Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Highway billboards will show the pieces and invite tipsters.
FBI officials announced Monday they know who committed one of the biggest art heists in history, but they still need the public's help to locate $500 million worth of missing artwork, some of which they believe is in the Philadelphia area. The heist, which happened at Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990, led to the theft of 13 works of art by by Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer, Govaert Flinck, Edgar Degas and Edouard Manet. Two thieves dressed as Boston Police officers infiltrated the museum, tied up the guards, and stole the artwork, according to the FBI. And for many years, that's where the case went cold. But thanks to a tip that came in in 2010, 20 years after the theft, FBI officials now believe the stolen artwork may be in …
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Dennis and Bernadette Nicholas, of Newtown Square, were among three people sentenced for engaging in schemes to defraud Wilmington Trust Federal Savings Bank and Malvern Federal Savings Bank.
PHILADELPHIA–Dennis Nicholas, 62, Bernadette Nicholas, 64, both of Newtown Square, PA, and Kevin McAllister, 59, of Drexel Hill, PA, were sentenced on Feb. 13 for engaging in schemes to defraud Wilmington Trust Federal Savings Bank and Malvern Federal Savings Bank that involved properties valued at more than $35.5 million. Dennis Nicholas was sentenced to 72 months in prison; Bernadette Nicholas was sentenced to 42 months in prison; McAllister was sentenced to 20 months in prison. In addition to the prison terms, U.S. District Court Judge Legrome D. Davis ordered Bernadette Nicholas and Kevin McAllister to jointly pay restitution to Wilmington Trust in the amount of $2.5 million; ordered Bernadette Nicholas to pay restitution to Malvern …
Saturday, October 27, 2012
The following information was provided by the Newtown Township Police Department.
The following information was sent by the Newtown Township Police Department. According to Lt. Chris Lunn, the information was provided by the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): SMARTPHONE USERS SHOULD BE AWARE OF MALWARE TARGETING MOBILE DEVICES AND SAFETY MEASURES TO HELP AVOID COMPROMISE The IC3 has been made aware of various malware attacking Android operating systems for mobile devices. Some of the latest known versions of this type of malware are Loozfon and FinFisher. Loozfon is an information-stealing piece of malware. Criminals use different variants to lure the victims. One version is a work-at-home opportunity that promises a profitable payday just for sending out email. A link within these advertisements leads to a …
Thursday, September 22, 2011
The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently released its annual Uniform Crime Reports. Check the list below to see how crime has changed in Marple and Newtown townships from 2004 through 2009.
The FBI released its 2010 Uniform Crime Report earlier this week. Both Marple and Newtown townships' crime statistics are listed below in charts by its incident categories in comparison with the state's crime statistics. The categories below include violent crime, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, property crime, forcible rape, larceny theft and and motor vehicle theft. The data reflect communities that reported crime statistics for all 12 months of each year. The FBI notes that variations in population coverage and reporting practices may cause differences in reporting from year to year. The FBI cautions against using this data to rank police departments and community crime rates. When the FBI determines an agency’s data collection …
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
John C. Lucidi, Jr. was involved in a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme while working as a mortgage broker in Newtown Square.
PHILADELPHIA—The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of Philadelphia announced on Monday that John C. Lucidi, Jr., 31, of Las Vegas, NV, was charged by Information with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in relation to a multi-million-dollar mortgage fraud scheme, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. Between May 2005 and October 2008, while employed as a mortgage broker by companies in Newtown Square and West Chester, Lucidi conspired to knowingly devise a scheme to defraud Bank of America, CitiMortgage, Countrywide Bank, First Magnus Financial, JP Morgan Chase, PNC Bank, Wells Fargo, and other mortgage lenders, and to knowingly obtain money and property from Bank of America, CitiMortgage, …
Monday, June 6, 2011
Mohammad Reza Vaghari was sentenced on June 3 for illegally participating in business transactions with Iran.
On Friday, the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) of Philadelphia announced the sentence of Mohammad Reza Vaghari, 43, of Broomall, for illegally participating in business transactions with Iran. Vaghari was sentenced to 33 months in prison for crimes relating to his participation in illegal business transactions with Iran between 2002 and 2005, announced the FBI. According to the press release, the FBI stated that Vaghari was convicted in February 2011 of one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), two substantive counts of violating IEEPA, and one count of naturalization fraud stemming from his attempt to procure U.S. citizenship. Vaghari owned Pennsylvania-based business Sammenn Company to…
Friday, February 25, 2011
Mohammad Reza Vaghari of Broomall was convicted Feb. 25 for illegal business transactions done with Iran.
On Friday, the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) of Philadelphia announced the conviction of Mohammad Reza Vaghari, 43, of Broomall for participating in illegal business transactions with Iran from 2005 to 2008. According to the FBI, Vaghari was convicted of four crimes: one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), two substantive counts of violating IEEPA, and one count of naturalization fraud stemming from his attempt to procure U.S. citizenship. Vaghari owned Pennsylvania-based business Sammenn Company to purchase items from other American-owned companies and then exported the items to the United Arab Emirates, where his co-conspirators worked who would then deliver the items to customers …
Friday, February 11, 2011
Clarence Powell was convicted before federal jury in Philadelphia and faces a mandatory sentence of 50 years in prison for two armed home robberies in 2008.
PHILADELPHIA–The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of Philadelphia announced Feb. 9 the conviction of Clarence Powell, 23, of Philadelphia, in the connection of two home robberies–one in Broomall and another in Upper Darby–involving two Asian business owners and their families in December 2008. U.S. District Court Judge J. Curtis Joyner convicted Powell on five counts, said the FBI in a press release Wednesday. Powell was convicted for the conspiracy to commit robbery, two counts of Hobbs Act Robbery and two counts of using and carrying a firearm during the acted crime. According to the FBI, Powell and his two partners in crime, Michael Lassiter and Troy Hill, followed a Philadelphia shop owner to her home in Broomall after closing the…
Tom
12:20 pm on Thursday, March 21, 2013
So basically if I had one of the pieces, I could sell it back for $5M ?! Statute of limitations is up for the crime, I think I would take the money and give back the painting :) more ›