Corporate Crime

Here's the University of Miami's 45-Page Demand to Dismiss the Nevin Shapiro Case

Donna Shalala is done messing around. This morning, the University of Miami dropped a 45-page bomb on the NCAA, detailing the dozens of reasons why the school believes the Nevin Shapiro case should be dropped. You've already heard most of the juicy parts: Nevin's attorney getting paid by the NCAA to ... More >>

Former Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina Could Be Indicted Soon

Former Hialeah Mayor and Miami-Dade mayoral candidate Julio Robaina could soon be indicted on charges of tax evasion and loan sharking soon, at least according to Local 10. The former Hialeah kingpin has been under investigation by federal agencies for three years now, and a defense attorney for ano ... More >>

UM Sanctions: Goodbye, Nevin Shapiro

Nevin Shapiro's Former Assistant Needs To Stop Talking About Canes

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke vents about one of the central players in the Nevin Shapiro University of Miami football scandal.With quarterback Stephen Morris s ... More >>

City of Miami Lied to Investors About How Broke It Was, SEC Says

In 2007 and 2008, just as the Florida housing bubble was exploding spectacularly, Miami officials were scrambling to keep their budget afloat. One little trick they used, the Miami Herald later found, was shifting $26.4 million into the general fund so it looked like the city was balancing its books ... More >>

Julio Robaina Was Unfairly Trashed by the Media

Allen Stanford Gets 110 Years In Prison For Massive Ponzi Scheme

Allen Stanford -- the massive Ponzi-schemer and full-time nutter who put his billions in illicit profits into a Coral Gables castle and cricket tournaments in the Caribbean -- was sentenced to more than a century of jail time for his crimes today. A federal judge in Texas sentenced the financier, wh ... More >>

Belén Jesuit Ponzi Schemer Gaston E. Cantens Sentenced to Five Years Behind Bars

Gaston E. Cantens, a former advisory board member for Belen Jesuit Preparatory School who used his prominence in Miami's Cuban-American community to target the elderly, has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to running a $135 million Ponzi scheme.

Allen Stanford Jury Deadlocked On Charges Against Alleged Miami Ponzi King

​In South Florida, aka Ponzistan, it takes some serious effort to stand out among the Nevin Shapiros and Scott Rothsteins as the most deranged fraudster in town. Allen Stanford worked hard to earn that title, allegedly building an $7 billion scam from Miami and Houston while using the cash to buy ... More >>

Nevin Shapiro assistant Sean Allen clears Canes football

Nevin Shapiro Going a Bit Mad in Prison: "I'm Taking That Program Down to Chinatown"

​Apparently all that time behind bars is getting to convicted Ponzi schemer and allegation-throwing former booster Nevin Shapiro, because the Miami Herald got a hold of several bonkers emails the would-be-destroyer of Hurricanes football is typing up in prison. They do little to detract from Shapi ... More >>

Gaston Canten Pleads Guilty to $135 Million Miami Ponzi Scheme

Gaston Canten, a prominent Cuban-American businessman who used his ties in the community to bilk victims out of their hard earned money, has officially been charged and has agreed to plead guilty to his part in running a $135 million Ponzi scheme. Canten's scheme went so far that even Belen Jesuit S ... More >>

Miami's Dirty Dozen 2011

View the Miami New Times Dirty Dozen 2011 slide show.

Oscar Hernandez Charged In $3 Million Miami Ponzi Scheme

​South Florida, where Ponzi scheme convictions are as common as jaywalking tickets. The latest Miami man at the center of a collapsed phony empire is Oscar Hernandez. While relatively small compared to other cases, Hernandez's $3 million scheme operated in classic Ponzi scheme.

MBPD Chief Carlos Noriega erupts at resident's questions about Nevin Shapiro

Nevin Shapiro's pal Donald DeLucca named Golden Beach Police chief

Dan Wetzel Talks Nevin Shapiro With Michael Irvin

via Yahoo SportsEx-UM standout tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. balling with Nevin Shapiro.During the early segment of 560 WQAM's Michael Irvin show, Yahoo Sports investigative reporter Dan Wetzel gave his take on convicted Ponzi schemer and former University of Miami athletic booster Nevin Shapiro, who ... More >>

NCAA to Investigate Claims That Miami Hurricanes Players Took Cash From Convicted Ponzi Schemer

A signed helmet that was once on display at Shapiro's $6 million Miami Beach mansion. ​Last year, New Times chronicled the rise and fall of flashy Miami Beach Ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro.  The man who had donated more than $150,000 to the University of Miami football program now sits in jail ... More >>

