Author: Victoria Vesovski

There’s nothing like coming home after a month away — unless you walk through the door and find two strangers living in your apartment.

That’s what happened to Maverick Crupi, a University of Pittsburgh student.

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"I opened the door, I walked in, and everything in the kitchen that was there, that I had there, was no longer there," Crupi told KDKA News. "There were new pots, there were new pans, there’s a candle."

Crupi said his former roommate arranged to sublet his room without telling him, something he believes is a complete violation of his rights as a tenant. While subletting isn’t unusual, their lease explicitly states that it’s allowed “only when we expressly consent in writing," and that "the remaining resident and replacement residents must sign an entirely new lease contract."

Does coming home to a total stranger cross the line legally or is it simply a thoughtless move from a former roommate?

The growing appeal of subletting

Whether you’re relocating for work, traveling abroad or planning to move before your lease expires, subletting can help cut rental costs and avoid early termination fees — but only if your lease allows it.

With the average U.S. rent reaching $2,109, according to Zillow, more renters are turning to creative ways to manage rising housing costs. Reflecting this trend, Zillow recently added options for subletting single rooms, underscoring the growing affordability challenges in today’s market.

When KDKA Investigates looked deeper into Crupi’s situation, they discovered that he had signed a “by-the-bed” lease. In other words, while the apartment was a two-bedroom unit with shared common areas, Crupi was only renting — and paying for — his own bedroom.

Several local attorneys told KDKA that the property management company, SkyVue, wasn’t technically violating the lease. Attorney Daniel Stoner explained that under a by-the-bed lease, each tenant signs a separate contract. That means Crupi may not have legal grounds to claim a breach just because new tenants moved in without his knowledge.

"That’s really at (the landlord’s) discretion and option if they want to enforce those clauses or not, and sometimes they do. Sometimes they don’t," Stoner said.

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Common courtesy isn’t in the fine print

Before you agree to sublet — or even sign a lease — it’s worth taking a moment to read the fine print. Crupi’s experience is a reminder of how quickly things can get uncomfortable when you don’t fully understand what’s in your contract.

Pay special attention to clauses about subletting, guest policies or “right of entry.” These details are often buried in legalese but can affect the control you have over your living space.

Stoner recommended reviewing lease agreements closely and asking questions before signing. If anything seems unclear, ask the landlord or property manager to put the answer in writing. It’s much easier to clear up confusion before move-in day than when you’re already paying rent.

"Those are questions that you certainly should be asking, particularly if you are entering into a lease where you’re renting out an individual bedroom and you’re living in a unit with other people that are that are renting," Stoner said.

Don’t assume that what feels like common courtesy — like telling you when a new roommate moves in — is part of your lease. If your contract is unclear, consider having a lawyer review it. A quick legal check could prevent headaches later, whether you’re subletting to someone else or just trying to protect your own space.

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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

Side hustles used to mean babysitting your neighbour’s kid or walking dogs for extra cash. Then came rideshares, delivery apps and reselling vintage Levi’s on Depop. But in New York, the hustle has officially entered its parked car era.

Owning a car in New York City already comes with its own brand of chaos: gridlocked traffic, constant honking and a parking system that feels more like a high-stakes strategy game than basic infrastructure.

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When Sydney Charlet got laid off and relocated to the city, she brought her car with her and quickly noticed a gap in the day-to-day struggles of local drivers.

During scheduled street cleaning, drivers are required to move their vehicles or risk getting ticketed. But not everyone can step away from work or rearrange their day just to play musical chairs with their car. That’s where Charlet comes in, offering to sit in the car so her clients don’t have to. Now, she’s a self-proclaimed car sitter.

“I heard from people that you, actually people sit in their cars during street sweeping, don’t move their cars unless the street sweeper comes by," Charlet told Fox 5 New York.

But is car sitting really the clever side hustle Charlet hopes it is?

How does it work?

