Since 2009, bailed-out mortgage-backer Fannie Mae has sold nearly three quarters of a million repossessed properties. And considering that there are plenty of investors and speculators looking to snap up bottom-dollar homes with the hopes of eventually reselling at a profit, someone with inside information could be tempted to put a premium on that data, even if doing so is against the law. [More]
crime news
Burger King Employee One-Ups Stick-Up Artists By Taking Their Getaway Car
By 5.28.13
We’ve had stories of fast food workers foiling robbery attempts by brute force, but this is the first time we can remember hearing of an employee ruining a stick-up by hiding the suspects’ getaway car. [More]
Mall Security Guard Fired Over Parking Lot Wrestling Match With Photo-Snapping Shopper
By 5.22.13
Earlier this month, a truck rolled over into a ravine next to the Ohio Valley Mall in Clairsville, OH. Of course, the sight of a huge truck resting in the ravine drew some onlookers from the mall parking lot, many of whom tried to take photos. It also drew one security guard who has lost her job after being involved in a physical altercation with one of these onlookers. [More]
Wells Fargo Employee Accused Of Stealing $10K From 90-Year-Old Customer
By 5.22.13
A personal banker at a Wells Fargo branch in Atlanta has been arrested and charged with felony theft for allegedly tricking an elderly customer into giving him more than $10,000. And she may not be the only victim. [More]
Man Who Stole $624,000 From Walmart Is Ruining It For The Rest Of Us
By 5.21.13
Ever wonder why stores are so strict about receipt-checking and returns? It’s not simply because they hate consumers — they might, but it’s not the sole reason — it’s because there are people out there like the South Carolina man accused of using forged receipts and counterfeit goods to steal at least $624,000 from Walmart over the last few years. [More]
Off-Duty Cop Gets Impatient At McDonald’s, Pulls Gun On Customer
By 4.18.13
When we write about customer disputes at fast food joints, it usually involves the cops showing up to put an end to things. But here’s a tale of an impatient police officer who has been accused of pulling his gun on the car in front of him at the McDonald’s drive-thru. [More]
Septuagenarian Sues Kroger After Being Attacked For Handing Out Food In Parking Lot
By 4.12.13
You may remember the story from last August about an Atlanta-area man who said he was physically assaulted by a Kroger manager when he attempted to help out another customer in need by giving her some food he’d just purchased. Now the victim has now sued that former manager, the grocery chain, and a private security firm over the incident. [More]
Enron CEO Skilling Could Be Released From Prison Early
By 4.4.13
Former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling was found guilty in 2006 on charges of fraud, insider trading, and conspiracy related to the energy company’s collapse and was sentenced to 24 years in prison, but a new report says Skilling could see the outside world sooner than expected. [More]
Trying To Pay Your Cab Fare With Marijuana Will Probably Not Go Over Well
By 4.2.13
Many people who have taken taxis regularly enough have had to face that dreaded moment when you realize you don’t have enough cash — or you lost your wallet — and you won’t be able to pay the fare. There are ways to handle this, but offering the driver marijuana as barter is probably not the best idea. [More]
UPS Hit With $40 Million Settlement In Illegal Online Pharmacy Probe
By 3.29.13
UPS may have lost to FedEx in the first round of the Worst Company In America competition, but the shipping giant is getting away relatively unscathed from a Dept. of Justice criminal probe into deliveries it made for illegal online pharmacies. [More]
Nope, It’s Not Legal To Hunt Deer In The Walmart Parking Lot
By 3.29.13
The Pennsylvania Game Commission would like you to know that it is not legal to hunt deer in the Burrell Township Walmart parking lot, and, by extension, any other Walmart parking lot. [More]
Law Would Make Bongs, Other Devices, Illegal In Florida
By 3.27.13
In some states, there is a wink-wink acknowledgement between law enforcement and stores that sell bongs and other devices that could (and sometimes are) used to smoke tobacco and other legal products, but which are primarily used for smoking pot. A bill being considered by Florida legislators would put an end to this friendly arrangement by outlawing the sale of such devices. [More]
When You’re Getting Kicked Out Of Family Dollar, Don’t Ask Your 7-Year-Old To Pepper Spray The Employees
By 3.21.13
If you’re banned from a retail store, it’s probably best to avoid making a return visit. It’s certainly not a good idea to bring along your young children when you do pop by, and it’s definitely ill-advised to ask one of those children to use pepper spray on that store’s employees. [More]
Unpaid $16 Buffalo Wild Wings Bill Leads To High-Speed Police Chase
By 3.8.13
While high-speed car chases are great in cop movies, not every real-life crime merits an extended hot pursuit of a perp. For police in Michigan, a $16 dine-and-dash was apparently worth the effort, at least for a short while. [More]
Is Seattle Plastic Bag Ban Actually Leading To More Shoplifting?
By 3.1.13 — Updated: 3.2.13
Last summer, Seattle enacted a ban on plastic shopping bags in the city with the intention of cutting down on waste and litter. Some reports claim that this ban has led to an increase in people shoplifting with the aid of reusable cloth bags, but do the numbers back that assertion up? [More]
Former Postal Workers Plead Guilty To Stealing $3.5 Million In Refund And Benefit Checks
March 1, 2013
Just in case you needed another reason to switch to direct-deposit, a pair of former postal workers have pleaded guilty to swiping more than $3.5 million in tax refund and benefit checks while employed at a USPS distribution center in Atlanta. (via AJC.com) [More]
Lawsuit: FedEx Accidentally Delivered Box Of Drugs To Me, Gave Intended Recipient My Address
By 2.28.13
A woman in Massachusetts is suing FedEx, alleging that the shipping company mistakenly delivered a box containing marijuana to her address, then proceeded to provide her name and address to the package’s intended recipient. [More]
Man Smashes Wells Fargo Window, Arrested When He Tries To Pay For Damage
By 2.20.13
It’s a fact: Some people do stupid things when they are drunk. Some of those same people also have the decency to try to atone for their mistakes when they realize they screwed up (and will probably get caught). [More]
