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Posts tagged "San Diego County"

30+ People Face Drug and Fraud Charges in San Diego Crime Ring

On behalf of Law Offices of Bill O'Connell on Tue., 06/22/10 posted in Fraud Charges

San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis announced this week that at least 30 people, including many white supremacists, have been arrested and charged in connection with a credit-card fraud ring. The fraud ring committed multiple crimes across the county including counterfeit, robbery and burglary, and drug possession. The group created fake $100 dollar bills, tapped into credit-card accounts by re-encoding the magnetic strips on gift cards, and traded methamphetamine and heroine for credit card information from hotel employees.   

The investigation into the ring, known as "Operation Blue Ray," was conducted from October 2009 until last month and involved the District Attorney's Office, the Secret Service, the San Diego Regional Fraud Task Force, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the San Diego Police Department. Dumanis said that the credit-card fraud ring was "one of the most organized counterfeiting operations" ever in San Diego County.

 

 

 

Continue reading 30+ People Face Drug and Fraud Charges in San Diego Crime Ring

Tags: Bonnie Dumanis, San Diego County, counterfeit, credit-card fraud, drug possession

San Diego Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charges

On behalf of Law Offices of Bill O'Connell on Wed., 03/10/10 posted in Fraud Charges

A member of San Diego's Lincoln Park gang pleaded guilty Friday to being part of an extensive mortgage fraud scam involving bank fraud and money laundering, among other crimes. Federal authorities have said that Darnell Bell, or D-Bell, was the leader of the racketeering conspiracy, an operation that included an appraiser, a notary, an escrow officer, a tax preparer, and a real estate broker. The scam used fraudulent loan applications and escrow documents as well as straw buyers to "purchase" over 100 properties in San Diego County.

The scam worked by first identifying properties that had been sitting idly on the market for months. Straw buyers were recruited to purchase the property with 100 percent borrowed money. The gang paid more than the asking price for the property and deposited the overage amount in an account set up by Bell in the name of a fake construction company. In the end, the "buyers" would default on their mortgage and the property would end up in foreclosure, leaving the bank with the losses. The scam reportedly resulted in losses of $20 million to $50 million. Bell's bank account reportedly held $9 million in profits from the scam.

 

Continue reading San Diego Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charges

Tags: D-Bell, Darnell Bell, Lincoln Park gang, San Diego County, mortgage fraud

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