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Child Protection

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'Callous Predator' Who Sextorted 13-Year-Old Girl Sentenced To Life In Prison 'Callous Predator' Who Sextorted 13-Year-Old Girl Sentenced To Life In Prison
'Callous Predator' Who Sextorted 13-Year-Old Girl Sentenced To Life In Prison A convicted child predator from New York was sentenced to life in prison for posing as a teenager in order to sexually extort a 13-year-old New Jersey girl. Zachary Williams, 37, of New York City, learned his fate in Camden federal court on Tuesday, March 18, following convictions for interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and related charges. After a nearly two-week trial, jurors concluded that Williams met the 13-year-old victim on Snapchat and pretended to be 17 years old. In reality, he was 33 at the time. Williams asked the girl to send him nude photos of …

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Yankees' Mariano Rivera, Wife, Covered Up Sexual Abuse In Westchester, Lawsuit Says Yankees' Mariano Rivera, Wife, Covered Up Sexual Abuse In Westchester, Lawsuit Says
Yankees' Mariano Rivera, Wife, Covered Up Sexual Abuse In Westchester, Lawsuit Says Baseball icon Mariano Rivera and his wife are both named in a new lawsuit alleging that the couple did not protect a young victim from being sexually abused by members of a Westchester-based church, some of which happened at their home.  The lawsuit, filed in New York Supreme Court in Westchester County on Thursday, Jan. 16, alleges that a child referred to as "Jane A Doe" because of her young age was sexually abused by two people affiliated with New Rochelle-based Refuge of Hope Church.  The church began as a small ministry in Rivera's home and his wife, Clara, still works a…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Hudson Valley Man Admits Sexual Assault Of Child Hudson Valley Man Admits Sexual Assault Of Child
Hudson Valley Man Admits Sexual Assault Of Child A Hudson Valley man has admitted to sexually abusing a child repeatedly. Rockland County resident Luis Quinac-Morales, age 41, of Spring Valley, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, said Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh. Beginning in 2016, Quinac-Morales routinely sexually abused the 12-year-old girl in the Village of Spring Valley. The repeated sexual abuse consisted of sexual intercourse, Walsh said.  “The defendant in this case subjected a 12- year-old innocent child to horrific sexual abuse," Walsh said. "My Office works in collaboration with our partner…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Over 100 Sex Offenders To Be Kept Off Westchester Streets On Halloween With Educational Program Over 100 Sex Offenders To Be Kept Off Westchester Streets On Halloween With Educational Program
Over 100 Sex Offenders To Be Kept Off Westchester Streets On Halloween With Educational Program To help ensure the safety of young trick-or-treaters in Westchester on Halloween night, county officials will be requiring registered sex offenders to attend a program intended to keep them off the streets. In an announcement on Monday, Oct. 28, Westchester officials said more than 100 registered and non-registered sex offenders on probation within the county will have to attend an educational program at the Westchester County Courthouse in White Plains on Thursday, Oct. 31 from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.  The program is intended to teach offenders about the impact of their actions and …

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
School Staffer Arrested, Banned From Property At District In Westchester School Staffer Arrested, Banned From Property At District In Westchester
School Staffer Arrested, Banned From Property At District In Westchester A school staff member in Westchester has been arrested and banned from stepping on district property as officials investigate his alleged inappropriate interactions with an elementary school student.  The Mount Vernon Central School District announced the arrest and ban in a statement released on Thursday, May 11, in which officials outlined that the staff member had allegedly taken part in inappropriate interactions with an elementary school student in Mount Vernon.   Once the district became aware of these allegations, they then "took immediate steps" to advise the staff me…

