A Pittsburgh woman has agreed to plead guilty to allegations she defrauded advertisers and exhibitors out of thousands of dollars with a fake bridal show in Boston.

Federal prosecutors say Karen Tucker on Tuesday agreed to waive indictment on wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges in exchange for a lenient sentence of up to nearly five years in jail.

Tucker and an uncharged co-conspirator allegedly posed as representatives of a business known as The Boston 411, which promoted a nonexistent home and bridal show in March.

The two allegedly collected advance fees from exhibitors and used most of the money for personal expenses. Authorities say they conducted similar scams elsewhere.

Tucker's attorney says a court date has not been set.

A Serb basketball player has pleaded guilty to beating an American student into a coma. The plea was part of a plea bargain under which Miladin Kovacevic is expected to serve about two years in prison in his homeland.

Under the agreement, Kovacevic, 23, could be sentenced to two years and three months for the beating of Bryan Steinhauer in May 2008 near Binghamton University in upstate New York. Three months of that has been served already in the U.S. and Serbia.

The Obama administration says it is disappointed with the plea deal. The case strained relations between Serbia and the United States.

The First Municipal Court in Belgrade said Monday it will mail its final ruling to Kovacevic. It did not say when.

Two Iowa women pleaded guilty Thursday to federal felony charges that they embezzled nearly $6 million from West Des Moines insurer Aviva USA.

The charges come nearly a year after Phyllis Stevens, 59, was arrested at a Las Vegas hotel. An Aviva employee discovered more than $5.9 million in company funds had been funneled into an Indianapolis bank account held by the couple.

Federal prosecutors in Iowa said both Phyllis Stevens and Marla Stevens, 58, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to file false income tax returns. Phyllis Stevens also pleaded guilty to counts of wire fraud, computer fraud and filing a false income tax return.

Phyllis Stevens admitted stealing the money by making fraudulent entries into the computer system at Aviva. She also admitted to buying real estate and paying large credit card bills with the money, prosecutors said. Marla Stevens admitted she knew about and participated in the scheme.

An Indiana teenager who pleaded guilty to murder has broken down while watching video of himself telling police how he strangled his 10-year-old brother.

Ohio Circuit Court Judge James D. Humphrey recessed court twice for a total of nearly an hour Thursday morning as 18-year-old Andrew Conley tried to control his emotions.

Defense attorney Gary Sorge said Conley wanted to be excused from the courtroom because he couldn't "bear to hear any more." Humphrey denied the request and said it was important that Conley be present to exercise his rights.

Conley pleaded guilty Monday as his trial was about to begin in the Nov. 28 murder of his brother, Conner Conley, at their home in the Ohio River town of Rising Sun. He could face 45 years to life in prison.

An Indiana money manager who once led a high-flying lifestyle pleaded guilty to five securities fraud counts on Wednesday, nearly two years after he tried to fake his death in a Florida plane crash to escape the crush of financial and personal problems.

Marcus Schrenker, 39, admitted the charges in a plea agreement under which he agreed to a 10-year prison sentence and prosecutors dropped four other charges. He also agreed to pay more than $600,000 in restitution. Prosecutors say he bilked friends, family members and other investors of more than $1 million.

He will remain in jail until his Oct. 7 sentencing, when Hamilton Superior Court Judge Steven Nation is expected to rule whether Schrenker serves the sentence at the same time as a federal sentence or afterward.

Schrenker, shackled at his wrists and ankles and wearing an orange jail T-shirt emblazoned with "Inmate 453" on its back in large black letters, told Nation he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has taken medication for it since 1992.

His attorney, P. Chadwick Hill, said afterward that Schrenker didn't blame the disorder for his actions.

A Florida man has pleaded guilty in New Jersey to running a multistate Ponzi scheme that prosecutors say left investors with about $80 million in losses.

Nevin Shapiro admitted in a Newark federal courtroom Wednesday to using Florida-based Capitol Investments USA Inc. to raise nearly $900 million from investors who thought they were buying into a wholesale grocery distribution business.

Prosecutors say Shapiro used the proceeds instead to fund a lifestyle so lavish, he has a university athletic lounge named after him.

Prosecutors say Shapiro left at least 60 investors in Florida, Indiana and New Jersey with millions in losses. He could face up to 17 years in prison.