Two Massachusetts residents pleaded guilty in federal court last week to stealing or receiving stolen government funds, according to the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney.
A 70-year-old woman from Brockton pleaded guilty to stealing a tax refund check that came in around one million dollars, according to the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney.
Lana Ruel pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government funds Thursday after she was arrested and charged in December.
According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ruel tried to deposit a U.S. Treasury tax refund check of $931,000. The check was made out to a New York healthcare company, whose name Ruel used to incorporate a separate business in Massachusetts and open a bank account before trying to deposit the check.
When she deposited the check, the bank froze her account, the statement said.
Ruel told the bank she could “explain what the…
These frauds exploit emotional vulnerability and trust rather than technical weaknesses.
- Romance Scams: Scammers build long-term online relationships with victims, eventually fabricating a “crisis” (medical emergency, legal trouble, or travel costs) that requires the victim to send money.
- Pig Butchering: A hybrid scam where the criminal builds a romantic or platonic relationship to eventually “tutor” the victim in a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment.