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Mastermind Of Historic $175M Psychic Mail Scam Convicted, Feds Cite More Than 1M Victims
The mastermind of a mass-mailing scam that stole $175 million from more than a million victims, most of them elderly or ailing, was convicted by a federal jury in New York City.
Patrice Runner, a 57-year-old Canadian and French citizen, directed a ruthless psychic mail scheme for over two decades, beginning in 1994, the jurors found.
It was one of the largest -- if not the largest -- scam of its kind ever, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Friday, June 16, in announcing the verdict reached a day earlier on Long Island.
Runner sent mailings to millions of Americans that claimed t…
Victims Killed In VA Plane Crash ID'd As Passionate Pilot, NY Mom, 2-Year-Old Daughter, Nanny
The pilot and three passengers killed in the Sunday, June 4 Virginia plane crash have been identified.
Adina Azarian, her 2-year-old daughter, Aria, and nanny, were identified as the passengers of the aircraft by Azarian's father, John Rumpel — who runs the company that owns the aircraft — in an interview with the New York Times.
Azarian's live-in nanny was identified as Evadnie Smith, and the pilot as Jeff Hefner, according to the Washington Post. Kimberly Hefner, who is listed on social media as Hefner's wife, said "Papi Hefner" died doing what he loved doing: Flying.
Papi Hefner do…
Joint Custody: 1,750 Pounds Of Pot Seized, 13 Busted In Bergen Over Past Six Weeks
The fifth huge pot bust in six weeks in Bergen County boosted the overall total in that time to nearly a ton of weed, along with a baker's dozen arrests, most of them involving carriers from Queens.
Two unemployed men from New York City's largest borough were nabbed with 120 pounds of pot during a traffic stop by Narcotic Task Force detectives this past Wednesday, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said, without specifying the area.
Xian Fang Mei, 62, and Xian Wei Tang, 39, were each charged with first-degree possession with the intent to sell the drug, the prosecutor said. They were the…
Illegal Turn Produces 8½ Lbs Of Coke, 150 Pounds Of Pot, Loaded Guns, $50K In Leonia
An illegal turn at a busy Leonia intersection led to the discovery of 8½ pounds of cocaine, 150 pounds of marijuana, two loaded handguns and $50,000 in proceeds and the arrests of three unemployed men from Ridgefield Park, Manhattan and Long Island, authorities said.
Sgt. Ray Forsdahl stopped a 2018 Chevrolet Suburban after the driver made a left turn from the right lane at Grand Avenue and Fort Lee Road around 9 a.m. Feb. 2, Leonia Police Chief Scott Tamagny said.
Forsdahl discovered 50 pounds of pot and $10,000 in cash after speaking with the driver, identified as Lenny Fernandez, a 43-ye…
Paterson Elder Scammer Outsmarted By Would-Be Victim, Police Say
A quick-thinking Long Island man helped police nab a would-be elder scammer from Paterson who tried conning him out of thousands of dollars, authorities said.
Larry Urtarte, 28, allegedly called an 88-year-old man pretending he was his grandson on Tuesday, Jan. 17, in Long Beach, according to Nassau County Police. Urtarte said he'd been in an accident and needed money, detectives said.
The caller told the man to place $5,500 in cash into a package labeled “M2125” and that a person named Richard wearing a brown hat would come to pick it up.
Fortunately, the would-be victim contact…
