White Collar Crimes

Tampa Man and Co-Defendant Found Guilty in Mortgage Fraud Case

Late last week, a federal jury in Tampa found William “Ondra” Joel of Oxford, Florida and Maurice Vernon of Tampa guilty of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and making false statements on loan applications submitted to FDIC-insured... [Read More]

Kevin White Co-Defendant Incompetent to Stand Trial

George Hondrellis, co-defendant in former Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White’s corruption case, has been deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial. According to the federal magistrate on the case, Hondrellis will be treated for his mental condition for at least four... [Read More]

Tax and Mail Fraud Lands Tampa Woman in Federal Prison

A federal judge in Tampa sentenced Shawntrece Sims to nine years in federal prison for tax fraud and mail fraud earlier this month. Sims pleaded guilty last March, admitting to preparing and electronically filing false income tax returns to get... [Read More]

Former Hillsborough County Commissioner Guilty of 7 Corruption Counts, Acquitted of 3

A seven-woman, five-man jury found former Hillsborough County commissioner Kevin White guilty of seven out of 10 federal charges in his public corruption trial this week. The trial took eight days and the jury deliberated for approximately six hours before... [Read More]

Hillsborough Head Start Exec Acquitted of Fraud

The former chief financial officer of  Hillsborough County’s Head Start program was acquitted just a few weeks ago of a fraud charge that a jury previously found him guilty of. Back in July, Michael Jimenez was convicted of two federal... [Read More]

St. Petersburg Man Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy Fraud Charge

Jon Jerald Hammill of St. Petersburg pleaded guilty in a Tampa federal court earlier this month to bankruptcy fraud. According to court documents, Hammill failed to disclose any investment or employment with a company named Botfly, LLC when he filed... [Read More]

Three Charged in Alleged Multi-County Check Fraud Scheme

Earlier this month, a Tampa federal judge sentenced three Michigan residents for bank fraud, mail theft, and aggravated identity theft that occurred in Duval, Charlotte, Hillsborough, Manatee, Monroe, Orange, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, and Seminole Counties between 2007 and 2009... [Read More]

Federal Contractor Charged with Fraud, Impersonating Active Duty Military at MacDill AFB

A federal jury in Tampa found Scott Allan Bennett of Washington, DC guilty this month of lying to government officials to obtain housing on MacDill Air Force Base, as well as wearing a U.S. military uniform without authorization and violating... [Read More]

Former Hillsborough Councilmember Indicted on Bribery Charges

The U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida announced this week that former Hillsborough councilman Kevin White has been indicted on ten felony counts. Charges include bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud and giving a false statement to an FBI... [Read More]

St. Petersburg Homicide Detective Arrested on Corruption Charges

The FBI arrested Detective Anthony Foster of the St. Petersburg police department this week on public corruption charges. Foster is accused of using his position to extort cash, shoes and a flat-screen television from a confidential informant. According to the... [Read More]

Inverness Man Charged in Tampa Federal Court With Health Care Fraud and Identity Theft

Patrick Crisler of Inverness was indicted on 12 federal charges earlier this month -  six counts of health care fraud and six counts of aggravated identity theft. According to the indictment, issued out of the federal court in Tampa, Crisler... [Read More]

Pasco Couple Accused of Tax Fraud

Federal prosecutors in Tampa have accused Howayda Hamdan of Wesley Chapel of filing false tax returns and stealing more than $1 million from the government. Hamdan’s boyfriend, Abou El Faouatih, is also charged. Hamdan worked at a Land O’ Lakes... [Read More]

Pinellas Fitness Guru's Employee Accused of Embezzling

Pony-tailed, personal fitness guru Tony Little made millions selling workout products on television shows and infomercials. His companies, based in Pinellas County, Florida, cashed in on Little’s prominent role in America’s obsession with weight loss and fitness. Last week, however... [Read More]

Tampa Man Indicted for Bank Loan Fraud

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced last week that Michael Anthony Prozer, III of Tampa and Fedor Stanley Salinas of Maryland were indicted on six counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit mail and... [Read More]

South Florida Doctor Acquitted of Medicare Fraud Charges

We’ve reported here frequently over the last year or so about the increasing number of Medicare fraud charges being brought by federal prosecutors in the Tampa Bay area and in Florida as a whole. A doctor in Miami-Dade, though, challenged... [Read More]