Tampa Bay Area Pharmacists Get Probation in Fraud Case

Pharmacists Satender Singh and Rajnish Mehta were sentenced to probation on Friday in a federal health insurance fraud case prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Tampa. Both Singh and Mehta previously pleaded guilty and received credit for cooperating with... [Read More]

Controller of Ralph Hughes’ Company Guilty of Embezzlement

The former corporate controller of Cast-Crete, a company founded by the late Tampa political activist Ralph Hughes, pleaded guilty this week to embezzling more than $5.3 million from the company. Franklin R. Derochemont had worked for the company since 1979... [Read More]

Sarasota Man Found Guilty of Fraud

After an eight day trial earlier this month, a federal jury in Tampa found Beau Diamond of Sarasota guilty of 18 counts of fraud and money laundering-related crimes. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each of... [Read More]

Pinellas Man Sentenced to Almost Six Years in Prison for Fraud

A U.S. District Judge in Tampa sentenced a Pinellas County man to 57 months in federal prison last week for mail fraud and tax fraud. Joseph Christopher Hooker of Tierra Verde was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount... [Read More]

Dozens Arrested in Pinellas Prescription Fraud Investigation

Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office detectives started making arrests this month in their year-long Operation Spring Hill investigation. So far, arrests number in the dozens. They are looking to arrest a total of 66 people in relation to prescription drug fraud... [Read More]

Appeals Court Affirms Wesley Snipes’ Tax Conviction

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit affirmed actor Wesley Snipes’ 2008 conviction and sentence for failing to file tax returns last week. Snipes faces a three-year federal prison sentence but has been free on bail pending appeal... [Read More]

Dontae Morris Charged with Tampa Police Homicides and 2 Others

Tampa’s highest-profile murder defendant in quite some time now faces four charges of murder in three separate incidents. Dontae Rashawn Morris is accused of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of Tampa police officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab earlier... [Read More]

Pinellas Jail Employee Charged with DUI on Jail Property

Diane Ferron, a civilian employee at the Pinellas County Jail, was charged last week with driving under the influence (DUI) after reportedly crashing through a jail fence when leaving work. Ferron, an assistant inmate records supervisor, was leaving the jail... [Read More]

DOJ Recommits to Mortgage Fraud Prosecution

Tampa Bay – and the rest of the country – should probably ready itself for another round of federal mortgage fraud prosecutions. A few weeks ago, in late June, 2010, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced yet another coordinated task... [Read More]