Barry Jay Minkow is a former American businessman,pastor,and convicted felon. While still in high school,Minkow founded ZZZZ Best,which appeared to be an immensely successful carpet-cleaning and restoration company. However,it was actually a front to attract investment for a massive Ponzi scheme. ZZZZ Best collapsed in 1987,costing investors and lenders $100 million in one of the largest investment frauds ever perpetrated by a single person,as well as one of the largest accounting frauds in history. The scheme is often used as a case study of accounting fraud.
Charles Jeremy Lewis was an American politician who was a U.S. representative,last serving California's 41st congressional district. He was first elected to Congress in 1978,and previously represented the 40th,35th,and 37th districts. A Republican,he was chairman of the House Appropriations Committee,serving in that role during the 109th Congress. In January 2012 he announced that he was not running for re-election and would end his congressional career in January 2013.
Joseph Natalio Baca Sr. is an American Democratic politician who served as the U.S. representative for southwestern San Bernardino County from 1999 to 2013.
Leland Yin Yee is an American former politician who served as a member of the California State Senate for District 8,which covered parts of San Francisco and the Peninsula.
Reed Eliot Slatkin was an initial investor and co-founder of EarthLink and the perpetrator of one of the largest Ponzi schemes in the United States since that conducted by Charles Ponzi himself.
Paul Joseph Cook is an American politician serving as a San Bernardino County Supervisor since 2020,previously serving as the U.S. representative for California's 8th congressional district from 2013 to 2020. A member of the Republican Party,Cook also served on the Yucca Valley Town Council from 1998 to 2006 and represented the 65th district in the California State Assembly from 2006 to 2012.
The Spinka financial controversy is a case in which five Spinka charitable organisations under the auspices of Grand Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Weisz,the Spinka Rebbe of Boro Park,as well as Weisz himself,his personal assistant,and five others were charged with various counts of tax fraud and money laundering. Their indictment alleges that the five charities were used to launder money and to avoid payment of tax on taxable income by issuing fraudulent receipts for bogus charitable contributions,and charging fees for transfers of funds. Among those charged are four men from Los Angeles,California and two from Tel Aviv. These include a diamond merchant,a businessman,and an attorney. The five Spinka charitable organizations are Yeshiva Imrei Yosef,Yeshivath Spinka,Central Rabbinical Seminary,Machne Sva Rotzohn,and Mesivta Imrei Yosef Spinka,all based in Brooklyn.
The redemption movement is an element of the pseudolaw movement,mainly active in the United States and Canada,that promotes fraudulent debt payment and tax avoidance schemes. Redemption promoters allege that a secret fund is created for every citizen at birth and that a procedure exists to "redeem" or reclaim this fund to pay bills. Common redemption schemes include acceptance for value (A4V),Treasury Direct Accounts (TDA) and secured party creditor "kits," collections of pseudolegal tactics sold to participants despite a complete lack of any actual legal basis. Such tactics are sometimes called "money for nothing" schemes,as they propose to extract money from the government by using secret methods. The name of the A4V scheme in particular has become synonymous with the movement as a whole.
Frederick Wilhelm Houser was an American attorney who served as an associate justice of the California Supreme Court from October 1,1937,to October 12,1942.
Operation Bid Rig was a long-term investigation into political corruption in New Jersey conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation,the Internal Revenue Service,and the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 2002 to 2014.
Timothy Michael Donnelly is an American Republican politician who was a member of the California State Assembly,representing the 59th and 33rd districts. Before his election to the Assembly in November 2010,Donnelly was a small businessman. He resides in Twin Peaks,California. On January 22,2013,Donnelly announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for Governor of California in the 2014 election. He placed third in the open primary,behind incumbent governor Jerry Brown and investment banker Neel Kashkari,who contested the election in November 2014.
Samuel "Mouli" Cohen is an Israeli-American entrepreneur,venture capitalist,and convicted fraudster who claimed to have held the positions of president,chairman,and CEO of several public and private video game companies which,according to Cohen,"have generated over $3 Billion in shareholder value". The companies Cohen has been involved in since the 1980s include:Playnet Technologies,Voltage Capital,LAMIA,Aristo International and Ecast. In April 2012,Cohen was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for a conviction on 15 counts of wire fraud,11 counts of money laundering and three counts of tax evasion. He is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence at Terminal Island Federal Correctional Institution.
James Joseph Donato is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
Jay Phillip Obernolte is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for California's 23rd district since 2021,when it was numbered as the 8th district. A Republican,he was previously a member of the California State Assembly representing the 33rd district. Before serving in the Assembly,Obernolte served on the city council and was the mayor of Big Bear Lake,California. He is the owner,president,and technical director of FarSight Studios,an American video game developer.
Marc Steinorth is an American politician who served in the California State Assembly. A Republican,he represented the 40th Assembly District,encompassing the San Bernardino County communities of Highland,Loma Linda,Redlands,and parts of both Rancho Cucamonga and the city of San Bernardino. Prior to being elected to the State Assembly,he was a Rancho Cucamonga City Councilmember.
Hotel Nevada and Gambling Hall,also known as the Historic Hotel Nevada and Gambling Hall,is a hotel and casino located at 501 Aultman Street in Ely,Nevada.
Kevin Patrick Kiley is an American politician,attorney,and former educator serving as the U.S. representative for California's 3rd congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party,he represented the 6th district in the California State Assembly from 2016 to 2022. Kiley was a candidate to replace California governor Gavin Newsom in the voter-initiated recall election on September 14,2021.
Carolyn Pokorny is a career federal prosecutor,currently serving as First Assistant United States Attorney at the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Previously she served as the Inspector General for the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority at the Office of the MTA Inspector General. She is the first woman to hold that position.
Brian Goggin is an American sculptor and installation artist. His art openings often include extravagant performance art themed block parties. His studio is based in the Mission District of San Francisco.
United States Army