May 21, 2012

“3 Hebrew Boys” victims receive payments

Investors are receiving back some of the money back they entrusted with a South Carolina trio dubbed the “3 Hebrew Boys,” currently serving decades in prison for an $82 million scam.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says roughly 3,800 investors have been sent checks totaling some $19 million, or about 46 cents for every dollar invested. The payouts are the first to victims who say they were fleeced by Joseph Brunson, Timothy McQueen and Tony Pough, formerly of Columbia.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Winston Holiday said the three hoodwinked investors by assuring them they would be able to pay off substantial debt in a relatively short period of time. “They told people that if they gave them certain amounts of money, which were usually in the low thousands, that after anywhere from a year to 18 months that they could be paying off major expenses like their houses, cars, credit card bills, student loans, that kind of thing,” he told Columbia radio station WVOC. ”And, of course, it just turned out to be a Ponzi scheme – that they were just using the money that was coming in to pay people who had previously given them money.”

Holliday says the “3 Hebrew Boys” used investors’ money to buy a private jet, luxury suites at stadiums for the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons, a fleet of cars, homes in Florida, condos in Atlanta, a $900,000 party bus and more.

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Thursday’s weather

Look for mostly sunny skies for the Upstate to mostly cloudy skies for the Lowcountry for your Thursday. Highs will top in the low 80s across the state. A slight chance for showers will be in the Midlands with a better chance for showers, thunderstorms in the Lowcountry. Look for evening showers in the Lowcountry ,with partly to mostly cloudy skies for the rest of the state with lows in the low to mid 60s.

Weather reports are provided by South Carolina Radio Network staff meteorologist, Tom Crawford (from WCIV-TV, Charleston).

Newberry nursing home bilked by bookkeeper

A Newberry woman has pleaded guilty to embezzlement and fraud from a Newberry nursing home. Tina Clinton of Newberry pleaded guilty in federal court in Greenville to one count of embezzlement and five counts of filing false tax returns,  stemming from her job as a bookkeeper at the JF Hawkins Nursing home between 2005 and 2009.

Prosecutors said Clinton embezzled a total of $441,000 from the nursing home  and that none of the residents lost money because the loss was covered by a bonding company.

As part of her plea agreement she must make restitution to the bonding company.

Federal Judge Michelle Childs has temporarily delayed Clinton’s sentencing.  She could face as much 25 years imprisonment and close to $1 million in fines.

DHEC: No “conclusive link” between Spartanburg restaurant, E. coli outbreak

The state’s public health agency said Wednesday it has found no “conclusive link” between a Spartanburg-area Mexican restaurant and a recent E. coli outbreak. The restaurant also agreed to identify itself for the first time.

The state Department of Health and Environmental Control said it has found no ongoing evidence of disease or public health threat at the El Mexicano restaurant on East Main Street in Spartanburg.

“While it is our policy not to release information during a pending investigation unless it affects the health of the citizens of South Carolina, the (restaurant) has voluntarily agreed to release its name to the public.” DHEC Director Catherine Templeton said in a statement. “We’ve found no conclusive link between the restaurant and those who have gotten sick during this outbreak.”

Templeton said the management of El Mexicano #6 has cooperated fully with DHEC inspectors, who found no substantial violations during the restaurant’s most recent inspection on May 11 where the facility scored an “A” rating. The restaurant also scored an “A” rating during an unannounced routine inspection in February.

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Doctor arrested, accused of groping patient

An Orangeburg doctor has been arrested and charged with assault and battery in the second degree after a patient complained that he touched her inappropriately back in November 2011.

57-year-old Robert Major Jones of Orangeburg was booked into the Allendale County Detention Center Monday morning. He is accused of groping a female patient while at the Low Country Health Care System in the town of Fairfax.

According to a SLED arrest affidavit, Dr. Jones concluded the examination on a patient on November 4 and touched her “on the butt” as she attempted to leave the exam room. The victim, investigators said, pushed Jones back and asked him what he was doing. She said, as she attempted to leave again, Jones grabbed her from behind and groped both of her breasts. She then used her elbow to shove him away.

The case is the result of an investigation conducted by SLED at the request of the Fairfax Police Department.