Charlet launched her car-sitting service on social media, inviting curious and often skeptical New Yorkers to reach out via her business number. Most people start by asking if her service is legit. Once she confirms it is, she gets their location and coordinates the job.

Key handoffs are typically done through the building’s doorman, and Charlet documents everything by filming the car before she gets in and again when she leaves — her way of keeping things transparent and professional. It may sound unconventional, but she’s tapping into a very real need. In 2024 alone, New York City issued 16.1 million parking and camera tickets, according to NYC.gov.

Most of her business now comes from repeat customers who trust her with their keys.

“I just had someone text me saying, ‘Oh shoot, I forgot to schedule you today.’ I just got a ticket, I’m going to text you every Sunday from now on to let you know where I am," Charlet said.

With the average New York parking ticket costing about $65, Charlet says her service is still the cheaper option. The most common offense? The one she’s tackling: violating the “No Parking — Street Cleaning” rule.

Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it

The calm before the side hustle storm

Side hustles have gone from quirky TikTok challenges to full-on survival strategies — a financial buffer for millions of Americans trying to keep up with rising costs and unpredictable paychecks. From reselling vintage finds to turning urban inconvenience into income, like Charlet, nearly one in four Americans now juggle a side gig, according to Bankrate.

But lately, the hustle has slowed.

“A strong job market and a cooling inflation rate are the biggest reasons why fewer people are side hustling this year,” said Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate. “But employment trends are weakening and price growth might pick up due to tariffs, so there’s a good chance side hustling will be back on the rise next year.”

If you’re considering a side hustle, focus on something sustainable and long-term. Ask yourself: What am I already good at? What do people already ask me to help with? The best side hustles don’t require reinventing the wheel — just monetizing the one you’ve already been pushing uphill.

Avoid gigs that require a huge upfront investment or promise overnight success. Instead, look for something that offers flexibility, ideally something that works with your schedule, not against your sanity.

Track your earnings and how much time you’re putting in. Side income should support your goals, whether that’s paying off debt, saving for a trip or just breathing easier when rent comes due. If it’s draining your energy with little to show for it, it might be time to rethink the hustle.

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Stay in the know. Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise sent straight to your inbox every week for free. Subscribe now.

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

After turning heads on Big Brother, Amanda Zachman, the self-proclaimed villain of Season 15, stepped out of the spotlight and into real estate, founding brokerage firm MV Realty.

But the controversy she stirred up on the small screen has followed her into her professional career.

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MV Realty’s Homeowner Benefit Program offers homeowners up to $5,000 in exchange for signing an exclusive agreement to use them as their listing agent if they should happen to put their home up for sale. But when those homeowners try to refinance or sell, they’re met with an unexpected reality.

“They find a lot of ways to call something one thing, but it is what it is,” real estate attorney Jennifer Nachtigal told CBS News Texas. “Call it a Homeowners Benefit agreement, but it’s really like an exclusive listing agreement that binds you to basically pay these people whether or not they do any services for you.”

MV Realty is facing lawsuits in 11 other states for its practices, including the use of misleading agreements that can leave homeowners on the hook for thousands of dollars. Here’s why the program is drawing ire and how signing up could come at a cost.

Trapped by the terms

MV Realty’s Homeowner Benefit Program is reportedly structured with terms that can last up to 40 years and may even be passed on to a homeowner’s heirs in the event of a death. Homeowners who exit the agreement could face significant termination fees.

MV Realty is also alleged to file memoranda against properties. A memorandum is a document that, while not legally classified as a lien, can reportedly obstruct refinancing or the sale altogether.

"Texas’ Constitution has strong protections for the homestead, and they don’t allow certain liens to be filed against the homestead," Nachtigal said. "Even if they’re voluntary, even if the homeowner signed the lien themselves."

A review of public real estate records by the CBS News Texas I-Team suggests MV Realty has filed over 500 memoranda across the Dallas–Fort Worth area and more than 1,200 across Texas.

