A June federal takedown did more than announce charges: prosecutors said they seized more than $27 million in Medicare payments tied to 12 South Florida clinics. The clinics allegedly billed for skin substitutes and wound-care products that patients never received. The action illustrates how billing data can stop money before a criminal case reaches trial,…

An insurance license is a basic checkpoint when retirement savings are moving into an annuity. A Maryland jury’s May verdict shows why that check cannot be replaced by a familiar adviser or polished application. State prosecutors said Michael Okolo continued selling policies after regulators revoked his license, used another agent to sign the paperwork and…

An Arizona elder-fraud case reached its most dangerous point when an online deception became an in-person pickup. Federal agents arrested Gary Christopher in April after he allegedly traveled from Florida to collect $600,000 in gold from an older Phoenix resident. The criminal complaint remains unresolved, but the government’s account shows why a demand to convert…

A July federal lawsuit describes how reported trading gains can keep rising while the underlying account is collapsing. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission accused Trevor Vernon and Argent Capital Management of taking more than $14 million from at least 60 participants, losing most of the money traded and using new deposits for some earlier payments….

A federal grand jury has returned 29 counts against a Sioux Falls investment operator accused of causing approximately $20 million in losses across dozens of victims. The case combines conventional investment promises with transfers through cryptocurrency exchanges and banks. It remains an allegation, but the charging document offers a useful map of how a familiar…

A federal court’s June judgment closed a sprawling telemedicine fraud case with a 10-year prison term and a $66 million restitution order. Prosecutors said Jean Wilson used two companies to generate orders for braces and drugs that Medicare beneficiaries did not need. The result matters beyond one defendant because the scheme began with access to…

A promised trading algorithm, guaranteed monthly returns and polished account statements gave Matthew Melton’s investment operation the appearance of a sophisticated fund. Federal prosecutors say the engine never existed. A Manhattan judge has now sentenced Melton to 51 months in prison for securities fraud, a result that turns a familiar Ponzi warning into a current…

A Brooklyn social adult day-care operator has begun a 57-month federal prison term for turning a Medicaid-funded program into a kickback operation. Prosecutors say Eric Zhu paid beneficiaries to enroll, then billed for care they did not receive. The case shows how fraud aimed at a public benefit can drain both tax dollars and services…

A health-care software platform can sit far from the examination room and still determine whether Medicare receives a legitimate claim or a bill built to exploit a beneficiary’s identity. A federal jury’s conviction of one software-company owner now moves toward sentencing, with the government describing a system that routed an extraordinary volume of medically unnecessary…

A romance scam can drain more than the first wire transfer. Federal prosecutors say victims in one nationwide conspiracy emptied retirement accounts, sold homes and vehicles, borrowed from family and even returned to work after retirement. The money moved through a Maryland company whose operator has now received a precisely stated federal prison term. The…