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Law

Trump Names Ex-SEC Chief To Replace Damian Williams As SDNY's Top Prosecutor Trump Names Ex-SEC Chief To Replace Damian Williams As SDNY's Top Prosecutor
Trump Names Ex-sec Chief To Replace Damian Williams As Sdny's Top Prosecutor President-elect Donald Trump is looking to replace Damian Williams, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, with a familiar face from his previous administration who hails from Pennsylvania.  Trump announced on Thursday, Nov. 14 that he would nominate Jay Clayton, who has no experience as a criminal prosecutor, to be the next US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.  Clayton, age 58, previously served as Chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission from May 2017 to December 2020, a role in which Trump wrote he "did an incredible job." Before that, he…
Winner Declared In Westchester District Attorney Race Winner Declared In Westchester District Attorney Race
Winner Declared In Westchester District Attorney Race The votes have all been counted, and Westchester residents have selected who will serve as the county's next District Attorney. Former County Court Judge Susan Cacace, a Democrat, emerged as the winner in the DA race, defeating her opponent, Republican John Sarcone, by a margin of 64 to 36 percent of votes, according to the county's Board of Elections.  Cacace, who resigned as County Court Judge in December 2023 after nearly 20 years in the position, gave a statement on social media following her victory: "I am deeply humbled to have earned the support of the people of Westchester Cou…
Food Hall Gets Liquor License In Westchester Thanks To Amended Legislation Food Hall Gets Liquor License In Westchester Thanks To Amended Legislation
Food Hall Gets Liquor License In Westchester Thanks To Amended Legislation Thanks to the efforts of lawmakers, a Northern Westchester eatery that had been unable to get a liquor license for years because of its proximity to a church can finally serve drinks.  Since opening in February 2016, Mount Kisco's Exit 4 Food Hall, located at 153 East Main St., had been trying to secure a state liquor license. However, co-owner Isi Albanese was unable to do so for years because the eatery was located within 200 feet of a local church.  This posed a problem, as New York state law prohibited issuing liquor licenses to establishments within 200 feet of a house o…
Ex-NY Attorney Who Stole $800K From Clients Gets Prison Time Ex-NY Attorney Who Stole $800K From Clients Gets Prison Time
Ex-NY Attorney Who Stole $800K From Clients Gets Prison Time A former New York attorney is heading to prison after confessing that he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from his clients. Former Long Island resident Douglas Valente, age 57, now of Florida, was sentenced to between one and four years in prison in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, Aug. 22. Prosecutors said Valente, the former principal attorney at the Valente Law Group in Stony Brook, stole more than $800,000 from three former clients by taking money from his escrow account. Earlier Report: Former NY Attorney Stole Nearly $1M From Clients, DA Says Among the victims was a cl…
Former County Court Judge Susan Cacace Wins Democratic Primary For Westchester DA Former County Court Judge Susan Cacace Wins Democratic Primary For Westchester DA
Former County Court Judge Susan Cacace Wins Democratic Primary For Westchester DA Former County Court Judge Susan Cacace emerged victorious in the Democratic primary race for Westchester District Attorney.  Cacace, who resigned as County Court Judge in December 2023 after nearly 20 years in the position, earned 59 percent of the votes during the Democratic primary election held on Tuesday, June 25, according to a New York Times report.  Cacace defeated her opponent, attorney and Mount Vernon native William O. Wagstaff III, who earned 31 percent of the votes, the New York Times reported.  In addition to her experience in the County Court,&nb…
'Jury Of Our Peers Act' Allowing Convicted Felons To Serve On Juries Passes NY Legislature 'Jury Of Our Peers Act' Allowing Convicted Felons To Serve On Juries Passes NY Legislature