Tanya Shaw is one homeowner who signed a contract with MV Realty. She said MV Realty approached her in 2024, offering around $1,000 in exchange for signing the agreement. Since she had no plans to sell, Shaw admitted she believed it was a safe decision, until a family emergency forced her to refinance her home. That’s when she said she learned about the memorandum filed against her house. Shaw decided to sell her property. But according to her, the contract gave MV Realty six months to secure a buyer. As a remedy, Shaw hired a different agent to expedite the sale — a direct violation of the agreement’s terms. When the home was sold, she said she was required to pay MV Realty $11,000 in addition to the real estate agent fees.

“I felt stupid,” Shaw told CBS News Texas. “Because even though desperate times call for desperate measures, they gave me $1,000. I could have kept my home if I was able to refinance.”

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Signed, sealed and stuck

In September 2023, MV Realty filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, listing all active Homeowner Benefit Agreements as company assets in its court filing. The CBS News Texas I-Team reached out to company founder Zachman and MV Realty for comment, but neither responded.

While the U.S. Trustee Program said it’s committed to ensuring fair access to the bankruptcy courts, homeowners who signed with MV Realty may find themselves with limited options.

That’s the situation Jonathan Mead found himself in. According to KJCT 8 News, the Colorado Springs homeowner received $1,245 under the agreement, but after seeing media coverage, he began to question the deal. When he received the bankruptcy notice, he hoped it would void the contract. But it didn’t, since homeowners received payment upfront, they aren’t classified as creditors or debtors.

State lawmakers across the country are taking notice. Colorado banned these agreements earlier this year, calling them “predatory.” Over the last two years, more than 22 states have passed similar laws.

In Texas, though, two bills aimed at banning them didn’t make it past the committee stage and into legislation. And the state’s attorney general has yet to take public action, declining to respond to requests for comment from reporters.

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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

What started as a makeshift shelter with tarps, umbrellas and wooden pallets has transformed into what residents are calling an actual house outside a Kips Bay co-op.

Since February, board members at 311 East 25th Street in Kips Bay have been locked in a months-long standoff with an unhoused couple who created a semi-permanent encampment on the property.

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“We pay a lot of money in our building’s budget, in taxes, and we feel like they have more rights to inhabit this corner than we do,” resident Marc Sterling told PIX11.

Lisa Palumbo, the co-op board president, has been documenting the ongoing situation for months, sharing photos with PIX11 that show the slow evolution of the encampment — from a basic shelter to what she describes as an intermittent, outdoor dwelling.

While the encampment has sparked tension among residents, it also highlights a broader issue that cities across the country are struggling to address.

Safety concerns growing

Beyond the tents, mattresses and pillows lining the sidewalk, Palumbo said her concerns go deeper than just clutter.

“They do drugs, drink — bottles all over the place, syringes,” Palumbo said.

Sterling has captured videos of people passed out on the stoop, allegedly from drug use. He said he’s lost count of how many times he’s called 911 and 311 for help. While 24-hour security remains too costly for the building, the co-op has recently installed a new surveillance system that has already recorded other problems, including a couple dumping bags of trash in front of the property.

Scenes like this are becoming more common across New York City. In April 2025 alone, more than 108,000 people slept in city shelters each night, with thousands more living unsheltered. The estimated number unhoused New Yorkers to an estimated 350,000.

Last year, the Adams administration spent $3.5 million last year clearing more than 2,300 encampments, many have since reappeared elsewhere.

In Lower Manhattan, a section of FDR Drive between Catherine Slip and Pier 11 became a gathering spot for unhoused New Yorkers. Makeshift shelters built from discarded furniture, old mattresses and even the occasional barbecue lined the stretch.

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Bigger issue

Even after repeated sweeps by the NYPD, sanitation crews and outreach teams, the couple always seems to find their way back.

“The cops come and say, ‘You need to move or we’ll have to arrest you.’ It’s like constantly mowing the lawn,” Sterling said.

City Hall told PIX11 that multiple agencies have been involved in addressing the co-op’s ongoing safety concerns. But without long-term housing or support, the cycle continues.

