Being a regular at a dining establishment can come with some perks; the servers knows what you like and you might even receive a free dessert here or there. But for one New York woman it also came with a rather big drawback: The waitress she befriended allegedly bilked her out of $500,000. [More]
charges
Woman Forcibly Removed From Southwest Flight Charged With Disorderly Conduct
By 9.28.17
A woman forcibly removed from a Southwest Airlines flight earlier this week now faces a slew of charges following the incident. [More]
Former Audi Exec Charged In Connection With VW’s ‘Dieselgate’
By 7.7.17
Seven months after federal authorities charged six Volkswagen executives for their part in the company’s “dieselgate” scandal, they are turning their sights toward leaders at VW’s luxury sibling Audi, accusing a former executive of giving orders that led to the diesel engine cheating scandal. [More]
If VW Executive Comes To The U.S., The Authorities Will Be Waiting
By 6.26.17
Back in January, federal authorities filed criminal charges against six Volkswagen executives for their part in the company’s “dieselgate” scandal. Just last week, international arrest warrants were issued for some of those individuals who live in Germany, prompting lawyers for one engineer to warn him not to leave the country. [More]
Former Bank Of America VP Accused Of Making $2.7M In Bogus Donations
By 5.22.17 — Updated: 5.25.17
A former Bank of America executive, along with her husband and another person, have been accused of bank fraud for their alleged involvement in an embezzlement scheme that involved making millions of dollars of fake donations in the bank’s name. [More]
Cable Company Sends Refund Check That Bounces, Bills Customer Twice For Service He Doesn’t Have
By 3.13.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
When Consumerist reader Andy canceled his Time Warner Cable service back in November he expected to get a small refund. But he got more than he bargained for: a bounced check fee, followed several months later by bills for service he no longer had. [More]
Samsung Vice Chair, Four Others Indicted On Bribery & Embezzlement Charges
By 2.28.17
A week after a South Korean court approved a warrant for the arrest of Samsung vice chairman Jay Y. Lee in connection with a bribery case, the executive and four others were officially indicted. [More]
Gold’n Plump Worker Charged With Feeding Sand & Soil To Chickens
By 2.7.17 — Updated: 2.9.17
Nearly a year after Minnesota-based Gold’n Plump (GNP) recalled more than 55,000-pounds of chicken when sand and black soil was mysteriously found on the products, a former plant worker faces two felony charges for the incident. [More]
Feds Bring Criminal Charges Against 6 Volkswagen Executives
By 1.11.17
In a rare instance of criminal charges being brought against executives at one of the world’s largest car companies, federal authorities have indicted six Volkswagen employees involved in the decade-long “Dieselgate” scandal and cover-up. [More]
Florida Grinch Accused Of Stealing More Than 100 Toys From ‘Toys For Tots’
By 12.20.16
The holidays are a time for giving, but they’re also apparently quite a temptation for those who are only interested in giving to themselves. Case in point: a Florida woman who allegedly stole more than 100 toys from a Toys for Tots fundraiser. [More]
CA Man Who Posed As Immigration Lawyer Charged With Defrauding Consumers
By 12.8.16
Two weeks after New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, along with a number of immigration advocates, warned all consumers about the possible increased risk of immigration fraud following the recent presidential election, his counterpart in California charged the owner of one such operation that allegedly defrauded countless immigrants. [More]
Instacart Replaces Tips With “Service Amounts,” But Are Workers Being Stiffed?
By 9.29.16 — Updated: 10.3.16
Since its launch in 2012 Instacart has offered consumers a way to shop at their local grocery store without actually going to the store. Instead, hired shoppers would be sent a list of products, grab them off shelves, and drive them to a customer’s home or business where they often — but not always — receive a tip. But starting next month, the company is changing the way it handles tips, leaving some contractors and customers up in arms. [More]
Volkswagen Engineer Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy Related To Dieselgate
By 9.9.16
Volkswagen’s year-long “dirty diesel” saga nabbed its first Volks-villain on Friday, when a veteran engineer for the carmaker pleaded guilty in the first criminal charge related to the VW’s use of so-called “defeat devices” in millions of vehicles in order to skirt federal emissions regulations. [More]
Supplement Maker Must Stop Claiming “Elimidrol” Can Relieve Opiate Withdrawal
By 7.6.16 — Updated: 1.11.17
Last year, Sunrise Nutraceuticals was one of more than 100 supplement companies sued by the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly making unfounded health or disease-treatment claims. To settle that suit, Sunrise has agreed to suspend allegedly false claims that its Elimidrol dietary supplement can alleviate the symptoms of opiate withdrawal. [More]
5 Things We Learned About Pay Phones & Why They Continue To Exist
By 4.26.16
When was the last time you used a pay phone? Given that just about every American old enough to say “hello” now has a cellphone, you’d be forgiven for thinking these once-vital telecom totems had gone the way of the telegraph. But there are still hundreds of thousands of pay phones out there, waiting to be used by people without any other options available. [More]
Southwest Airlines Quietly Increases Early Check-In Fee
By 4.12.16
Unlike nearly all other domestic airlines, Southwest does not offer assigned seats and instead boards passengers in groups based on when they check-in for their trip. In some cases, travelers purchase an EarlyBird Check-In option so they can ensure an earlier boarding group without the hassle of setting their alarm clock to check in 24 hours prior. If you’re planning to go that route on your next trip, you should expect to spend a little bit more. [More]
CEO Who Hiked Price Of Drug By Over 5400% Arrested In Unrelated Securities-Fraud Investigation
By 12.17.15
Three months after Turing Pharmaceuticals entered the spotlight by buying the rights to a generic drug used to save lives and dramatically increased the price from $13.50 to $750, the company’s CEO has been arrested in a securities-fraud investigation. However, the charges are related to another company the man once led. [More]
Regulators Sue Weight-Loss Marketer Who Used Fines, Lawsuits To Stop Negative Consumer Reviews
By 9.28.15
Federal regulators on Monday continued their crackdown on deceptive, ineffective weight-loss products, this time by filing a lawsuit against a company that threatened to enforce a so-called “gag clause” by imposing fines and filing lawsuits to stop customers from posting negative reviews and testimonials for the products online. [More]
