Wire fraud

Jacob Wise, a 29-year-old from Riverview, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering after embezzling over $1.1 million from a small business where he worked. He diverted funds to controlled accounts posing as vendors and used the money for purchases, including a Ford F-150. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The Minnesota Department of Commerce fined Seguro Medico and its owner Arthur Walsh $150,000 for misleading consumers about health insurance coverage by selling plans with limited benefits. A 2025 federal indictment alleged the company and Walsh engaged in a nationwide bait-and-switch scheme involving unlicensed agents and wire fraud.

Chokwe Antar Lumumba, mayor of Jackson in November 2024, pleaded guilty to bribery, wire fraud, and money laundering charges following an FBI investigation and sting operation. He had previously described the case as a 'political prosecution'.

Jason Lottman, the former owner of Champagne Manor in Union County, pleaded guilty to wire fraud after defrauding customers and investors of over $1 million. He falsely promised ownership interests and guaranteed returns while the venue faced financial distress leading to foreclosure.

Four men are facing federal charges for allegedly selling fake military parts to the Defense Logistics Agency, resulting in wire fraud and money laundering indictments.

A Concord sports memorabilia dealer was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for selling a baseball bat falsely claimed to have been used by Willie Mays in the 1954 World Series. The individual pleaded guilty to wire fraud in December 2025.

Chinese tycoon Guo Wengui was sentenced to 30 years in a US prison for fraud after being convicted on nine charges including money laundering. He was arrested in 2023 and found guilty in 2024 for defrauding thousands of over $1bn.

A Nigerian man, Mr. Nwadialo, was sentenced to five years in a US prison for a romance scam that defrauded victims of $3.5 million. He was convicted on 14 counts of wire fraud targeting elderly, widowed, or divorced individuals.

Said Abdullahi Ereg turned himself in to the FBI and faces charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in a $4 million pandemic fraud case. The case is linked to Minneapolis.

Murielle Miczak admitted to stealing over $2.75 million from a Brooklyn daycare center where she previously worked. She pleaded guilty to wire fraud in court.

The Trump administration's Department of Justice will denaturalize 17 U.S. citizens convicted of crimes including healthcare fraud, wire fraud, and other unlawful conduct. The move is described as a rare action to strip citizenship from individuals with criminal convictions.

The FBI has added Elaine Escoe, a South Florida woman, to its Most Wanted Fraudster list for allegedly orchestrating a $32 million scheme involving fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program applications. She faces charges including wire fraud and money laundering, with a reward of up to $150,000 offered for information leading to her arrest.

A federal jury in Maryland convicted an Annapolis man of wire fraud for using customer funds on personal expenses instead of private jets. The case involved the founder of AeroVanti, who promised private jets but delivered fraud.

Star Rana Jackson, employed at the American Indian Center of Arkansas for over ten years, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for wire fraud involving the theft of more than $1.7 million from the organization. The organization is federally funded, and Jackson held the position of Executive Director before her termination.

A federal grand jury indicted Titianna Ammons of Urbana, Illinois, on three counts of wire fraud for allegedly defrauding the U.S. Department of Labor and Illinois Department of Employment Security between October 2020 and October 2021.

The founder of Addiction Recovery Care has been indicted for wire fraud and money laundering. The charges involve allegations of financial misconduct.

A Maryland man was convicted of wire fraud in a private-jet service scheme that defrauded customers of $15 million. The federal jury in Baltimore found Patrick Britton-Harr guilty on six counts.

Polymarket is terminating its paid relationship with George Santos as federal regulators investigate whether he illegally bet against his own attendance at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union. Santos placed the bets on Kalshi after publicly committing to attend the event, and the trades were referred to the Commodities Future Trading Commission for possible insider trading. Santos, who previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft, now works as an influencer for Polymarket.

A Mississippi woman was sentenced to 57 months in prison for wire fraud. The case involved fraudulent activities conducted through electronic communications.

Levelle Joseph Harris was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for wire fraud and must forfeit $640,911.85. He pleaded guilty on July 30, 2025, in a case announced by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.

