Fallston settlement processor pleads guilty to making false statements

BALTIMORE, MD—A Maryland settlement processor has pleaded guilty to making false statements to financial institutions in connection with real-estate settlements, authorities say. Rebecca Marie Cohn, 38, of Fallston, worked as a settlement and title processor for Residential Title & Escrow Company in Owings Mills from 2013 to 2019. In her role, Cohn created, reviewed, and submitted HUD-1 Settlement Statements to […]

Man pleads guilty to plotting to kill Supreme Court Justice in Maryland

GREENBELT, MD—A California man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to plotting to assassinate a U.S. Supreme Court justice in Maryland, in what federal authorities called “a heinous attack on the court itself.” Nicholas John Roske, 29, of Simi Valley, Calif., admitted as part of his guilty plea that he flew to Dulles International Airport last June with a gun and ammunition […]

Baltimore County business owner sentenced to prison for bribing broadband CEO

BALTIMORE, MD—A Harford County man who ran a Baltimore County-based business has been sentenced to 20 months in federal prison for bribing the former CEO of a Maryland broadband cooperative, according to federal prosecutors. Wayne I. Kacher, Jr., 52, was found guilty by a federal jury on May 21, 2024 of conspiracy, honest services wire fraud, and federal program bribery. […]

Maryland man pleads guilty in $1 million unemployment fraud scheme

BALTIMORE, MD—A Maryland man has pleaded guilty to his role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $1 million in unemployment benefits, authorities say. Mervyn Fombe Abiko, 35, of Prince George’s County, was involved in a conspiracy to impersonate victims and submit fraudulent unemployment insurance claims from February 2020 through February 2021, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Abiko […]

Baltimore County man indicted for passport fraud

BALTIMORE, MD—A federal grand jury charged a Baltimore County man with passport fraud, aggravated identity theft, false statements and false representation of a social security number, authorities say. Beautiful Life Allah, 65, also known as Tezelle Miller, of Gwynn Oak, is accused of using someone else’s social security number to apply for a passport, submitting a fake custody order to […]

Baltimore County fentanyl, cocaine trafficker sentenced to 11 years in prison

BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore County woman has been sentenced to over 11 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing fentanyl and cocaine with the intent to distribute, officials say. Querida Moran, 53, of Owings Mills, was sentenced to 135 months’ imprisonment in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons for Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl on Friday, March […]

Florida man pleads guilty to defrauding Maryland, California of more than $2.3 million in COVID-19 unemployment benefits

BALTIMORE, MD—A Florida man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in a scheme to defraud Maryland and California of more than $2.3 million in unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. David Godin, 34, of Miami, used stolen identities, virtual private networks and proxy servers to file 140 fraudulent claims in multiple states, according to the […]