Crime News Insider

In April, an investigative report from the North Carolina State Auditor states a North Carolina charter school falsified student records and misused school funding, to the tune of $400K. Earlier this year a man in Minnesota was charged with misspending $30M dollars in federal funding for meals for children, spending it instead on luxury cars and lakefront properties. Other charter school scandals have been reported throughout the country.

San Diego Deputy DA Leon Schorr joins the podcast to discuss the A3 Charter School Fraud case. Deputy DA Schorr led the prosecution team that uncovered a scheme that defrauded California of $400M. After a year of investigation, thousands of pages of discovery, and the testimony of 70 witnesses, a San Diego grand jury returned a 235-page indictment. The prosecution team secured numerous convictions, recovered $230M in stolen funds, and imposed a $37M fine against the main two fraudsters.

Quiz: 2 are real, 1 is fake; can you guess which one is the fake?

A. Charles Ponzi, convicted of mail fraud in 1920, schemed his investors by promising them a 50% return in 45 days if they invested in his business of buying and selling postal reply coupons.

B. The phrase “If you believe that, then I've got a bridge to sell you” comes from the crimes of George C. Parker, who in the late 1800s was convicted of fraud after duping customers by selling them the Brooklyn Bridge.

C. The term “con man” comes from “confidence man”, a term attributed to Frank Murphy who was convicted of fraud in 1929 after selling fake stocks outside the New York Stock Exchange.

Please leave a rating and review wherever you listen to the podcast. Thank you for listening!

Disclaimer: The views expressed on this podcast are solely of the speakers and do not reflect the views of the Deputy DA's Association nor the District Attorney.

Questions and comments can be emailed to [email protected].

Featured in the Top 10 Criminal Law Podcasts!

Website: https://sdddaa.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SanDiegoDDAs/

Twitter: @CrimeNewsInsidr, @SanDiegoDDAs

Instagram: @sandiegoddas

Music by: The Only Ocean - "Snake"

Image by: Pixabay user Michael Gaida.

Deputy DA Scott Pirrello joins the podcast to discuss his fight against elder abuse.

Background: The Wall Street Journal recently reported a surge in elder abuse cases, stoked by the pandemic. “Elder Abuse Spreads, Stoked by the Pandemic.”

In Pittsburgh, 2 people were initially arrested for elder abuse for neglecting the care of a 76 year old woman, and used the woman’s money for their personal use and admitted to not bathing her possibly for years. A third person also in charge of caring for her was arrested the next day on December 23, 2021.

According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, as of 2018 there were 52.4 million adults 65 and over in the United States. For the first time, in 2034, it is anticipated that older Americans will outnumber children. Global estimates from a recent meta-analysis reflect that one in six elders, or 15.7%, in the community experienced past year abuse.

Bio: Deputy District Attorney Scott Pirrello is the Head of Elder Abuse Prosecutions for the San Diego District Attorney’s Office and has been a prosecutor for 16 years. Since 2009, Scott has been assigned to the Family Protection Division prosecuting Elder Abuse, Domestic Violence, and Child Abuse cases. Scott now focuses exclusively on prosecuting all varieties of Elder Abuse including physical, financial, sexual, and neglect cases. Scott is an expert in Elder Abuse enforcement, prosecution, and on the multi-disciplinary team approach to Elder Abuse prevention.

Check out his Op-Ed in the San Diego Union Tribune, entitled "We need more than education to stop elder scams. We need law enforcement."

Laws on the Books Quiz: 3 are real, 1 is fake; can you guess which one is the fake?

A. In Japan, the country with the oldest population, elder abuse laws prohibit caregivers from committing psychological abuse, including negative or injurious speech.

B. In Niger, the country with the youngest population, it’s illegal to import an elder from another country in order to collect the government’s elder caregiver benefits.

C. In the United States, in 1986, the “Gray Panthers” successfully lobbied Congress to prohibit employers from imposing a mandatory retirement at the age of 70.

D. In China, it’s illegal to neglect or snub elderly parents.

Disclaimer: The views expressed on this podcast are solely of the speakers and do not reflect the views of the Deputy DA's Association nor the District Attorney.

Questions and comments can be emailed to [email protected].

Featured in the Top 10 Criminal Law Podcasts!

Website: https://sdddaa.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SanDiegoDDAs

Twitter: @CrimeNewsInsidr, @SanDiegoDDAs

Music by: The Only Ocean - "Snake"

Image by: Pixabay user Michael Gaida.

We review podcast stats, quiz stats, provide an update on cases, and discuss crime news we didn't get to cover. We also play some of our funniest moments from this year and some outtakes. Thanks for listening and have a happy new year!

Disclaimer: The views expressed on this podcast are solely of the speakers and do not reflect the views of the Deputy DA's Association nor the District Attorney.

Questions and comments can be emailed to [email protected].

Featured in the Top 10 Criminal Law Podcasts!

Website: https://sdddaa.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SanDiegoDDAs

Twitter: @CrimeNewsInsidr, @SanDiegoDDAs

Music by: The Only Ocean - "Snake"

Image by: Pixabay user Michael Gaida.

