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College Director From Westport Embezzled $3.5M To Fund Her Lavish Lifestyle, DA Says College Director From Westport Embezzled $3.5M To Fund Her Lavish Lifestyle, DA Says
College Director From Westport Embezzled $3.5M To Fund Her Lavish Lifestyle, DA Says A former director at New York University is being accused of embezzling millions in state funding and using much of the money to fund a lavish lifestyle at her home in Connecticut home, according to authorities. The six-year fraud by Fairfield County resident Cindy Tappe, age 57, of Westport, related to two NYU programs, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced this week. Tappe used her position as the director of finance and administration for NYU’s Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and Transformation of Schools to diver…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
$31M Trip-Fall Fraud Scheme Results In Convictions For NY Attorney, Doctor $31M Trip-Fall Fraud Scheme Results In Convictions For NY Attorney, Doctor
$31M Trip-Fall Fraud Scheme Results In Convictions For NY Attorney, Doctor An attorney and doctor have been convicted of defrauding New York businesses and their insurance companies of more than $31 million through a massive trip-and-fall fraud scheme. Following a three-week trial, a jury in Manhattan just convicted George Constantine, a lawyer, and Andrew Dowd, an orthopedic surgeon, for their participation in the scheme from 2013 and 2018.  Both men live on Long Island -- the 60-year-old Constantine in Plainview, and the 67-year-old Dowd in Miller Place. The two were both found guilty of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, mail fraud, and w…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Police Issue Alert For Circulating Bitcoin Scam In Fairfield County Police Issue Alert For Circulating Bitcoin Scam In Fairfield County
Police Issue Alert For Circulating Bitcoin Scam In Fairfield County Police in Fairfield County are warning residents against the latest scam, this one involving Bitcoin. Fairfield Police Chief Robert Kalamaras said they learned of the latest scam when a resident alerted the department on Tuesday, Nov. 22 that they had sent $7,000 in Bitcoin currency to an unknown account prior to realizing it was a scam. The resident told officers she had received a call from an unknown male claiming to work for the fraud department of an online retailer. He told her that fraud was detected on her account and informed her that she would have to transfer her money to a Bitco…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Police Release Surveillance Image Of Suspected Mail Thief In Fairfield County Police Release Surveillance Image Of Suspected Mail Thief In Fairfield County
Police Release Surveillance Image Of Suspected Mail Thief In Fairfield County Police in Fairfield County are investigating numerous thefts from mailboxes that have occurred over the past several weeks where mail was stolen from many residential neighborhoods during the day.  Police are seeking to identify a suspect vehicle that was spotted taking mail from a residential mailbox in Trumbull near the borders of Monroe and Shelton on Monday, Nov. 28. The small white vehicle was observed stopping at mailboxes where the passenger reached out, opened the mailbox, and stole the contents before leaving the area, said Lt. Brian Weir, of the …

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Former Attorney In Fairfield County Admits Defrauding Clients Of More Than $700K Former Attorney In Fairfield County Admits Defrauding Clients Of More Than $700K
Former Attorney In Fairfield County Admits Defrauding Clients Of More Than $700K A former real estate lawyer based in Fairfield County faces prison time for illegally using funds received from his clients, causing them to lose over $700,000.  Westerly, Rhode Island resident William McCullough, age 62, admitted to the embezzling scheme on Wednesday, Nov. 23, according to the Connecticut Department of Justice District.  As part of his Stamford-based law practice, McCullough would handle real estate transactions for clients and receive funds that he was required to deposit into an Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLTA Account) to use as part of his dutie…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Ex-Fairfield County Public Works Director Admits To Environmental Offenses Ex-Fairfield County Public Works Director Admits To Environmental Offenses
Ex-Fairfield County Public Works Director Admits To Environmental Offenses A former Fairfield County public works director pleaded guilty to nine felony environmental and fraud offenses. Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin announced on Monday, Nov. 7 that former Fairfield Director of Public Works Joseph Michelangelo, age 61, of Fairfield, pleaded guilty to the charges. Michelangelo entered guilty pleas to: Receiving solid waste at an unpermitted facility Illegal disposal of asbestos Illegal disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) Conspiracy to commit larceny and other environmental offenses. Under his plea agreement, he faces up to 10 years i…

