$700K Gold, Bitcoin Scam: ‘PayPal’ Poser From NJ Cons Elderly Lehigh County Man, DA Says
A slick con artist posing as a PayPal agent scammed a 74-year-old Pennsylvania man out of nearly $700,000 in gold and cryptocurrency, authorities revealed on Friday, Jan. 16.
Hirtik Hemchand Khatri, of Lawrence Township, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Nov. 20 to felony charges of Theft by Extortion, Theft by Unlawful Taking – Movable Property, and Criminal Use of a Communication Facility, according to Holihan.
Khatri was sentenced at a hearing before Judge Thomas M. Caffrey to 12 months, minus a day, to 36 months in prison for both theft charges, along with two years of proba…
After Weeks Of Torture Over Bitcoin Password, Italian National Escapes NYC Townhouse: DA
A second suspect was arrested in connection with a twisted kidnapping and torture plot that played out inside a luxury New York City townhouse that was all over stolen Bitcoin, prosecutors said.
William Duplessie, 32, surrendered to NYPD detectives on Tuesday morning, May 27, days after his partner, 37-year–old John Woeltz, was charged with holding an Italian business associate hostage for over two weeks, the Manhattan DA’s Office said.
Duplessie and Woeltz, the so-called “Crypto King Of Kentucky,” abducted the victim on Tuesday, May 6, at a townhouse on Prince Street in Nolita and stole hi…
$100K Fairfield Scammer Turned Fugitive Busted At Southern Border, Police Say
A 56-year-old Mexican man has pleaded guilty to theft charges in Fairfield months after he fled the country, only to be captured at the southern border, authorities said.
On Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, an employee at Care by Dank's on Route 46 in Fairfield received a phone call from someone pretending to be with FedEx, Fairfield police said. During the conversation, the employee was told to obtain all the money from the business safes and deposit it into a Bitcoin machine, police said.
The caller, later identified as Jose Renteria-Medellin, told the employee this was urgent an…
$50K Bitcoin Scam Gets Two Men Detained By ICE For Deportation: Lebanon DA
Two men convicted in a $50,000 Bitcoin scam in Lebanon County have been detained by federal authorities for deportation, officials announced.
Digvijaysinh Chauhan, 23, and Hemal Patel, 26, were sentenced for felony theft and conspiracy charges on Tuesday, March 12, 2025, before the Lebanon County Court of Common Pleas, according to the district attorney’s office. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) immediately took them into custody for deportation proceedings.
The scam began in January 2024 when victims received fraudulent messages claiming their bank accounts had been hacked, authori…
US Attorney Matthew Graves To Step Down Days Before Trump Inauguration In DC
Matthew Graves is stepping down as US Attorney for DC, his office confirmed, announcing that his resignation will be official as of Thursday, Jan. 16, four days before the presidential inauguration.
Graves has been in the role of DC's top prosecutor for more than three years following his confirmation by the Senate on Oct. 28, 2021, days before he was sworn in on Nov. 5, 2021.
“Serving as the US Attorney for the District of Columbia has been the honor of a lifetime,” Graves said, thanking Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, President Biden, and Attorney General Merrick Garland …
Father-Son Scammers In Maryland Sentenced For Laundering Millions Through Drugs, Bitcoin: Feds
A 72-year-old Maryland father and his 38-year-old son have been sentenced for a money laundering conspiracy involving Bitcoins and Xanax, federal authorities announced.
Joseph Farace, 72, of Sparks, Maryland, received a 19-month federal prison sentence that will be followed by two years of supervised release.
His son, Ryan Farace, of Reisterstown, a previously convicted felon, got a 54-month sentence, US Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron said in a joint release.
Ryan Farace was first convicted for a scheme to manufacture and sell Xanax in exchange for Bitcoin throu…
