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NY Man Charged In Multi-Million Dollar Mail Scam NY Man Charged In Multi-Million Dollar Mail Scam
NY Man Charged In Multi-Million Dollar Mail Scam A New York man is one of three suspects facing charges for their roles in a multi-million mail scam, federal officials announced. Jeffrey Novis, age 79, of Long Island, Shawn Phillips, age 52, of British Columbia, Canada, and Phillip Priolo, age 58, of Hallandale Beach, Florida have been charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, and multiple counts of mail fraud and wire fraud after operating an elaborate scheme over several years. An indictment was unsealed in US District Court this week charging the three with running a fraudulent mass-mailing scheme that tricked consum…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Massachusetts Governor Backs Biden Push For Death Penalty In Boston Marathon Case Massachusetts Governor Backs Biden Push For Death Penalty In Boston Marathon Case
Massachusetts Governor Backs Biden Push For Death Penalty In Boston Marathon Case Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is backing the Department of Justice and President Joe Biden as they seek to reinstate the death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. This week, the Department of Justice encouraged the Supreme Court to reinstate the death penalty for Tsarnaev, calling it "one of the worst” acts of terrorism in the US since the Sept. 11 bombings. Though Biden has publicly opposed capital punishment, his administration threw its support behind the DOJ, which filed a 48-page brief to overturn a previous decision from a lower court that vacated Tsarnaev’s dea…

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by Zak Failla
News
Feds Drop Charges Against One Of Capitol Riot Suspects From Hudson Valley Feds Drop Charges Against One Of Capitol Riot Suspects From Hudson Valley
Feds Drop Charges Against One Of Capitol Riot Suspects From Hudson Valley The Department of Justice is planning to drop its case against a Hudson Valley man who was facing charges for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Rockland County resident Christopher Kelly, of New City, was charged in US District Court in January after being identified through social media as one of the rioters who allegedly entered the Capitol building on Jan. 6 during the pro-Trump demonstration. Original story - Hudson Valley Resident Charged For Role In Capitol Riot However, federal prosecutors told a judge this week that they plan to drop the case aga…

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by Zak Failla
News
NY Man Nabbed For Role In Capitol Riot After Showing Video At Dentist's Office, FBI Says NY Man Nabbed For Role In Capitol Riot After Showing Video At Dentist's Office, FBI Says
NY Man Nabbed For Role In Capitol Riot After Showing Video At Dentist's Office, FBI Says A New York man was arrested for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol after being heard showing off videos of the pro-Trump riot at an upstate dentist’s office, according to the FBI. Daniel Warmus, of Buffalo, was arrested this week and accused of taking part in the deadly riot after the FBI received a tip from someone who overheard him talking about the incident. The tipster told the FBI that he could hear Warmus playing a video taken from inside the Capitol building on Jan. 6. It is further alleged that Warmus proclaimed that he smoked marijuana while inside the building. …

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Cuomo Defends Nursing Home Death Reporting, Calling It 'Political Football' COVID-19: Cuomo Defends Nursing Home Death Reporting, Calling It 'Political Football'
Covid-19: Cuomo Defends Nursing Home Death Reporting, Calling It 'Political Football' Gov. Andrew Cuomo defended his administration’s handling of the counting of COVID-19-related deaths in New York nursing homes, calling it “political” and driven by former President Donald Trump. In his latest public comment on the subject following a scathing report that found his top aides worked for months to obscure the number of virus-related deaths in nursing homes, Cuomo sought to defend his administration while explaining the confusion in the data that was publicly released. Earlier story - Report: Cuomo Aides' Effort To Keep Nursing Home Deaths Secret Greater Than Previously Known …

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by Zak Failla
Politics
COVID-19: Cuomo Admits Lack Of Transparency On Reporting Nursing Home Data Amid Backlash COVID-19: Cuomo Admits Lack Of Transparency On Reporting Nursing Home Data Amid Backlash
Covid-19: Cuomo Admits Lack Of Transparency On Reporting Nursing Home Data Amid Backlash In his first public comments on a top aide's admission that his administration "froze" when asked by both federal and state officials to release data on COVID-19 nursing home fatalities, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the lack of transparency was a mistake. Cuomo said “there was a delay,” in reporting the data, and that void led to “skepticism, cynicism and conspiracy theories which furthered confusion" in a news briefing held in Albany on Monday, Feb. 15. "We should have provided more information faster," Cuomo said. "We were too focused on doing the job and addressing the crisis of the …