In his 2025 State of the City address, Mayor Eric Adams pledged to address the root causes of the city’s homelessness crisis. His proposals include expanding Safe Haven and low-barrier shelter beds from 4,000 to 4,900 and ensuring 24/7 coverage across all five boroughs.

The city also plans to roll out a new initiative called Bridge to Home, a community-based treatment program offering behavioral health care in supportive, home-like settings for individuals with mental illness leaving inpatient care without housing. The Adams adminstration has set aside $650 million for the plan.

For now, residents of the Kips Bay co-op hope their concerns will be addressed, not only for the sake of their safety, but as part of a broader effort to bring long-term housing solutions to those living on the margins.

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Stay in the know. Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise sent straight to your inbox every week for free. Subscribe now.

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

When you take your car in for repairs, you expect it to come back in better shape — not worse. But for Olivia Hayes of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a simple fix turned into a months-long nightmare. In 2024, Hayes brought her 2010 Volkswagen EOS to a mechanic, hoping to finally repair the convertible top she’d been saving up to fix. Instead of a quick turnaround, her car sat undrivable in a garage for months as delay after delay piled up.

Four weeks passed with the car taken apart and little progress. Each time Johnson followed up, the mechanic had a new excuse. Then, he blocked her altogether. Johnson had paid $600 upfront for the repair, but after all the delays and dead ends, the mechanic only agreed to refund $400.

"I got it back in a box," Hayes told 2 On Your Side.

Frustrated, Hayes documented every step of the ordeal, organizing her evidence into a three-ring binder she later presented to a city court judge. “But now it’s broken. It’s too broken. I can’t put anything back together,” said Hayes.

Determined to hold the shop accountable, Hayes filed a civil lawsuit against David Moberly of Moberly’s Car Repair.

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Tune-up turned trouble

To move her civil case forward, Hayes spent countless hours meticulously building evidence. She documented every text message and interaction, creating a clear timeline of events to present in court. "ChatGPT gave me some of the best advice," she said.

Hayes tallied every expense tied to this attempt to repair her car, from tow fees and Lyft rides to DoorDash meals, lost wages and even the fair market value of her car. In the end, the judge ruled in her favor. "I just want everyone to know if you take your car to Moberly’s, it could end up in a box," Hayes warns.

Hayes’ situation isn’t unique. In Greensboro, North Carolina, Shatara Johnson faced a similar nightmare. Johnson, who relies on her car to commute to work, brought it to a mechanic only to be faced with reason after reason for why the car wasn’t repaired, until the mechanic blocked her. While these stories are frustrating, car owners aren’t powerless.

Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it

Don’t get taken for a ride

Both Johnson and Hayes learned the hard way that not every mechanic plays by the rules. So before you roll the dice on your next repair, there are steps you can take to protect yourself.

Start by doing your homework. Look up online reviews – but don’t stop there because, increasingly, reviews can be purchased. Check the shop’s rating with the Better Business Bureau and ask around for word-of-mouth referrals — your friends and family can be your best source for trustworthy recommendations. A good shop will have a reputation you can verify, whether it’s through real-world reviews or a clean record with consumer protection agencies.

When it comes to payment, most reputable mechanics won’t ask for full payment until the job is done. If a shop demands money upfront, treat it as a red flag. At most, agree to a small deposit, just enough to cover parts or initial labor.

Whenever possible, pay with a credit card. Unlike cash or debit cards, credit cards offer built-in protections, like the ability to dispute charges if the work isn’t completed or the service falls short. It’s also smart to ask for a written estimate, timeline and a detailed explanation of the work they plan to do. This not only sets expectations but also gives you leverage if the shop fails to deliver on their end of the agreement.

A little diligence before the repair can save you from months of frustration and a binder full of evidence later.

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Stay in the know. Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise sent straight to your inbox every week for free. Subscribe now.

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

Americans have long grumbled about tipping culture — but now digital checkout screens are turning that frustration into full-blown financial disasters.

