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• 2 accused of helping people get Colo. licenses

  April 11, 2013 7:00 AM

  DENVER (AP) - Two people from an Aurora driving school face federal charges alleging they helped people fraudulently get driver's licenses, for a fee. Little Lake Driving Academy owner Stuart Bryan King is free on a $100,000 property bond. The academy's clerk Griselda Trevino De Valenzuela was being held Wednesday... more »

• Fraudulent website misleads Pueblo parents

  March 3, 2013 5:29 PM

  There's a money stealing website out there that all Pueblo parents need to know about. It's through Find Sports Now, and it claims to enroll your child in city sports if you pay a fee. The City of Pueblo Parks and Recreation Department says this is a fraudulent site. If... more »

• Govt: $4.2B recovered in probing health care fraud

  February 11, 2013 11:31 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The government says it recovered almost $8 for each dollar it spent investigating health care fraud over the past three years, including a record $4.2 billion last year. The $7.90 average return on investment is the highest in the 16-year history of the Health Care Fraud and... more »

• Girl in viral voter registration video worked for shady firm

  September 30, 2012 1:46 AM

  We've learned the girl filmed in a viral YouTube video while registering voters at a local grocery store was employed by a company just dumped by the Republican National Committee over allegations of voter fraud. The video got a half-million views in just a few days, becoming an overnight... more »

• Cars sold for scrap metal came from Springs Transmission & Automotive Play Video

  September 15, 2012 1:49 AM

  Imagine taking your car to an auto body shop for repairs then finding out it's actually at a scrap metal yard, crushed to a block of warped metal. That's what Colorado Springs Police say happened to at least one customer of Springs Transmission & Automotive, the business already under investigation... more »

• Auto shop fraud investigation: tips on avoiding scams Play Video

  September 7, 2012 2:05 AM

  The investigation continues as Colorado Springs Police wade through more than a hundred fraud complaints against Springs Transmission & Automotive. Customers have reported paying for work that was never done, cars that were vandalized or stolen under the company's care, and vehicles never returned to owners. The Better... more »

• Alleged fraud victims speak out in auto body investigation Play Video

  September 6, 2012 1:32 AM

  Colorado Springs Police spent Wednesday in and out of two auto repair shops east of downtown investigating possible fraud. CSPD's Financial Crimes Unit sent a tactical enforcement team and a crime lab truck to Springs Transmission & Automotive and Springs Converter, located at 3310 Chelton Loop. They issued three... more »

• Three men arrested for major credit card fraud

  November 24, 2011 7:05 AM

  DENVER (AP) - Denver police have arrested three men accused of charging thousands of dollars' worth of fraudulent transactions on credit cards at several downtown merchants. Police say the three had traveled to Colorado by bus from Florida and may have made fraudulent purchases all along their route. ... more »

• Several cases of credit card fraud reported in Teller County

  September 28, 2011 3:01 PM

  The Teller County Sheriff's Office says they've received several reports of credit card fraud from residents over the last week or so. Among the victims, four employees at the Sheriff's Office, including Sheriff Mike Ensminger who says, "They don't discriminate," when referring to those taking the account numbers. ... more »

• Campaign fraud?

  September 23, 2011 8:14 PM

  SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - Sen. Dianne Feinstein has filed a civil lawsuit against a bank that handled accounts for a Democratic campaign treasurer charged with fraud for allegedly looting dozens of political war chests. The lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court names First California bank, the treasurer... more »

• Recycler's CEO, ex-VP indicted on fraud charges

  September 16, 2011 7:36 PM

  DENVER (AP) - A federal grand jury in Denver has indicted an electronic-waste recycler accused of shipping thousands of computer and television monitors for disposal overseas, despite telling customers the monitors would be recycled in the U.S. Executive Recycling Inc. is based in Englewood, Colo., but has affiliated locations in... more »

• $60 billion lost to fraud and waste in Iraq and Afghanistan

  August 31, 2011 8:22 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - An independent panel that concluded as much as $60 billion in U.S. funds has been lost to waste and fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade will release results today of its three-year investigation into wartime spending. In its final report to Congress, the... more »

