Recent Posts in White Collar Crimes Category

On August 26^th, politicians in Michigan produced claims of election fraud. Observers say that due to the allegations, grand jury investigations will have to take place along with the resignation of a Democratic Party chairman.

While a court battle continues over whether or not candidates should be on the November general election ballot, Oakland County officials say that the political director of the colony's Democratic Party may have committed crimes in connection with notarizing petitions. The report was released via The Detroit News on Thursday.  Following the allegations, Oakland County Democratic Party chairman Mike McGuinness re-signed.

Republican and County Executive, L. Brooks Patterson, said he would ask for a grand jury to investigate Democratic Party worker Jason Bauer and others that are connected with the candidate filings.  Bauer, who is an Oakland County Democratic Party staff member, was listed as the notary on the affidavits of some candidate. He resigned his position on Sunday.

Have you been charged with a white collar crime such as fraud in Michigan? If so, know that Freedman & Freedman can help you.  Contact us today to speak with a Michigan criminal defense attorney.

In Northern Michigan, several people have come forward with reports that their credit card information was stolen from people overseas.  One of the individuals is Ashlee Ritchie.  She said that someone used her stolen credit card information in Spain.  After learning of the credit card fraud, she called her bank and they took care of it right away.

However, Ritchie is not alone as several people have had their credit card information stolen from cards that are held at differing banks.  The charges on their cards have reportedly ranged from $200 to $5,000. 

Ritchie told news sources that she continues to check her bank account balances every day.  "You just don't expect it to happen to you, and then you just find out that they're getting into your account."  She also said, "It's just scary, and there's people out there who don't check their balances or their accounts, and people just need to be aware of the situation."

When interviewed, Chemical Bank in Michigan said that debit and credit card fraud are on the rise.  While the bank has teams to monitor transactions and to help protect customers from identity theft, it continues to receive reports of fraud and urges customers to watch their accounts.

If you have been charged with theft or a white collar crime such as fraud, now is the time to hire a Michigan criminal defense lawyer.  Contact Freedman & Freedman now!

Following a conviction for his role in a Ponzi scheme, a Bloomfield Hills man has been sentenced to over five years in federal prison. He was also ordered to pay $2.2 million in restitution to his victims.

Raymond Frank Joseph was accused of soliciting loans from several people on the promise that he was planning to use the money to invest in business ventures. In reality, he used the money to repay people who had previously loaned him money, as well as to pay for personal things like credit card bills, household and vehicle expenses, etc. According to authorities, Joseph received more than $2 million that he never repaid to his lenders.

Authorities were eventually tipped off to Joseph’s scheme, and started investigating. It turns out Joseph had been borrowing money from 2002 to 2007.

In January, a federal grand jury found Joseph guilty of wire fraud, interstate transportation of stolen money or property, and conducting monetary transactions in criminally derived property. As part of his sentence, Joseph will also have to serve three years of supervised probation once he’s released from prison.

Police have arrested a woman authorities say filed more than $3.3 million in fraudulent Medicaid claims from 2007 to 2009. She has since been charged with fraud and racketeering.

Deborah D’Anna, 56, was the owner and office manager of Palmer Park Medical Center, which had clinic locations in Detroit and Romulus until 2005. According to authorities, D’Anna would use the billing identification numbers of former doctors at the medical center to file her fraudulent claims.

D’Anna was arrested at her Ocala, Florida home, and is currently in police custody pending extradition. She faces 25 counts of Medicaid fraud and one count racketeering.

A woman who worked in the Waterford Township treasurer’s office has been sentenced to two years probation for  embezzling money from the office.

Melanie Marie Davidson, 27, had only been working as an account clerk for the treasurer’s office for three months when officials noticed a discrepancy with a deposit from another department.

The treasury department began investigating the discrepancy immediately, and both an internal and outside audit turned up numerous incidences of embezzlement. The investigation found that Davidson had been taking money from deposits that were made by other Waterford Township departments. Waterford Treasurer Margaret Birch said it is believed Davidson began embezzling the money about 20 days after she began working in the office.

Davidson was quickly fired from her job and charged with embezzlement. She pleaded no contest to the charges. In addition to two years probation, Davidson was also ordered to pay $12,473 in restitution.

Before being transferred to the treasurer’s office Davidson worked for the Waterford building and engineering department, but according to director Doug Bradley, Davidson did not take any funds from his department.

If you have been accused of embezzlement or any other white collar crime, it’s important to take the proper steps to ensure your rights are protected and aggressively defended. The Law Offices of Freedman & Freedman is backed by years of  criminal defense experience, and has helped countless clients throughout Oakland County fight their charges. To schedule a consultation with a skilled Michigan criminal defense attorney, please  contact Freedman & Freedman today at (877) 858-5297.