Miami Beach Ponzi Schemer Nevin Shaprio Gets 20 Years in Jail

​Nevin Shapiro lived like a modern-day Caligula. He seemed to have it all: a luxurious Miami Beach mansion on the bay, parties that attracted local notables and sports superstars, fast cars, big yacht, women and the athlete's lounge at the University of Miami named after him. It all came tumbling ... More >>

Attorney Theodore Dempster Disbarred for Running Ponzi-Like Scheme

​Theodore Ross Dempster, a relatively little-known attorney in Miami, has been disbarred after allegations he ran a racket similar to a Ponzi scheme. Dempster is alleged to have set up a company purportedly involved in real estate development in Georgia, and collected hundreds of thousands of doll ... More >>

Marguerite Jean, Alleged Ponzi Schemer, Fleeced Her Own Pastor Out of $70,000

Marguerite Martial Jean, accused of running a $3.4 million Ponzi scheme that targeted her fellow Seventh Day Adventists​Seventh Day Adventist? More like Seventh Day A-hole.According to investigators, Marguerite Martial Jean ran a $3.4 million Ponzi scheme targeting nearly 300 of her fellow Haitian ... More >>

Marguerite Martial Jean Busted for $3.4 Million Ponzi Scheme that Targeted Haitian-American Church Goers

​Given the high profile cases of Bernie Madoff, Scott Rothstein and Allen Stanford, the image of a Ponzi schemer is usually that of some rich white guy with a cigar hanging out of his mouth praying on already well-off investors, but not all schemers fit that bill. Marguerite Martial Jean, a 38-yea ... More >>

Barry Minkow Pleads Guilty to Lennar Conspiracy

​As expected former conman turned pastor turned corporate whistle-blower Barry Minkow has pleaded guilty to commit securities fraud. He was accused of purposefully trying to harm the business of Lennar, a home builder that is one of the largest companies head-quartered in Miami-Dade, by reporting ... More >>

Barry Minkow, Ex-Ponzi Schemer and Minister, To Plead Guilty To Insider Trading

via LA WeeklyBarry Minkow​Barry Minkow's life could have been an American archetype: A seemingly successful young entrepreneur goes to prison for in fact running a Ponzi scheme, and then finds Jesus and dedicates his life to helping the feds sniff out other frauds.But like any good crook, Minkow j ... More >>

Hialeah Man's $40 million Ponzi Scheme Nets More Arrests

Julio Robaina​Nine more individuals have been criminally charged in the ongoing federal investigation into a $40 million ponzi scheme in Hialeah. The arrests come in the wake of news reports that the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service are investigating Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina for alleged loa ... More >>

University of Miami Sued for $6.4 Million in Ponzi Scheme Funds

​The University of Miami sure has a problem with getting caught up with Ponzi schemers. First, high profile athletic booster Nevin Shapiro was busted for a scheme, and now the university is being sued for its involvement in the alleged Ponzi scheme run by Allen Stanford. The suit claims that UM ke ... More >>

Nevin Shapiro's Sentencing Postponed Until Valentine's Day

photo by Tim ElfrinkShapiro's autographed UM helmet inside his palatial Miami Beach mansion.​Nevin Shapiro, the South Beach architect of a $880 million Ponzi scheme, will have to endure another few weeks of Jersey lockup before learning his punishment. His sentencing, which was originally schedule ... More >>

Nevin Shapiro: Miami's Caligula

Ponzi Schemer Who Did Business With Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina Pleads Guilty

Proceeds from a $40 million ponzi scheme were used to buy Lladros just like this one.​Yesterday, Luis Felipe Perez, a Hialeah jeweler who federal prosecutors say swindled $40 million from victims who invested in his Ponzi scheme, agreed to plead guilty to one count of securities fraud and one coun ... More >>

Convicted NBA Fraudster Rumeal Robinson Joins South Florida's Blown Fortune Hall of Fame

That blindfolded chick holding the scales just made it rain justice on Rumeal Robinson. The former University of Michigan basketball hero and NBA journeyman-- whose addiction to strip clubs was first exposed by this blog-- has been convicted in Iowa federal court of fraud. The Aventura resident was ... More >>

Mafia-Connected Haitian Ponzi Schemer Michael J. Muzio Sentenced to 13.5 Years

​Michael J. Muzio, one of four co-conspirators in a Ponzi scheme that targeted South Florida Haitian-Americans, has been sentenced to 163 months in federal prison. In April, New Times told you about the $14.3 million dollar scheme, which offered to double investors' cash in 90 days. Two of Muzio's ... More >>

Charges in Yet Another Ponzi Scheme Targeting South Florida Haitians

Miami-Dade Corrections2001 mugshot of Jean Fritz Montinard, now age 40, accused of orchestrating an $8 million Ponzi scheme.​They are a hard-working immigrant group with virtually no financial wriggle room. Whatever money can be scrimped together is often sent to relatives still living in their im ... More >>

Nevin K. Shapiro, Miami Beach Businessman, Accused of Running $900 Million Grocery Ponzi Scheme

via Budget Insight​"Will that be paper or plastic?" Despite the fact Nevin K. Shapiro ran a grocery diverting business, when he was asking that he was most likely wondering how victims of his alleged $900 million ponzi scheme wanted to pay up. The SEC has charged Shapiro with running the sche ... More >>

Scott Rothstein's work as a Mafia informant might help him in his Ponzi case

Miami New Times Swallowed Up By SF Rag? No Way. Reporter Greg Bensinger Screwed Up.

