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Hudson Valley Veteran Lies About Earning Purple Heart To Defraud Gov't, Charity Donors: Feds Hudson Valley Veteran Lies About Earning Purple Heart To Defraud Gov't, Charity Donors: Feds
Hudson Valley Veteran Lies About Earning Purple Heart To Defraud Gov't, Charity Donors: Feds An Army veteran from New York is accused of lying about earning one of the nation's highest military honors in order to rake in six figures from the government and donors to her charity. Orange County resident Sharon Toney-Finch, of Newburgh, was arrested by the FBI’s White Collar Crime Task Force on Wednesday, May 1, following a two-year investigation. According to federal prosecutors, Toney-Finch falsely claimed that she suffered combat-related injuries during a mortar attack and a separate vehicle rollover while serving in Iraq in 2010. Those claims reportedly led to her receiving hundr…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Westchester Man Caught With Trove Of Stockpiled Firearms, Bomb Materials, Feds Say Westchester Man Caught With Trove Of Stockpiled Firearms, Bomb Materials, Feds Say
Westchester Man Caught With Trove Of Stockpiled Firearms, Bomb Materials, Feds Say A 61-year-old Westchester man with a previous conviction once again faces charges after authorities discovered a trove of stockpiled firearms, ammunition, and explosives materials during a search of his home and storage units, federal officials said. James Neff, who resides in Dobbs Ferry, was taken into custody on charges related to weapons possession. The arrest was made on Thursday, May 2. The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York confirmed that a search of his home and two storage units yielded a significant number of firearms and materials that could be used t…

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by Ben Crnic
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$1.7M COVID-19 Fraud Scheme: Westchester Daughter, Mom Who Worked For Police Sentenced $1.7M COVID-19 Fraud Scheme: Westchester Daughter, Mom Who Worked For Police Sentenced
$1.7M Covid-19 Fraud Scheme: Westchester Daughter, Mom Who Worked For Police Sentenced A mother-daughter duo has been sentenced to prison for defrauding the government of approximately $1.7 million.  Westchester County residents Alicia Ayers and her mother, Andrea Ayers, both of Mount Vernon, were found guilty of submitting more than 300 fraudulent applications for US Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loans.  Andrea Ayers was a former Code Enforcement Officer for the City of Mount Vernon Police Department. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress expanded the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program to provide low-interest …

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by Joe Lombardi
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Man Captures Images Of Young Girls With Hidden Cameras At Hudson Valley Park: Feds Man Captures Images Of Young Girls With Hidden Cameras At Hudson Valley Park: Feds
Man Captures Images Of Young Girls With Hidden Cameras At Hudson Valley Park: Feds A 54-year-old man faces child pornography possession charges after placing hidden cameras in the bathroom of a public park in the Hudson Valley to capture images of young girls, officials announced. Putnam County resident John Towers of Mahopac was arrested on Thursday, April 18 on child pornography charges, the US Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York announced.  According to federal officials, from July 24, 2018, to December 9, 2019, Towers put hidden cameras in the bathroom of a privately owned public park in Putnam County to secretly record sexually explicit images…

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by Ben Crnic
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NY Man Known As 'Sal The Shoemaker' Admits Running Illegal Gambling Operation For Mafia NY Man Known As 'Sal The Shoemaker' Admits Running Illegal Gambling Operation For Mafia
NY Man Known As 'Sal The Shoemaker' Admits Running Illegal Gambling Operation For Mafia An associate of the Genovese organized crime family known as “Sal the Shoemaker” admitted to operating an illegal gambling business associated with La Cosa Nostra. Long Island resident Salvatore Rubino, age 60, of Bethpage, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, April 16, at federal court in Brooklyn to operating the business. Earlier this month, four co-defendant members and associates of the Genovese crime family admitted to various felony charges stemming from their long-running operation of several lucrative gambling operations in New York City. Of the five charged, four are from Long Isl…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Convicted Sex Offender Coerces Hudson Valley Girl To Send Him Explicit Photos, Videos: Feds Convicted Sex Offender Coerces Hudson Valley Girl To Send Him Explicit Photos, Videos: Feds
Convicted Sex Offender Coerces Hudson Valley Girl To Send Him Explicit Photos, Videos: Feds A convicted sex offender was deported from Mexico and brought back to the United States to face charges in connection with his alleged sexual exploitation of a 12-year-old Hudson Valley girl, federal officials said. Former Oregon resident Kennedy Carter, age 27, was deported from Mexico and presented in San Francisco federal court after allegedly coercing a 12-year-old Putnam County girl into sending him sexually explicit photos and videos over the internet, the US Attorney's Office for Southern District of New York announced on Friday, March 22.  According to federal officials, b…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Duo Nabbed After Burglarizing Westchester Residence: Police Duo Nabbed After Burglarizing Westchester Residence: Police
Duo Nabbed After Burglarizing Westchester Residence: Police A man and woman were both extradited to New York after breaking into a home in Westchester and stealing property, police announced.  Stefania Gonzalez-Munoz, age 35, and Nicolas Sanchez-Diaz, age 22, were both arrested in connection to a burglary that occurred in Harrison in December 2023, Harrison Police announced on Friday, March 22.  According to the department, at the time of the burglary, a downtown Harrison resident told police that their home had been broken into and that their property had been stolen. Authorities then began an investigation and eventually filed arres…

