"Strip Yahtzee" leads to false claims of rape, Ind. cops say

A Muncie woman allegedly lost a game of strip Yahtzee and went, naked, into a room with her ex-boyfriend, police say. When her CURRENT boyfriend found out, the woman said she'd been raped, the authorities allege. Police now believe the claim was a lie.

OP woman accused of stealing health care from military

April Greer, 28, Overland Park, Kan., has been charged in federal court with one count of health care fraud, the U.S. Attorney for Kansas reports. Greer reportedly got divorced from her husband, a Marine sergeant, but continued to submit medical expenses to the military's health-care system, the authorities allege. The feds estimate the loss at approximately $97,000.

Conmen use federal stimulus in new scam, feds say

I'm guessing the White House didn't expect this segment of the economy to prosper under the federal stimulus, but a lot of con artists are making money off it anyway, federal officials say. The bad guys send emails and make phone calls telling people that they're entitled to money from the stimulus -- if they hand over their bank-account information.

How should Mo. funeral director be punished?

In Columbia, a man named Harold Warren Sr., who operated a funeral home, has pleaded guilty to giving the wrong cremains to the wrong families. The prosecution and defense agreed on a plea deal that would spare Warren, 77, from prison if he apologizes and pays a total of $2,685 restitution to the families. The judge is mulling over the deal -- but it doesn't sound like he thinks it's a good one.

The case caused quite a stir in Columbia when the news first broke. Snip from AP:

State officials closed the Warren Funeral Home in 2008 after a woman's body was found stored in an electrical room for 10 months without being embalmed or refrigerated. Investigators later found several more decaying bodies.

Man who got ticket calls trooper's mom as revenge, N.Y. police say

In Long Island, N.Y., a 54-year-old man is accused of calling a state trooper's mom and saying that her son had been badly hurt in a wreck. The trooper was fine -- it was revenge because the caller was upset about getting a speeding ticket weeks earlier, the authorities allege.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, cripjak!

Scam artist told women he needed sex to stay alive, Taiwan police say

The UK's Telegraph has a story about an elaborate scam involving a 55-year-old Taiwanese man. He allegedly posed as a younger man online and actually got several calls from interested ladies. During their phone calls, authorities say, the "young man" would tell the women about his poor, sick father who had a rare condition: The old man needed "constant sex" or he would die.

Some of these women were tricked into having sex with the father -- who was actually the 55-year-old man, police say.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, cripjak!

Woman faked cancer to get money for bigger breasts, police say

Meet Trista Joy Lathern. She allegedly lied about having breast cancer and used money raised during a charity benefit to pay for breast enlargement, authorities in McLennan County, Texas, say. She reportedly thought the implants would help save her marriage, investigators say. The Waco Tribune-Herald says the husband, who has two boys with her, has since filed for annulment, saying she induced him by fraud to marry. Her attorney declined to comment on the charges.

The fastest way to a man's heart? Steep discounts on tools

In West Virginia, a Lowe's clerk is accused of discounting $20,000 worth of merchandise to win the heart of a guy whom she liked. For example, she allegedly sold him a pressure washer -- something that usually retails for several hundred dollars -- for $3.66. Sadly, we don't know if this is an effective dating strategy. (I'm kind of curious to see if the guy could face criminal charges, but the Charleston paper didn't have any info on that score.)

Hat Tip: Many thanks, cripjak!

Man dresses like dead wife to use her gym membership, Hong Kong police say

He even showed up dressed in ladies' clothing and red fingernail polish for his court appearance, the authorities say.

Blockbuster staffer stabs himself so he can skip work, Colo. cops say

I'm thinking about calling stuff like this a "Blockbuster sick day." I don't know what his problem is -- I'd think Blockbuster would be an OK place to work.

Former Lawrence cop gets probation in video-game scheme

Robert Ryan Sayler, 32, was specifically charged with wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney for Kansas says. He allegedly bought video games from Target and removed the disks while making it look like the package hadn't been opened. He then returned the box to Target for a refund and sold the game disks online. He pleaded guilty and got two years probation.

Mechanic disabled parked cars, then charged to fix them, Tenn. cops say

This allegedly happened in Johnson City, Tenn. At least two people say they were victims, but authorities think others might have been affected, too.

Soldier shot himself to get out of deployment, police say

In Colorado Springs, a soldier based at Fort Carson said that he'd stopped to help a stranded motorist when that person shot him in the shoulder. But police say the soldier actually shot himself so that he could get out of an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.

