WEATHER ALERT
Houston pharmacy owner found guilty in $160 million medicare fraud
Read full article: Houston pharmacy owner found guilty in $160 million medicare fraudProsecutors say Mohamad Mokbel made over $200 million through a kickback scheme with his company 4M Pharmaceuticals, which involved money laundering and bribery from 2014 through 2021,
Houston energy trader pleads guilty for role in paying $600K in international bribes
Read full article: Houston energy trader pleads guilty for role in paying $600K in international bribesTo hide the scheme, Javier Aguilar and his co-conspirators used alias email accounts to discuss the scheme with code words for the bribes like “shoes,” “medicine,” “invitations,” and “coffee.”
Physician, 2 Houston pharmacists charged for $170M health care fraud scheme
Read full article: Physician, 2 Houston pharmacists charged for $170M health care fraud schemeA 13-count indictment was unsealed Tuesday charging two Houston pharmacists and a physician for their roles in a multimillion-dollar health care fraud, kickback, and money laundering scheme.
‘Positive outcome’: Ex-Mexico state governor Tomás Yarrington sentenced to 9 years in money laundering case
Read full article: ‘Positive outcome’: Ex-Mexico state governor Tomás Yarrington sentenced to 9 years in money laundering caseUnited States District Judge Rolando Olvera sentenced Tomás Yarrington Ruvalcaba, former governor of Tamaulipas, Mexico, on Wednesday to 108 months or nine years for money laundering non-drug related proceeds, KPRC 2 learned Wednesday.
Former Venezuelan official pleads guilty in connection with international bribery and money laundering scheme
Read full article: Former Venezuelan official pleads guilty in connection with international bribery and money laundering schemeTwo of the businessmen included Jose Manuel Gonzalez Testino (Gonzalez), a dual U.S.-Venezuelan citizen, and Tulio Anibal Farias Perez (Farias), a Venezuelan national and Houston resident. De Jongh admitted to directing bribe payments from Gonzalez and Farias and others into bank accounts in the names of shell companies he controlled in Panama and Switzerland. De Jongh laundered the bribe proceeds through U.S. and international bank accounts and used the funds to purchase real property located in the Houston area. De Jongh pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. As part of his plea, De Jongh also agreed to forfeit over $3 million seized from his bank accounts and 15 properties he purchased with his corrupt proceeds.
Bruno Mars impersonator scams Texas woman out of $100K, Case has ties to Houston
Read full article: Bruno Mars impersonator scams Texas woman out of $100K, Case has ties to HoustonHOUSTON – A 65-year-old North Texas woman is out $100,000 after she fell in love with someone pretending to be Bruno Mars, the famous entertainer. Harris County cyber-crimes prosecutors said someone overseas befriended her on Instagram, convinced her that he was Bruno Mars and that he needed help with his touring expenses. Authorities said Basil Amadi and Chinwendu Azuonwu are the two men in Houston who opened up the two different bank accounts where the woman was instructed to send the money. Ad“What these people do is they will recruit people to open up bank accounts. One of those men in Houston went before a judge Tuesday to hear the allegations against him.