• Man indicted in alleged health scam

  April 5, 2011 7:15 PM

  DENVER (AP) - The owner of a Colorado-based rural health brokerage has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of mail fraud, embezzlement and 18 counts of money laundering. The U.S. attorney's office in Denver says 59-year-old Gerald Rising Jr. is accused of mixing trust funds from... more »

• Investigators converge on rural home

  March 10, 2011 1:23 PM

  Investigators have converged on a home west of Monument that may offer clues as to the whereabouts of two boys missing for years. Linda and Edward Bryant are charged with fraud for collecting welfare checks for two adopted boys who haven't been seen in years. The Bryant family lived... more »

• Guilty to one count, 71 others dropped

  February 11, 2011 3:56 PM

  Pueblo Restaurant owner Tony Ianne has agreed to plead guilty to one count, and in exchange the District Attorney will drop 71 others. Ianne, who owns Rosario's and Tony's Chop House, was charged in a complex mortgage fraud case related to sale of 18 houses back in 2007. ... more »

• Man pleads guilty to faking way into Harvard

  December 16, 2010 7:19 PM

  WOBURN, Mass. (AP) - A Delaware man has admitted faking his way into Harvard University and has been ordered to repay more than $45,000 in financial aid he received. Adam Wheeler pleaded guilty Thursday to identity fraud, larceny and 18 other charges stemming from allegations he fabricated a perfect... more »

• Protect yourself when shopping online

  December 6, 2010 7:42 PM

  Some new numbers show an increase of online shopping as much as 36% from last year during the Christmas season. But not all of us may have such a happy holiday. "A lot of people bought online, more than predicted." explains Katie Carrol with the Better Business Bureau of Southern... more »

• Colorado to be monitored for voter fraud

  October 29, 2010 8:39 AM

  DENVER (AP) - Federal officials in Colorado and across the country will be monitoring elections next Tuesday for complaints of voter fraud or voting rights abuses. U.S. Attorney John Walsh says Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas O'Rourke will be in charge of handling complaints in Colorado while the polls are... more »

• Law punishing fake heroes may go to Supreme Court

  October 11, 2010 8:39 AM

  The Justice Department is battling to save a federal law that makes it illegal to lie about being a war hero. A federal appeals court in California and a federal district court in Denver have both ruled the Stolen Valor Act is unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds. Government... more »

• CBI receives $1.7 million grant to fight mortgage crime

  October 5, 2010 3:10 PM

  Colorado ranked tenth among the 50 states in mortgage fraud in 2008, and first in 2006, according to the Mortgage Asset Research Institute. Colorado was first among the states in mortgage fraud in 2006. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation plans to crack-down on mortgage fraud by adding six new... more »

• Missing painting spawns lawsuit

  September 9, 2010 3:19 PM

  NEW YORK (AP) - Federal authorities say a man fooled a New York art collector into thinking they were partners in the $1.1 million purchase of a missing painting when he was actually ripping her off. Thomas Doyle was charged Thursday with conspiracy and wire fraud in the dealings... more »

• Springs patients alarmed by hospital record breach

  August 7, 2010 6:36 PM

  Up to 40 hospital patients in Colorado Springs are in a troubling situation. A former employee at Memorial Hospital accessed their medical records apparently for personal use. News First 5 talked with two patients who say they're angry because they say memorial hospital waited several months before telling them about... more »

• Ex-Fort Carson employee accused of false report

  July 20, 2010 11:07 AM

  A former chief of construction at Fort Carson is accused of failing to report about $3,400 in gifts. William T. Armstrong of Pueblo faces a federal charge of filing a false financial disclosure report. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to five years in prison and fined... more »

• Feds pull off huge Medicare fraud bust

  July 16, 2010 9:58 AM

  Federal authorities are conducting the largest Medicare fraud bust ever, with raids in five states leading to the arrests of dozens of suspects. Several doctors and nurses were among those authorities hoped to arrest Friday in Miami, New York City, Detroit, Houston and Baton Rouge, La. Authorities said 36... more »

