fraud
Beware of hurricane-related scams
Oct. 15. As ne’er-do-wells ramp up their online fraud efforts in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene, October happens to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month in North Carolina. “Storms like Helene offer prime opportunities for cybercriminals looking to take advantage of others during a crisis situation when they may have their guard down,” said Gov. Roy […]
Will Cornelius resident face the music in AI-assisted fraud case?
Sept. 5. By Dave Yochum. A Cornelius-based music producer was arrested Wednesday and charged with multiple felonies for allegedly scamming more than $10 million in royalties using hundreds of thousands of AI-generated songs. The FBI says Michael Smith, 52, used artificial intelligence and automated programs called “bots” to stream the AI-generated songs literally billions of […]
Two Cornelius fraudsters plead guilty, face up to 20 years
June 1. [Updated] By Dave Yochum. Two Cornelius residents, Marlin Hershey, 53, and Dana Bradley, 53, face up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud conspiracy for orchestrating a large-scale investment scheme. The Feds said they ran a classic Ponzi scheme. According to filed court documents and the plea hearings, from […]
Husband, wife indicted for stealing from booster club
May 19. The president of a Charlotte high school booster club and his wife have been indicted for stealing more than $200,000 from the organization they purportedly supported. The husband, Anthony Sharper, 39, is also charged with fraudulently obtaining over $236,000 in COVID-19 relief funds to cover up the theft from the South Meck High […]
Ponzi schemer pleads guilty
March 6. Anyone can say anything. What he or she does is another thing. Here’s what Andrew “Diamond Drew” Lovett said in 2012: “I am proud that Safari Minerals has been able to achieve all it has thus far while following a strict code of ethical business practices and sound financial discipline.” Here’s what he […]