Sometimes, the issue isn’t just pressure to tip — it’s how easy it is to make a costly mistake. One in five Americans say they’ve accidentally tipped more than intended on digital checkout screens, according to an exclusive Opinium poll for DailyMail.com on tipping culture.

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That’s exactly what happened to Linda Mathiesen. While buying CBD pain relief gel at a store in San Bruno, California, she accidentally tipped $5,000 on a $129.28 purchase.

Mathiesen said she meant to leave a $5 tip, but the payment terminal didn’t show a decimal point, so when she entered “5000,” the system took it — literally.

At first, the clerk at San Bruno Exotic told her the charge couldn’t be reversed. Then the story shifted — he claimed the shop never received the money. But Mathiesen’s bank statement showed otherwise.

“I’m just livid because I’m like I’m not going to pay $5,000 for something I never intended to happen,” Mathiesen told ABC 7 News.

A tipping error gone wrong

For Mathiesen, a $5,000 tipping mistake wasn’t just a moment of panic — it became a financial crisis. As a special education teacher living on a fixed income, she didn’t have the cushion to absorb the hit. With no emergency savings to fall back on, the charge was devastating.

And she’s not alone. According to the U.S. News survey, 42% of Americans have no emergency savings, despite experts recommending three to six months’ worth of expenses.

Mathiesen contacted Wells Fargo within five minutes of the transaction, but says the bank has done little to help, despite its promise of “zero liability protection” for promptly reported fraud.

The bank’s website says its “built-in protection features ensure that you won’t be held responsible for unauthorized transactions, as long as they’re reported promptly.” Yet, a year later, Mathiesen is still fighting to get the charge reversed.

"I busted out in tears,” she told ABC 7 News. "My son is graduating college next week … and I can’t even buy anything for him because I have $5,000 outstanding … now it’s $5,500!"

Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it

It’s not as rare as you’d think

Digital checkout screens may speed things up, but one wrong tap can turn a routine purchase into a nightmare.

It happened to Vera Conner, too. The Georgia woman was ordering her usual No. 4 Italian sandwich at Subway — priced at $7.54 — when she accidentally left a $7,112.98 tip.

Conner said she was entering her phone number for loyalty points when the screen suddenly flipped to the tipping prompt. Before she realized what had happened, the charge went through.

After hours of calls with Subway and Bank of America, she eventually got the charge reversed — but not without major stress.

If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, there are steps you can take:

• Act fast. Contact your bank or card provider as soon as the transaction posts. The faster you report it, the stronger your case. Most banks allow 60 days to dispute a charge, but don’t wait that long.
• Document everything. Screenshot the receipt, the payment screen if you can and keep records of any communication with the merchant. These details help prove the error wasn’t intentional.
• Know the fine print. Many banks offer protection against unauthorized transactions, but not all mistakes qualify. If you technically authorized the payment, even by accident, you may be out of luck unless the merchant agrees to reverse it.
• Build an emergency fund. It’s not just for layoffs or medical bills. Sometimes it’s for the unexpected stuff — like tipping $5,000 for a $129 product.

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• Accredited investors can now buy into this $22 trillion asset class once reserved for elites – and become the landlord of Walmart, Whole Foods or Kroger without lifting a finger. Here’s how
• Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they’re banking on instead

Stay in the know. Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise sent straight to your inbox every week for free. Subscribe now.

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

Closing on a home is already expensive, but new budget proposals in Rhode Island could drive costs even higher.

The Rhode Island Association of Realtors is raising concerns, arguing two proposed tax changes would hit buyers and sellers hard, making the state’s fragile housing market even more unaffordable.

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"Please, don’t take from our housing market at the moment to balance the budget for other items, it’s going to be detrimental," association president Chris Whitten told NBC 10 News.

One measure would hike the conveyance tax — a seller’s fee — by 63% across the board. The other, nicknamed the “Taylor Swift tax,” would add new costs to seasonal or second homes. Here’s what’s behind these new taxes and why they could spell bigger trouble for Rhode Island’s housing market.

