Latest news with #BullRunFiltrationProject
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US Attorney's Office files to recover $6.7M stolen in scam against City of Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — After the City of Portland was targeted by a $6.7 million fraud scheme earlier this year, the United States Attorney's Office has announced it is taking action to return the lost funds. According to the City of Portland, they originally became aware of the scam back in February, when someone posing as a contracted employee with the city gained access to a payment system, then rerouted the contractor's bank information to the scam account. Portland city workers avert strike after reaching tentative agreement The USAO said the city then notified law enforcement in March when the contractor's intended payment – which was set aside for use in the Bull Run Filtration Project – instead went to an unauthorized bank account. Initially, the city filed a lawsuit against a New York law firm whose account held the deposited funds, Portland officials said. According to that suit, a man going by the alias John Lisman allegedly fraudulently presented himself as a vendor for the Bull Run Filtration Project and manipulated city officials into rerouting the $6.7 million. However, the lawsuit was dropped after the law firm provided information supporting that they were also a victim, according to the city. 'Ongoing security concerns' spark closure of West Burnside burger joint On April 16, the USAO and FBI obtained a search warrant and officials successfully seized the funds, which were then placed in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, USAO said. Now, USAO announced Friday they have filed a civil forfeiture action to recover the funds alleged to be the proceeds from the fraud scheme. They add this will 'allow the government to move quickly to seize the stolen funds, seek legal ownership of them, then promptly return them to the victims.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City of Portland targeted in $6.7 million fraud scheme
PORTLAND, Ore. () — City of Portland officials said they are working with local and federal law enforcement agencies to investigate a $6.7 million fraud scheme. About $6.7 million set aside for use in the Bull Run Filtration Project was redirected due to the fraudulent activity, according to . Unhappy homeowners target Habitat for Humanity lunch Initially, the city filed a lawsuit against a New York law firm whose account held the deposited funds, Portland officials said. However, the lawsuit will be dropped after 'the law firm provided information supporting that they were also a victim.' 'The law firm has cooperated with the City of Portland and others to facilitate securing the funds,' the City of Portland said in a press release. 'The funds are currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.' The city said it is taking the matter seriously, will work to hold others accountable and is committed to transparency as the investigation continues. They also said the information that they can share about the case may be limited as the investigation is underway. According to the original lawsuit, a man going by the alias John Lisman allegedly fraudulently presented himself as a vendor for the Bull Run Filtration Project and manipulated city officials into rerouting the $6.7 million. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
