A pawn shop's 31-year-old assistant manager cost her store more than $35,000 by making fraudulent transactions, Hillsborough County deputies say. ...more

May 1, 2009

A gang of South Florida thieves dubbed the "Felony Lane Group" is accused of breaking into cars to steal identification, credit cards and checkbooks that they then used to defraud local banks of more than $50,000. ...more

February 20, 2009

A Feb. 2 arraignment date has been set for a Sebring man accused of stealing almost $125,000 from an area pawn shop. John Anthony Hernandez, 29, of 1209 South Canal Blvd., Sebring, was arrested Sunday on warrants charging grand theft of $100,000 or more, five counts of third-degree vehicular grand theft and one count each of dealing in stolen property, obtaining property of $50,000 or more and uttering a false instrument. ...more

January 13, 2009

In a state that leads the nation in mortgage fraud, Tampa had the second-most cases of suspicious loan activity of any Florida city, according to a report released Tuesday from the Reston, Va.-based Mortgage Asset Research Institute. ...more

December 3, 2008

In a state that leads the nation in mortgage fraud, Tampa had the second most cases of suspicious loan activity of any Florida city, according to a report released this morning from the Reston, Va.-based Mortgage Asset Research Institute. ...more

December 2, 2008

MANATEE COUNTY - Sheriff's detectives say they had arrested two people in connection with several burglaries dating back to August 2007. ...more

July 8, 2008

SEBRING — A former employee of Goin' Postal, located at 3609 Sebring Parkway, was sentenced last Thursday to three years in prison for committing fraudulent returns at the shipping store. Brenda Sue Espinoza, 42, of 4136 El Rado Ave., obtained more than $4,000 from the store by pocketing money obtained from customer shipments and fraudulently entering return transactions for merchandise. According to Highlands County Sheriff's Office arrest reports, the business's owner reported 159 fraudulent returns occurring at his business from April 25, 2006 to Sept. 20, 2006. Of the 159 fraudulent returns, 119 involved instances where Espinoza pocketed customer shipment money rather than putting it into the business's point of sale system, fraudulently listing the packages as returned. ...more

February 9, 2008

The man who tipped off police to sweltering, cramped conditions in a West Tampa boarding house also said the operator told him to falsify Medicaid, Medicare and food stamp records, according to a search warrant affidavit. ...more

October 9, 2007