Luxury homes in the crosshairs

Rhode Island’s budget plan targets high-end vacation homes — with a proposal nicknamed after a pop star grabbing headlines. One of the proposals would add a new surcharge on second homes worth more than $1 million, unofficially branded the “Taylor Swift Tax."

If it moves forward, owners of non-primary residences that sit empty for more than half the year would owe an annual fee of $2.50 for every $500 of value above the $1 million threshold. A $2.5 million lakefront cottage, for example, could face an extra $7,500 a year in taxes — simply for sitting vacant too long.

Even Taylor Swift herself might think twice about keeping her Watch Hill estate. If this measure passes, her sprawling getaway could rack up an extra $136,000 a year in taxes.

The second major proposal would raise the conveyance tax — the fee sellers pay at closing — from $2.30 to $3.75 for every $500 of a home’s sale price, a 63% increase. For context, the average home in Rhode Island sells for about $492,939, according to Zillow. Under the new rate, that would mean about $3,700 in conveyance tax, up from roughly $2,200.

Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it

A balancing act between health care and housing

While the new fees may sting, supporters say they’re necessary to tackle two major crises: a health care system on life support and an anemic housing market.

House Speaker Joe Shekarchi said the budget needed fresh revenue to prop up primary care and Medicaid funding.

“To address Rhode Island’s crisis in health care, we needed to make tough decisions,” he told NBC 10.

At the end of May, Attorney General Peter Neronha rolled out a sweeping plan to fix the state’s health care system, including raising Medicaid reimbursement rates to match Medicare for primary care — a move aimed at keeping local clinics afloat and reducing waitlists. In a recent press release, he warned that without action, Rhode Island could face what he called “spectacular failure.”

Supporters also argue that seasonal ownership inflates home prices and leaves properties vacant for much of the year. At the same time, the median home price in the Ocean State has climbed to historic highs, and average rent for a two-bedroom has surpassed $2,000 a month — leaving at least a third of Rhode Island households spending more than they can afford just to keep a roof overhead, according to The Newport Buzz.

By taxing luxury properties and adding costs to real estate transactions, supporters believe the state can reinvest in housing access for those who need it most. Critics argue it could make buying or selling even harder in an already tight market.

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The U.S. Department of Justice has charged six people — including a fraud investigator with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) — for allegedly orchestrating “one of the largest food stamp scams in U.S. history,” siphoning tens of millions from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the group ran a fraudulent network of about 160 unauthorized electronic benefit transfer (EBT) terminals across the New York area. These machines processed more than $30 million in illegal SNAP transactions, part of a larger scheme that generated an estimated $66 million in unauthorized benefits.

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Federal authorities said the case was cracked through a joint investigation between the FBI and the USDA’s Office of the Inspector General (USDA-OIG). The collaborative effort highlighted the importance of inter-agency oversight of weaknesses in federally funded programs.

“We appreciate the collaboration with our law enforcement partners in pursuing allegations regarding government employees who use their positions to participate in schemes that exploit taxpayer-funded programs,” said USDA-OIG Special Agent in Charge, Charmeka Parker in a press release.

Prosecutors allege that the group accepted bribes and submitted fraudulent USDA applications to obtain SNAP approval for unqualified stores. One of the defendants, USDA employee Arlasa Davis, is accused of selling confidential government information to the very criminals she was meant to stop.

“This fraud was made possible when USDA employee Arlasa Davis betrayed the public trust by selling confidential government information to the very criminals she was supposed to catch,” U.S. Attorney Perry Carbone said in a press release. “Their actions undermined a program that vulnerable New Yorkers depend on for basic nutrition.”

What is SNAP?

SNAP — formerly known as the food stamp program — is the country’s largest federal nutrition assistance program. It provides monthly benefits to help low-income families buy groceries and reduce food insecurity, serving an average of 42.1 million people per month in 2023.

