Random Acts of Clemency

Three tales of pardons granted to white-collar criminals who just happened to be on President Donald Trump’s good side. SponsorsRelay - https://ohmyfraud.promo/relayBill - https://ohmyfraud.promo/billVeltrix - https://ohmyfraud.promo/veltrix Get NASBA Approved CPE or IRS Approved CELaunch the course on EarmarkCPE to get free CPE/CEDownload the app:Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.appQuestions? Need help? Email [email protected] WITH CALEBTwitter: https://twitter.com/cnewquistLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebnewquist/Sources:Cold Open: Paul WalczakOwner of Florida Health Care Companies Sentenced for Employment Tax Crimes [DOJ]Trump Uses Pardon Power to Reward an Ally Whose Son Was Convicted of Tax Crimes [NYT]Trump pardons former nursing home CEO convicted of tax crimes [Becker's Hospital Review]Clemency Grants by President Donald J. Trump (2025–Present) [DOJ]Intro:Clemency Favors White Collar Offenders, New Study Shows [Law360]Lawyer Oyer Pardon Tracker [Substack]Pardon Industry Offers Rich Offenders a Path to Trump [NYT]Act I:FBI arrests Wanda Vazquez-Garced, former governor of Puerto Rico, for bribery [CBS]Trump pardons Puerto Rico's former governor Wanda Vázquez [CBS]Executive Grant of Clemency [DOJ]Secret documents reveal donors behind $330 million for Trump's ballroom [Washington Post]Trump Pardons Venezuelan Banker, Ex-Puerto Rico Governor [Bloomberg Law]Seeking Pardon, Foreign Billionaire Allegedly Funneled Millions to Trump Super PAC [Campaign Legal Center]A Billionaire Wanted a Trump Pardon. His Family Gave Alina Habba a $50 Million Deal. [NYT]Judge Fines Trump Lawyers in Clinton Conspiracy Suit Tossed in September [NYT]Act II:Trump Sets Fraudster Free From Prison for a Second Time [NYT]Eleven Defendants Charged in Nationwide Conspiracy to Manufacture and Distribute Counterfeit 5-Hour ENERGY Drink [DOJ]Eight Defendants Convicted for Conspiracy to Manufacture and Distribute Counterfeit 5-Hour Energy Drink [DOJ]Counterfeiters Sentenced for Convictions in Nationwide Conspiracy to Distribute Fake 5-Hour Energy Drink [DOJ]Federal Jury Convicts Siblings of Fraud; Defendants Made Tens of Millions of Dollars from Lying to Manufacturers in Years-Long Scheme [DOJ]Executive Grant of Clemency — Adriana and Andres Camberos, January 15, 2026 [DOJ]Clemency Grants by President Donald J. Trump (2025–Present) [DOJ]

A review of the 2026 Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ Report to the Nations on occupational fraud.  Sponsors Bill.com  - http://ohmyfraud.promo/billVeltrix  - http://ohmyfraud.promo/veltrix Get NASBA Approved CPE or IRS Approved CELaunch the course on EarmarkCPE to get free CPE/CEDownload the app:Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.appQuestions? Need help? Email [email protected] WITH CALEBTwitter: https://twitter.com/cnewquistLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebnewquist/SourcesOccupational Fraud 2026: A Report to the Nations [ACFE]SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin: No. 99 – Materiality [SEC]

Caleb and Zach discuss the 2017 film, The Polka King.Sponsors Veltrix  - http://ohmyfraud.promo/veltrix Get NASBA Approved CPE or IRS Approved CELaunch the course on EarmarkCPE to get free CPE/CEDownload the app:Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.appQuestions? Need help? Email [email protected] WITH CALEBTwitter: https://twitter.com/cnewquistLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebnewquist/

