|
For Immediate Release
June 12, 2009
|
Washington D.C.
FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691
|
FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending June 12, 2009
1. Atlanta: Syed Haris Ahmed Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Support Terrorists
After a bench trial held last week in the Northern District of Georgia, Syed Haris Ahmed was found guilty of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. Full Story
2. New York: Four Plead Guilty to Providing Material Support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization
On June 9 at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, defendants Karunakaran Kandasamy, Pratheepan Thavaraja, Murugesu Vinayagamoorthy, and Vijayshanthar Patpanathan pled guilty to conspiring to provide material support to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Full Story
3. Portland: Global Online Direct Executives Plead Guilty to Money Laundering Charge
Bryant Behrmann and Larry “Buck” E. Hunter pled guilty to money laundering in connection with a scheme to defraud thousands of investors through their company, Global Online Direct. Full Story
4. Washington Field: Defense Department Official Indicted on Espionage Charges
James Wilbur Fondren, Jr., former Deputy Director of the Defense Department’s Washington Liaison Office, U.S. Pacific Command, was indicted on one count of conspiracy to communicate classified information to an agent of a foreign government and act as an illegal foreign agent, four counts of unlawfully communicating classified information to an agent of a foreign government, and three counts of making false statements to the FBI. Full Story
5. Philadelphia: America’s Most Wanted Ringleader Charged in Six-Year Interstate Burglary Spree
A superseding indictment was filed against Scott Hornick charging him with interstate transportation of stolen property, pharmacy burglary, and conspiracy. The ten-count indictment alleges that after escaping from prison, Hornick assembled a gang of burglars with whom he burglarized more than 150 businesses in more than a dozen states. Full Story
6. Salt Lake City: Arrests in Undercover Operation Targeting Stolen Native American Artifacts
Arrests were made and search warrants executed following an undercover operation targeting a network of individuals involved in the sale, purchase, and exchange of artifacts illegally taken from public or Indian lands in the Four Corners region of the country. The investigation represents the nation’s largest investigation of archaeological and cultural artifact thefts. Full Story
7. Newark: Montclair Man Pleads Guilty to $139 Million Scheme That Bankrupted New Jersey Mortgage Company
Michael J. McGrath, Jr., the former president and director of U.S. Mortgage, pled guilty to mail and wire fraud and money laundering charges in connection with a $139 million fraud scheme that bankrupted Pine Brook-based U.S. Mortgage Corp. and its subsidiary, CU National Mortgage, LLC. Full Story
8. Kansas City: David Ray Freeman Charged with Bank Fraud Conspiracy in Housing Development Project
David Ray Freeman was charged with fraud in connection with a Junction City housing development project. He was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, evade federal currency reporting requirements and interfere with interstate commerce, by extortion of a public official. Full Story
9. Cleveland: Cuyahoga County Employee and Wife Indicted for Receiving Kickbacks
Faisal Alatrash, a Project Superintendent/Construction Manager for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, and his wife, Gada Alatrash, were indicted on charges of extortion, fraud, bribery, and false statements. Full Story
10. New York: AFW Wealth Adviser Charged with Multimillion-Dollar Fraud
Matthew Weitzman, former principal of AFW Asset Management, Inc., is charged with defrauding investors in a multimillion-dollar scheme to misappropriate investor funds from a brokerage account, lying to investors about how their money was being used, and converting investor money to his own use. Full Story
