Tag: fraud

New Evidence Emerges Against Indicted Democrat Mayor of New Orleans in Corruption Case

A superseding federal indictment has unveiled new evidence against New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat already facing corruption allegations, and former NOPD officer Jeffrey Vappie. 

Prosecutors now claim the two engaged in a years-long fraud scheme that misused city funds to conceal their romantic relationship and bankroll luxury travel.

According to the filing, Cantrell and Vappie exchanged more than 15,000 WhatsApp messages, photos, and audio clips in just eight months. 

During that period, they coordinated at least 14 domestic and international trips, racking up more than $70,000 in travel expenses billed to the city.

Vappie allegedly claimed on-duty hours during the trips, while serving on Cantrell’s executive protection detail, even though prosecutors say much of the travel was personal.

The indictment goes further, alleging that Cantrell and Vappie used WhatsApp not just for personal communication but also to intimidate subordinates, harass a private citizen, delete records, and mislead investigators. 

Federal prosecutors say the pair attempted to obstruct justice by concealing evidence and offering false testimony to a federal grand jury.

Cantrell herself is accused of abusing her office to protect Vappie from scrutiny. 

Prosecutors allege she pressured then-Interim NOPD Superintendent Michelle Woodfork to halt an internal probe into Vappie, despite findings that raised concerns. 

Cantrell also allegedly demanded Vappie’s reassignment to her security detail, even after red flags had been raised, and concealed responsive WhatsApp records from a grand jury subpoena.

The 18-count indictment represents an escalation of a case that has dogged Cantrell for months, combining allegations of fraud, obstruction, and misuse of public funds. 

While Vappie previously entered a not-guilty plea, Cantrell has consistently denied wrongdoing and accused her critics of political motivation.

Still, the mounting evidence paints a damaging picture for the city’s top official. 

The indictment details patterns of excessive travel, manipulation of police resources, and alleged efforts to sidestep accountability. 

For residents of New Orleans, the charges revive long-standing concerns about corruption in City Hall and misuse of taxpayer money.

Cantrell, who first took office in 2018, has faced growing criticism in recent years over crime, public safety, and fiscal management.

 This latest legal development adds to those pressures, with prosecutors signaling they intend to make the mayor’s conduct central to the corruption case.

If convicted, Cantrell could face severe penalties, and the scandal could reshape the political landscape in New Orleans, where faith in city leadership has already eroded.

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CNN’s Kasie Hunt Suggests Every American Commits Mortgage Fraud… and Federal Housing Director Bill Pulte Wants Answers

CNN’s Kasie Hunt ran cover for Letitia James after a grand jury returned an indictment on Thursday.

Corrupt New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia on Thursday.

According to the DOJ, Letitia James was charged with two crimes: Bank Fraud under 18 U.S.C. Section 1344 and False Statements to a Financial Institution under 18 U.S.C. Section 1014.

CNN’s Kasie Hunt suggested every American commits mortgage fraud on Thursday evening to water down the charges against Letitia James.

Federal Housing Director Bill Pulte wants answers after Kasie Hunt suggested every American commits mortgage fraud.

“We will start by requesting information into the VERY concerning public statements of Ms. Kasie Hunt that she has knowledge of individuals who are committing alleged mortgage bank fraud. If Ms. Hunt is aware of anyone committing fraud, we will need to know — and now,” Pulte said.

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Grand Jury Indicts NY AG Letitia James On Criminal Bank Fraud, CNN Reports

A federal grand jury in Eastern Virginia has indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on one count of bank fraud, multiple outlets are reporting. 

US Attorney Lindsey Halligan presented the case to the grand jury on Thursday, according to sources, one month after she was installed in her role.

As noted in August, a criminal referral was filed against James, alleging that she had “falsified records” to get home loans for a Virginia property that she claimed was her “principal residence” in 2023 – while she was serving as a New York state prosecutor.

Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director William Pulte sent the missive to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy AG Todd Blanche, claiming that in late August 2023 – weeks before she launched her civil fraud trial against the Trump Organization for inflating the values of its properties.

