A Southern California man and woman are accused of using a trending international online scam called “Pig Butchering” to try to steal more than $500,000 from an elderly San Jose man.

Six former Apple employees defrauded both the State of California and Apple’s Matching Gifts Program, obtaining approximately $152,000 for a cultural exchange program, then overreporting around $100,000 in charitable contributions as tax deductions, according to prosecutors.

Dennis Fountaine, convicted in May defrauding four victims of over $350,000 never showed up for his Aug. 5 sentencing in Santa Clara County Superior Court.

A critical new federal audit released this week calls out California for doing too little to prevent fraudulent spending of nearly $320 million in homelessness funds.

Investigators said Tayesha Knight wrote approximately 45 fraudulent checks totaling over $400,000 to herself, which she claimed were reimbursement for nonexistent services at Shallenberger Elementary School.

Thomas Truong was fired by Farmers Insurance after an insurance investigator uncovered the fraud.

District Attorney Jeff Rosen has decided not to charge Rebecca Eisenberg for theft, which had been sought by Valley Water CEO Rick Callender when Eisenberg in January took home a copy of the report that accused her of the abusive conduct.

Two men have been charged with multiple felonies as “financial predators” for bilking unsuspecting investors of more than $2.3 million for phony business deals.

State attorneys general from six states, including California, and the Federal Trade Commission announced  the settlement with room and roommate-finding platform Roomster and its owners.

Prosecutors said the suspect misappropriated and diverted more than $7.3 million of investor funds for his own personal benefit, which included paying credit card debts; making cash withdrawals; paying for travel, luxury automobile and jewelry purchases; and paying utilities bills.

The bribes included $55,000 in payments for holiday parties a San Francisco public works manager hosted for friends, political supporters and select public works employees, from October 2017 through January 2020.  

Dhirendra Prasad, 55, of Mountain Home, also was ordered to pay more than $19 million in restitution to his former employer and the IRS.

Gilroy Police began to investigate a series of fraudulent checks that were passed under the names of various businesses in Santa Clara County and San Mateo County in early February.

Mounir Gad of Los Gatos sent a federal judge fake reference letters in hopes of getting a lenient sentence in a securities fraud case.

Google’s ad business hides the identities of all publishers it works with and where billions of ad dollars flow. Propublica uncovered a network containing manga piracy, porn, fraud and disinformation.

Defendant also admits multiple tax crimes and forfeits millions i
n assets.