Author: Elizabeth Blessing
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Hurricane Sandy homeowners lost more than $1.5 million after paying a contractor about $2.5 million
At least 20 Hurricane Sandy homeowners paid a Long Island contractor about $2.5 million for elevation and foundation work, but prosecutors say unfinished projects left the households and a state recovery program with more than $1.5 million in losses. The contractor, Alexander Almaraz, has been sentenced to 48 months in federal prison after pleading guilty…
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A stolen identity drew more than $304,000 in disability, food and health benefits
A man who used another person’s identity for more than two decades obtained Social Security disability, food and health benefits totaling more than $304,000. A federal judge has now imposed a prison sentence and ordered $304,932 in restitution, turning a long-running identity theft into a fixed financial judgment. Three benefit systems carried the loss Juan…
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A Medicare testing case forfeited $7,051,089 plus a Range Rover, BMW and Ford F-150
A federal Medicare fraud case has ended with a final forfeiture order covering $7,051,089.08 in two financial accounts and three vehicles: a Land Rover Range Rover, a BMW and a Ford F-150. The order followed the conviction of laboratory operator Jamie P. McNamara, whose companies billed Medicare for genetic tests generated through telemarketing and kickbacks…
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California identified $113.3 million in Medicaid overpayments but failed to return the full federal share
California’s Medicaid fraud-control work identified large provider overpayments, but a federal audit says the accounting did not reliably send Washington its share. Fourteen cases included $113.3 million that California failed to report and return through the required federal form. The inspector general also found tens of millions returned late, turning successful enforcement into a separate…
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Mostly older equipment buyers allegedly lost more than $600,000 on machinery that never arrived
More than a dozen prospective buyers, many of them older adults, allegedly sent over $600,000 for used farm and construction equipment that never arrived. Federal prosecutors say the sellers built a convincing commercial front around machinery they did not own. One defendant has been convicted; a second, who fled after indictment, was arrested near Seattle…
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Businesses controlled by a COVID-loan fraud defendant received $337,915 before her 30-month sentence
Nonoperational businesses controlled by a Florida defendant received $337,915 from pandemic loan programs, according to federal court records summarized by prosecutors. The owner also helped at least 35 other borrowers obtain more than $4.47 million. A federal judge has now imposed a 30-month sentence, ordered multimillion-dollar forfeiture and addressed two years of unfiled tax returns.…
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A tax-refund fraud sentence includes $410,117.44 in restitution to the IRS
Three false trust returns sought more than $1.1 million from the IRS, but one issued refund ultimately produced a restitution order of $410,117.44. A Maryland woman has been sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison after pleading guilty to theft of government funds. The case shows how a claimed refund amount, an…
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A health-care executive must repay $6,970,583.50 after roughly $11 million in false Medicare claims
A Tennessee health-care executive has been ordered to pay $6,970,583.50 in restitution after years of false billing to Medicare and other government programs. Federal prosecutors say the companies submitted roughly $11 million in false claims and received about $6.9 million. The judgment follows a guilty plea and a 42-month prison sentence, so the case has…
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Nearly half of sampled Social Security overpayment notices failed the agency’s policy checks
A debt notice from Social Security can change a household budget immediately, yet federal auditors found basic information missing or wrong in nearly half the notices they sampled. The agency’s inspector general reported that 46 percent failed one or more Social Security policy requirements. Problems ranged from inaccurate amounts to omitted appeal language and unclear…
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MCNA dental-breach victims can claim up to $2,500 from a separate $250,000 cash pool
A dental-benefits data settlement separates cash reimbursement from automatic monitoring. People who received notice that private information was potentially affected by the MCNA incident can submit documented out-of-pocket losses of up to $2,500, funded through a cash pool capped at $250,000. The claim deadline is October 19, 2026. The class is tied to notices about…