Thursday, Rep. George Whitesides (CA-27) and Rep. Jefferson Shreve (IN-06) announced their introduction of the Veteran Scam Victim Foundation Act. This legislation would establish a foundation to direct charitable contributions to assist veterans and their beneficiaries who fall victim to financial exploitation and support the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) scam prevention education and victim services initiatives, according to Whitesides’ ...

A Santa Clarita man has pleaded guilty to defrauding his employer out of more than $1 million in a years-long wire fraud scheme, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday. Steven Anthony Cowles, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 22. According to ...

Thursday, Rep. George Whitesides (D-CA-27) and Rep. Jefferson Shreve (R-IN-6) introduced the “National Scam Prevention Coordination Act,” legislation that would establish an office in the White House to oversee and coordinate the implementation of a national strategy for fraud and scam prevention. Rep. Jefferson Shreve is the chair of the bipartisan Stop Scams Caucus, of which Rep. Whitesides is a ...

A Lancaster woman was arrested after she allegedly tried to obtain a $4,000 loan in someone else’s name Monday. Around 2 p.m., deputies responded to the 27000 block of McBean Parkway regarding a fraud call involving a loan, said Deputy Mariela Picard, spokesperson for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.  “The suspect… allegedly attempted to obtain a loan using another ...

An Apple Valley couple says they were misled into a series of high-interest short-term loans by a unscrupulous loan officer and his contractor associate — a situation that left them with more than $150,000 in debt, a half-finished home, and the threat of foreclosure. Santa Clarita realtor and consumer advocate Richard Szerman, who previously exposed a similar loan scheme in ...

A Lancaster man was sentenced Monday to nearly five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for depositing over $1.2 million in forged money orders into bank accounts then withdrawing cash from the accounts. According to court documents, from July 31, 2013 to Feb. 13, 2019, Sterlyn Lee Smith Jr., 49, from Lancaster, and dozens of others ...

A woman on federal fraud probation has been arrested after she allegedly falsely impersonated a registered nurse who was hired by Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital as well as Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. In May 2024, the Burbank Police Department first received reports of a woman, Amanda Porter 44, from Virginia who allegedly impersonated a registered nurse at Saint ...

A Canyon Country woman was one of several members and associates of the SFV Peckerwoods, a San Fernando Valley-based white supremacist street gang, arrested by Federal and local law enforcement on a 76-count federal grand jury indictment alleging they engaged in a years-long pattern of criminal activity.  Crime committed included trafficking of drugs — including fentanyl — illegal firearms possession, ...

A Santa Clarita woman was arrested Monday after she allegedly wrote multiple fraudulent checks since October. Deputies took a report on Oct. 12, 2023, in the 28000 block of La Madrid Drive regarding unauthorized bank transactions, said Deputy Kabrina Borbon, spokesperson for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station. “It was reported that multiple withdrawals from the victim’s bank account had ...

A 45-year-old Val Verde woman was arrested Wednesday after she allegedly fraudulently spent $50,000 from a business she was fired from in early 2023. On April 10, 2023, deputies responded to the 31400 block of Ridge Route Road in Castaic regarding a suspected case of fraud, said Deputy Kabrina Borbon, spokesperson for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station. “It was ...