Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
35%
6 of 17 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
67/100
New York Post's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
The 46-year-old from Bothell, Washington, allegedly lured investors into his bogus company by telling them God had chosen them to fund his business.
uncertain
God → lure → business
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asserted
Sign → sign → California
Federal prosecutors say Popescu’s alleged scam began in 2015 with Followone, Inc., a Bellevue-based startup he passed off as an all-in-one e-commerce giant and social network.
asserted
he → say → giant
He allegedly fabricated claims of millions in revenue, soaring stock value, and an impending Nasdaq IPO to get 30 investors onboard.
uncertain
investors → fabricate → revenue
One victim invested nearly $1 million in one wire transfer; others were nearly $600,000 and $500,00, authorities said.
asserted
authorities → invest → transfer
“At one point, Popescu claimed Followone Inc had a value of $1.4 billion, when he knew it had little or no value,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington, said in a statement Wednesday.
asserted
Office → claim → statement
Popescu allegedly told his victims they could be on the board of the company if they invested $1 million, authorities said.
uncertain
authorities → tell → million
He would routinely ask victims to funnel out money from their retirement accounts and children’s college savings accounts to invest in the company, prosecutors said.
asserted
prosecutors → ask → company
The investigators said he used shell companies to show that the business at Followone was booming, but “he was just using investor money to pay fake invoices and then used those payments to shell companies he controlled for his own benefit.”
asserted
he → say → benefit
“These charges allege that a religious leader abused the trust of his fellow believers to steal millions of dollars for his own personal benefit,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office.
asserted
Herrington → allege → office
Popescu treated the fake business as a personal piggy bank and when investors pressed him to return their money, he allegedly told them that “they were demonically possessed,” authorities said.
uncertain
authorities → treat → them
According to the prosecutors, he funneled more than $4.5 million directly into accounts for himself, his wife, and family members, while cutting himself over $1 million in “wages” between 2017 and 2024.
uncertain
he → accord → 2017
He allegedly even put his wife on the payroll for roughly $300,000, although her wife never worked a single day for the company.
uncertain
wife → put → company
Popescu is charged with ten counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering.
asserted
Popescu → charge → laundering
He was arraigned Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle and was released on electronic monitoring.
asserted
He → arraign → monitoring
He is facing up to 20 years of prison time for wire fraud and up to 10 years for money laundering along with a $250,000 fine.
asserted
He → face → fine
The trial is set for Dec. 21.
asserted
trial → set → Dec.
The Aporia