In fiscal year 2023, the federal government allocated nearly $112.8 billion to SNAP, according to the USDA’s Economic Research Service. About 94% of that went directly to households trying to keep food on the table. The remaining 6% covered state administrative costs, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

But questions about oversight are growing. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins told Fox Business she believes that 20 to 30% of the program’s annual funding — now estimated closer to $200 billion — may be lost to fraud. The recently uncovered $66 million scheme, she says, is “just the tip of the spear.”

“It’s time for real, effective change,” Rollins said.

Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it

An inside job

Federal officials say the scheme began back in 2019, when Michael Kehoe allegedly created a network to supply unauthorized EBT terminals to small businesses across the New York area.

According to prosecutors, Kehoe and his associates falsified USDA applications, misused license numbers and altered key documents to get fraudulent retailers approved for SNAP.

Kehoe and Davis are among six people now facing charges for conspiracy to steal government funds and misappropriate USDA benefits. The others include Mohamad Nawafleh, Omar Alrawashdeh, Gamal Obaid and Emad Alrawashdeh.

But this case isn’t an isolated case. A separate FOX10 investigation found that thousands of families in Alabama were recently targeted in another EBT fraud scheme.

Between September and December 2024, more than $12.4 million was stolen from EBT cardholders, according to the Alabama Department of Human Resources. More than 373,000 households in the state rely on those benefits.

Despite high-profile cases, fraud within SNAP is relatively rare. The introduction of EBT cards in the late 1990s replaced paper coupons, making benefits more secure and harder to misuse. As a result, SNAP fraud declined from about 4 cents on the dollar in 1993 to approximately 1 cent by 2006, and even lower in subsequent years.

As the investigation unfolds — and new fraud cases emerge across the U.S. — officials warn that similar scams may still be operating, adding pressure on government agencies to tighten oversight of vital aid programs.

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The City of Oakland has cleared a large homeless encampment on East 12th Street, relocating about 70 people to the Mandela House — a former hotel turned shelter, now funded through a state grant.

The move marks one of the city’s most visible steps toward addressing homelessness, a crisis that has more than doubled in Oakland over the past decade.

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Driven by rising rents, stagnant wages and a chronic shortage of affordable housing, more than 4,000 people in the city are currently unhoused.

Oakland officials say the clearance is part of a broader push to connect unhoused residents with long-term housing support. It follows Governor Gavin Newsom’s rollout of a model ordinance aimed at helping cities respond to what he calls the “dangerous” and “unhealthy” conditions of encampments.

“There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets,” Newsom said in a press release. “Local leaders asked for resources — we delivered the largest state investment in history.”

As Oakland aligns with statewide efforts to address homelessness, the impact of encampment closures — and whether they help — remains at the center of the conversation.

Homelessness in Oakland

California’s homelessness crisis has reached a breaking point. According to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than 187,000 people were homeless in the state last year — nearly 24% of the entire nation’s unhoused population. The pressure is mounting on state and local leaders to act fast.

In response, Newsom announced $3.3 billion in new funding to help cities expand access to housing and treatment for the state’s most vulnerable.

Cities like Oakland and San Francisco are rolling out targeted interventions. San Francisco’s newly elected mayor, Daniel Lurie, has pledged to tackle homelessness head-on. Oakland is already home to the Community Cabins program — a shelter initiative offering small, two-person cabins built on public land.

These temporary shelters focus on stabilization and connecting residents to long-term support. The program has seen high participation rates, largely because cabins are built near existing encampments, allowing people to stay close to familiar spaces.

“Oakland’s Cabin Community model is one of the most promising and cost-effective homeless shelter innovations I’ve seen,” said Trent Rhorer, executive director of the San Francisco Human Services Agency.

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Is this the only solution?

City officials say closing the East 12th Street encampment is a step forward, but community reactions suggest a more complicated reality.

Some residents and business owners say they’re relieved to see the area cleared, calling it a long-standing source of frustration.

