10 White Collar Criminals Wanted by the FBI

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s “10 Most Wanted List” has included some of the world’s most notorious criminals, including Osama Bin Laden, Ted Bundy, and Warren Jeffs — totaling 494 since the list’s creation in 1950. With the success of the FBI’s “Most Wanted” list, the bureau in 1996 began putting wanted criminals on its website. Since then, more than 50 fugitives have been arrested as a result of their images and information appearing on the site.

Along with the “Most Wanted,” other criminals are being sought by the FBI in a variety of categories from violent crimes and cyber crimes to domestic terrorism and crimes against children. The FBI believes its efforts would be assisted by increased public awareness, according to a spokesperson. One of the “Wanted by the FBI” categories, “white-collar crime,” highlights business or government professionals who are alleged to have defrauded institutions, organizations, or individual investors out of large sums of money.

As of this writing, the number of white-collar criminals listed on the website stands at 32, but with the help of the FBI we’ve highlighted some of the most interesting and excessive fugitives that are still on the run. Some even carry rewards of up to $100,000 for information leading to their arrest, so it could pay to be on the lookout.

Who are some of these white-collar criminals and what did they do? Click ahead for 10 fugitives wanted by the FBI.

By Paul Toscano
Posted 21 October 2011

Since this story's original publish date, Berke has been apprehended by the FBI.

Crime: Mail fraud

Gerald Berke is wanted for his alleged involvement in a Ponzi scheme that defrauded approximately 500 investors out of more than $81 million, according to the FBI. From about 2003 until 2009, Berke allegedly used a shell company, GJB Enterprises, to solicit investors under the pretense that he was loaning businesses money to manage cash flows. Investors were allegedly told that the business would generate an 18 percent return on investment.

Berke allegedly used the investors’ money to make payments to earlier investors (which eventually stopped), and as well as for personal expenses. Berke is believed to have fled from the U.S. to Canada, and the FBI believes he has been residing in the Vancouver area.

Crime: Conspiracy to commit wire fraud

Orit Tuil is wanted for her alleged participation in a large-scale real estate scheme in New York City. As a real estate broker, Tuil would allegedly either find fraudulent buyers to purchase houses or get people whose houses were in foreclosure to transfer the deeds to her. Once she had the deeds, Tuil would then obtain mortgages and sell the properties to other fraudulent buyers, keeping the proceeds for herself.

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 and Flushing, N.Y., but the FBI believes she may currently live in Israel.

See Tuil's FBI "Wanted" Poster

Reward: Up to $100,000 for information leading directly to arrest

Crime: Fraud by wire; RICO conspiracy; mail fraud; money laundering conspiracy; money laundering; aiding and abetting; securities fraud; filing false registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission; false filings with the SEC; and falsification of books and records

Semion Mogilevich is not only an alleged white-collar criminal, but he is also on the FBI’s "10 Most Wanted" list, sought for his alleged participation in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud thousands of investors in the stock of a public company incorporated in Canada, between 1993 and 1998. The scheme to defraud collapsed in 1998, after thousands of investors lost in excess of $150 million, according to the FBI. Mogilevich, thought to have allegedly funded and authorized the scheme, was indicted in April 2003.

Mogilevich is thought to go by a number of aliases, including Seva Moguilevich, Semon Yudkovich Palagnyuk, Semen Yukovich Telesh, Simeon Mogilevitch, Semjon Mogilevcs, Shimon Makelwitsh, Shimon Makhelwitsch, Sergei Yurevich Schnaider, and "Seva."

See Mogilevich's FBI "Wanted" Poster

Reward: Up to $1,000 for information leading directly to arrest 

Crime: Failure to appear (mortgage fraud)

John Dimitrion and his wife Julieanne pleaded guilty in April 2009 to operating a fraud scheme in which they used companies they owned to convince distressed homeowners to relinquish their homes under the premise of improving their financial position. The Dimitrions promised to invest the proceeds of the home sales, but instead used the victims' money to fund their own lavish lifestyle. As a result, multiple families in Oahu, Hawaii, lost their homes.

The Dimitrions were to be sentenced in the U.S. District Court in Honolulu, Hawaii, on July 6, 2010, but failed to appear at the sentencing. A federal arrest warrant for failure to appear was then issued for each of them and they are individually listed on the FBI’s website.

The Dimitrions were last known to be in the Mililani area of Oahu, Hawaii. John Dimitrion reportedly has expensive tastes in sports cars, clothing, and jewelry. He is also a known enthusiast for high-end personal electronics and has a large collection of Airsoft replica firearms. Julieanne also has expensive tastes in clothing, specifically high-end lingerie, designer purses, and shoes, according to the FBI.