In 2021, James also purchased a 5-family Brooklyn property, but has “consistently misrepresented the same property as only having four units in both building permit applications and numerous mortgage documents and applications,” the letter noted.

Loans secured for this property could have reduced her mortgage interest rate by as much as 1% – leaving James with lower monthly payments under the federal Home Assistance Modification Program (HAMP) since it was listed as containing just four units, according to Pulte.

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Why Isn’t the Department of Justice Prosecuting Letitia James for Mortgage Fraud?

Republican strategist Roger Stone asked bluntly on Twitter on Saturday, “Who at the DOJ is blocking the prosecution of the entire Russian Collusion cabal as well as crooks like Letitia James and Adam Schiff?”

President Donald Trump has echoed similar frustrations on Truth Social, demanding action against New York Attorney General Letitia James, who pursued the civil fraud case against himself and his organization in New York.

The question now reverberating through conservative circles is clear: why is the Department of Justice refusing to act?

One of Donald Trump’s most consequential missteps during his first term was his refusal to take control of the Department of Justice, the very branch he led as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer.

Trump seemed to be intimidated by the media and Democrats who screamed for the DOJ to remain “independent.”

As a result, the DOJ launched investigations and prosecutions targeting Trump and his allies, from Paul Manafort to Roger Stone, while ignoring mounting evidence of misconduct by government officials involved in the Russia hoax.

When Joe Biden took over, the DOJ became even more partisan, prosecuting January 6 protesters and Donald Trump himself.

For his second term, Trump vowed reform. His initial choice for Attorney General, Congressman Matt Gaetz, withdrew amid congressional backlash, leading to the appointment of former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

But Bondi’s record of capitulating to the mob was largely unknown. In 2012 in Florida, she bowed to media and protesters led by Al Sharpton and Ben Crump by appointing a special prosecutor in the George Zimmerman case, despite the police having already ruled the shooting of Trayvon Martin as self-defense.

My 2019 film, The Trayvon Hoax, exposed the entire prosecution as a hoax based on a fake witness. Zimmerman’s acquittal was the reason for the founding of the Black Lives Matter group.

Bondi’s caving in was thus responsible for BLM’s formation and the mayhem that followed, including “hands up don’t shoot” and the George Floyd riots.

When questioned about decision-making for today’s DOJ, Trump has repeatedly said, “it’s up to Pam.” But this “hands off” deference may once again prove costly.

As documented in my investigative reports in The Gateway Pundit beginning in March 2025, Letitia James engaged in 24 years of mortgage fraud and housing regulation violations in connection with her 5-unit Brooklyn apartment building.

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Operation Twin Shield uncovers 275 cases of suspected immigration fraud in Minnesota, feds announce

Federal authorities announced today they have completed Operation Twin Shield, the first wave of a new crackdown on immigration fraud in Minnesota.

In a press briefing, Director Joseph B. Edlow of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said the immigration enforcement effort investigated more than 1,000 cases and its findings “should shock all of America.”

Operation Twin Shield began on Sept. 19 and involved federal authorities conducting site visits across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. The operation was coordinated by USCIS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the FBI.

“Our officers encountered blatant marriage fraud, visa overstays, people claiming to work at businesses that can’t be found, forged documents, abuse of the H1-B visa system, abuse of the F-1 visas, and many other discrepancies,” said Edlow.

According to Edlow, authorities found indications of fraud, noncompliance, or public safety concerns in 275 cases.

“In one case officers identified an alien who had overstayed his visa waiver, who was the son of a known or suspected terrorist on the no-fly list,” said Edlow. “He had previously been found to have engaged in marriage fraud which resulted in the denial of several immigration benefit requests.”

Edlow said that alien was arrested and is now being sent back to his country of origin.

“In another, an individual admitted to obtaining a fake death certificate in Kenya for just $100 to prove he was no longer married,” said Edlow. “In reality, his wife is alive, living here in Minneapolis, and is the mother of five of his children. And incidentally, he has another wife living in Sweden with whom he has an additional three children.”

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States forgave billions in fraudulent pandemic benefits

It was bad enough that fraudsters stole tens of billions of dollars in bogus pandemic-era unemployment benefits — now it turns out states forgave much of that money without even trying to claw it back.

