FBI Names Most Wanted Fraudsters Behind Billions in Scams

The FBI has, for the first time, published a dedicated Most Wanted Fraudsters list — borrowing the format of its famous Ten Most Wanted Fugitives program and pointing it squarely at white-collar crime. Eight fugitives are featured at launch, collectively tied to schemes that prosecutors say drained billions of dollars from federal health programs, pandemic relief funds, retail investors and distressed homeowners.

The initiative was unveiled by FBI Director Kash Patel as part of a broader anti-fraud push coordinated with the Justice Department's new National Fraud Enforcement Division, a unit created earlier this year to target fraud, waste and abuse in federal benefit programs. The pitch is simple: put faces on financial crime, and let public recognition do what cold case files cannot.

Why this matters for investors and taxpayers

White-collar fraud is often treated as abstract — a line item in a Department of Justice press release, or a footnote in a corporate disclosure. But the dollar figures attached to this list are large enough to move public budgets, distort markets and wipe out family savings. Pandemic-era programs alone funneled trillions of dollars through hastily built verification systems, and prosecutors are still working through the backlog of cases.

For retail investors, the list is also a reminder that the riskiest scams rarely come from anonymous offshore operators. Several of the fugitives below were licensed advisers, established business owners or local community figures — the kind of people clients trust precisely because they look unthreatening.

The eight fugitives at launch

Rodney Dean Allen — An Idaho investment adviser accused of defrauding clients of roughly 16 million dollars between 2016 and 2017 through promissory notes and real estate projects. Prosecutors allege he misrepresented investment performance and diverted client money for personal use.

Christopher W. Burns — A Georgia investment adviser charged in connection with an alleged 10 million dollar scheme. According to the FBI, Burns told clients their money was going into a peer-to-peer lending program backed by collateral; investigators say the collateral was either overstated or did not exist.

John Michael Dimitrion and Julieanne Baldueza Dimitrion — A Hawaii couple who failed to appear for sentencing in a mortgage fraud case. Prosecutors allege they targeted distressed homeowners in Oahu, promising to invest the proceeds of home sales while using the money on personal expenses. The scheme is tied to roughly 6.2 million dollars in fraudulent transactions and the loss of multiple family homes.

Said Abdullahi Ereg — Accused of exploiting the federal Child Nutrition Program during the pandemic. Prosecutors say his Minneapolis grocery and deli claimed to have served more than 1.4 million meals to children through a nonprofit between April 2020 and April 2021, collecting more than 4.2 million dollars in federal reimbursements for meals that allegedly were never provided. The case is part of one of the largest pandemic-era fraud investigations in the country.

Elaine Angene Escoe — Charged in a COVID-19 relief fraud scheme that prosecutors say stole more than 32 million dollars from federal programs through false Paycheck Protection Program loan applications and Restaurant Revitalization Fund grant filings.

Herbert Leon Kimble — A former television producer wanted after skipping sentencing in a Medicare fraud case involving more than 1.2 billion dollars in claims. Prosecutors say he ran a national call-center operation that billed Medicare for unnecessary orthopedic braces and medical equipment, affecting thousands of beneficiaries. He pleaded guilty in 2019 but did not appear for his sentencing in August 2024.

Michael Lizaso Marasigan — A dual U.S.-Philippines citizen accused of operating an illegal gambling business linked to a scheme that allegedly diverted more than 100 million dollars from a fund intended to support the Shriners Children's health care system. Investigators say co-defendants laundered money through gambling businesses and shell companies, and that Marasigan is believed to have ties to Guam and the Philippines.

A pattern worth studying

Three threads run through almost every case on the list. First, scale: each scheme moved millions or, in two cases, more than a billion dollars before unraveling. Second, trust: the alleged perpetrators were often local advisers, community business owners or licensed professionals — not the stereotypical anonymous fraudster. Third, slow detection: many of these cases stretched on for years before charges, and several defendants vanished after pleading guilty but before being sentenced.

That combination is exactly what makes everyday recognition useful. The FBI is asking the public to study the photos and submit tips through tips.fbi.gov. For investors, the more practical takeaway is to treat unusually high promised returns, vague descriptions of collateral, and pressure to keep investments inside a tight community of clients as red flags that deserve a second opinion — and, when possible, a public-record check before any money moves.