A California appeals court on Tuesday upheld the denial of a psychologist’s request to end her licensing probation early, finding she had not demonstrated rehabilitation after a workers compensation fraud conviction.
Morella Bombardini pleaded no contest in 2018 to misdemeanor workers comp fraud involving a claim connected to her work as a psychologist. She was ordered to perform community service and pay more than $11,000 in restitution to her employer, according to Morella Bombardini v. Board of Psychology, filed in California’s 3rd District Court of Appeal.
Although the conviction was dismissed in 2019, it remained a basis for licensing discipline. The Board of Psychology revoked her license in 2021, stayed the revocation and imposed five years of probation. Conditions included practice and billing monitoring, an ethics examination, coursework and quarterly reports.
Ms. Bombardini…
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