Vanessa O’Rourke, a Pennsylvania woman, is accused of faking terminal brain cancer to solicit funds from friends and family, allegedly using donations to finance luxury travel to Australia. The FBI is seeking her arrest after she fled in 2018 following an indictment for allegedly deceiving supporters about her medical condition and treatment needs.

A Google software engineer was charged with insider trading after allegedly using internal search data to profit $1.2 million on Polymarket bets predicting top searched public figures in 2025. The Justice Department accused him of misappropriating confidential information from Google to place profitable trades on a prediction market platform.

Michele Spagnuolo, who has worked at Google since 2014, is accused of using confidential information to win $1.2 million in Polymarket bets, according to federal charges. He faces one count each of commodities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.

Julie Dotton, a business owner, pleaded guilty to wire fraud for defrauding a company seeking to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. She faces up to 20 years in prison, $8.2 million in restitution, and $8.2 million in criminal forfeiture.

A Maryland man, Andrew Langford, pled guilty to a wire fraud charge linked to a disability benefits scam. The case involves a scheme related to social security disability benefits.

A 41-year-old man from Mont Belvieu, Texas, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for orchestrating a Ponzi-style investment scheme involving wire fraud. The scheme defrauded victims through fraudulent stock investment promises.

An Ashland woman has been charged with bank and wire fraud. The charges relate to financial crimes involving unauthorized transactions and deceptive practices.

Brian Graham, a 49-year-old man from Georgia, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $441,546.876 in restitution after pleading guilty to wire fraud related to defrauding COVID-19 economic programs. The case was handled by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.

Meade Lewis, founder and CEO of mIQroTech, Inc., a technology company in the oil and gas industry, has been indicted on five counts of wire fraud for allegedly defrauding investors of over $7 million. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison per count, and the U.S. government seeks to forfeit $7,096,458 in alleged proceeds.

A Maryland man was sentenced to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud involving the trafficking of personal identifying information. The case demonstrates law enforcement action against identity theft and fraud schemes.

Keinyatey Deboros Chambers, a 49-year-old Sacramento resident, has been indicted on 10 counts of wire fraud for operating an investment scheme involving cannabis. The scheme targeted victims at casinos, bars, and restaurants throughout the region.

Brandon Aaron Kreutz, 40, of Oro Valley, Arizona, was arrested and charged with Wire Fraud and Money Laundering. He appeared in federal court following his arrest.

A New Jersey man has admitted to participating in a wire fraud and aggravated identity theft scheme that resulted in losses exceeding $250,000. The admission represents a significant development in a criminal case involving financial fraud and identity crimes.

A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty to wire fraud related to a 2022 Permanent Fund Dividend scheme and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The conviction stems from fraudulent activities involving Alaska's PFD program. The case was handled in Anchorage, Alaska.

A federal jury in Pocatello convicted an unidentified man of wire fraud, theft of government funds, and aggravated identity theft after using the identity of a deceased child for 25 years to fraudulently obtain nearly $300,000 in government benefits. The three-day trial concluded with guilty verdicts on May 21, presided over by U.S. District Judge David C. Nye.

Ashley Benny, a 41-year-old Cooper County R-IV School District board vice-president from Bunceton, Missouri, pleaded guilty to wire fraud for her involvement in a scheme that misappropriated $385,000 in school district funds. The guilty plea marks a significant development in a federal case involving the fraudulent use of public education resources.

Emily Katherine Merrill, a 41-year-old from Cypress, Texas, was indicted by a federal grand jury on ten counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering for allegedly defrauding two Colorado-based companies. The charges were announced by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado.

Matthew Piercey, a 49-year-old from Palo Cedro in Shasta County, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for operating a $35 million investment fraud scheme. The sentence also covers charges of wire fraud, concealment money laundering, and witness tampering. The sentencing was issued by Chief U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley.

Edwin Emmett Lickiss, Jr., a former East Bay financial advisor, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges related to operating a $9.5 million Ponzi scheme that spanned decades. The guilty plea marks the conclusion of a major financial fraud case prosecuted in federal court in Oakland.

Octavia Renee Murphy, a 37-year-old woman from Bourbonnais, Illinois, was sentenced to one year in prison on May 19, 2026, for pandemic-related fraud. She was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.