When confronted with irregularities in his employer’s books, an accountant goes into hiding.SponsorsKick.co - https://ohmyfraud.promo/kick Get NASBA Approved CPE or IRS Approved CELaunch the course on EarmarkCPE to get free CPE/CEDownload the app:Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.appQuestions? Need help? Email [email protected] WITH CALEBTwitter: https://twitter.com/cnewquistLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebnewquist/Sources:·  End of the Trail: Fugitive Comptroller [ACFE Fraud Magazine]·  Fugitive Spent Years Hiding on the Appalachian Trail [FBI]·  FBI Announces Arrest of Fugitive Suspect James T. Hammes [FBI]·  Former Fugitive Pleads Guilty to Embezzling $8.7 Million from Employer [DOJ]·  Former Fugitive Sentenced to 96 Months in Prison [DOJ]·  Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator [BOP]·  A Long Walk's End [SB Nation]·  A Killer Hiding on the Appalachian Trail? [The Daily Beast]·  Accountant who hid on Appalachian Trail jailed for embezzling millions from Pepsi bottler [Accounting Today]·  Man facing $8.7M embezzlement case hid on Appalachian Trail [Associated Press]·  Trail hiker pleads guilty to wire fraud in embezzling case [Associated Press]·  Judge sentences trail-hiking fugitive to 8 years in prison [Associated Press]·  Kentucky accountant who fled embezzlement case to appeal [Associated Press]·  Man admits embezzling millions from Cincinnati employer [WLWT]·  Lawyers: Appalachian Trail was client's 'road to redemption' [WLWT]·  Man who hid on Appalachian Trail sentenced in $8.7M embezzlement case [WLWT]·  Feds seek 7-year term for Milwaukee-native fugitive [Wisconsin Law Journal]·  FBI Arrests Fugitive James Hammes at Trail Days [AppalachianTrail.com]·  AT Thru-Hiker Bismarck Arrested at Trail Days on Embezzling Charges [The Trek]·  James Hammes caught after hiding on the Appalachian Trail [TheJournal.ie]·  American Greed: The Fugitives — "Deceitful Dad and the Missing Millions" [CNBC]·  America's Most Wanted — Season 26, Episode 37 [America's Most Wanted].  A Long Walk's End [SB Nation]

A veteran television producer becomes the star of her own financial crime drama.SponsorsKick.co - https://ohmyfraud.promo/kick Get NASBA Approved CPE or IRS Approved CELaunch the course on EarmarkCPE to get free CPE/CEDownload the app:Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.appQuestions? Need help? Email [email protected] WITH CALEBTwitter: https://twitter.com/cnewquistLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebnewquist/

The scion of a commodity trading fortune goes missing after his hedge fund implodes.SponsorsKick.co - https://ohmyfraud.promo/kick Get NASBA Approved CPE or IRS Approved CELaunch the course on EarmarkCPE to get free CPE/CEDownload the app:Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.appQuestions? Need help? Email [email protected] WITH CALEBTwitter: https://twitter.com/cnewquistLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebnewquist/Sources:IntroWe had AI analyze 50 hours of sports on TV. t detected gambling ads everywhere. Has the marketing gone too far? [WaPo]Former JAFCU head, husband sued for allegedly embezzling $91M [WLBT3]Filings reveal former JAFCU head likely facing criminal charges [WLBT3]Sam Israel IIISam Israel Jr., a Leader In Coffee Trading, Dies [NYT]A Con Man Who Lives Between Truth and Fiction [NYT]Hennessee Group ~40 Clients/$56M [SEC Admin. Order, IA Release No. 2871] — https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/admin/2009/ia-2871.pdfBayou 2003 Deposits Exceeded $125M [SEC Complaint, 05-CV-8376] — https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/complaints/comp19406.pdfBayou Clawback 95 Adversary Proceedings [Bankruptcy Court Filing] — https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-nysb-7_06-ap-08422/pdf/USCOURTS-nysb-7_06-ap-08422-0.pdfSamuel Israel III [SEC Litigation Release] — https://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/lr19406.htmSamuel Israel III [SEC Press Release] — https://www.sec.gov/news/press/2005-139.htmBayou Group [CFTC Press Release] — https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/5121-05Samuel Israel III [DOJ Sentencing Release] — https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nys/pressreleases/April08/israelsamuelsentencepr.pdfBayou Victims Forfeiture [DOJ Release] — https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/victims-bayou-hedge-funds-receive-another31-million-forfeited-assets-including-millionsJames Marquez Co-Founder [InvestmentNews] — https://investmentnews.com/industry-news/news/bayou-mastermind-gets-20-year-sentence-14877James Marquez Sentencing [InvestmentNews] — https://www.investmentnews.com/industry-news/news/former-bayou-ceo-sentenced-to-jail-13386Samuel Israel III Manhunt [Fox News] — https://www.foxnews.com/story/hedge-fund-swindler-admits-staging-suicide-to-avoid-jailSamuel Israel III Sentencing [Fox News] — https://www.foxnews.com/story/hedge-fund-swindler-gets-more-prison-time-for-trying-to-avoid-20-year-sentence.ampSamuel Israel III Surrender [NBC News] — https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/wbna25495609Samuel Israel III Disappearance [CBS News] — https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cops-hedge-fund-swindler-no-suicideThe Search for a Missing Trader Goes Global [New York Times] — https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/14/business/14bayou.htmlDid Fees at Bayou Overwhelm Diligence? [New York Times] — https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/30/business/did-fees-at-bayou-overwhelmClues to a Hedge Fund's Collapse [New York Times] — https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/17/business/clues-to-a-hedge-funds-collapseSeveral Prominent Firms Invested in Bayou Hedge Funds [WSJ] — https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB112536690332726357State May Have $100 Million Of Bayou Funds [WSJ] — https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB112541229967826650Spotting a Bayou Before You Fall Into It [WSJ] — https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB112544063792727124Bayou Is Probed as Investors Seek Their Cash [WSJ] — https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB112493803797122773Suits Target Fund's Early Pullouts [WSJ] — https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB115621287849341876Bayou Investors Who Got Out Early Lose Their Bid [WSJ] — https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB118679292540994807Hedge-Fund Havoc: Missing Cash And a Principal's Suicide Note [WSJ] — https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB112509707359124571Robert Booth Nichols $10M Docket [CourtListener] — https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4334434/united-states-v-israel-iii/Robert Booth Nichols Deposition [Archive.org] — https://archive.org/stream/RobertBoothNicholsDepositionSamIsraelCase/Robert+Booth+Nichols+deposition+-+Sam+Israel+case_djvu.txtHennessee Group Enforcement Action [SEC] — https://www.se...