"I was driving by, and I was shocked to see the whole encampment was clean," said Veleda, an Oakland resident, in an interview with Fox KTVU. "It was an eyesore, and it was very hard for them to tackle it."

But homeless advocates say that while shelters like Mandela House or Community Cabins represent a step in the right direction, the process of clearing encampments often unfolds with little warning and limited resources.

"People lost medication, people lost their IDs, people lost their phones, people lost their clothing, their food," Needa Bee, director of the homeless advocacy group, The Village, told Fox KTVU. According to Bee, she was able to reconnect with 54 individuals from the East 12th encampment — none of whom were offered housing options before the site was cleared.

The city maintains that shelter space was made available at Mandela House. But advocates argue the outreach efforts fell short, and question how effective these emergency responses really are in the long term.

With growing pressure to “clean up” encampments, cities risk swapping long-term solutions for short-term optics — and sidelining the very people these efforts claim to support.

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Andres Montoya built a peaceful life on his five-acre property in San Martin, complete with horses, chickens, goats and the kind of rural calm you can’t put a price on.

But that peace nearly went up in smoke after a fire broke out on his family’s property.

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Montoya claims the blaze was started by a Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) worker who arrived unannounced.

"You know, to lose everything in a moment, in a second for somebody else’s mistake," he told ABC 7 On Your Side Investigates."Out of nowhere, we just heard the loud bam, bam, like somebody was shooting a gun, and my daughter came running, and she said there was a fire."

After days without water and little response from PG&E, Montoya is now left to deal with the aftermath. Here’s what happened and what homeowners should keep in mind.

A routine check

According to Montoya, it all started with a surprise visit. PG&E workers showed up without giving any prior notice. In an email to ABC 7 On Your Side Investigates, the utility confirmed it was on site.

“Under California law and CPUC regulations, PG&E is authorized to access properties where our facilities are located to safely inspect, maintain, and operate them — even without prior permission — though we always aim to provide notice when possible," the company wrote.

Each year, electrical issues cause about 51,000 home fires in the U.S., resulting in up to $1.3 billion in property damage, according to the Electrical Safety Foundation International.

In Montoya’s case, the fire was eventually put out, and no one was hurt. But another issue sparked in its aftermath: the family’s water supply stopped working. Their well pump, powered by electricity, died and took a full week to repair.

PG&E returned to the property earlier this week to investigate. But Montoya and his sister-in-law say the utility company wasn’t taking responsibility.

In a video recorded by the family, an unidentified PG&E representative can be heard saying, "We’re not saying you did it, but we’re trying to figure out what happened.".

Yoania Castro, Montoya’s sister-in-law, said the timeline speaks for itself. Before PG&E arrived, she said, they had water and electricity. Since then, they’ve been relying on neighbors to supply water for their family and animals.

Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it

Caught in the crossfire

This isn’t the first time PG&E has been at the center of a firestorm. Since 2017, the utility has been linked to more than 30 wildfires across California, destroying over 23,000 homes and businesses. It has faced mounting scrutiny and billions in liabilities for its role in some of the state’s most devastating fires.

So when Montoya’s family struggled to get answers, they turned to 7 On Your Side Investigates. After the news team reached out to the utility, a PG&E spokesperson confirmed they’re now working with the family to provide updates and support during the investigation.

Still, the situation remains frustrating. A major source of confusion is the electrical post that caught fire. PG&E initially said it wasn’t theirs, even though a plaque on the pole read, “Pacific Gas and Electric tested.” The utility later clarified that the post is customer-owned, but PG&E equipment is attached to it.

If a utility worker causes damage to your property, start documenting everything right away. Take photos and video, write down what happened and when, and file reports with the utility, your insurance provider and local authorities. You may also want to consult a property damage lawyer to help sort out liability. And if the situation escalates, don’t hesitate to contact local media. As Montoya’s family learned, public pressure can help move things forward.

For now, the family is left holding the bill.

"We have this $10,000 bill, and we’re going to be responsible for it if they don’t help us," Montoya said.

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• Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they’re banking on instead

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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.