Category Archives: White Collar Crime
Bruce and Shawn Chait, the Real Estate Developers Who Pleaded Guilty to Bribing County Officials, Now Face Charges of Extortion
Any Floridian who has read the local news, and any resident of the 49 states who has read a Carl Hiaasen novel, can connect the dots when presented with the keywords “golf course,” “real estate development,” “Florida,” and “corruption.” Several years ago, a startling number of officials in the county government faced criminal charges… Read More »
A Broward County Man Just Got a Prison Sentence for Underreporting His Income to the IRS, but Should You Worry About Your Tax Return Misdeeds?
Tax evasion is a crime, and we can all think of famous instances where people got into major legal trouble for not paying the taxes the IRS claims they owe. You probably know the story of how Al Capone went to prison not for illegal sale of alcoholic beverages or for his alleged connections… Read More »
Miami Nurse Accused of Using Fraudulently Obtained PPP and EIDL Funds to Pay Mortgage, Car Lease, and Child Support
Some industries in South Florida have been particularly hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, bars and restaurants have been missing not only the tourists that didn’t show up this year but also the locals who stayed away out of fear of COVID exposure once the restrictions on public gatherings began to relax. Retail… Read More »
Man Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for his Role as a Money Mule in Jamaican Lottery Scam
Scams related to the COVID-19 pandemic and relief funds associated with it have dominated the news headlines in recent months, but Florida was no stranger to scams before the pandemic. Elderly people are especially vulnerable to fraud, especially if they live alone, since scammers often prey on elderly people’s loneliness and lack of knowledge… Read More »
Down on His Luck Businessman Uses $7 Million of Fraudulently Obtained PPP Funds to Buy Maserati and Mansion
We can all agree that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a good portion of the fun out of the Florida sunshine, but there is a solution to that. Are you bummed out that you can no longer watch movies at Florida’s dazzling cineplexes? Just built your own home movie theater, pirate-themed décor and all! … Read More »
Broward County Man Accused of Participation in Pre-Pandemic Identity Theft Conspiracy That Later Included PPP Fraud
By now, the instances of business owners making false statements in order to obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans are well known. The purpose of the loans was to provide emergency relief to businesses forced to pause or scale back their operations because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fact that the PPP prioritized speed… Read More »
Palm Beach County Ophthalmologist Sentenced to 17 Years for Healthcare Fraud Receives Presidential Pardon
Being found guilty at trial in criminal court and receiving a sentence is not the end of the story. Of course, some people choose to serve their sentences and put the past behind them rather than going back to court about the same case, but your rights as a defendant do not end as… Read More »
Two Miami Residents Face Criminal Charges for PPP Loan Fraud After Falsely Claiming to Operate Farm in Backyard of Duplex
South Florida is, by all accounts, a great place to grow fruits and vegetables. If you grew up here, you probably took a school field trip to an orange grove or, if you are old enough, to Batten’s Strawberry Farm in Broward County. Perhaps you or one of your neighbors even has a fruit… Read More »
Two South Florida Men Charged with Funneling PPP Loan Money Through Vast Network of Stolen Identities
Most of the most well publicized cases of PPP loan fraud fit one of two patterns. In some cases, the defendant applied for a PPP loan for a company they genuinely owned, but they misrepresented the company’s expenses in order to get a bigger loan, which they used for personal expenses, some of them… Read More »
West Palm Beach Man Who Once Convinced Patients He Was Florida’s Youngest Doctor Faces New Fraud Charges
When journalists from other states cover criminal cases being tried in Florida courts, they often play up the “only in Florida” angle. They make it sound like “Florida Man” has superhuman powers of deception, extraordinary audacity, and uncanny bad luck. During the last few months of 2020, news headlines told of Floridians who spent… Read More »
Coconut Creek PPP Loan Recipient Faces Criminal Charges for Health Care Fraud
Some of the cases of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan fraud sound like they were torn from the tabloid headlines specifically for beefing up the “Florida Man” mythos. Floridians are known for their ostentation and their chutzpah, but did you hear the one about the guy who bought a $318,000 Lamborghini with PPP loan… Read More »
The Rise and Fall of Serenity Ranch Recovery: Four Sentenced to Prison for Fraud Related to Operation of Nightmarish Sober Home
By now, the messiness of the addiction treatment industry in Florida has become legendary. The Florida shuffle, in which poorly managed sober living homes boot residents out as soon as their insurance companies stop paying, only for the former residents to be scooped up by “druggie buggies” and shuttled to another rehab facility which… Read More »
Dade City Scrap Metal Business Owner Accused of Buying Pickup Truck and Mercedes with PPP Loan Money
They say that the perfect is the enemy of the good, and this has turned out to be the case with the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The federal government offered PPP loans to small businesses in the context of the CARES Act, in order to prevent job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic and… Read More »
Broward Basketball Coach Faces Federal Charges After Allegedly Using PPP Funds to Pay Nonexistent Employees
This past spring, as the COVID-19 pandemic raged and Floridians reacted either with panic or with denial and defiance, it was almost too easy to get approved for a paycheck protection program (PPP) loan. The PPP guidelines in the CARES Act were meant to make it easy for small business owners to get emergency… Read More »
NFL Player Accused of Making False Statements to Obtain a $1.2 Million PPP Loan
Everyone who plays for the National Football League knows that that paychecks can be huge, but they can end abruptly at any time. One serious injury can end your career, and in an instant, you can go from being one of the most highly paid people in the U.S. to just another person who… Read More »
Miami Man Wrecks Lamborghini He Allegedly Bought with Fraudulently Obtained PPP Loan
When your grandparents used to give you money as a present for the holidays, they probably told you, whether jokingly or in seriousness, “Don’t spend it all in one place.” A Miami man currently facing criminal charges related to a fraudulently obtained Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan appears to have heeded that advice. He… Read More »
Miami Rapper and Reality TV Star Baby Blue Accused of PPP Loan Fraud
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a provision of the CARES Act passed as an emergency response to the financial disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, quickly disbursed funds to applicants claiming to represent businesses with 500 or fewer employees. The law contains strict requirements for the expenses for which loan recipients may use the… Read More »
Fort Myers Construction Contractor Pleads Not Guilty to PPP Loan Fraud After Being Accused of Using Federal Loan Money to Buy Boat
Business owners using their companies’ money for personal expenses is nothing new. In fact, sometimes there is a fine line between business expenses and personal luxuries. The year of the COVID-19 pandemic is, undisputedly, not the time to walk that fine line. During the pandemic, businesses have been closing at an alarming rate, and… Read More »
The “Tomb Raider” Fraud Scheme and Its Aftermath: Two Broward County Lawyers Now Face Criminal Charges
If in-person socializing ever makes a comeback, see what your guests say if you ask them to name the first South Florida stereotypes that come to mind. Your guests will probably mention South Florida’s reputation as a retirement destination and the plethora of mansions purchased by people whose eyes are bigger than their wallets. … Read More »
Broward County Mortgage Consultant Appeals His Money Laundering Conviction, Claiming That the Scammers Led Him to Believe They Were Legitimate Clients
Email scams have existed for as long as email has. It is usually easy to spot the scams. The sender signs the email with a personal name or a business name, but a Google search for the person or the business does not turn up any relevant results. The writing style is awkward or… Read More »
