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Tuckahoe Man Among 12 Gambino Crime Family Members Charged By Feds Tuckahoe Man Among 12 Gambino Crime Family Members Charged By Feds
Tuckahoe Man Among 12 Gambino Crime Family Members Charged By Feds Seven Westchester residents are among 12 alleged members of the Gambino Crime Family facing charges for a host of crimes that includes racketeering conspiracy, bribery, loansharking, fraud, obstruction of justice and other offenses. Federal officials charged Andrew Campos, an alleged captain in the Gambino organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra; James Ciaccia, George Campos, Vincent Fiore, and Richard Martino, alleged Gambino family soldiers; and Renato Barca, Jr., Benito DiZenzo, Mark Kocaj, Frank Tarul, and Michael Tarul, alleged Gambino family associates for alleged crimes dating back t…

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by Zak Failla
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Area HS Basketball Coach Placed On Leave After Admitting To Collecting $17K For False Injuries Area HS Basketball Coach Placed On Leave After Admitting To Collecting $17K For False Injuries
Area HS Basketball Coach Placed On Leave After Admitting To Collecting $17K For False Injuries An MTA bus driver who lives in Northern Westchester and who worked as a high school basketball coach in Putnam County admitted to collecting workers comp benefits while still maintaining his job on the court, despite being uninjured. Tyrone Searight, 49, of Peekskill, who coaches in the Haldane Central School District, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after he claimed to be injured in 2016, forcing him out of his job as a bus driver. Despite being allegedly injured, Searight was caught by investigators continuing to coach at Haldane, all while collecting nearly $17,000 in workers' compe…

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by Zak Failla
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Alert Issued For Scam Targeting Amazon Prime Subscribers Alert Issued For Scam Targeting Amazon Prime Subscribers
Alert Issued For Scam Targeting Amazon Prime Subscribers Scammers targeting Amazon Prime customers have been targeting consumers with the holidays approaching. Area police departments have issued alerts cautioning Amazon Prime users that they’ve recently received reports from local residents who have been receiving phony calls from fraudsters stating that their accounts were having problems and memberships needed to be renewed. According to reports, some customers have been defrauded out of tens of thousands of dollars after being scammed as part of the scheme. “This is a social engineering phishing attempt to induce the target to hand over fina…

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by Zak Failla
News
Scam Alert: Beware Of Calls, Texts From Fake Uber Employees Scam Alert: Beware Of Calls, Texts From Fake Uber Employees
Scam Alert: Beware Of Calls, Texts From Fake Uber Employees There's a new Uber scam and police are warning area residents to be aware of it. Scam callers claiming to be Uber employees say they need to verify your account login credentials. If the victim doesn't immediately agree, the scammer will say there has been some suspicious activity on your account and "in order to continue driving, you will need to verify four out of five questions." While talking to the victim, the scammer will then send a text message that begins "Reply for verification." That is followed by subsequent texts asking for password and other info. Several victims …

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by Daily Voice
News
Here's How To Avoid This Auto Dial From Your Smart Device Scam Here's How To Avoid This Auto Dial From Your Smart Device Scam
Here's How To Avoid This Auto Dial From Your Smart Device Scam Officials are warning people to think twice before asking Alexa, giving a command to Siri or using auto-dial systems as a new smart device scam has been making the rounds nationwide. Scammers nationwide have put millions at risk by creating fake customer service numbers and using tech to bump them to the top of search results, sometimes by paying for ads. Then when one uses an auto-dial system, they wind up speaking with fraudsters, not an actual company that can assist them. Once on the line, the scammers will push for gift card deals or attempt to get credit card information. According t…