The exact amount won’t ever be known, though it could stretch into billions. The Labor Department’s inspector general blamed poor decision-making and antiquated systems in the states, which administer the unemployment program with federal backstop funds during the pandemic.

Investigators did a deep dive into Michigan and Massachusetts, which they identified as particular offenders, and found the states forgave people who were using clearly stolen Social Security numbers or suspicious emails or physical addresses that kept popping up in other fraud cases.

Among the claims paid out by Michigan — and later forgiven — was one where the person used an out-of-state Social Security number, gave an address in Alabama, and hadn’t reported any earnings before the pandemic. The state had confirmed that it was a fraudulent application, yet still forgave the money, meaning the fraudster wasn’t asked to pay it back.

In another case, Michigan determined a claim was the result of identity theft. A year later, it still forgave that money.

The inspector general said Michigan waived recovery for nearly 18,000 cases of confirmed fraud.

Massachusetts, meanwhile, set up an “honor system” for some people to ask to be excused from sending back overpayments in pandemic unemployment benefits.

It turned out to be a mistake, the new audit said Monday.

Investigators sampled 121 claims that used the state’s “one-click” waiver request program and found none of them had any documentation to prove they met the hardship standards for keeping taxpayers’ money.

What documentation existed in the files showed the people were “at fault” and shouldn’t have qualified anyway. That included some people who voluntarily quit, some who actually had jobs even as they were collecting unemployment and others who were fired for deliberate misconduct.

Like Michigan, Massachusetts also paid out money — and then waived repayment requirements — to applications that reeked of fraud.

That included one claim, paid $6,804, that used a Social Security number and physical address that were also used in three other states. One of those was Michigan.

“Massachusetts waived the recovery of overpayments that had a high probability of fraud,” the inspector general concluded.

Investigators took a sample of 14 probably fraudulent claims and ran them by Massachusetts authorities. The state said it hadn’t flagged any of them for fraud, though it had determined they were ineligible — after first paying out weeks’ worth of benefits.

Five of them were actually on a list the feds provided to Massachusetts in 2022 as potentially fraudulent. Massachusetts said it didn’t follow up because it had already ended the claims and listed them as overpayments.

It forgave the money.

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Fraudsters stole about $320 million in SNAP benefits over 2-year period: GAO

A new Government Accountability Office report calls for the Agriculture Department to take stronger steps to assess how states are implementing security measures to prevent theft of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits on electronic benefit transfer cards.

The report released Thursday found states use a range of tools recommended by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service to prevent theft but many of the measures require SNAP recipients to take individual action, “which can affect how widely they are used.”

According to the GAO, SNAP benefits can be stolen by such methods as card skimming, card cloning, phishing and spoofing attacks, which involve tricking recipients into revealing personal information. 

Fraudsters also pretend to be legitimate SNAP retailers to steal information and have been known to use bots to identify valid PIN combinations for accounts.

State SNAP agencies “replaced over $320 million in stolen benefits with federal funds for nearly 679,000 households in 52 states” during the period of October 2022 to December 2024, the report said.

“Theft of benefits could leave victims without means to purchase food, particularly since benefits stolen on or after December 21, 2024, are not eligible for replacement with federal funds,” the GAO said.

However, the GAO noted that available data, in fact, understates the scale of SNAP theft, given that states are not required to report every occurrence.

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SNAP Fraud Has Doubled Since Last Year. Here’s Why.

Criminals are looting public safety net programs using digital tools, according to a new report released by LexisNexis Risk Solutions. 

The report analyzed reported fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Integrated Eligibility Systems. Fraud in the SNAP program has doubled, the report said. 

The 54-page report reveals that the cost and volume of SNAP fraud have risen sharply over the past year, driven by the accelerated shift to digital channels, increasingly sophisticated Electronic Benefits Transfer theft schemes, and complex multi-program eligibility systems. 

The findings of this year’s report are especially significant given the administrative and programmatic changes introduced to SNAP agencies across the country by House Resolution 1. 

