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Scammers Posing As Well-Known Businesses, Agencies: Here's What To Know, Feds Say Scammers Posing As Well-Known Businesses, Agencies: Here's What To Know, Feds Say
Scammers Posing As Well-Known Businesses, Agencies: Here's What To Know, Feds Say Federal authorities are sounding the alarm over scams that impersonate well-known businesses and government agencies.  In 2023, data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alone show more than 330,000 reports of business impersonation scams and nearly 160,000 reports of government impersonation scams. That amounts to nearly half the frauds reported directly to the agency, the FTC said. Combined, reported losses to these impersonation scams topped $1.1 billion for the year, more than three times what consumers reported in 2020. Reports show an increasingly blurred line between busine…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Mail Theft: Former CT Postal Carrier Admits Stealing Packages, Feds Say Mail Theft: Former CT Postal Carrier Admits Stealing Packages, Feds Say
Mail Theft: Former CT Postal Carrier Admits Stealing Packages, Feds Say A 37-year-old former Connecticut postal carrier has admitted to stealing packages while on the job, federal officials announced.  New Haven County resident Shawn Fuller of Hamden, who once worked as a US Postal Service carrier in Meriden, pleaded guilty to a mail theft offense on Friday, Feb. 16, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced.  Earlier Report - Mail Theft: Meriden Postal Carrier Charged With Stealing Packages, Distributing Cocaine According to federal officials, while working as a mail carrier, Fuller was investigated for stealing package…

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by Ben Crnic
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$874K Scheme: Former Danbury Postmaster Defrauded Postal Service, Solicited Bribes: Feds $874K Scheme: Former Danbury Postmaster Defrauded Postal Service, Solicited Bribes: Feds
$874K Scheme: Former Danbury Postmaster Defrauded Postal Service, Solicited Bribes: Feds A 50-year-old Massachusetts man who once served as postmaster for a Fairfield County post office has admitted to defrauding the US Postal Service out of over $874,000 as part of a bribery, kickback, and embezzlement scheme that he operated, officials announced. Former Brookfield resident Ephrem D. Nguyen, age 50, pleaded guilty to a fraud offense related to his scheme on Friday, Oct. 13, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced.  According to federal officials, Nguyen, who now lives in Quincy, Massachusetts in Norfolk County, had been employed b…

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by Ben Crnic
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Man Steals Keys, Breaks Into CT Post Office Mail Boxes, Faces More Than Decade In Jail, Feds Man Steals Keys, Breaks Into CT Post Office Mail Boxes, Faces More Than Decade In Jail, Feds
Man Steals Keys, Breaks Into CT Post Office Mail Boxes, Faces More Than Decade In Jail, Feds A man faces over 10 years in federal prison after using stolen postal keys to break into mailboxes at post offices in Connecticut, officials said. Ixavier Holman Jr., age 31, of Secaucus, New Jersey, was arrested on Monday, June 12 on federal mail theft offenses, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced.  According to federal officials, on at least six separate incidents between December 2022 and June 2023, Holman would steal mail collection box keys and use them to take mail from blue collection boxes at the following post offices in New Haven County:&nb…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Mail Theft: CT Postal Carrier Charged With Stealing Packages, Distributing Cocaine Mail Theft: CT Postal Carrier Charged With Stealing Packages, Distributing Cocaine
Mail Theft: CT Postal Carrier Charged With Stealing Packages, Distributing Cocaine A US Postal Service mail carrier in Connecticut faces potentially decades in prison after federal agents say he stole mail and distributed cocaine.  New Haven County resident Shawn R. Fuller, age 36, of Hamden, is charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and three counts of theft of mail by a postal employee, the US Attorney for Connecticut said. Fuller was released on a $100,000 bond, the prosecutor said. Fuller, who worked at a post office in Meriden, was under investigation for stealing mail when investigators said they saw him open two packages on April 1…

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by Josh Lanier
News
3K Foreign Contraband Cigarettes Seized, Destroyed By USPS In NY, Other States: Officials 3K Foreign Contraband Cigarettes Seized, Destroyed By USPS In NY, Other States: Officials
3K Foreign Contraband Cigarettes Seized, Destroyed By USPS In NY, Other States: Officials Around 3,000 packages of foreign contraband cigarettes bound for Connecticut, New York, and other states have been found and destroyed by the US Postal Service since the beginning of the year, officials said.  According to Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, the seizures were a result of a settlement between the USPS and several states in August 2022 that forced the Postal Service to destroy untaxed foreign cigarettes instead of returning the illegally-mailed packages back to the sender.  Of the 3,000 cigarette packages destroyed since the beginning of 2023, 44 had bee…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Cocaine Shipped Through Mail: CT Man Busted After Picking It Up, Will Spend Years In Jail Cocaine Shipped Through Mail: CT Man Busted After Picking It Up, Will Spend Years In Jail
Cocaine Shipped Through Mail: CT Man Busted After Picking It Up, Will Spend Years In Jail A Meriden man will spend years in prison after picking up packages full of cocaine that were shipped through the US Postal Service. Jean Carlos Mercado, age 34, was sentenced on Friday, Feb. 10 to 50 months in prison for participating in a drug trafficking organization that sent kilogram quantities of cocaine through the US Mail, according to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut.  In October 2020, authorities identified several suspicious packages that were being mailed to an address in Meridan from Puerto Rico. On Oct. 26, 2020, Mercado was identified when he went …

