U.S. Department
of Justice
U.S. Attorney Announces Enhanced White-Collar Enforcement Through Increased Staffing and Investigative Coordination
“Our nation is facing ever-increasing frauds and scams, fleecing innocent people of their well-earned savings and taxpayers of their investment in our Nation,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “We have strengthened our relationships with over 20 agencies investigating white-collar crime in the region. We’ve launched multi-agency working groups on critical issues such as Investment Fraud, Public Health, COVID Fraud, Health Care Fraud, Public Corruption, Elder Fraud, Environmental Crimes, and Money Laundering. These efforts have spurred a surge in the number of investigations opened, and defendants prosecuted in this office.”
Just in 2023, significant white-collar cases brought or prosecuted by the Eastern District of North Carolina included, but were not limited to, the following:
Raleigh ENT Doctor Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Adulterating Surgical Devices, for Defrauding Medicare, and for Stealing Patient Identities. Following a lengthy trial, Anita Louise Jackson of Raleigh was sentenced to 300 months in prison for adulterating surgical devices used in more than 1,400 sinus surgeries performed on Medicare patients between 2011 and 2018. Jackson was also ordered to forfeit 4.7 million dollars. (Case No. 5:21-CR-00259-D).
Whiteville Business Owner Sentenced to Federal Prison for Ponzi Scheme. Joseph Floyd, age 76, of Whiteville, NC, was sentenced to 42 months in prison for conspiring to sell and deliver unregistered securities in connection with a multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme operated for nearly a decade under the guise of a purported investment program. Floyd was also ordered to pay over 10 million dollars in restitution to the victims of the offense. (Case No. 7:23-CR-1-B).
Raleigh man sentenced to 17 years for healthcare fraud. Furman Ford, 54, of Wake County, convicted at a federal trial, was sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment. Ford conspired to defraud the Medicare Program by submitting false claims for never provided services. (Case No. 5:20-CR-448-D-1)
NCDOC Officer pleads guilty to Covid-19 Fraud Scheme. Sean Dillard, 55, of Hertford County, pled guilty and sentenced to a year in prison for the theft of government property for fraudulently submitting North Carolina Housing Opportunities and Prevention of Evictions (NC HOPE) loan applications for emergency rental assistance. (Case No. 2:23-CR-11-FL)
Raleigh Man Sentenced to Prison for Identity Theft Conspiracy Involving Fraudulent Financing of Vehicles in Excess of $1 Million. Basilio Rafael Garcia, of Raleigh, NC, was sentenced to 54 months in prison for conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. As part of the scheme, the personal identifying information of a Puerto Rico resident was stolen, transferred, and used to fraudulently finance and purchase more than 1 million dollars’ worth of vehicles and watercraft from dealerships in the Eastern and Middle Districts of North Carolina. (Case No. 5:22-CR-48-D).
Former Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Prison for Executing a Multimillion Dollar Ponzi Scheme. Shaun Good of Wilmington was sentenced to 87 months in prison for carrying out a 7-million-dollar investment fraud scheme while employed as an investment advisor for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC in Wilmington. From 2012 to February 2022, Good solicited investments from business clients and others for purported real estate projects and tax-free municipal bonds, touting these opportunities as low-risk investments that would pay returns of between 6% and 10% over three- or six-month terms. (Case No. 7:22-CR-00096-D).
NC Man Sentenced to 7 Years Imprisonment for Leasing Fraud Scheme. Dan Raymond, the owner of several computer equipment and small business financial consulting companies, was sentenced to 84 months imprisonment for orchestrating more than 20 million dollars in fraudulent lease deals. As part of his plea, Raymond agreed to forfeit 4.7 million dollars in fraud proceeds, along with nearly $170,000 in proceeds from the sale of a residence, $11,650 in cash, and various jewelry, two Rolex watches, gold and silver bars, collectible coins, and apparel from Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Prada. (Case No. 5:23-CR-96-BO).
Sixteen Plead Guilty in COVID Fraud Scheme. A Texas couple, Edward Whitaker and Schunda Coleman pleaded guilty in January 2023 to conspiracy to commit money laundering for helping dozens of North Carolina residents fraudulently obtain more than 15 million dollars in Paycheck Protection Act (PPP) COVID-19 loans. To date, 14 other defendants have pled guilty for the scheme. (Case No. 5:22-cr-00257-D).
Pharmacy Owner and Technician Both Sentenced to Prison for Health Care Fraud. James Craig Belland Melisha Oxendine West were each sentenced to 24 months imprisonment for their roles in a 4-million-dollar health care fraud scheme run through a pharmacy in Robeson County owned by Bell that had operated under the name Townsend’s Pharmacy. The pharmacy billed Medicare, Medicaid, and various private health plans for prescription drugs that were never actually dispensed by the pharmacy. (Case Nos. 7:22-cr-00107-FL and 7:21-cr-00129-FL).
Raleigh Man Sentenced to Two Years Prison for Mail Theft Scheme. Anthony Messiah Brooks, 21, of Wake County, was sentenced to 2 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of Possession of Stolen Mail and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Theft of Mail. Brooks was found with 500 pieces of checks, U.S. currency, money orders, gift certificates, and personal identifying information for unknown individuals, all of which came from various blue collection boxes through the Raleigh area. (Case No. 7:22-CR-00068-D)
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for the case number.