• Fake collection agency calls may come from overseas

  June 22, 2010 1:22 PM

  Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said Tuesday his office has received reports of fraudulent and threatening debt-collection calls. The calls often involve a supposed payday loan debt consumers have allegedly incurred. The callers, who resort to threatening tactics, use a variety of business names and have even invoked the Office... more »

• One dozen arrested in accident fraud investigation

  June 4, 2010 6:31 PM

  A dozen people face theft and attempted theft charges for allegedly staging accidents, filing multiple insurance claims for the same accident and using their own repair shops to cause more damage. The Colorado Attorney General's Office says that four people have been arrested, including the co-owners of a repair... more »

• State Grand Jury indicts three

  June 2, 2010 4:15 PM

  A Statewide Grand Jury has indicted three men suspected of running a $5.7 million investment-fraud scheme. Phillip R. Trujillo, David M. Piatt and Timothy B. Burk are suspected of defrauding 70 investors with promises that their investments would be free from risk and would generate generous returns. The trio also... more »

• Colorado man sent to prison for Ponzi scheme

  May 26, 2010 8:12 AM

  A Denver-area businessman has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for running a $32 million Ponzi scheme. Fifty-five-year-old Mark J. Jackson was also sentenced Tuesday to five years of mandatory parole. Jackson pleaded guilty earlier this year to a felony charge of racketeering. Prosecutors say he took money... more »

• Man charged with faking his way into Harvard

  May 18, 2010 1:42 PM

  A Delaware man has been charged with faking his way into Harvard and duping the Ivy League school out of $45,000 in financial aid, grants and scholarships. Prosecutors say 23-year-old Adam Wheeler got admitted to Harvard by falsely claiming he had earned a perfect academic record at Phillips Academy... more »

• CU bilked by insurance fraud

  May 13, 2010 10:50 AM

  The University of Colorado says it is losing millions of dollars because of fraudulent health insurance claims by employees, and it projects saving more than $2 million a year by cutting ineligible patients. An audit showed that some 6 percent of dependents covered by CU health and dental coverage... more »

• $2.5 billion recovered for Medicare trust fund

  May 13, 2010 8:17 AM

  The government says it recovered $2.5 billion in over-payments for the Medicare trust fund last year as the Obama administration focused attention on fraud enforcement efforts in the health care industry. In a report, the Justice Department and the Health and Human Services Department say their cooperative efforts are... more »

• Pueblo Police try to track down two identity theft suspects

  May 3, 2010 7:24 PM

  Pueblo police are looking for a man and woman caught on surveillance video cashing stolen checks. The suspects are described as a female with long brown hair, 5' 4" to 5' 7" and weighing between 130 and 160 pounds. The man is between 5' 5" and 5' 8" and... more »

• Goldman executives to face sharp questioning

  April 27, 2010 11:31 AM

  Top executives of Goldman Sachs today sit before a Senate subcommittee that wants to know what the firm was doing during the housing meltdown. Goldman Sachs already stands accused of fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC says the company misled its investors by pushing complex mortgage securities... more »

• Mortgage fraud incidents rise last year

  April 26, 2010 11:40 AM

  Incidents of residential mortgage fraud increased last year, a sign that scammers are still targeting the industry despite efforts to find and report such activity. A study released Monday by the LexisNexis Mortgage Asset Research Institute showed the number of mortgage fraud reports among loans made in 2009 grew 7... more »

• Boulder company accused of Ponzi scheme

  April 22, 2010 11:16 AM

  The owners of a Boulder investment firm are accused of running a ponzi scheme that promised investors annual returns of between 20 percent and 500 percent. Bela A. Geczy of Longmont and Michael Kass are accused of muliple counts of securities fraud and organized crime in a scheme that... more »

• Phoenix police arrest man in Pueblo phone fraud case

  April 14, 2010 11:13 AM

  Phoenix police arrested a man accused of trying to defraud an elderly Colorado woman. Forty-four-year-old Sullivan Kizzee was booked on charges of forgery and fraudulent schemes. Detectives said an 86-year-old Pueblo, Colo., woman received a phone call April 1 from a man identifying himself as a Chase Bank employee. The... more »

