Articles Posted in Fraud

According to U.S. News & World Report, a former coroner for a south Mississippi county was indicted in late March on several charges, including embezzlement. In addition, the former Hancock County Coroner also faces three counts of false representations to defraud the government and one count of alteration of records, according to the State Auditor, Shad White.

To put this in perspective, in Mississippi, coroners are paid fees based on the services that they perform. In this case, the former Hancock County Coroner is alleged to have submitted and altered invoices to the Hancock County Board of Supervisors between February and March of 2021. As a result of this alleged fraud, he was paid $13,000 in public funds. His certification as a coroner was suspended in March of 2021, and he resigned from his post in July of 2021, claiming it was because of his recent cancer diagnosis.

 
What is Embezzlement?

According to Forbes, a cast member of Bravo’s Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, was sentenced to six and a half (6.5) years in prison and five (5) years of supervised release after pleading guilty for the role she played in running a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme. The cast member and her right-hand man were arrested in 2021 and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing. The Department of Justice stated that the cast member “defrauded hundreds of victims” and “generated and sold ‘lead lists’ of innocent individuals for other members of their scheme to repeatedly scam.” The Department of Justice continued on to say that the cast member built her lavish lifestyle “at the expense of vulnerable, often elderly, working-class people.” 

Wire fraud is quickly becoming an epidemic. According to an FBI report, in 2021, over $6.9 billion was lost to cybercrime, far surpassing the previous year’s by nearly $2 billion. Some common examples of wire fraud include but are not limited to online phishing scams, unauthorized payments, and telemarketing schemes.

What is Wire Fraud Legally Speaking?

Credit card fraud is quite common across the United States, and Mississippi is no exception. People may be tempted to commit this crime for a number of reasons, including economic pressures or outstanding debts. Some may even commit credit card fraud without fully realizing it. But what happens if you are caught in the Magnolia State while committing credit card fraud? What kind of penalties can you expect, and how can you mitigate these legal consequences? 

 The answer to the second part of that question is quite simple: In order to mitigate legal consequences, you should get in touch with an experienced criminal defense attorney at your earliest convenience. Our legal professionals in Mississippi can guide you toward a positive outcome as quickly and as effectively as possible. Mississippi may take credit card fraud seriously, but there is no reason to accept needlessly excessive penalties.  

 Credit Card Fraud is Reported Extremely Quickly