A Northern Nevada internet service provider owner has been indicted on federal charges alleging he embezzled more than $7.8 million from a federally funded broadband expansion project near Lovelock, according to KRNV-TV.
Prosecutors say Stephen Kromer, owner of Uprise LLC, diverted money from a $27 million USDA ReConnect grant intended to bring high-speed internet to rural communities. The indictment alleges he transferred project funds to personal accounts, falsified records, and converted more than $6.2 million into cryptocurrency.
Kromer faces 16 federal charges, including theft of government funds, money laundering, and submitting false documents. He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on June 24. The FBI and USDA Office of Inspector General investigated the case.
THE TD BANK INSIDER “BRIBE-FOR-DATA” SCHEME (USA)
Date: February 17, 2026 Perpetrator: Edward Low (Former Bank Employee)
Case Description: In a high-profile case of “Insider Threat,” Edward Low, a former employee of TD Bank in New York, pleaded guilty in a New Jersey federal court to accepting bribes in exchange for confidential customer data. Between 2021 and 2022, Low leveraged his internal access to harvest the personal details of high-balance account holders. He then sold this “hot data” to external fraud syndicates for as little as $26,700 in personal kickbacks.
The external fraudsters used the information Low provided to conduct “Account Takeovers” (ATO), creating fraudulent checks and falsifying bank records to drain over $500,000 from unsuspecting customers. Low even went as far as helping co-conspirators open shell company accounts at a second financial institution where he was later employed. He now faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. This case has sent shockwaves through the global banking sector, highlighting that even the most robust external firewalls cannot protect against a “rogue insider” with administrative credentials.
Link to Original: US Dept of Justice – TD Bank Insider Plea