The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Thursday that it has opened an investigation into allegations of election fraud in the May vote for an open seat on the Hempstead school board.
The school district has said a new election for the trustee position would be held on Aug. 17.
The DA’s office began reviewing the fraud allegations after Hempstead school officials referred findings from an internal report that found April Keys, the district clerk in charge of the election, conspired to keep incumbent Victor Pratt, her favored candidate, in office.
Austin Graff, a school district attorney appointed to investigate the alleged misconduct, found Keys failed to safeguard election materials and could not explain how ripped-up cast ballots ended up in a garbage bag recovered by Graff and Anthony Fasano, another attorney working for the Hempstead district, on May 26.
The ripped-up…
THE BHI TRUST PONZI SCHEME (SOUTH AFRICA)
Date: Ongoing updates through February 2026 Perpetrator: Craig Warriner (Principal), with alleged co-conspirators
Case Description: The BHI Trust scandal remains one of South Africa’s most devastating financial crimes, involving the loss of between R1.9 billion and R3 billion. Craig Warriner, the “genius trader” behind the trust, turned himself in during late 2023, but the legal and recovery battles reached a fever pitch in 2025 and 2026. Warriner operated the trust as a textbook Ponzi scheme, utilizing “Old Boy” networks and high-profile brokers to lure in pensioners and high-net-worth individuals with promises of 20% annual returns.
In early 2025, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) faced heavy criticism for “provisionally withdrawing” charges against alleged co-conspirators Michael Haldane and Sona Pillay. However, civil recovery efforts by joint trustees have continued into 2026, aiming to claw back hundreds of millions in “fictitious profits” from early investors to redistribute to those who lost everything. The case is a masterclass in the failure of fiduciary duty; the FSCA eventually banned several advisors for up to 30 years for peddling the unlicensed scheme despite clear red flags, such as the lack of a website, the absence of regulated financial reports, and a fee structure that was triple the industry average.
Link to Original: Moneyweb – BHI Trust Scandal Deep Dive