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Victims Scammed Out Of $2.2M By NJ Couple In 'Publishers Clearing House Lottery' Scheme: Cops
A couple from Secaucus is facing a litany of charges after scamming residents in multiple states out of more nearly $2.2 million, police said.
Akeem Lee and Majda Hodzic-Lee called victims in Florida, Minnesota, Arizona, Kansas, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Nebraska, saying they'd won the "Publishers Clearing House Lottery," Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said.
In exchange for the vehicles and large sums of money the victims were told they won, they were required by Lee and Hodzic-Lee to send cash, money orders and/or gift cards for taxes, fees and IRS …
Man Turned Massachusetts College Jobs Into An Illegal Fortune, Now He's Going To Prison: Feds
A 53-year-old Connecticut man will spend the next eight months in prison after he admitted to taking bribes to sell contracts to build, maintain, and repair three colleges in Massachusetts, federal authorities said.
Floyd Young, of the city of Shelton in Fairfield County, pleaded guilty in August 2020 to one count of conspiracy and three counts of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. He was sentenced on Wednesday, Dec. 20.
Along with his prison term, Young must also forfeit $919,066, the amount of bribes he receiv…
Drug Ring Bust Leads To 20 Convictions In Western Mass
Authorities in Western Massachusetts are celebrating as two men, busted as part of a drug ring in 2021, pled guilty on Thursday, June 8. That makes 20 felony convictions since investigators began dismantling the operation in 2021, officials said.
Jason Nadeau, 42, of Ludlow, pleaded guilty to two felony charges of trafficking cocaine and one of conspiracy, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said.
David Gallegos, 30, of Deerfield, will serve a year of probation after a judge continued without a finding a charge of conspiracy, the prosecutor said. …
Violent Kidnapping: 5 Busted In Central Mass Held Victims For Hours, Beat Them, DA Says
Five people are expected to be arraigned Friday, Feb. 17, that they took part in a violent assault and kidnapping at an Athol home earlier this month, authorities said.
The five were arrested in connection with a Feb. 1 kidnapping where two victims were held at a house for four hours against their will, robbed, and assaulted, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said. One victim reported the incident to Athol police the following day.
This week, investigators arrested multiple people in the case. They are:
Franklin Payne, age 46, of Athol. He is charged with armed…
CT Store Owner, Worker Admit Defrauding Federal Program
The owner of a Connecticut convenience store and his father, who helped him operate the business, have admitted to a food stamps fraud offense.
Hartford County residents Javed Saeed, age 52, and 68-year-old Dastgir Saeed, both of South Windsor, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, May 10, to conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud, according to Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Javed is the owner of the Manchester Quick Mart and Mobil gas station, which is located at 262 Oakland St. in Manchester, the US Attorney's Office reported.
His fathe…
Pittsfield Man Sentenced For Multi-Drug Trafficking Conspiracy
A 54-year-old man from Western Massachusetts was sentenced for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy.
Berkshire County resident Edward Chapman, of Pittsfield, was sentenced on Thursday, March 10, to 11 years in prison and eight years of supervised release, according to an announcement from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
In March of 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base, oxycodone, and …
Woman From Region Admits To Role In Fentanyl, Heroin, Cocaine Conspiracy
A Massachusetts woman has admitted to her role in a fentanyl, heroin and cocaine trafficking conspiracy.
Worcester County resident Amanda Ford, age 35, of Fitchburg, pleaded guilty on Friday, Dec. 3, to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and cocaine base, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
She is scheduled to be sentenced on March 22, the Attorney's Office said.
Ford was charged with 17 other defendants in July of 2020, and she is the 10th defendant to plead …
Former Western Mass Resident Admits To Sham Marriage
A former area resident man has pleaded guilty in connection with entering into a sham marriage in order to obtain immigration benefits for another person.
Phu Thanh Huynh, age 33, formerly of Springfield, who pleaded guilty on Wednesday, Aug. 4, married a Vietnamese national, referred to as Jane Doe in September 2018, solely for the purpose of obtaining immigration benefits for Doe, said the US Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.
According to the US Attorney, Huynh and Doe never lived together after getting married, and that a co-conspirator paid Huynh $20,000 in cash …
Western Mass Man Out On Bail Busted For Second Time For Heroin Trafficking, Police Say
A Western Mass man who has been out on bail for trafficking in heroin has been busted again, police said.
Jorge Diaz, age 64, of Springfield, was arrested on Tuesday, May 11, by Springfield Police after he was nabbed with 2,8000 bags of heroin, cocaine, and more than $8,000 in cash, said the Springfield Police.
On Wednesday, May 12, police seized an additional $40,6000 from Diaz's safety deposit box with a warrant, police said.
Diaz was out on bail from an October arrest where Springfield Police Narcotics detectives seized nearly 30,000 bags of heroin.
Arrested along with Diaz was Margari…
Trend: Fourth Large-Scale Marijuana Farm, With NYC Ties, Is Busted In Western Mass
For the fourth time in about six months, men from Brooklyn have been busted in Western Massachusetts for allegedly growing mass quantities of marijuana.
On Monday, Jan. 11, around 8 a.m., police responded to a report of a possible fire with smoke coming out from the eaves of a roof at 24 West St. in Belchertown.
When firefighters entered the home to investigate, they allegedly found a large-scale marijuana growing operation, WesternMass News is reporting. After obtaining a search warrant, law enforcement allegedly seized more than 800 marijuana plants, growing equipment, and $2,500.
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