'Jury Of Our Peers Act' Allowing Convicted Felons To Serve On Juries Passes NY Legislature New Yorkers with felony convictions could soon serve on court juries after state lawmakers passed legislation reversing the lifetime ban on such service. The New York State Assembly on Friday, June 7, passed the “Jury of Our Peers Act,” which would allow those convicted of felonies to serve on New York juries once they are released from prison or have otherwise satisfied all of their sentencing requirements. Advocates say the move will help rectify an underrepresentation of minorities on juries. “Black New Yorkers have been systematically denied the right to serve on juries as they are dis…
Well-Respected Judge, Westchester Native Dies Well-Respected Judge, Westchester Native Dies
Well-Respected Judge, Westchester Native Dies A popular and well-respected Hudson Valley judge has died. Dutchess County Judge Gerald V. Hayes of Poughkeepsie, age 82,  had been battling lymphocytic leukemia for three years. Hayes, who died on Saturday, Jan. 27, was a man of deep faith, hard work, great sacrifice, profound wisdom, remarkable accomplishments, and the highest character, his obituary said. Hayes originally studied to become a priest but changed his mind and received his juris doctorate from Fordham Law School in 1968. Shortly after he went to work as Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan.  In 1971, his obit…
Village Justice From Westchester Dies After Cancer Battle: 'Exemplary Human Being' Village Justice From Westchester Dies After Cancer Battle: 'Exemplary Human Being'
Village Justice From Westchester Dies After Cancer Battle: 'Exemplary Human Being' A community in Westchester is mourning the loss of its village justice who was well-known for being a trusted source of wisdom for those who came to him.  Hastings-on-Hudson resident Joseph DiSalvo, who served as Village Justice since 2004 and Acting Village Justice before that since 1988, died at the age of 71 on Saturday, July 1, Mayor Nicola Armacost announced.  DiSalvo, who served as a judge until the week before his death, split his time between practicing law in Westchester with Bronxville-based Nobile, Magarian & DiSalvo, LLP, and serving as Village Justice fo…
$31M Trip-Fall Fraud Scheme: Attorneys, Doctor Sentenced For Defrauding NY Businesses $31M Trip-Fall Fraud Scheme: Attorneys, Doctor Sentenced For Defrauding NY Businesses
$31M Trip-Fall Fraud Scheme: Attorneys, Doctor Sentenced For Defrauding NY Businesses Sentences have been handed out for two attorneys and a doctor convicted of defrauding New York businesses and their insurance companies of more than $31 million through a massive, three-year trip-and-fall fraud scheme. The three men all live on Long Island -- 60-year-old George Constantine in Plainview, 50-year-old Marc Elefant in Woodmere, and 67-year-old Andrew Dowd in Miller Place. Constantine and Dowd were convicted at a trial in mid-December 2022 of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud. Dowd was also found guilty of additional counts of conspiracy to co…
Longtime Westchester County Association Chairman Bill Plunkett Dies Longtime Westchester County Association Chairman Bill Plunkett Dies
Longtime Westchester County Association Chairman Bill Plunkett Dies Beloved lawyer Bill Plunkett, who served as chairman of the Westchester County Association and was also an integral part of several other important institutions, has died.  Plunkett, a longtime resident of Tarrytown, died on Sunday, April 16 at the age of 82, according to his obituary. Born in Buffalo in 1940, Plunkett graduated from Archbishop Stepinac High School in 1958 and went on to attend the College of the Holy Cross and the New York University School of Law, earning his law degree in 1965.  He then went on to start a law career and began the successful firm Plunkett …
Gwyneth Paltrow Sued: Former Westchester Resident Was In Skiing Accident, Report Says Gwyneth Paltrow Sued: Former Westchester Resident Was In Skiing Accident, Report Says
Gwyneth Paltrow Sued: Former Westchester Resident Was In Skiing Accident, Report Says Former Northern Westchester resident Gwyneth Paltrow is being sued by a man who claims that she seriously injured him in a skiing accident, according to a report by BBC.  Paltrow, who once lived in the Lewisboro hamlet of Waccabuc, made an appearance in a US court on Tuesday, March 21 as the trial over the claims begins, the news outlet reported.  The incident in question happened in February 2016 at the Deer Valley resort in Utah, where Paltrow, age 50, was on vacation with her family.  While skiing, Paltrow allegedly crashed into retired optometrist Terry Sa…
