The world can often feel like a circus with its endless parade of clowns, but nothing quite tops the spectacle of fraudsters caught in the act, especially when they’re as careless as some of these recent cases. The FBI has certainly been busy, rounding up a lineup of characters straight out of a heist movie. These individuals seem more concerned with living lavish lifestyles than having any moral compass, and their antics have finally caught up with them.

First on the laundry list of misdeeds is Said Abdullahi Ereg, whose alleged stealth makes buying candy from a baby look like rocket science. He’s accused of swindling over $4 million from a federal child nutrition program. Instead of feeding needy children, the funds allegedly got funneled into foreign accounts to support a lavish lifestyle. It makes one wonder if scams are the new side hustle. While Ereg was busy allegedly stealing from children, he might as well have nabbed their lunch money too.

Then there’s the “Doctor of Deceit,” Violeta Milian, whose creativity in defrauding $45 million from Medicare could earn her a degree in fictional writing. Allegedly, her beauty clinic was more a facade than a medical facility, faking records for Botox injections that were as real as a unicorn sighting. She supposedly used the fraud proceeds to collect quite the array of luxury goods, including a $12,000 crossbow. Perhaps she thought she was Capt. Jack Sparrow. Her imagination might be impressive, but now she’s paying the price.

And let’s not forget about the financier living comfortably in a luxury Newport Beach mansion, thanks to a $100 million bank fraud. Allegedly doctoring title policies to inflate property values, he cashed in enough to cruise around in an enviable fleet of luxury cars. Imagine waking up to federal agents instead of room service—talk about a wake-up call with a twist! Newport Beach’s finest are getting a real example of how not to manage finances.

While these fraudsters were busy living their best criminal lives, some local political figures didn’t seem all too bothered by the chaos. California has become something of a playground for fraudsters with authorities seemingly handing them the keys to the piggy bank. Governor Gavin Newsom, it turns out, was warned about hospice fraud long before it turned ugly, making those government offices look less like places of public service and more like slackers’ central. You have to wonder, is it incompetence, recklessness, or a delicious mixture of both?

It’s high time these fraudsters get a reality check. Meanwhile, American taxpayers have every right to be frustrated as they watch their hard-earned money squandered by those who treat ethics and integrity as optional extras. One can only hope the parade of justice keeps marching on with more fraudsters taken to task. In a world where money seems to fly out of the public coffers faster than politicians can spin a tale, vigilance is key to protecting what’s rightfully owned by the honest citizen.