FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending September 11, 2009

Washington, D.C. September 11, 2009

Newark: CEO Surrenders to FBI for Role in $11 Million Mortgage Fraud Scheme

Worldwide Financial Resources CEO David Findel surrendered to the FBI in connection with an $11 million mortgage reselling scheme. He is charged with wire fraud.

Washington Field: Two Plead Guilty to Contract Fraud Related to Afghanistan Rebuilding

United States Protection and Investigations, LLC executives Delmar Dwayne Spier and Barbara Edens Spier pled guilty to conspiracy, major fraud, and wire fraud arising from an alleged scheme to defraud the United States in connection with U.S.-sponsored rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan.

New York: Four Sentenced to Prison for Election Night Assaults

Four men who committed three hate crime assaults against African-Americans in response to President Barack Obama’s election victory were sentenced to a combined 293 months in prison.

Philadelphia: Former Judges Indicted on Racketeering and Related Charges

A federal grand jury returned a 48-count indictment charging former Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas judges Michael T. Conahan and Mark A. Ciavarella, Jr. with racketeering and related charges in connection with alleged improper actions to facilitate the construction and operation of juvenile detention facilities owned by PA Child Care, LLC and Western PA Child Care, LLC.

New York: Money Manager Arrested for Operating 30-Year Ponzi Scheme

A criminal complaint was unsealed charging money manager Philip Barry with operating a large-scale scheme in which he induced hundreds of individuals to invest more than $40 million over the course of three decades. The complaint charges that Barry actually was running a Ponzi scheme, paying returns to investors not from any profits earned, but rather from existing investors’ deposits or money paid by new investors.

San Francisco: Silicon Valley Businessman Sentenced for $100 Million Securities Fraud

William J. “Boots” Del Biaggio was sentenced to 97 months in prison and was ordered to pay approximately $67.5 million in restitution for his role in a securities fraud scheme. Del Biaggio admitted to using doctored brokerage statements to defraud banks and other lenders to obtain or renew approximately $100 million in loans. He also admitted to his role in the misappropriation of investors’ funds in three investment funds at which he was a principal.

Newark: Ex-Jersey City Official Admits Taking $72,000 in Bribes

Former Jersey City Health and Human Services Assistant Director Maher Z. Khalil pled guilty to conspiring to commit extortion, admitting that he accepted more than $72,000 in bribes from a government cooperating witness in return for attempting to obtain real estate development approvals, and for facilitating bribe payments to other municipal officials.

Phoenix: Real Estate Investor Convicted of Mortgage Fraud Conspiracy

Mario Bernadel was convicted on 19 counts of conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and bank fraud; mail fraud; wire fraud; bank fraud, and transactional money laundering as a result of his involvement in a cash back mortgage fraud scheme that involved at least 32 residential properties in the greater Phoenix area.

Philadelphia: Former Daycare Owner Sentenced for Role in Child Pornography Case

Concetta Jackson was sentenced to 300 months in prison for one count of producing child pornography in connection with a case against John Worman. Jackson ran a childcare service and turned over the children in her care-including a 6-week-old baby-to Worman knowing that he would sexually abuse them. With Jackson’s knowledge, Worman videotaped and photographed his sexual abuse of the children.

Baltimore: Title Company Owner Sentenced for Defrauding Lenders of $3.4 Million

Deborah Williams, the owner of a Severna Park title company, was sentenced to 84 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for mail fraud related to a scheme to divert settlement funds to her own benefit. The judge also issued an order of forfeiture of $3.443 million, the amount Williams stole.