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by Kathy Reakes
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Bernie Madoff Ponzi Scheme Victims To Get $372M More In Distributions, Feds Announce Bernie Madoff Ponzi Scheme Victims To Get $372M More In Distributions, Feds Announce
Bernie Madoff Ponzi Scheme Victims To Get $372M More In Distributions, Feds Announce Thousands of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme victims will be receiving their portions of the latest distribution of more than $370 million. US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams announced that the Madoff Victim Fund will be distributing approximately $372 million to 40,000 victims worldwide who were involved in the fraud scheme. Earlier Report: Madoff Ponzi Scheme Victims To Get Nearly $500M More In Distributions To date, approximately $4 billion has been distributed to Madoff’s victims. Williams said that this eighth payment will bring the victims’ total re…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
CT Man Sentenced For Scams That Defrauded Hundreds Of Victims Across US Out Of Millions CT Man Sentenced For Scams That Defrauded Hundreds Of Victims Across US Out Of Millions
CT Man Sentenced For Scams That Defrauded Hundreds Of Victims Across US Out Of Millions A Connecticut man who took part in a massive scheme defrauding elderly victims out of millions of dollars is heading to federal prison. Rodney Thomas, age 31, of New Haven, was sentenced to six years behind bars Tuesday, Aug. 23 in federal court in Bridgeport after a jury convicted him of multiple charges stemming from the scheme. Federal prosecutors said Thomas and several others bilked 200 elderly victims across the country out of more than $5 million through bogus lottery and romance scams carried out between August 2015 and March 2020. Some unsuspecting victims were duped into sendin…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Decomposed Body Found In Connecticut Home ID'd As Ponzi Swindler, Jeffrey Epstein Mentor Decomposed Body Found In Connecticut Home ID'd As Ponzi Swindler, Jeffrey Epstein Mentor
Decomposed Body Found In Connecticut Home ID'd As Ponzi Swindler, Jeffrey Epstein Mentor A body found in a Connecticut home during a welfare check has positively been identified as Steven Hoffenberg, a longtime mentor of Jeffrey Epstein. Hoffenberg, the one-time owner of the New York Post and businessman who spent 18 years in prison for a $460 million Ponzi scheme, was found in the New Haven County home around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 23, in the city of Derby. According to the Derby Police, the medical examiner's office confirmed on Friday, Aug. 26, that the badly decomposed body was that of Hoffenberg.  An initial autopsy did not find signs of trauma on the body, the…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Fairfield County Man Sentenced For Role In $5M Lottery, Romance Fraud Schemes Fairfield County Man Sentenced For Role In $5M Lottery, Romance Fraud Schemes
Fairfield County Man Sentenced For Role In $5M Lottery, Romance Fraud Schemes A Connecticut man who took part in a massive scheme defrauding elderly victims out of millions of dollars is heading to federal prison. Stanley Pierre, age 35, of Bridgeport was sentenced to 2 ½ years behind bars Wednesday, Aug. 3 in federal court in Bridgeport after pleading guilty to one count of money laundering. Federal prosecutors said Pierre and several others bilked 200 elderly victims across the country out of more than $5 million through bogus lottery and romance scams carried out between August 2015 and March 2020. Some unsuspecting victims were duped into sending money after the…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
CT Woman Nabbed Stealing $38K From Fairfield County Resident, Police Say CT Woman Nabbed Stealing $38K From Fairfield County Resident, Police Say
CT Woman Nabbed Stealing $38K From Fairfield County Resident, Police Say A Connecticut woman has been arrested for allegedly writing more than $38,000 in fraudulent checks from the account of a Fairfield County resident. An investigation into the incident began in Westport in June 2021 after a resident reported that an unknown person has used his personal information to write more than $38,000 in checks. The checks were deposited into a Citibank account which led detectives to question a man identified as Eldrege Christmas as a suspect, said Lt. David Wolf, of the Westport Police. As a result, a search warrant to examine Christmas’s cell phone was obtained. Ad…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Woman Accused Of Spending Thousands From Gift Cards She Stole At CT Walmart Where She Worked Woman Accused Of Spending Thousands From Gift Cards She Stole At CT Walmart Where She Worked
Woman Accused Of Spending Thousands From Gift Cards She Stole At CT Walmart Where She Worked A Connecticut woman is facing charges after allegedly attempting to pull a fast one on her employer to the tune of thousands of dollars worth of stolen gift cards, police said. In New Haven County, police in Milford arrested West Haven resident Josephine Gomez, age 52, who was taken into custody by investigators on Tuesday, March 29 after a warrant was issued for her arrest for allegedly stealing from the Walmart store on Boston Post Road. According to a spokesperson from the Milford Police Department, Gomez is accused of creating fraudulent returns at Walmart in Milford and loading more t…

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by Zak Failla