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by Ben Crnic
News
'Institutional Misogyny': Chairwoman Resigns From Westchester BOL After Staffer Meets With Teen 'Institutional Misogyny': Chairwoman Resigns From Westchester BOL After Staffer Meets With Teen
'Institutional Misogyny': Chairwoman Resigns From Westchester BOL After Staffer Meets With Teen The chairwoman of the Westchester County Board of Legislators has stepped down from her position following a scandal involving a former county staffer trying to meet with a 14-year-old girl.  Catherine Borgia, who was elected to the position with a unanimous vote at the beginning of the 2022-2023 term, announced her resignation on Friday, April 28. Earlier Report - Staffer Fired For Meeting With Teen Girl Leads To 'Witch Hunt,' Westchester BOL Chair Says Numerous legislators had called for Borgia's resignation after a former staffer, identified as Anand Singh, was fired…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Hudson Valley Man Accused Of Having Sexual Conduct With Child Hudson Valley Man Accused Of Having Sexual Conduct With Child
Hudson Valley Man Accused Of Having Sexual Conduct With Child A New York man is behind bars, accused of sexually abusing a young child. Orange County resident Jairo Garcia, age 31, of Newburgh, was arrested Wednesday, May 18, following an investigation by Orange County Child Protective Services and New York State Police. Investigators accused him of engaging in sexual conduct with a child under the age of 13. Garcia was charged with second-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, a felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, police said. He was arraigned in the Town of Goshen Court and held at the Orange County jail withou…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Hudson Valley Man Accused Of Sexually Exploiting Three 13-Year-Olds Online Hudson Valley Man Accused Of Sexually Exploiting Three 13-Year-Olds Online
Hudson Valley Man Accused Of Sexually Exploiting Three 13-Year-Olds Online A 29-year-old Hudson Valley man was arrested for the sexual exploitation of three young teens online following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigative Division. Orange County resident Jonathan Weiss, also known as "Ian_Jameson," of Middletown, has been charged with communicating with three different underage victims online and directing them to take sexually explicit images and send them to Weiss. "Jonathan Weiss's alleged crimes are abhorrent and predatory," ," said Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. "Using a common socia…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Westchester Man Accused Of Engaging In Sexual Contact With Teen Online Westchester Man Accused Of Engaging In Sexual Contact With Teen Online
Westchester Man Accused Of Engaging In Sexual Contact With Teen Online A 38-year-old Westchester man is facing charges for allegedly engaging in sexual contact with a teenager over the course of more than a month last year. Yonkers resident Malston Patrick was arrested and arraigned on charges for allegedly sending and exchanging sexually explicit photos and engaging in conversations online with a 16-year-old, including on social media platforms. It is alleged that Patrick invited and induced the teen to engage in sexual intercourse, deviate sexual intercourse, and sexual contact with him. Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr. said that f…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: School Closings Lead To Increased Risk Of Child Exploitation, FBI Warns COVID-19: School Closings Lead To Increased Risk Of Child Exploitation, FBI Warns
Covid-19: School Closings Lead To Increased Risk Of Child Exploitation, FBI Warns Due to school closings as a result of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), children will most likely be spending more time online, which could put them at an increased position for exploitation, the FBI warns. Online sexual exploitation comes in many forms. Individuals may coerce victims into providing sexually explicit images or videos of themselves, often in compliance with offenders’ threats to post the images publicly or send the images to victims’ friends and family, the FBI said. Other offenders may make casual contact with children online, gain their trust, and introduce sexual conversa…

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by Kathy Reakes
Politics
New Requirements For Sex Offenders Using Social Apps Proposed In NY New Requirements For Sex Offenders Using Social Apps Proposed In NY
New Requirements For Sex Offenders Using Social Apps Proposed In NY A new proposal from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo would regulate registered sex offenders from using social media applications and other online methods to contact and exploit children. In his 11th proposal of the 2020 State of the State agenda, Cuomo introduced legislation to prevent convicted sex offenders from using social media accounts, dating apps, and video game chat functions to target minors. The proposal is an extension of New York's e-STOP law, which passed in 2008 and requires sex offenders to register some online activities with state officials. According to Cuomo, “wit…

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by Zak Failla
News
Boy Scouts Of America Responds After Area Troop Leaders Accused Of Abuse Boy Scouts Of America Responds After Area Troop Leaders Accused Of Abuse
Boy Scouts Of America Responds After Area Troop Leaders Accused Of Abuse Executives with the Boy Scouts of America want parents to know their children are safe and they are taking measures after 11 troop leaders in New York were among nearly 200 accused of sexually abusing children in the recently released Boy Scout of America’s “perversion files.” This week, lawyers  for the organization released a list of suspects who allegedly abused children as part of a “widespread pattern of abuse.” The names of some of the accused were released on Tuesday, and attorneys representing the victims have demanded that the Boy Scouts of America release the background inf…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
'Operation Home Alone' Sting: Rockland, Westchester Men Accused Of Trying To Meet Kids For Sex 'Operation Home Alone' Sting: Rockland, Westchester Men Accused Of Trying To Meet Kids For Sex
'Operation Home Alone' Sting: Rockland, Westchester Men Accused Of Trying To Meet Kids For Sex Five men from Rockland and one from Westchester – including a high school teacher and a bank manager – were among 16 defendants busted in New Jersey after they’d arranged meetings for sex with what they thought were underage boys and girls, authorities announced Wednesday. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal identified the six as: Kevin Roth, 26, Nanuet, who teaches at the High School of Computers and Technology in the Bronx and thought was meeting a 14-year-old boy, Grewal said; Shaheen Lariff, 49, a bank branch officer manager from New City who the attorney general said thought …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Westchester County Offers Help To Reunite Separated Families Westchester County Offers Help To Reunite Separated Families
Westchester County Offers Help To Reunite Separated Families County Executive George Latimer has offered Westchester's Department of Social Services to assist the federal government reunite children currently housed in local facilities with their families. Under state law, county Departments of Social Services (DSS) are required to have plans and systems to return children separated from family and relatives if they have been removed from a parent or parents. On Monday, June 25, Latimer, a Democrat from Rye, said: “The Westchester County Department of Social Services, as part of its child protection mission, has the ability to link children up with…

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by Jon Craig