A Best Buy in Minneapolis, a Louis Vuitton store in Chicago, and a Nordstrom in Walnut Creek, CA were all struck recently by organized retail theft. But even before these high-profile thefts in the news, some cities have been plagued by constant theft. Wal-Greens in San Francisco had to close 5 stores due to rampant and brazen shoplifting. A Safeway in SF’s Castro neighborhood previously was open 24 hours a day, but will now operate from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m due to the relentless shoplifting.

In San Diego, it’s been a problem as well. A couple years ago, a 7-Eleven reported constant shoplifting, noting that the thieves would come in and steal something every day. Even before the pandemic, in California we’ve seen an uptick in theft after the passage of Prop 47, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

Bio: Anna Winn was hired as a Deputy District Attorney in the previous century. She prosecuted various types of crimes for years until she found THE coolest people to work with. Of course that means bank investigators, financial crimes detectives, and anyone who knows that “ORCA” is not a whale. For the past 10 years, Anna has been assigned to the San Diego Regional Fraud Task Force, prosecuting cases from both local and federal law enforcement officers. Anna’s caseload includes defendants committing identity theft, manufacturing counterfeit money, and embezzling more than $100,000. To spice up her caseload, Anna also prosecutes rings of thieves who (wrongly) think they can take whatever they want from retail stores without penalty.

Laws on the Books: Each week we end the episode on a light note and look at the laws on the books and do a quiz. 3 are real, 1 is fake; can you guess which one is the fake?

A. In Florida, it’s illegal to steal the manure from a commercially registered animal of the bovine class.

B. In Delaware, it’s illegal for a pawnbroker to take or receive as a pledge any artificial limb.

C. In New Jersey, felony theft is set at $200 or greater, which is the lowest threshold for felony theft in the United States.

D. In Colville, Washington, the mayor is authorized to issue one reward in the amount of $150 to anyone who furnishes information that leads to the identification and conviction of person who has stolen municipal property.

Disclaimer: The views expressed on this podcast are solely of the speakers and do not reflect the views of the Deputy DA's Association nor the District Attorney.

Questions and comments can be emailed to [email protected].

Featured in the Top 10 Criminal Law Podcasts!

Website: https://sdddaa.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SanDiegoDDAs

Twitter: @CrimeNewsInsidr, @SanDiegoDDAs

Music by: The Only Ocean - "Snake"

Image by: Pixabay user Michael Gaida.

San Diego County is the 5th most populous county in the United States, and the second most populous county in California. The City of San Diego is, by many measures, one of the safest major cities in the United States. The San Diego DA’s office is the second largest DA’s office in California and has 1,000 employees.

Bio: Summer Stephan was the first DA in San Diego to rise through the ranks as a prosecutor to become the elected DA. As a trial prosecutor, she tried more than 100 jury trials, including cases of complex homicides, sexually-violent predators, child molestation, sexual assaults, school shooting, and human trafficking-related cases. She served as Chief of the DA’s North County Branch and Chief of the Sex Crimes and Human Trafficking Division, a special victims unit she pioneered, and an area of the law where she is a national leader, named a “Modern Day Abolitionist” and received numerous awards.

Summer served on the Governor’s Task Force for High-Risk Sex Offenders and Sexually-Violent Predators. She spearheaded the innovative “Know the Price” campaign, which focused on reducing sexual assaults on college campuses. She also led the award-winning “The Ugly Truth” human trafficking awareness campaign as well as the “San Diego Opioid Project,” aimed at reducing opioid overdoses. Summer led a coordinated effort to protect the community from targeted mass violence with a School Threats Task Force that implemented a unified protocol with all 42 school districts in San Diego County. In addition, she began an effective Veterans Treatment model in North County inspired by a heroic Marine Corps veteran.

In June of 2018, San Diego County voters overwhelmingly elected Summer as District Attorney, a career prosecutor who has devoted her life to protecting children and families, and providing justice to the most vulnerable.

Show: DA Stephan talks about human trafficking, the prosecution of the Kelly Elementary School shooter, domestic violence, the opening of the North County Family Justice Center, the new Elder Justice Center, and much more.

Laws on the Books: Each week we end the episode on a light note and look at the laws on the books and do a quiz. 2 are real, 1 is fake; can you guess which one is the fake?

1. In North Carolina, it’s illegal to have a bingo game last more than 5 hours.
2. In South Carolina, it’s illegal to operate a dance hall within a quarter of a mile of a church.
3. In Severance, Colorado, it’s illegal to throw snowballs.

Disclaimer: The views expressed on this podcast are solely of the speakers and do not reflect the views of the Deputy DA's Association nor the District Attorney.

Questions and comments can be emailed to [email protected].

Featured in the Top 10 Criminal Law Podcasts!

Website: https://sdddaa.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SanDiegoDDAs

Twitter: @CrimeNewsInsidr, @SanDiegoDDAs

Music by: The Only Ocean - "Snake"

Image by: Pixabay user Michael Gaida.