#bank-fraud

#bank-fraud

SANTA CLARA - A South Bay woman was sentenced Wednesday to 1½ years in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $2.8 million in pandemic relief funds, prosecutors said. Cassie Will-Darnall, 53, of Santa Clara, previously pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of wire fraud stemming from a pair of Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, loans she secured, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"Awareness campaigns are important, but they only go so far," said Jessica Fraser of Timmins, Ont., who lost $10,000 in a TD bank scam in June. TD Bank, which is listed as a "champion" on the coalition's campaign website, refused her request for a refund. "They're supposed to be the gatekeepers of my money and I trusted them to safeguard me," she said. "Instead, I'm left carrying the burden."

A former U.S. Postal Service letter carrier was sentenced on Monday, Sept. 8, to five and a half years in federal prison for stealing over $10 million in checks from the mail, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Rashad Deon Stolden, a 34-year-old Huntington Beach man, worked in the Fairfax area of Los Angeles. From 2020 to 2024, he stole mail with high-value checks and debit cards from the California Employment Development Department, the agency that handles unemployment and disability benefits, according to the DOJ.

Donald Trump has pardoned reality TV stars Julie and Todd Chrisley, convicted of fraudulently taking over $30 million in loans from banks.