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by Joe Lombardi
Politics
Westchester Mayor, Comptroller At Odds Over City Finances, Lack Of Transparency Westchester Mayor, Comptroller At Odds Over City Finances, Lack Of Transparency
Westchester Mayor, Comptroller At Odds Over City Finances, Lack Of Transparency Drastic cuts could be coming to one of Westchester’s largest cities as the Mayor butts heads with the City Comptroller. Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard and the City Council recently held a joint press conference regarding Comptroller Deborah Reynolds and her “lack of transparency, accountability, and professionalism,” that has left the city at a financial crossroads. According to Patterson-Howard, as the city and state continue combating the COVID-19 crisis, Mount Vernon requires Reynolds to release more than $12 million, or austerity measures may be put in place, including a 25 …

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by Zak Failla
Business
Purdue Pharma Admits To Crimes, Facing Billions In Fines For Opioid Crisis Purdue Pharma Admits To Crimes, Facing Billions In Fines For Opioid Crisis
Purdue Pharma Admits To Crimes, Facing Billions In Fines For Opioid Crisis Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, has agreed to pay billions of dollars in fines and will plead guilty to federal criminal charges for its role in the nation’s opioid crisis. The Fairfield County-based Connecticut company agreed to plead guilty in federal court in New Jersey to a three-count indictment that includes one count of dual-object conspiracy to defraud the United States and to violate the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and two counts of conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute. As part of the agreement, Purdue Pharma, whose headquarters is in Stamford, will…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Alert Issued For Fake Mask Exempt Cards Being Sold Online COVID-19: Alert Issued For Fake Mask Exempt Cards Being Sold Online
Covid-19: Alert Issued For Fake Mask Exempt Cards Being Sold Online While mask-wearing amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has become politicized, federal officials are cautioning of a new scam for fraudulent face mask exempt flyers that have been circulating online. The Department of Justice has issued a warning of a card that has been circulating online which falsely claims its holder is exempt from wearing a mask - contrary to local, state, and federal mandates. The cards are purportedly from the “Freedom to Breathe Agency” - which is not an official federal or state agency - and states that wearing a mask will incur mental or physical risk fo…

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by Zak Failla
News
Man, 64, Charged With Traveling Abroad From NY For Sex Acts With 13-Year-Old Man, 64, Charged With Traveling Abroad From NY For Sex Acts With 13-Year-Old
Man, 64, Charged With Traveling Abroad From NY For Sex Acts With 13-Year-Old A 64-year-old man has been accused of traveling abroad from New York to engage in sex acts with a minor. Following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the indictment filed with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York accuses Long Island resident Thomas Blaha, of Garden City, with going to the Philippines with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, sexual exploitation of a child, distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. "The defendant allegedly traveled halfway across the globe to sexually exploit a mino…

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by Joe Lombardi
Politics
Trump Confidant, Northern Westchester HS Grad Roger Stone Sentenced Trump Confidant, Northern Westchester HS Grad Roger Stone Sentenced
Trump Confidant, Northern Westchester HS Grad Roger Stone Sentenced Roger Stone, a Fairfield County native who graduated from high school in Northern Westchester and has been a longtime adviser and confidant of President Donald Trump, was sentenced to prison for lying to lawmakers investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and other charges. The 67-year-old Stone was indicted in January 2019 as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into whether Russia colluded with the Trump's presidential campaign. Stone was sentenced to 40 months (three years, four months) in prison by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on Thursday, Feb.…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
NY, CT Residents Among Hundreds Charged In Takedown Of Largest Darknet Child Porn Website NY, CT Residents Among Hundreds Charged In Takedown Of Largest Darknet Child Porn Website
NY, CT Residents Among Hundreds Charged In Takedown Of Largest Darknet Child Porn Website Men from Connecticut and New York are among those charged in the takedown of the largest Darknet child pornography website. Jong Woo Son, 23, a South Korean national, was indicted this week for his operation of Welcome To Video, the largest child exploitation market by volume of content, officials said. Son has also been charged and convicted in South Korea and is currently in custody serving his sentence in South Korea.   An additional 337 site users residing in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jers…

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by Zak Failla