According to the 2025 study, the average monthly rate of fraudulent SNAP applications and post-issuance cases has doubled since 2024. For every $1 in SNAP benefits lost to fraud, agencies now incur $4.14 in total costs, up from $3.93 a year ago.

“SNAP is a lifeline for millions of families, and these findings highlight how increasingly sophisticated criminals are targeting this critical benefit program,” said Amanda D’ Amico, Senior Director at LexisNexis Risk Solutions. “Digital channels and expanded eligibility systems improve access but also expand the attack surface. Agencies that leverage real-time data, identity verification, and digital authentication solutions to detect fraud and increase cross-program collaboration can turn the tide against fraud while ensuring timely benefits for those in need.”

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Three NHS admin workers who made £412k selling fake Covid 19 vaccine records during lockdown are jailed for 10 years

A trio of NHS workers who made £412k by selling fake Covid 19 vaccination records have been jailed for 10 years.

Hakeem Walters, 29, Rokibul Islam, 31, and Muhammed Ahmed, 27, made their fortune while employed as administrators in Westfield Shopping Centre, Stratford.

They falsified records for 847 people at the Covid clinic to allow them to escape government lockdown rules and to travel abroad, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Kathryn Drummond, prosecuting, said: ‘They ultimately make profits at the expense of the wider public at a time of national crisis, namely the Covid pandemic.

‘Each of them held a position of trust at the relevant time as an employee within the NHS.

‘They falsified 1,648 vaccine records relating to 847 individuals. They did so for profit.

‘That enabled those 847 people to enjoy additional freedom in times of lockdown, freedoms reserved for those vaccinated against Covid-19.’

The trio charged people £250 each for fake vaccine records.

Islam had access to the National Immunisation Vaccination System (NIVS), the court heard.

‘Mr Islam sold his confidential login details to Mr Ahmed for £1,000,’ Ms Drummond said.

Ms Drummond added Islam began his work as a Band 3 administrator and clerical bank worker for the vaccine project in June 2021.

‘Every single vaccine record associated with his login was false. He began his work in the NHS at a time of crisis. He obtained wide access. He sold wider access for one thousand pounds. He never created any true or honest vaccination’, she said.

Once the entries were submitted the NHS Covid-19 App showed people were fully vaccinated.

‘That would enable them to travel, attend certain venues, apply for work, jobs that had restrictions in place,’ the prosecutor added.

Sentencing, Judge Sally-Ann Hales said: ‘Between August 17 and December 13 2021 you conspired to hack the NHS computer system to create false Covid vaccination records. You did so to make a financial gain for yourselves.

‘The evidence indicates that these conspiracies involved more people than just you three.

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Letitia James Indictment: Here’s the Prosecution Memorandum for Federal and State Charges

A Prosecution Memorandum is an internal legal document prepared by prosecutors that summarizes the facts, law, and reasoning supporting (or recommending against) bringing criminal charges.

It is not filed in court, rather it’s an internal document the prosecutors use to guide decision-making. Below is a mock Prosecution Memorandum that could easily be used to consider charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James.

PROSECUTION MEMORANDUM

Re: United States v. Letitia James
Prepared for: Eastern District of Virginia, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York and Special Prosecutor’s Office

Date: September 21, 2025

I. Introduction

This memorandum addresses potential federal, Commonwealth of Virginia, and New York State charges against Letitia James, Attorney General of New York, arising out of an alleged 43-year pattern of mortgage-related fraud and false filings. The investigative reporting of Joel Gilbert (The Gateway Pundit), as well as Sam Antar (White Collar Fraud), provides documentary evidence and witness analysis suggesting that James repeatedly misrepresented the legal status of her properties, particularly a five-unit apartment building at 296 Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn, as well as a residential home in Norfolk, Virginia in order to obtain loans and preferential loan terms she was not entitled to. James also is harboring a wanted fugitive in the Virginia home.

If corroborated, these acts constitute violations of both federal statutes (bank fraud, false statements to financial institutions, wire fraud, RICO) and New York State statutes (residential mortgage fraud, offering false instruments for filing, scheme to defraud, enterprise corruption).

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