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by Zak Failla
News
Stony Brook University Professor Arrested For Using Cancer Research Funds For Personal Use Stony Brook University Professor Arrested For Using Cancer Research Funds For Personal Use
Stony Brook University Professor Arrested For Using Cancer Research Funds For Personal Use An associate professor at Stony Brook University has been arrested for allegedly stealing state and federal funding meant for cancer research for his own use, federal authorities say. Geoffrey Girnun, 48, of Woodmere, an associate professor in the Department of Pathology and director of Cancer Metabolomics at the Renaissance School of Medicine at the university was charged on Thursday, Sept. 12, in a seven-count indictment, said the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Girnun was charged with theft of state and federal government funds, wire fraud…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Westchester Resident Victim Of $190K Identity Theft, Police Say Westchester Resident Victim Of $190K Identity Theft, Police Say
Westchester Resident Victim Of $190K Identity Theft, Police Say A Westchester resident was the victim of a near $200,000 identity theft when fraudsters opened a joint bank account to rob from his savings, police said. Investigators at the Scarsdale Police Department received a complaint on Saturday, Aug. 7, from a Harvest Drive resident who said he had been alerted by Chase Bank of suspicious transactions that took place between Tuesday, Aug. 27 and Thursday, Aug. 29. In total, $190,000 was stolen from the victim’s Chase Savings account. Police said that Chase Bank told the victim that another individual opened a joint savings account using his persona…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Know Him? Police Ask Public's Help In IDing Suspect Accused Of Depositing Forged Checks Know Him? Police Ask Public's Help In IDing Suspect Accused Of Depositing Forged Checks
Know Him? Police Ask Public's Help In IDing Suspect Accused Of Depositing Forged Checks State Police in the Hudson Valley are asking the public's help in locating a suspect accused of depositing forged checks. Police say they are attempting to locate and interview the man pictured here. They saw he deposited the checks at an ATM in the Bronx. Anyone who has information regarding the possible identity or location of the man is asked to please contact the New York State Police from the Wappinger barracks at 845-677-7300. 

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by Daily Voice
Police & Fire
Wanted Man Opened Fraudulent Business Accounts In Area, Police Say Wanted Man Opened Fraudulent Business Accounts In Area, Police Say
Wanted Man Opened Fraudulent Business Accounts In Area, Police Say Have you seen him? New York State Police investigators in the Hudson Valley are seeking the public’s assistance in tracking down a 25-year-old man who allegedly opened fraudulent business accounts to steal thousands of dollars. Damien Johnson is wanted for second-degree possession of a forged instrument after an investigation found that he opened fraudulent business accounts in the name Shimmy Rock LLC at local banks and credit unions. Johnson allegedly then deposited counterfeit checks into those accounts worth more than $7,000 and withdrew the money before the fraudulent checks cleared.…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Westchester Man Pretending To Be Real Estate Broker Scammed Thousands, Police Say Westchester Man Pretending To Be Real Estate Broker Scammed Thousands, Police Say
Westchester Man Pretending To Be Real Estate Broker Scammed Thousands, Police Say A 59-year-old Westchester man is behind bars after police say he pretended to be a real estate broker and scammed thousands from property renters. Ricardo Gonzalez, of Tarrytown, was arrested by Irvington Police Department detectives and arraigned in four unrelated fraud cases. In all cases, Gonzalez misrepresented himself as a licensed real estate broker to renters of properties located in the Village of Irvington, police said.  Gonzalez used Hotpads.com Trulia.com Craigslist.org and Zillow.com to bypass MLS (Multiple Listing Service) to find potential victims. On April 1, 2019 a 4…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Madoff Ponzi Scheme Victims To Get New $469M Distribution, Bringing Payout To $2.4B Madoff Ponzi Scheme Victims To Get New $469M Distribution, Bringing Payout To $2.4B
Madoff Ponzi Scheme Victims To Get New $469M Distribution, Bringing Payout To $2.4B Thousands of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme victims will see some more relief as the Department of Justice begins the latest distribution of more than $469 million. This week, the Madoff Victim Fund, which was established by the DOJ, began distributing $469.6 million in additional funds that were forfeited to the government in connection to Madoff's scheme. The money will be distributed to more than 27,000 victims, bringing the total to approximately $2.4 billion. The latest distribution marks the fourth in a series of payments from the Madoff Victim Fund as part of Madoff’s fraud, which tot…

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by Zak Failla
News
Area Broker Sentenced For Ripping Off Millions From Investors In Ponzi Scheme Area Broker Sentenced For Ripping Off Millions From Investors In Ponzi Scheme
Area Broker Sentenced For Ripping Off Millions From Investors In Ponzi Scheme A prominent Hudson Valley investment adviser will spend more than a decade behind bars after admitting to defrauding clients out of more than $11 million. Hector May, 78, of Orangeburg in Rockland County, the former president of Executive Compensation Planners in Manhattan has been sentenced to 13 years in prison and ordered to pay $8.4 million in restitution to his victims. May pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in White Plains federal court late last year. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office,  May admitted that from 1995 through last year, he use…

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by Zak Failla