Latest news with #Scammed
Edmonton Journal
27-06-2025
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton romance fraudster to be locked up indefinitely after judge declares him a dangerous offender
"Mr. Kent is a dangerous offender whose criminal behaviour causes severe psychological damage." Get the latest from Jonny Wakefield straight to your inbox Jeffrey Kent, seen in a screengrab from the TV show Scammed, was deemed a dangerous offender and handed an indeterminate sentence June 27, 2025, for five romance frauds against women in Edmonton. Photo by Canamedia HD Inc. Calling him a pathological liar who's ruined multiple women's lives — and will almost certainly do so again if released — an Edmonton judge deemed a serial romance fraudster a dangerous offender and sentenced him to a prison term with no set end date. Court of King's Bench Justice Melanie Hayes-Richards on Friday handed Jeff Kent, 55, an indeterminate sentence for frauds against five women in the Edmonton area, all of whom he met on dating sites before concocting elaborate stories to defraud them of tens of thousands of dollars. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The outcome follows sentencing process that took multiple years due to its complexity and uniqueness: an expert on Canada's dangerous offender system previously told Postmedia it is 'highly unusual' for a dangerous offender application to be pursued in a financial crimes case — much less granted. Hayes-Richards, however, found Kent met the criteria. 'Mr. Kent is a dangerous offender whose criminal behaviour causes severe psychological damage,' she said. 'He is a predator who targeted vulnerable single women, some of whom were recently separated, and some of whom had young children. 'Using lie upon lie, he inserted himself into his victims' lives, promising a bright and secure future. Instead, he wreaked havoc. He destroyed their finances and left some financial destitute.' Hayes-Richards also ordered Kent to make restitution to the women, who he owes a combined $177,000. The court found Kent used most of the money to finance a 'lavish' lifestyle and gambling addiction. Kent has been in custody at the Edmonton Remand Centre since his arrest Sept. 24, 2018, making him one of the jail's longest serving prisoners. He has previously spoken to this newspaper about conditions in the facility, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has a lengthy, related criminal record dating back to the early 1990s in British Columbia, where he was convicted of more than a dozen fraud counts. More to come. jwakefield@ @ Read More Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun Cult of Hockey Cult of Hockey Crime Edmonton Oilers Cult of Hockey
Washington Post
17-03-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
The Post is recognized with five Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing awards
Washington Post journalists on the Business and Technology desk were recognized with five awards as part of the 2024 Best in Business competition by SABEW, the nation's largest association of business journalists. Michelle Singletary won the top award in the Commentary/Opinion division, Large Market, for her multimedia series 'Scammed,' about a Maryland woman cheated out of her life savings by a con artist posing as an FBI agent. The judges called the seven-part series 'a 'wow' story that puts the reader deep inside a sophisticated financial scam operation,' praised Michelle for going the extra mile in her reporting and applauded how the videos, illustrations and other visual elements 'further humanize the story, vividly demonstrating how scam victims are manipulated.' Koen De Gussem illustrated the project, with animation by Charlotte Dua, Karolien Raeymaekers and Bavo Croes. The project was edited by Robbie DiMesio, and included contributions from Kathleen Rudell-Brooks, Audrey Valbuena, Josh Carroll, Amber Ferguson, Tom LeGro, Haley Hamblin, Junne Alcantara, KC Schaper, Rivan Stinson, Sophie Yarbrough, Maite Fernandez Simon, Megan Bridgeman and Kathleen Floyd. Michelle and Charla Freeland also won in the podcast/audio category for their Post Reports podcast episode on the project, which the judges said 'leaps off the page, or in this case, out of the speakers.' These are Michelle's third and fourth SABEW honors: In 2022, she won for a series of columns about how the Internal Revenue Service is failing low-income citizens. And in 2019 she became the first woman of color to be presented with SABEW's Distinguished Achievement Award. The Post also won in the retail category, where Lauren Kaori Gurley, Emmanuel Martinez and Julia Mata were honored for a selection of investigative stories about child labor in the fast-food industry. 'The investigation had a big impact, pushing powerful investment managers and public treasurers to demand McDonald's take tougher steps to address child labor violations at its franchises,' the judges wrote. The judges also praised a gorgeously rendered comic about a high school senior illegally scheduled to work late and long hours at a Los Angeles McDonald's. The project was edited by Jen Liberto. In addition, SABEW judges recognized Post journalists with two honorable mentions: The winners will be recognized at SABEW's annual conference April 3-5 in Washington, D.C. Please join us in congratulating these remarkable journalists!