Scientology convicted of fraud in France

The church and its library were fined about 600,000 euros, but weren't ordered to stop operations. They're already planning an appeal, the AP reports. The original case involves a woman who spent about 21,000 euros on various treatments, books and other products. She eventually tried to leave and get reimbursement, but the church refused. The wire service says that Scientology has received a chilly reception in several European countries. Our State Department has scolded Germany and Belgium for calling it a cult/sect and passing laws to restrict it.

Church of Scientology lawyer Patrick Maisonneuve, left, speaks to reporters after a court returned a verdict of fraud against the group, at a Paris courthouse, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009. A Paris court on Tuesday convicted the Church of Scientology's French office of fraud and fined it more than half a million euros, but stopped short of banning the group as requested by prosecutors. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon)

Balloon Boy's mom confessed, police allege

In court records, Colorado authorities claim that Mayumi Heene admitted the whole Balloon Boy incident was a hoax, specifically designed to garner media attention. Keep in mind, this is the story according to the authorities. The Heenes' attorney says the sheriff is playing dirty pool by releasing the affidavit to the media before an arrest has even been made.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Marvin!

Scam artists posing as Water Department in south KC

KCPD is warning the public about a scam where a caller rings up a Water Department customer and says there was a problem with their last payment -- either they didn't sign the check or the payment wasn't received. To avoid a fee, the victim is told, they have to make a payment RIGHT NOW over the phone, usually by handing over credit or debit card information. Except it's a scam. Some victims have lost as much as $900.

The police pass along the following advice ...

Man printed fake $50s to pay private dancer, Wyo. cops say

These weren't even decent-quality fakes, the authorities say ...

"(The driver) noticed that the money was 'funny looking' and that several of the $50 Federal Reserve notes were not cut evenly," court documents show. "(The driver) further noticed that several of the $50 Federal Reserve notes had the same serial numbers."

Woman accused ex of molestation so he'd return her calls, Wash. cops say

From the Kitsap Sun:

The woman was arrested on suspicion of extortion. On her way to jail, she said she just wanted the man to call her back. She thought the threats would get a rise out of him and make him call her, the report said.

Can the Balloon Boy story get weirder? Yes

At last report, the sheriff was calling shenanigans on the whole deal and recommending that Balloon Boy's parents face felony charges. Now? The sheriff also says a media outlet offered to pay the family, though it's not clear if that offer was made before or after the balloon was launched. If it was BEFORE, there might be consequences ...

Documents show that a media outlet has agreed to pay money to the Heenes related to the balloon incident, Alderden said. He didn’t name the media outlet but said it was a show that blurs “the line between entertainment and news.” It wasn’t clear whether the deal was signed before or after the alleged hoax, or whether that media outlet was a possible conspirator.

Photo via AP

Riot at the Burlington Coat Factory

In Columbus, Ohio, police had to contain a riot at a Burlington Coat Factory after a woman -- claiming to be a lottery winner -- offered to pay for everybody's purchases up to $500. (Naturally, they believed her because she was in a limousine.) Eventually, the truth came out, and all of those shoppers did NOT take it well.\

That's when angry customers, realizing they weren't getting free coats, began throwing merchandise on the floor and grabbing clothes without paying for them, Nace said.

"Everybody was like, 'I still want my free stuff,' and that started the riot," he said. "It looks like (Hurricane) Katrina went through the store."

Man kept 2 wives in the same apartment complex

Joe Lambe has more about this case, which still flabbergasts me. Neither wife knew about the other, even though the two apartment were within viewing distance.

Woman, 24, wanted to enroll at school as boy, 15, Ill. police say

The glass ceiling strikes again ...

Prankster strikes from beyond the grave?

An Illinois woman dug up a vacant lot in Springfield, Ill., after she found a typewritten note hidden in a rocking chair that she bought at an auction. The note, written by one "Chauncey Wolcott," said there was $250 in gold coins buried in the lot and came with a key to open the chest they were in.

The local paper wrote about it, and one of the readers responded that it's probably the handiwork of a former newspaper employee who was known for committing pranks under the Wolcott name. (The reader used to work for him.) The woman who found the note has stopped digging for now, but she's bringing in a guy with ground-penetrating radar, just to be sure.

Medicaid loses million to prescription-drug fraud, audit says

The Government Accountability Office was able to find $65 million worth of fraud in five large states -- California, Illinois, New York, North Carolina and Texas -- leading officials to believe that hundreds of millions of dollars are being wasted. They found several cases involving prescriptions for dead patients and prescriptions written by doctors who'd been banned from doing so.

Psychic lied when she said rival psychics beat her up, police say

I just have a hard time believing that the "foremost psychic in New England" is some kind of charlatan.