​Just the other day, Bloomberg news published a turd-filled story about the future of our newspaper chain. In half English, half Portuguese Creole, the reporters said something about Village Voice Media being forced to bankruptcy court. A paper that's part of the chain, SF Weekly, lost a judgment ... More >>

Moron of the Week: Self-Destructive Ponzi Baller Sean Healy

Photo via MySpace.com Never mind the fact hat he dresses like a club promoter. If your investment manager has a MySpace page, get a new investment manager.​Forget Flagler, Tuttle, and Brickell. We need to start naming streets and bridges after a historical figure whose legacy is honored eve ... More >>

President Obama fails to go after those responsible for the financial meltdown

Former Miami DEA Chief Charged with Shredding Ponzi Schemer Allen Stanford's Docs

A quick lesson for all the school kids feverishly getting a Riptide fix before class this morning: If you're working for a blatant Ponzi scheme (and don't worry, someday you will) and the SEC phones and tells you not to lose any documents, don't tell your employees to fire up the shredder. It's just ... More >>

Ponzi Schemer Allen Stanford Raked It in Thanks to Lax Florida Regulations

Way back in April, New Times reported on how Sir Allen Stanford built a $7 billion Ponzi scheme in the Caribbean thanks to blind regulators and political influence. via Liz Lomax 3D Illustrations for the Texas MonthlyYesterday, the Miami Herald fleshed out the local incompetance and greed that help ... More >>

Madoff Gets 150 Years in Jail

Bernie Madoff, the West Palm Beach financial demon who ripped off thousands of investors, many in South Florida, has been sentenced to the maximum 150 years behind bars.  "I'm responsible for a great deal of suffering and pain, I understand that. I live in a tormented state now, knowing all of the ... More >>

Feds Indict Miami Man for $2.5 Million Ponzi Scheme

It has been so long since we've had a good old-fashion Ponzi scheme indictment down here in Miami. That was until Isaac Niego came along and got busted today.Federal authorites claim Niego defrauded 33 investers in a $2.5 million Ponzi scheme. Niego and an unnamed coconsipirator solicited investment ... More >>

Did the Miami Herald Ignore Warnings Six Years Ago About Stanford Ponzi Scheme?

As we wrote last month, there weren't any shortages of warning signs that something was fishy at Stanford International. A number of regulators had ample opportunities to expose Stanford's fraud, from the SEC (which ignored several employee whistleblowers) to the DEA to Congress. via Liz Lomax 3D Il ... More >>

Commemorate Your Ponzi Scheme Losses with a Nice Decorative Tile

Have you been swindled out of your life savings in a massive Ponzi scheme? Are you looking for the perfect way to remember all those heady days of 15 percent returns before the market collapsed? Do you just love R. Allen Stanford's manly Texas mustache? via eBay listing We suggest you buy en ... More >>

The Fall of a Titan

A downtown Miami firm allegedly helped build an $8 billion Ponzi scheme. It could have been stopped.

Allen Stanford Will Punch You in the Mouth If You Ask About His Ponzi Scheme

In a state still reeling from Bernie Madoff and staggering toward 10 percent unemployment, it's tough to think of many adjectives less likely to endear you to the commoners than accused billionaire Ponzi schemer.via mediaimran's flickrStanford, at left, sponsored $20 million cricket matches in the g ... More >>

Florida: Swindled and Beaten Bloody

Just in case yesterday's news of a bounce on the stock market gave you a glimmer of hope, Riptide is here to remind you that your future is bleak and depressing. The CBC recently compared Florida to "a terrified cardiac patient," lying awake at night, praying the angina will pass. "The confidence ga ... More >>

Madoff's Man

South Florida multimillionaire Michael Bienes never cut ties with Bernie Madoff, even after the SEC shut him down.

The Last Service Station, Part 2

As Big Oil forces out the last independent gas station dealers, the era of truly giant oil begins

There Must Be More to Life than Cable TV

As nationwide deregulation looms, Morton Towers becomes Dade's first battleground in an escalating cable war