Reddit-linked fraud cases

Federal fraud prosecutions can rely on the wire fraud statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1343, which prohibits using interstate wire communications, including internet and telephone communications, to carry out a scheme to defraud or to obtain money or property by false or fraudulent pretences. Section 1349 provides that attempting or conspiring to commit certain fraud offences, including wire fraud, is punishable by the same penalties as the offence itself. Because online schemes involve electronic communications, wire fraud is one provision that can apply.

Fraud connected to securities, such as the offer or trading of stock, is addressed by section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, codified at 15 U.S.C. § 78j(b), together with the rules made under it. In general terms it prohibits the use of manipulative or deceptive devices in connection with the purchase or sale of a security. Under the Exchange Act's criminal penalty provision, 15 U.S.C. § 78ff(a), criminal liability attaches to a person who wilfully violates the Act or its rules. Civil enforcement is handled separately by the Securities and Exchange Commission, so a civil settlement and a criminal conviction are different outcomes.

States prosecute fraud, theft by deception, and related offences under their own laws. Cases outside the United States follow the law of the prosecuting country. This overview is general background and not legal advice, and it is not a statement about the guilt of any person listed on this page.

A case appears under fraud only where there is a documented Reddit nexus. That means the defendant used Reddit to commit, coordinate, advertise, or first draw law-enforcement attention to the offence, or that a Reddit CyberTip, a subpoena response, or a direct report to the police or the FBI produced the charge. The bar is deliberately strict. A widely reported case is excluded unless the Reddit connection is documented in the charging papers, court records, or contemporaneous reporting; simply holding a Reddit account is not enough, and incidents that actually ran through Discord, Telegram, or other platforms are left out rather than stretched to fit.

The status shown on each entry reflects the newest official document the tracker has located, such as an indictment, a plea agreement, a verdict, or a sentencing judgment, and it can lag behind later developments. A status of charged records an accusation only: a charge is not a finding of guilt, and every person charged is presumed innocent unless and until convicted or until they plead guilty. Entries marked charged are therefore labelled as alleged. Victims are never named, and where a victim is described at all the description is limited to what is needed to understand the charge. If an entry is out of date, incomplete, or wrong, use the corrections page to report it.

This category is limited to cases whose central allegation is fraud, a scam, or a related deception scheme. Where a person was also accused of another kind of conduct, the case is listed under the category that matches the principal allegation, because each case carries a single category and is shown on only one hub. A civil lawsuit or a regulatory action is not a criminal case, so it is not listed on this page.

Report an error or request a change on the corrections page. The full tracker, with every category, is on Criminal Cases & Convictions.