Verdict . News

Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals

7th Circuit Reverses Bank Fraud Convictions, Orders Acquittal

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit granted a petition for panel rehearing and reversed bank fraud convictions for Tonya Robinson and Albert Smith, directing the district court to enter judgments of acquittal. The court's January 28, 2026 order clarified its previous December 15, 2025 opinion with specific remand instructions.

•Seventh Circuit reversed bank fraud convictions on Counts 2-7 but affirmed wire fraud conviction on Count 8

•Court granted defendants' petition for panel rehearing to clarify remand instructions

Second Circuit Court of Appeals

Second Circuit Affirms Paul Fishbein Criminal Conviction

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a criminal conviction against Paul Fishbein in a summary order issued January 27, 2026. The three-judge panel upheld a February 2024 judgment from the Southern District of New York.

•Second Circuit affirmed Paul Fishbein's criminal conviction in summary order

•Three-judge panel upheld February 2024 district court judgment

Third Circuit Court of Appeals

Third Circuit Denies Mandamus Petition in Multi-District Federal Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit denied a mandamus petition filed by Joseph Cammarata, who was convicted in 2022 of conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering involving false claims to securities class action administrators. The non-precedential decision addressed his attempt to compel district court actions across multiple related federal matters.

•Third Circuit denied Joseph Cammarata's mandamus petition seeking to compel district court actions across multiple federal cases

•Cammarata was convicted in 2022 of securities fraud involving false claims to class action administrators, sentenced to 10 years and $48 million liability

•Erica Crabb embezzled over $460,000 using corporate credit cards for personal expenses

6th Circuit Upholds Conviction in $461K Corporate Credit Card Fraud

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the conviction of Erica Crabb, who embezzled over $460,000 from her employer using corporate credit cards for personal expenses. The court upheld her sentence of one year and a day in prison plus three years of supervised release.

•She concealed the fraud through carefully timed payments and false accounting entries

•Hampton convicted on 12 counts including wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering

6th Circuit Upholds 60-Month Sentence for $1.2M Fraud Scheme

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has affirmed the conviction and 60-month prison sentence of Karl Hampton, who was found guilty of orchestrating a fraud scheme that cost victims over $1.2 million. Hampton was convicted on 12 counts including wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

•Scheme involved spending over $1.2 million of other people's money over multiple years

•McDaniels defrauded three federal COVID relief programs of nearly $250,000 using computer-generated fake documents

Sixth Circuit Affirms Conviction in $250K COVID Relief Fraud Scheme

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has upheld the conviction of Vonnie McDaniels, who defrauded federal COVID relief programs of nearly $250,000 through an elaborate scheme involving forged documents and stolen tenant identities.

•The scheme involved assuming tenant identities by using their IDs and forging signatures on falsified legal documents

Jan 21, 2026•4 min read

•Matthew Mencarelli received a 97-month federal prison sentence for wire fraud related to his construction business

6th Circuit Affirms 97-Month Sentence for Michigan Contractor's Fraud Scheme

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed a 97-month prison sentence for Matthew Mencarelli, who operated Matthew's Woodworking LLC in Kent County, Michigan, after he pled guilty to wire fraud. The appeals court rejected Mencarelli's challenge to the district court's refusal to apply an acceptance-of-responsibility reduction to his offense level.

•The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his appeal for an acceptance-of-responsibility reduction

Third Circuit Court of Appeals

Jan 20, 2026•4 min read

Third Circuit Affirms Fraud Convictions of Three DuBose Brothers

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed the criminal convictions of three brothers—Zumar, Abdush, and Kariem DuBose—for their roles in a fraud scheme targeting the United States Postal Service, United Parcel Service, and Citizens Bank. The January 20, 2026 decision rejected multiple appellate arguments from the defendants.

•Three brothers convicted of defrauding USPS, UPS, and Citizens Bank in coordinated scheme

•Third Circuit unanimously affirmed all convictions despite multiple appellate arguments

Jan 16, 2026•4 min read

•Sixth Circuit affirmed conviction of Everette Jhamal Thibou for conspiracy to commit wire fraud in international elder-fraud scheme

6th Circuit Affirms Elder Fraud Conviction, Rejects Suppression Appeals

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the conviction of Everette Jhamal Thibou in an international elder fraud conspiracy case. The court rejected his appeals challenging the denial of motions to suppress evidence and statements obtained during his arrest.

•Court rejected three challenges: suppression of vehicle search evidence, suppression of statements allegedly taken without Miranda warnings, and improper use of victim impact statements at sentencing