift Card Scam Prevention Act of 2024, requires

1. gift cards sold in stores be encased in secure packages to prevent fraudsters from obtaining their numbers; 

2.  those who  sell gift cards online must register them with the Office of the Attorney General's Division of Consumer Protection,  and

3. sellers also must train employees on how to detect gift card fraud. 

Source: CBS News via msn.com and Maryland General Assembly SB 0760

Gold bar fraud has hit once again, defrauding a Bethesda 74-year-old man with memory loss out of $1.1 million. Fraudsters told him to convert his money to gold bars and give them to the fraudsters for safekeeping, according to court records. Source: Washington Post via msn.com