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by Ben Crnic
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
3 From Westchester Charged In illegal Gambling Operation Allegedly Run By Lucchese Crime Family 3 From Westchester Charged In illegal Gambling Operation Allegedly Run By Lucchese Crime Family
3 From Westchester Charged In illegal Gambling Operation Allegedly Run By Lucchese Crime Family Five New York men, including three from Westchester County, have been accused of overseeing and operating a 15-year long, large-scale illegal, online gambling business with suspected ties to the Lucchese crime family, federal authorities announced. An indictment was unsealed in Brooklyn Federal Court on Wednesday, Sept. 14 charging them for their roles overseeing and operating a large-scale illegal, online gambling business under the protection of the Lucchese organized crime family. The gambling business known as “Rhino Sports” utilized an offshore website and dozens of bookmakers in …

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Postal Employee From Fairfield County Admits To Theft Of Mail Postal Employee From Fairfield County Admits To Theft Of Mail
Postal Employee From Fairfield County Admits To Theft Of Mail A Connecticut postal worker who admitted to carrying a gun and using drugs on the job has also copped to federal charges of mail theft. Umberto Pignataro, age 46, of Bridgeport, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty in federal court in Bridgeport Tuesday, Aug. 9. Prosecutors said Pignataro stole hundreds of pieces of mail between December 2020 and May 2021, while working as a mail carrier for the US Postal Service in Norwalk. Among the pilfered items were packages and greetings cards that contained cash, gift cards, and other valuable items, prosecutors said. Pignatoro was e…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
CT Man Sentenced For Role In Cocaine Trafficking Ring Involving Postal Worker CT Man Sentenced For Role In Cocaine Trafficking Ring Involving Postal Worker
CT Man Sentenced For Role In Cocaine Trafficking Ring Involving Postal Worker A Connecticut man is heading to federal prison for his role in a cocaine trafficking ring that involved a US Postal worker. Kendall Hooks, age 50, of Hartford, was sentenced to more than 5 years behind bars Wednesday, May 11, in federal court in Hartford. It came nearly nine months after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, the US Attorney’s Office said. The charges stemmed from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Hartford and the US Postal Inspection Service that revea…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Uptick In Stolen, Altered Checks Reported In Fairfield County Town Uptick In Stolen, Altered Checks Reported In Fairfield County Town
Uptick In Stolen, Altered Checks Reported In Fairfield County Town A Fairfield County town is seeing an uptick in the number of "check washing" cases. Check washing is the process of erasing the details from an already completed check to allow them to be rewritten, Lt. David Wolf of the Westport Police Department said. In most instances, checks that have been put in mailboxes and are awaiting pickup by a postal employee are stolen.  Once stolen, the suspect alters the check by changing the payee as well as the amount and then cash or deposit it at a bank, Wolf said. In Westport, Wolf said the checks that end up being “washed…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Vehicle, Mail Stolen In Weekend Crime Spree In Fairfield County Town Vehicle, Mail Stolen In Weekend Crime Spree In Fairfield County Town
Vehicle, Mail Stolen In Weekend Crime Spree In Fairfield County Town Police in Fairfield County are investigating a weekend crime spree that saw an SUV, mail, and packages stolen in a pair of neighboring towns. Officers from the New Canaan Police Department were dispatched to Rosebrook Road early on Friday, Dec. 17, where there was a report of a stolen 2020 Ford Explorer that was taken overnight after it was left unlocked with the keys inside. Later that day, officers were also called to investigate a reported vehicle that had been entered and had items stolen on Turtleback Lane West. The following day, on Saturday, Dec. 18, officers investigated numerous r…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Thieves Seek Personal Info In String Of Mail Thefts In Fairfield County, Police Say Thieves Seek Personal Info In String Of Mail Thefts In Fairfield County, Police Say
Thieves Seek Personal Info In String Of Mail Thefts In Fairfield County, Police Say A police department in one Fairfield County town is warning residents of a rash of mail thefts from residential mailboxes. The Greenwich Police Department, which has patrol officers looking for suspicious activity, said the thieves are looking for outgoing checks or protected personal information. The department is recommending that if possible, residents switch to online banking or bring their bills to the Post Office for mailing.  "If you need to mail a check, regularly review your bank statements to make sure the check has been cashed in the correct amount and to the correct person…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Mail Stolen From Residential Mailboxes Found In Neighboring Town In Fairfield County Mail Stolen From Residential Mailboxes Found In Neighboring Town In Fairfield County
Mail Stolen From Residential Mailboxes Found In Neighboring Town In Fairfield County Police in one Fairfield County town are warning residents that mail was stolen from numerous mailboxes after finding mail along a roadway. The incident took place on Sunday, Nov. 7, when Wilton Police contacted the New Canaan Police department to report finding mail on the side of a road. According to New Canaan Police Chief Leon Krolikowski the mail was from mailboxes located on the following New Canaan roads:  Butler Lane Hoyt Farm Road Long Lots Road Shagbark Road Stoneleigh Road Darien experienced similar mail thefts, he added. Krolikowski offered the following tips to prevent t…

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by Kathy Reakes