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by Ben Crnic
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New Update: 5 Charged In Double-Fatal Armed Robbery In Westchester New Update: 5 Charged In Double-Fatal Armed Robbery In Westchester
New Update: 5 Charged In Double-Fatal Armed Robbery In Westchester Five men have been charged in connection with a violent shootout at a Westchester warehouse that left both an employee and a member of a robbery crew dead, federal officials announced. New, updated report - Latest Update: $15K Reward Offered For Info On Suspect In Double-Fatal Shooting In Mount Vernon The five defendants were arrested following an attempted gunpoint robbery of a warehouse in Mount Vernon in the area of 137 South Fifth Ave. that sells unlicensed marijuana and nicotine products to smoke shops, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced …

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by Ben Crnic
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Pot-Smoking NY Rioter Who Donned Fake Beard In Capitol Breach Gets 3 Years In Prison Pot-Smoking NY Rioter Who Donned Fake Beard In Capitol Breach Gets 3 Years In Prison
Pot-Smoking NY Rioter Who Donned Fake Beard In Capitol Breach Gets 3 Years In Prison A New York man who was photographed smoking marijuana inside a Senate office during the US Capitol breach on Jan. 6, 2021 will spend years in prison. Brandon Fellows, age 29, of Schenectady, was sentenced to 3 ½ years in federal lockup on Thursday, Feb. 29 after a Washington, DC jury found him guilty of obstructing an official proceeding, a felony. “His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the US Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election,” the US Attorney’s Office said. Earlier Report: Capitol Rioter F…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Westchester Man Used False Identity To Get Teen To Send Him Sexual Photos: Feds Westchester Man Used False Identity To Get Teen To Send Him Sexual Photos: Feds
Westchester Man Used False Identity To Get Teen To Send Him Sexual Photos: Feds A 31-year-old Westchester man faces decades in prison for using false identities to gain a teenager's trust and convince them to send him sexually explicit photos and videos, federal officials announced.  New Rochelle resident Charudet Smith, also known as Charles Smith, was arrested on Thursday, Feb. 8 on sexual exploitation charges, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Friday, Feb. 9. According to federal officials, from around Dec. 21, 2019, up to around Feb. 13, 2020, Smith impersonated several people and created a series of Instagram accounts…

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by Ben Crnic
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Man Nabbed For Criminal Sexual Act Involving Boy In Chappaqua Gets More Charges: Feds Man Nabbed For Criminal Sexual Act Involving Boy In Chappaqua Gets More Charges: Feds
Man Nabbed For Criminal Sexual Act Involving Boy In Chappaqua Gets More Charges: Feds More details have emerged about a Northern Westchester man accused of sexually exploiting a teenage boy, federal officials announced.  Bedford Hills resident James Collins Jr., age 67, was arrested on sexual exploitation charges on Wednesday morning, Jan. 24, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced.  According to federal officials, on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, Collins tried persuading an undercover agent posing as a 15-year-old boy to meet him at a library in New Castle to engage in sexual activities.  Earlier Report - Man Engages in Sexua…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Suspect Nabbed After Shooting 37-Year-Old Woman At Sleepy Hollow Residence, Police Say Suspect Nabbed After Shooting 37-Year-Old Woman At Sleepy Hollow Residence, Police Say
Suspect Nabbed After Shooting 37-Year-Old Woman At Sleepy Hollow Residence, Police Say A suspect has been apprehended in connection with a shooting inside a Westchester home that left a woman hospitalized, police said. Click here for a new, updated report - Update: More Details Emerge After Man Shoots Ex-Girlfriend At Sleepy Hollow Residence, DA Says Ruben Louis Santiago, age 38, was arrested in connection with a shooting that happened at a Sleepy Hollow residence on Tuesday, Jan. 2, Sleepy Hollow Police announced on Wednesday, Jan 3.  According to the department, around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sleep Hollow Police officers responded to a residence on Chestnut Stree…

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by Ben Crnic