10 white-collar fugitives on the FBI's wish list
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's white-collar most wanted list includes all kinds of alleged nonviolent crime, from petty mortgage swindling to fraudulent hedge fund management.
Data show that in the last three years, at least 27 fugitives from the regularly updated list have been captured. Of greater concern to law enforcement, however, are 20 individuals who have managed to evade capture for those three years or longer.
The bureau defines white-collar crime as "the full range of frauds committed by business and government professionals." CNBC.com picked the 10 most interesting cases, some of which offer rewards of up to $20,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Keep your eyes peeled and you could snag some of that prize money!
All information here comes from the FBI database. Read on for the 10 white-collar fugitives on the FBI's wishlist.
By Evelyn Cheng, Special to CNBC.com
Posted 10 Dec. 2013
Eric V. Bartoli
Sought for: conspiracy, securities fraud, sale of unregistered securities, wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, attempted income tax evasion
Eric Bartoli is wanted for involvement in a scheme that allegedly defrauded 800 investors in the Americas, the FBI said. From 1995 to 1999, Bartoli operated Cyprus Funds, which was based in Ohio and incorporated in Central America, investigators said. Along with co-conspirators, Bartoli sold certificates of deposit and unregistered mutual funds through Cyprus, raising an estimated $65 million that the FBI said was used mostly for personal gain.
Bartoli is believed to be in Peru and also goes by the aliases Enrico Orlandini, Enrico Adams and Steve Betts, the FBI said. He is about 5 feet 10 inches tall.
Carlos, Luis and Jose Benitez
Sought for: conspiracy to defraud the U.S. with false health-care claims, money laundering
Brothers Luis, Carlos and Jose Benitez are wanted by the FBI for their alleged involvement in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud Medicare in the Miami area. From 2001 through 2004, the Benitez brothers owned and directed 11 clinics that provided HIV treatment to Medicare beneficiaries. However, those treatments were unnecessary and often were never given to the patients in the first place, authorities claim.
The Benitez's were indicted in May 2008. The brothers may have traveled to Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic or Nicaragua, the FBI said. Luis Benitez is 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs 180 pounds and walks with a limp. Jose is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds, while Carlos is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 180 pounds.
Spiro Edward Germenis
Sought for: fraud by wire
Spiro Edward Germenis is wanted for his alleged orchestration of a Ponzi scheme, and was charged with violating federal fraud by wire laws in 2007. Germenis established an investment management and advisory business named Oracle Evolution in Great Neck, N.Y. He created various hedge funds but eventually lost substantial sums of money due to poorly performing investment choices, gambling and the use of his clients' money to fund a lavish lifestyle, the FBI said. Germenis' clients were middle-class people, including senior citizens who lost their life savings. Together, more than 25 victims lost more than $8 million.
Germenis disappeared in October 2006 after telling his family he was going to a baseball game. Instead, he drove to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and boarded a flight to Athens, Greece, the FBI said. He has not been seen or heard from since. He is 5 feet 10 inches tall.
Fernando Grijalva
Sought for: mail fraud, bank fraud
Using invoices from a fake company he created, the FBI said that Fernando Grijalva allegedly embezzled more than $3 million from a multibillion-dollar company in Boca Raton, Fla., while working as its head of accounts payable. On Dec. 12, 2003, federal and Florida state courts filed a complaint against Grijalva. He is also wanted in Florida for allegedly violating his probation after an unrelated grand theft charge in 2001. Grijalva is 6 feet tall and is most likely in his birth country of Ecuador.
Joseph Wayne McCool
Sought for: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud
Joseph Wayne McCool is wanted for his alleged involvement in a Ponzi scheme based out of Mesa, Ariz. Sometime before February 2004, McCool is accused of conspiring with two others to operate a company called The Brixon Group. McCool allegedly convinced victims to give an estimated $10 million to his venture, which was ostensibly investing in European programs, promising returns of 10 percent a month. McCool also misrepresented himself as a banking expert and assured victims that their money was insured by the State Bar of California.
McCool never invested the funds and allegedly spent most of the money on personal items. He also used new funds to make payments to earlier investors. When Brixon failed to uphold its payment promises, McCool told victims the money was tied up in Europe due to the U.S. Patriot Act and international banking problems, the FBI said. A federal arrest warrant was issued in May 2006.
The FBI believes the 6-foot-2-inch McCool may be in the Philippines.
Farhad 'Fred' Monem
Sought for: conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, bribery, money laundering and interstate travel in aid of racketeering
On Oct. 19, 2007, a federal grand jury in Eugene, Ore., indicted Farhad "Fred" Monem on 20 counts relating to an alleged bribery scheme. The charges stem from Monem's former employment as the food-services administrator for the Oregon Department of Corrections, according to the FBI.
Monem is a naturalized American citizen from Iran, and speaks Farsi and English. He is known to have traveled to Buffalo, N.Y., on July 1, 2007, and has ties to California, Canada and Iran. It is alleged he is a heavy user of marijuana, hashish and alcohol. Monem also likes to gamble. He is 5 feet 10 inches tall.
Odowa Roland Okuomose
Sought for: wire fraud, mail fraud
Odowa Roland Okuomose is wanted for his alleged involvement with a telemarketing company based in Canada that ran a fraudulent lottery, collecting several hundred thousand dollars from victims across the U.S. The victims involved in the scheme received a letter in the mail stating the recipient was the winner of a lottery prize. The telemarketing company asked victims to pay a fee in order to receive their prize. None of the victims received the promised winnings, the FBI said. Okuomose was arrested in November 2007 in Canada and released from custody on bail, which he violated.
The FBI believes Okuomose may be traveling in Thailand, North America, London or Lagos, Nigeria, possibly using a false name such as Roland Saah. Okuomose stands 6 feet tall and is a Nigerian national.
Orit Tuil
Sought for: conspiracy to commit wire fraud
Orit Tuil is wanted for her alleged participation in a large-scale real estate scheme in New York. As a real estate broker, the FBI said, Tuil would either find fraudulent buyers to purchase houses or have people whose houses were in foreclosure transfer the deeds to her. Once she had the deeds, Tuil would then obtain mortgages and sell the properties to other buyers, keeping the proceeds for herself, according to investigators.
A federal arrest warrant was issued in June 2010 in New York, and Tuil was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She had previously lived in Forest Hills, N.Y., and Flushing, N.Y., but the FBI believes she may be living in Israel. Tuil is 5 feet 5 inches tall.