A flamboyant adventurer known for exaggerating his military exploits returns to Great Britain with tales of a new land of opportunity on the Mosquito Coast.SponsorsC&R Consulting - https://ohmyfraud.promo/cnr Get NASBA Approved CPE or IRS Approved CELaunch the course on EarmarkCPE to get free CPE/CEDownload the app:Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.appQuestions? Need help? Email [email protected] WITH CALEBTwitter: https://twitter.com/cnewquistLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebnewquist/Sources:Did you read? [r/portlandia]Gregor MacGregor [Wikipedia]The Land That Never Was: Sir Gregor MacGregor and the Most Audacious Fraud in History [Sinclair, David (2004)]David Sinclair - The Sun sub who became a prolific author [The Guardian]Amelia Island affair [Wikipedia]Memoirs of Gregor M'Gregor [Rafter, M. (1820)]Proceedings of an Inquiry and Investigation instituted by Major-General Codd, His Majesty's Superintendent and commander-in-chief at Belize, Honduras, Relative to Poyais [Daniel Crouch Rare Books]Gregor McGregor and the Colonization of Poyais, between 1820 and 1824 [The Hispanic American Historical Review, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Nov., 1927), pp. 438-459 via JSTOR]The king of con-men [The Economist via Wayback Machine]List of ships of the Poyais scheme [Wikipedia]Poyais land grant for 60 acres from Gregor MacGregor, April 1834 [University of Edinburgh]Sketch of the Mosquito Shore, Including the Territory of Poyais [Daniel Crouch Rare Books]Poyais Loan No. A551 One Hundred Pounds. [Daniel Crouch Rare Books]Poyaisian Royalty: A George IV silver seal box, John Jago, London, 1823 [Sotheby’s]

Christopher Derry spent 36 years working for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, 17 as a detective in fraud and cyber crime. Over that time, he’s seen a lot and learned a lot about why people commit fraud, how far they’ll go to keep it going, and what they’ll do to avoid being caught.SponsorsC&R Consulting - https://ohmyfraud.promo/cnr Get NASBA Approved CPE or IRS Approved CELaunch the course on EarmarkCPE to get free CPE/CEDownload the app:Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.appQuestions? Need help? Email [email protected] WITH CALEBTwitter: https://twitter.com/cnewquistLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebnewquist/

