| Indigo co-owner pleads guilty to credit card fraud
A former co-owner of the now-defunct Indigo Lounge admitted Thursday in federal court to stealing thousands of dollars from restaurant patrons. Kevin O'Connell, 33, flew to Great Falls from Buffalo, N.Y., where he lives, to appear on a felony charge of credit card fraud. He pleaded guilty to the charge, acknowledging that he made $44,209 in unauthorized charges to the credit card accounts of several customers. He said he saved receipts from credit card purchases made in the restaurant, and later used the card numbers on the receipts to make additional charges. .
Consumer, ID Theft Safety Tips
Be very careful about to whom you give out personal identification information.
- Never provide any personal, bank account or credit card information.
- Keep items with personal information in a safe place.
- Destroy all automated teller machine and bank receipts.
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- Do not use obvious information when creating passwords or personal identification numbers.
- Give out your Social Security number only when necessary.
- Do not leave envelopes containing your checks in your home mailbox.
- Review a copy of your credit report at least once a year.
- To decrease the number of unsolicited credit card applications, call (888) 5OPT-OUT.
Hometown CEO likes what he sees in Lennar
Which Tampa CEO sees potential gold in them thar shares of struggling homebuilder Lennar Corp.? It's fellow Miami hometowner Sherrill Hudson, the CEO of Tampa's TECO Energy but who can be found on Friday p.m. flights to Miami, where he still resides. Lennar appointed Hudson to its board last month. Securities and Exchange Commission filings show Hudson recently bought 10,000 shares of Lennar for $18.59 to $18.61 apiece. The TECO chief spent 19 years as managing partner of accounting firm Deloitte & Touche in Miami and has crossed paths with Lennar. OSI servers, your tips are all yours Tampa-based OSI Restaurant Partners is abandoning a plan to deduct credit-card processing fees from its servers' tips. Under the plan, an Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill or Bonefish Grill server who received a tip via customer credit card would have had to forego a small percentage of it - usually 1.5 percent to 3 percent - for processing fees.
Credit card dispute has Neiman's, HSBC in court
When HSBC Retail Services paid $640 million in 2005 for Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman's credit card customer accounts, it believed it was buying a lucrative portfolio. That assumption isn't panning out, and now HSBC and the department stores are in the courthouse. The Neiman Marcus Group, which also owns Bergdorf Goodman, has sued HSBC Bank Nevada for breach of contract after the bank threatened to stop opening new accounts and to cancel 192,000 accounts that represent potential sales of $500 million over the next two years. The dispute centers on HSBC wanting to increase charges and interest rates on customers to make up for estimated losses of $8.5 million over the next three years. In the complaint filed in Dallas County District Court on Feb.
First Look: SplashMoney finance manager
To get started, SplashMoney helps you create one or more accounts to track your credit card expenses, checking account balance, or cash balance. Each time you spend money, record the amount, the class (such as Business or Personal), and the category (such as from your checking or savings account). .
Chase Paymentech Debuts Website for Small and Medium Businesses
DALLAS, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Chase Paymentech Solutions, LLC, has launched a new website designed to help small and medium sized businesses affordably accept credit card payments. The new site, http://merchantaccount.chasepaymentech.com, provides business owners with a simple, easy to use guide to access the latest Chase Paymentech payment processing tools. The site allows businesses to research payment products that fit their needs and offers quick access to experts who can customize a program to each business' requirements. These programs feature reliable terminals, low interchange rates to process credit card transactions and even custom gift card programs. Solutions can be designed for merchants who need secure payment solutions over the Internet, point-of- sale, telephone, or mail order.
Ex-library official files suit
The former finance director of Sacramento's Public Library filed suit this week, saying he was wrongfully fired from that position after raising concerns about $650,000 in payments to a library staffer's company. Former finance director Anil Paul also alleges he was fired for refusing to approve directors' taxpayer-funded credit card expenses, including one official's $293 meal at The Palm restaurant in Boston and a $202 spa treatment in Orlando, according to the lawsuit and library documents. "I was concerned about my (accounting) license," said Paul, 59, who lives in Walnut Creek and earned $180,000 annually from the library. "I should not allow anyone to jeopardize my livelihood." .
Las Cruces woman convicted of dozens of embezzlement charges
ALAMOGORDO, N.M.—An Otero County jury has convicted a Las Cruces woman of embezzling money from an Alamogordo electronics store over a four-year period. Bertha Garcia was charged with 45 counts of embezzlement, 40 counts of conspiracy and 1 count of fraud over $250, according to District Attorney Scot Key. Garcia was arrested in October, along with her accomplice Lee Ann Hathorn, following a seven-month investigation. Police say the two used a credit card machine at EZ TV, where they worked, to credit their own cards. The district attorney's office said the scheme went undetected for so long because of Garcia's ability to hide the thefts through her bookkeeping and access to other company accounts. Garcia is awaiting sentencing. Hathorn was sentenced in January to 10 years in prison.
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