Southington Business Owner Accused In $2.5M Tax Fraud Scheme Spanning Years
A North Carolina man and a Connecticut business owner are facing multiple charges in a $2.5 million tax fraud case, federal authorities said.
Michael Joseph Meade, 61, of Old Saybrook, and Chet Lee West, 70, of Nebo, North Carolina, were indicted April 8, 2026, in a sweeping scheme that investigators allege lasted for more than a decade, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut said this week.
Meade owned and operated a Southington-based manufacturing business called Innovative Components LLC, and later Liquidlevel.com LLC. Authorities say he ran up a $2.5 million tax bill for the …
Dillsburg Man Hid $13M In NFT Sales, Flaunted Travel Pics As GF Asked For Pageant Donations
A Pennsylvania man who hid millions from the IRS through secret NFT sales—while his girlfriend publicly asked for pageant donations for her daughter—has now been sentenced to prison, federal authorities and social media posts show.
Waylon Wilcox, 46, of Dillsburg, was sentenced to 12 months in prison and ordered to pay a $300,400 fine by Senior United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced on Thursday, April 23, 2026.
Wilcox had previously paid the IRS $3,305,238 in back taxes, plus $981,583.30 in interest, auth…
$200M Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme That Duped 90K Investors Ends With Prison Time For CEO In Virginia
A $200 million bitcoin Ponzi scheme that ripped off more than 90,000 investors worldwide has landed its CEO behind bars for 20 years in Virginia.
Ramil Ventura Palafox, 61, a dual citizen of the United States and the Philippines, was sentenced in federal court in Alexandria on Thursday, Feb. 12, after being convicted of wire fraud and money laundering for operating what prosecutors described as a massive cryptocurrency fraud.
The scheme funneled more than $201,000,000 into Praetorian Group International (PGI), a company Palafox owned and promoted, according to the US Attorney’s Office for t…
Ex-Eagles RB Wendell Smallwood Jr. Sentenced For Covid-19, Tax Fraud After Super Bowl Win
Wendell Smallwood Jr., a former Philadelphia Eagles running back and Super Bowl champion, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the IRS in Wilmington, Delaware, on Thursday, Sept. 18, according to federal court documents obtained by Daily Voice.
U.S. District Senior Judge Richard G. Andrews also ordered Smallwood, 31, to repay the government $645,000. The punishment comes after Smallwood pleaded guilty in December 2024 to orchestrating schemes that defrauded COVID-19 relief programs and the IRS.
Smallwood earned about…
Rotterdam Spa Owner Ran Prostitution Ring Across NY, DOJ Says
A New York woman is accused of running a multi-county prostitution ring at her massage parlors.
Qingqin “Coco” Xie was charged with racketeering in Albany federal court on Wednesday, Aug. 20, following a two-year investigation involving the FBI, New York State Police, IRS, and Homeland Security Investigations.
The probe culminated in a multi-agency police raid on Xie’s massage spas in Saratoga, Schenectady, Albany, Rensselaer, and Ulster counties, as Daily Voice reported.
According to the criminal complaint, obtained by Daily Voice, online sex advertisements directed customers to Xie’s Moo…
$1M IRS Fraud Scheme Masterminded By Woman With Multiple Personas In York: DOJ
A York woman plotted an elaborate scheme to steal more than $1 million from the IRS by filing fake tax documents and a bogus check, federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday, August 13.
Queen Naja, 44, also known as Renata Winifred Ince and Naja Talibah Zahir, worked with 42-year-old Quentin Diego Sturgeon of Montgomery, Alabama, to carry out the plan, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama.
The two met through social media in April 2021, when Naja proposed creating a legal trust, submitting fraudulent paperwork to the IRS, and using a counterfeit check …
$17M Scam Funded NJ Mini-Golf Buy-In, Lavish Life For PA Adviser: DOJ
A Main Line investment adviser stole millions from clients—including friends, relatives, and retirees—to bankroll a luxury lifestyle and buy into a Jersey Shore mini-golf course, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced on Saturday, July 5.
Scott Mason, 66, of Gladwyne, was sentenced on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, to eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a sweeping fraud scheme that lasted over a decade. The Department of Justice says Mason stole more than $17 million while running his firm, Rubicon Wealth Management LLC, and never reported a cent to the IRS.
Inste…
Ellington Bookkeeper At Law Firm Embezzled $830K Over Decade: Feds
A longtime bookkeeper at a Connecticut law firm is facing federal charges after prosecutors say she stole more than $835,000 from the company, authorities said.
Heather Murdock, 57, of Ellington, was indicted on 12 federal counts, including five counts of bank fraud, wire fraud, and tax evasion. She pleaded not guilty in Hartford federal court and was released on a $40,000 bond, the US Attorney for Connecticut said.
Federal officials say Murdock worked as the bookkeeper and office manager at a Hartford law firm identified in court papers only as “Firm A.” Over a 12-year span, in…
Montville's Teresa Giudice, Luis Ruelas Hit With $3M In Tax Liens, People Reports
Looks like the IRS might be flipping a table of its own.
"Real Housewives of New Jersey" OG Teresa Giudice and her husband Luis Ruelas are facing a massive tax mess—to the tune of $3 million, according to a new PEOPLE report citing court records.
Giudice, 51, reportedly owes $303,889.20. Her husband of two years? He's in deeper, with a jaw-dropping $2.6 million in unpaid taxes, PEOPLE reports. A lien for more than $163,500 was issued against Ruelas this past December, the outlet says, citing the New Jersey Courts website.
This isn’t Teresa’s first round with Uncle Sam. She served 11 months…
Sewell Business Owner Evaded Thousands In Taxes For Seven Years: Feds
A 54-year-old Gloucester County man admitted on Tuesday, Jan. 14, to tax evasion, authorities said.
Jose Camilo Perez, Jr., a Sewell resident, pleaded guilty to evading more than $3,400 in taxes at the United States District Court in Camden, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna said.
Perez controlled a company that digitized medical records for hospitals and other healthcare entities, Khanna said. From 2016 through 2023, the business received more than $8,000,000 for the services it performed, Khanna said. Perez attempted to evade the assessment of federal income taxes by cashing checks …