In his senior year at UCLA, Alan L. Green secured an internship as an actuary with Equity Funding, a fast-growing financial conglomerate. Only a short time later, he was invited to play a small part in a fraud that would eventually be exposed as one of the biggest corporate scandals of the 20th century.SponsorsC&R Consulting - https://ohmyfraud.promo/cnr Get NASBA Approved CPE or IRS Approved CELaunch the course on EarmarkCPE to get free CPE/CEDownload the app:Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.appQuestions? Need help? Email [email protected] WITH CALEBTwitter: https://twitter.com/cnewquistLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebnewquist/Resources Billion Dollar Bubble (1978) [YouTube]I led 66,000 Lives [Rolling Stone]

During the rise of Bitcoin, a would-be rival builds a worldwide following, driven by the charisma of its founder, the self-anointed Cryptoqueen.SponsorsMaxima.AI - https://ohmyfraud.promo/maxima Get NASBA Approved CPE or IRS Approved CELaunch the course on EarmarkCPE to get free CPE/CEDownload the app:Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.appQuestions? Need help? Email [email protected] WITH CALEBTwitter: https://twitter.com/cnewquistLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebnewquist/SOURCESRuja Ignatova [Wikipedia]OneCoin [Wikipedia]Frank Schneider (spy) [Wikipedia]Co-Founder Of Multi-Billion-Dollar Cryptocurrency Pyramid Scheme "OneCoin" Pleads Guilty [U.S. Department of Justice]Former Law Firm Partner Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Laundering $400 Million In Connection With "OneCoin" Fraud Scheme [U.S. Department of Justice]"Head Of Legal And Compliance" For Multibillion-Dollar Cryptocurrency Pyramid Scheme "OneCoin" Sentenced To Four Years In Prison [U.S. Department of Justice]How 'Cryptoqueen' Ruja Ignatova ended up as the only woman on the FBI's most-wanted list [CNN]FBI adds OneCoin founder Ruja Ignatova to list of most-wanted fugitives [The Washington Post]US adds 'Cryptoqueen' to most-wanted list over alleged US$4b fraud [Malay Mail / Reuters]Cryptoqueen: How this Woman Scammed the World, then Vanished [BBC]A cryptocurrency ponzi scheme is finally unraveling [Quartz]Is OneCoin the biggest financial fraud in history? [Fortune]The 'Cryptoqueen' who made FBI's most wanted after $4 billion heist was rumored killed—but evidence leaves more questions than answers [Fortune]The Outrageous Case of OneCoin, the Billion Dollar Scam Sold as a "Bitcoin Killer" [Bitrates]The OneCoin Scam: the Dazzling Story of the Biggest Crypto Ponzi in History [CoinMarketCap]Ruja Ignatova: The Crypto Mogul Scam Artist Who Vanished into Thin Air [CrimeReads]The Missing Cryptoqueen Details the Rise and Fall of Ruja Ignatova's OneCoin Con [Reason]Subpoenaed emails reveal OneCoin was fraudulent from inception [BehindMLM]OneCoin literally a relaunch of the BigCoin Ponzi scheme [BehindMLM]OneCoin investment packages approach a quarter million Euros [BehindMLM]OneCoin debut €118,000 EUR investment package [BehindMLM]OneCoin under regulatory investigation in Germany [BehindMLM]Fourteen OneCoin promoters indicted in Italy [BehindMLM]Konstantin Ignatov receives time served for OneCoin fraud [BehindMLM]OneCoin's Ruja Ignatova indicted in Germany [BehindMLM]OneCoin Research Paper: Islamic Ruling [Islamic Portal]Cryptoqueen's brother is freed after 3 years jail over OneCoin scheme: Report [Cointelegraph]Cryptoqueen's Brother Gets Time Served for Leading OneCoin Scam [Bloomberg]OneCoin co-founder Greenwood gets 20 years in US jail for fraud, money laundering [Investing.com / Cointelegraph]Fugitive 'cryptoqueen' accomplice is jailed for 20 years for $4bn global scam [The Independent / AOL]US boosts reward for info on 'Missing Cryptoqueen' Ruja Ignatova to $5 million [The Record]Missing 'Cryptoqueen' Ruja Ignatova 'May Be Hiding in Russia' [Decrypt]OneCoin fraudster Ruja Ignatova reportedly hiding in Russia to avoid arrest [Invezz]Crypto Queen Ruja Ignatova, OneCoin's $4 Billion Fraud Mastermind, Is Alive And In South Africa, German Police Suspects [Benzinga]