Nations unite to wipe out telecom fraud centers and more

Nations unite to wipe out telecom fraud centers

China, Myanmar and Thailand have joined forces to tackle telecom fraud centers operating in Myanmar. The three countries, with assistance from authorities in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, agreed to arrest criminal syndicate leaders and rescue victims trapped in fraud centers during a meeting in Kunming, China.

China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, implored Southeast Asian countries to clamp down on online gambling and telecom fraud, as well. China’s push to combat online scams intensified following high-profile cases, including one involving a missing Chinese actor found near the Thai-Myanmar border. Thai police think the 22-year-old actor, Wang Xing, was a human-trafficking victim. Myanmar has deported more than 53,000 Chinese nationals involved in online fraud since 2023, citing humanitarian grounds.

Putting the paws on cat drug fraud

Nicole Randall, a 37-year-old Texas woman, was sentenced to one year of probation after pleading guilty to smuggling and distributing an unapproved, altered drug, GS-441524, used to treat feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). In 2024, Randall was charged with introducing an adulterated drug into interstate commerce and had to forfeit $4 million worth of assets, including a Tesla, properties and 10 financial accounts as part of a plea agreement. Between 2020 and 2022, Randall smuggled the drug into the U.S. by disguising it as face masks and beauty products. Randall deceived cat owners who were part of the Facebook group “FIP Warriors 5.0” by falsely diagnosing their pets and prescribing the drug despite having no veterinary qualifications.

In August 2021, a special agent with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration joined the group and submitted photos of a healthy cat. Randall incorrectly diagnosed the feline with FIP, prescribed GS-441524 and requested payment for the unapproved medication through Paypal, Zelle or CashApp, explicitly avoiding any mention of cat medicine, vials, pills or brand names in the payment description. Randall’s scheme involved the distribution of 58,460 liquid vials and 236,836 pills of GS-441524, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon.

More prison time for former Mozambique finance minister in ‘tuna bond’ scandal

A U.S. federal judge added two-and-a-half years to the prison sentence of former Mozambique finance minister, Manuel Chang, and ordered him to forfeit $7 million in assets. Chang, who has served six years in prison in the U.S. and South Africa, was a key participant in the “tuna bond” scandal, facilitating $2 billion in fraudulent loans intended to fund maritime projects, such as a tuna fishing fleet, a shipyard and Coast Guard vessels.

The East African country plunged into massive debt after three government-controlled companies defaulted on the fraudulent loans. Chang pocketed $7 million in bribes funneled through U.S. banks to European accounts, and the scandal caused widespread poverty and economic instability in Mozambique. The case led to multiple high-profile convictions and sparked ongoing recovery efforts in the country.

Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

‘Gold Bar Bob’ sentenced to 11 years in prison

Former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez will be reporting to prison in June after receiving an 11-year sentence for accepting bribes and acting as an agent of Egypt. As detailed in the indictment, Menendez; his wife, Nadine; and businessmen Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes were engaged in a bribery scheme between 2018 and 2022.

Hana, Uribe and Daibes paid Menendez and his wife hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold bars, a Mercedes Benz, mortgage payments and home furnishings, in exchange for Menendez agreeing to use the power of his office to enrich the businessmen and provide preferential treatment for the government of Egypt. During a search of Menendez’s home, FBI agents discovered $150,000 worth of gold bars (earning him the “Gold Bar Bob” moniker), $480,000 in cash and the Mercedes. Menendez, who resigned from the Senate in 2024, plans to appeal.