See John Dimitrion's FBI "Wanted" Poster
See Julieanne Dimitrion's FBI "Wanted" Poster

Crime: Unlawful flight to avoid prosecution; failure to appear (bank fraud)

Harold Rangel is wanted for bribing a bank officer and falsifying bank records. He’s also under investigation for his alleged participation in a high-yield investment and mortgage fraud conspiracy in the Los Angeles area. The scheme targeted approximately 600 Latino families, causing them to invest more than $35 million, according to the FBI. Rangel has two federal warrants out on him, both issued in 2009, for failure to appear at a pre-trial hearing and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Rangel has ties to Pachuca, Mexico, and the FBI believes he may be residing in that country.

See Harold Rangel's FBI "Wanted" Poster

Reward: Up to $20,000 for information leading to arrest and conviction

Crime: 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, and he 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 5’10’’ tall and was born in Iran.

See Farhad Monem's FBI "Wanted" Poster

Crime: Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud

Joseph Wayne McCool is being sought by the FBI for his alleged involvement in a Ponzi scheme that was based out of Mesa, Ariz. Sometime before February 2004, McCool allegedly conspired with two other individuals to operate a company called The Brixon Group, which fraudulently solicited millions of dollars from the public. McCool convinced victims to give an estimated $10 million to his venture, which was ostensibly investing in European programs promising returns of 10 percent per month. McCool, who misrepresented himself as a banking expert, also assured victims their money was insured by the State Bar of California and said the investments were free of risk.

McCool never invested the funds and is alleged to have used a substantial portion of the money for personal use. He also used new funds to make payments to earlier investors. When Brixon failed to make promised payments to investors, McCool responded by telling victims the money was tied up in Europe due to the U.S. Patriot Act and various international banking problems, according to the FBI, which issued a federal arrest warrant in May 2006.

The FBI believes McCool may be residing in the Philippines.

See Joseph McCool's FBI "Wanted" Poster

Crime: Violation of release conditions (fraud by wire)

In October 2005, convicted felon Craig John Oliver pleaded guilty to defrauding 68 Virginia and Maryland homeowners out of more than $2.5 million through his home-renovation business. From 2002 until 2005, Oliver used fraudulent business licenses and induced clients to make payments for work that was never completed.

Oliver was released from jail on bond, but violated his release conditions. A warrant was issued for his arrest in December 2005. Oliver then failed to appear in court in January 2006 and was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in federal prison.

Oliver is believed to have fled the Fairfax, Va., area in November 2005, according to the FBI, and is believed to be in Arizona or San Diego, Calif. He was last seen driving a green 1998 Chevy Tahoe with an Arizona license AAX-6801.

See Craig John Oliver's FBI "Wanted" Poster

Crime: Fraud by wire

Spiro Edward Germenis is wanted for his alleged orchestration of a Ponzi scheme, and has been 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 and expanded his business by attracting new investors through networking groups and personal referrals.

Germenis eventually lost substantial sums of money due to poor investment choices, gambling, and the use of his clients' money to fund a lavish lifestyle. He then allegedly sent his clients falsified financial statements showing excellent investment returns, which prompted victims to give him more money. The scheme eventually collapsed when one of his largest investors sought to withdraw money from one of the hedge funds.

The majority of those doing business with Germenis were middle-class people, and some were senior citizens who invested and lost their life savings. Together, more than 25 victims lost over $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. He has not been seen or heard from since. He is 5’10” and weighs between 200 and 220 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. He was born on Oct. 28, 1972.

See Spiro Germenis' FBI "Wanted" Poster

Crime: Wire fraud, mail fraud

Odowa Roland Okuomose is wanted for his alleged involvement with a telemarketing company that ran a fraudulent lottery, collecting several hundred thousand dollars from victims across the U.S. The company operated from British Columbia, Canada, under a variety of names and was believed to be in operation between July 2006 and October 2007.

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 and none of the victims received the promised winnings.

In November 2007, Okuomose was arrested in Surrey, British Columbia, on charges of wire and mail fraud. He was released from custody on bail and subsequently violated the terms of his bail conditions. In addition to an outstanding U.S. warrant, there has also been a Canada-wide warrant issued for his arrest.

The FBI believes Okuomose may be traveling throughout Thailand, North America, London, England, and Lagos, Nigeria, possibly using a false name. One alias provided by the FBI is Roland Saah. Okuomose stands 6’ tall, weighs 191 pounds, and is a Nigerian national.

See Odowa Roland Okuomose's FBI "Wanted" Poster