Fakes, Hoaxes, and Impostors

SOUTH BEND -- Once a prominent force in local politics, with his stout figure and bespectacled face a given at events like Dyngus Day, former chairman of the county's Democratic Party Owen "Butch" Morgan will be sentenced Monday for his role in a ballot...

KASTELORIZO, Greece - When George Papandreou declared Greece was effectively bankrupt in April 2010, the former prime minister chose to do so standing by the sparkling harbor waters of Kastelorizo, a remote Aegean island. It has turned out to be a fitting...

Two people were arrested on suspicion of theft and forgery, among other offenses after Sheriff’s Investigators concluded an investigation that stemmed from theft of mail from an El Centro residence. Rene Ruiz, 22, of Brawley and Michael Jabari,...

CALEXICO — Two men were arrested Thursday afternoon following a traffic stop that lead to the discovery of 34 packages of marijuana in the car they were driving, according to Calexico police call logs. Around 3 p.m., Calexico police pulled over...

A married couple from Colchester who attempted to pay for a house with a fake check for nearly $500,000 was arrested Thursday, police said. Kimberly and Scott Gross, both 41, allegedly gave an altered check for $472,204 to a Glastonbury attorney in...

Jillian Soto remembers the day she stumbled across a website that showed photos of her at her sister's funeral — and was horrified to read accusations that she had faked grief as part of an elaborate government hoax. Only a month earlier, Victoria...

A Cook County  judge today sentenced a north suburban mother of two who authorities say posed as a licensed drug counselor to five years in prison for depositing into her own bank account insurance checks made out to one of her clients. Kimberly Even,...

A woman who authorities say posed as a licensed drug councilor in Glencoe will be sentenced in June on charges that she committed forgery when she deposited insurance company checks to her bank account, even though the checks were made out to the father...

A state Senator who has legislation that would increase the penalties for hoax 911 calls known as "swatting" was himself the victim of such a prank call Friday. Police received an anonymous text message sent through an operator that reported a...

Los Angeles police said Tuesday night that a bomb threat that forced employees at the KTLA-TV studios in Hollywood to be evacuated was a hoax. "It was a hoax call," Los Angeles Police Department Officer Christopher No told The Times. "The guy called and...

A forgery investigation led state police to an active methamphetamine lab in Summit Township. State police said Jordan O'Donnell, 22, and Matthew Bowman, 29, both of 7052 Mason Dixon Highway, were found with an active meth lab in their second-floor...

Someone calls a television station and makes a bomb threat, causing a phalanx of police to race to the scene. It’s a hoax. Someone sees a package they think is a bomb, temporarily shuttering a city hall over terrorism fears. It’s a fake....