• Police search for two in credit card fraud

  March 29, 2010 2:59 PM

  The Colorado Springs Police Department Financial Crimes Unit is asking for help in identifying two suspects in several credit card fraud cases. Banks in the Denver area have experienced a pattern of theft involving two women in their mid-20s. Now one of the suspects has been seen at three... more »

• Soldier arrested for fraud and theft, 97 victims identified

  March 26, 2010 12:44 PM

  A press conference is scheduled for this morning, talking about newly filed fraud and theft charges against U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Delroy Henry. Charges filed Thursday are in relation to securities fraud, theft and forgery. 97 victims have been identified, and officials from the District Attorney's office say they... more »

• Former Springs C.E.O. apologizes on his way to prison

  March 21, 2010 8:45 PM

  Seven years ago, Eric Majors was a C.E.O. of a publicly traded technology company out of Colorado Springs. Now Majors is on his way to prison. "If my serving in prison will help people feel better, I hope it does," Majors explains. "I hope it serves some constructive purpose... more »

• Man arrested for bank bailout fraud

  March 15, 2010 2:23 PM

  The former president of a small community bank has become the first person ever charged with trying to defraud the bailout program Charles Antonucci was arrested Monday on charges accusing him of stealing to live a lavish lifestyle that included a Super Bowl junket. The 59-year-old Fishkill resident was... more »

• Vail Resort reports more cases of ski pass fraud

  December 7, 2009 10:01 AM

  Ski pass fraud cases in Vail this year are on pace to far exceed last year. But police and the resorts aren't sure whether the bad economy or better pass scanners are responsible. So far this year, Vail Police have tallied 188 cases of skiers using a stolen pass or... more »

• Billion dollar fraud scheme in Florida

  December 1, 2009 11:38 AM

  A once high-flying South Florida attorney is now facing federal criminal charges that he operated an investment fraud scheme using faked legal settlements. Prosecutors are expected to file criminal racketeering charges Tuesday against lawyer Scott Rothstein, according to two law enforcement officials speaking on condition of anonymity because of the... more »

• Store clerk steals 67-year-old man's $1M lottery ticket

  October 22, 2009 11:26 AM

  A 25-year-old convenience store clerk pocketed a customer's $1 million winning lottery ticket, claimed the prize and skipped town, possibly back to his native Nepal, authorities said. Pankaj Joshi took 67-year-old Willis Willis' winning Mega Millions megaplier ticket after Willis asked Joshi in May to check whether any of... more »

• Credit card thefts continue in Colorado Springs

  October 14, 2009 11:40 PM

  A recent rash of credit and debit card thefts in Colorado Springs has police looking for answers. "Anyone who has a credit card, debit card or even a checking account could potentially be a victim." says Detective Josh Bliss with CSPD's Financial Crimes Unit. There's a few ways a... more »

• Supreme Court to hear appeal by Enron's Skilling

  October 13, 2009 11:06 AM

  The Supreme Court will consider throwing out the convictions of former Enron Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Skilling for his role in one of the largest scandals in U.S. business history. The court said Tuesday it will hear Skilling's appeal of lower court rulings that upheld all 19 of his... more »

• House pushes for sweeping audit of the Fed

  September 25, 2009 12:15 PM

  House lawmakers are trying to pry open the books of the famously secretive Federal Reserve with legislation that would subject the central bank to a sweeping congressional audit. The effort is overwhelmingly bipartisan. Hardline conservatives and liberal Democrats have banded together in their criticism of the Fed as a major... more »

• Cesar Chavez Network founders put on paid leave

  September 24, 2009 1:35 PM

  The founders of the Cesar Chavez Network have been put on paid administrative leave. Dr. Lawrence Hernandez and his wife Annette got the news Thursday morning at Cesar Chavez Academy. A dispute over the leadership and finances boiled-over to the point that police were called to the charter school. Cesar... more »

• Woman accused of stealing IDs, charity funds

  September 2, 2009 9:41 AM

  A former employee of the Archdiocese of Denver faces charges of stealing the identities of nuns and other employees of Catholic Charities and defrauding a foundation of $391,000. The Denver district attorney filed theft charges Monday accusing Ruth Gonzales of using the employees' identities and submitting fraudulent applications for aid... more »