ST. LOUIS – A man on Thursday admitted conspiring to steal at least 14 properties in St. Louis and St. Louis County by filing fraudulent deeds.
James L. Townes Jr., 51, of Berkeley, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to a conspiracy charge. Townes admitted that beginning as early as Sept. 25, 2018, he began filing fraudulent deeds in St. Louis and St. Louis County on properties that belonged to others. The filings falsely claimed that Townes or his relatives had purchased the properties. Townes and his co-defendant, Charnay Bartlett, used fraudulently obtained notary seals to “authenticate” the forged signatures of the true owners of the properties.
Townes and Bartlett transferred at least 14 properties to Townes, his companies or his friends and family, his plea agreement says. Townes admitted that his scheme involved the use of the names of 10 or more individuals and…
THE ISUZU MOTORS PAYROLL FRAUD (GQEBERHA, SA)
Date: February 16, 2026 Perpetrator: Natasja Slabbert (42)
Case Description: In a case that hit home for the Eastern Cape business community, Natasja Slabbert, a payroll administrator at Isuzu Motors South Africa’s Struandale plant, was arrested for an alleged R10.5 million fraud. The scheme, which began surfacing in late 2024, exploited the very systems designed to manage employee compensation. Slabbert allegedly manipulated payroll records to create false entries that appeared as legitimate deductions and contributions on employee payslips. In reality, these “deductions” were being diverted into her personal bank account.
The fraud was only uncovered after diligent employees noticed that their net “take-home” pay was significantly lower than expected, despite the gross amounts on their payslips remaining high. Following a thorough probe by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team and the NPA’s Specialised Commercial Crime Unit, it was discovered that in August 2024 alone, over R626,000 was unlawfully transferred. Slabbert was granted bail of R5,000 on February 17, 2026, and the case has been postponed to later in the month for further legal proceedings. This case highlights the critical need for “segregation of duties” in payroll departments, as a single point of failure allowed for the systematic siphoning of millions over nearly two years.
Link to Original: PE Express – Isuzu Payroll Fraud