FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending May 27, 2011

Washington, D.C. May 27, 2011
FBI National Press Office(202) 324-3691

1.Philadelphia: Thirteen La Cosa Nostra Members, Associates Indicted in Pennsylvania

An indictment was unsealed against 13 members and associates of the Philadelphia organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra. The indictment charges various crimes involving racketeering conspiracy, extortion, loansharking, illegal gambling, and witness tampering. Full Story


2.New Haven: Connecticut Drug Trafficker Convicted of Murdering Three People

Azibo Aquart, the founder and leader of a drug trafficking group that primarily sold crack cocaine, was convicted in connection with his role in the murders of three individuals who were brutally beaten to death with baseball bats. Full Story


3.Headquarters: FBI Releases Preliminary Annual Crime Statistics for 2010

According to the FBI’s Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report, the nation experienced a 5.5 percent decrease in the number of violent crimes and a 2.8 percent decline in the number of property crimes in 2010 when compared with data from 2009. Full Story


4.Jacksonville: Former Mayo Clinic Employee Indicted in Florida for Tampering with Syringes, Resulting in Patient Death

Former radiology technician Steven Beumel was indicted for allegedly taking syringes of Fentanyl and replacing them with used syringes contaminated with his own Hepatitis C virus. Five different patients contracted Hepatitis C from Beumel, and one of them died. Full Story


5.Norfolk: Two More Somalis Plead Guilty to Charges Relating to Piracy of Quest

Jilani Abdiali and Burhan Abdirahman Yusuf pled guilty to acts of piracy against the S/V Quest, which resulted in the murder of United States citizens Scott Underwood Adam, Jean Savage Adam, Phyllis Patricia Macay, and Robert Campbell Riggle. Full Story


6.Minneapolis: Minnesota Man Convicted for Role in $43 Million Mortgage Fraud
Scheme

Troy David Chaika was found guilty on seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud for conspiring with others to bilk mortgage lenders out of more than $43 million. Full Story


7.Boston: Massachusetts Man Sentenced for Role in Large-Scale Mortgage Fraud Ring

Ralph Appolon, the 12th and final defendant in a large-scale mortgage fraud ring, was sentenced for his role in fraudulent property transactions that were part of a larger mortgage fraud conspiracy involving 21 property deals and more than $10.6 million in loan proceeds. Full Story


8.Washington Field: Former Title and Escrow Agent Pleads Guilty in D.C. to $1.8 Million Mortgage Fraud

Ronald Johannes Sneijder, a former owner of a title and escrow company, pled guilty to bank fraud in connection with a mortgage fraud case involving more than $1.8 million in loans. Full Story


9.Dallas: Mansfield Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Commodities Fraud

Ray M. White was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after he pled guilty to commodities fraud, and ordered to pay $9.4 million in restitution to the victims of his crime and surrender to the Bureau of Prisons by July 28, 2011. Full Story


10.Los Angeles: California Bank Employee Arrested for Stealing from Elderly Customers

Brenda Bautista Hurtado, of Arroyo Grande, California, was arrested for allegedly stealing nearly $100,000 from two elderly customers’ accounts, as well as another $10,000 in cash from the bank’s vault while she was employed at a U.S. Bank branch in Arroyo Grande. Full Story

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http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press- ... ay-27-2011