Articles Tagged with Michigan
Fraud Charges Follow Leaders of SubPrime Auto Lender
Federal fraud charges were filed against the CEO, the COO, and accountant of a major finance company, Honor Finance, which specialized in auto loans for subprime borrowers. This announcement, brought by the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and the FBI’s Special Agent in Charge for the Chicago office, consists of charges including the allegation of fraudulently misappropriated funds in the amount of at least $5.3 million. The charges consist of ten counts of mail fraud, which are federal charges as the mail system, a federal system, is used to commit the crime or crimes in question. Each of these counts can bring a maximum of 20 years in prison. It is not known if any of the defendants have engaged an attorney at this time.
Michigan Urogynecologist and Nurse Practitioner Face Health Care Fraud Charges
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan announced separate charges against a Kalamazoo urogynecologist and a nurse practitioner accused of committing health care fraud and reusing single-use medical equipment.
Roger Beyer, M.D., was charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. His wife, Susan Wright, N.P., was charged with misprision of health care fraud and the adulteration of a medical device. It is unclear if they have acquired legal representation.
Michigan County Prosecutor Eric Smith Charged for Embezzling Asset Forfeiture Funds
The Michigan Attorney General’s Office announced charges last week against Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith and three other county officials accused of felony crimes that include misconduct in office, embezzlement, and misusing funds obtained through civil asset forfeiture.
Smith is charged with embezzlement by a public official, tampering with evidence in a civil proceeding, official misconduct in office, accessory after the fact to embezzlement by a public official, conspiracy to commit forgery, and conducting a criminal enterprise. Attorney information wasn’t available.
Class-Action Lawsuit Challenges Detroit’s Civil Asset Forfeiture Policies
The Institute of Justice has filed a federal class-action lawsuit against Wayne County, Michigan, alleging that county police seize vehicles from residents in Detroit simply because they have driven in or out of high-crime areas.
The lead plaintiff in the case is Melisa Ingram of Detroit. Police seized her vehicle twice after accusing her of committing crimes without ever formally charging her. Ingram had to pay thousands of dollars to get her vehicle back to prevent the county prosecutor from keeping it under civil asset forfeiture laws.