Lived With 'Fervor, Tenacity': 43-Year-Old Legal Consultant From Westchester Dies Of  Cancer Lived With 'Fervor, Tenacity': 43-Year-Old Legal Consultant From Westchester Dies Of  Cancer
Lived With 'Fervor, Tenacity': 43-Year-Old Legal Consultant From Westchester Dies Of Cancer A 43-year-old woman from Westchester County who worked as a legal consultant and was a lover of traveling and the outdoors has died after an eight-year battle with cancer.  Scarsdale resident Rosanna Kelly died on Saturday, Oct. 29 from pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer, her obituary said.  Born in 1979 in the Dominican Republic, Kelly later moved to New York City and graduated from Mary Bertram High School before earning her law degree from Syracuse Law School in 2005, according to her obituary. Kelly worked as a legal consultant but then moved on to specialize in …
Corporate Vice President From Westchester Dies Suddenly At Age 39 Corporate Vice President From Westchester Dies Suddenly At Age 39
Corporate Vice President From Westchester Dies Suddenly At Age 39 A Westchester man died unexpectedly at the age of 39 while on vacation with his family in the Turks and Caicos. Christopher Sean Kelly, of Bronxville, a human resources vice president at American Express, died unexpectedly on Tuesday, June 28, due to heart complications, said his obituary. Kelly was born in Buffalo, New York, and attended Canisius High School. He graduated from the University of Rochester with a degree in psychology and political science. He later received a law degree from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law and a graduate degree from Cornell University in industri…
Preston 'Sandy' Scher, Retired Chief City Court Judge, Deputy Mayor In Westchester, Dies Preston 'Sandy' Scher, Retired Chief City Court Judge, Deputy Mayor In Westchester, Dies
Preston 'Sandy' Scher, Retired Chief City Court Judge, Deputy Mayor In Westchester, Dies A former Chief City Court Judge and Deputy Mayor in New Rochelle died at the age of 81 in Westchester. Preston Sandford “Sandy” Scher died in Westchester on Sunday, Feb. 21, his family announced. Born Jan. 21, 1940, in Queens, to Robert Scher and Sylvia Fisher Scher, he made Dean’s Honor Roll at the University at Buffalo where he graduated with a B.A. in philosophy in 1961, where he was a captain of the school’s fencing team. Scher received a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1964, where he graduated with honors.  The same year, Scher married Valerie Fernebok, and they settled in New R…
Bestselling Author Lawrence Otis Graham Of Westchester Dies At 59 Bestselling Author Lawrence Otis Graham Of Westchester Dies At 59
Bestselling Author Lawrence Otis Graham Of Westchester Dies At 59 Lawrence Otis Graham, a prominent lawyer, activist, bestselling author, and longtime Westchester resident died at the age of 59 over the weekend. Westchester County Executive George Latimer took to social media on Sunday, Feb. 21 to announce the White Plains High School graduate and Chappaqua resident’s death. “His writing particularly struck a chord as he described growing up Black, well-educated, articulate and accomplished, and still facing prejudice and racism in this society,” Latimer said about the Graham, who also graduated from Harvard Law School and Princeton University. “H…
Former City Counsel In Westchester Sentenced For Corruption Conviction Former City Counsel In Westchester Sentenced For Corruption Conviction
Former City Counsel In Westchester Sentenced For Corruption Conviction The former top lawyer for the City of Mount Vernon will avoid immediate prison time as he appeals his sentence for corruption involving former Mayor Richard Thomas. Lawrence Porcari Jr. was found guilty by a jury of corrupting government, second-degree grand larceny, degrading government, and filing false statements for using $365,000 from the city’s water funds to assist Thomas, who was ousted out of office last year. On Wednesday, Sept. 9, Porcari was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison, but he will remain free without bail while he appeals his conviction. He had faced a maximum term of 2…
Race About Race? Faso Attack Ads Call Rhodes Scholar Delgado 'Big City Rapper' Race About Race? Faso Attack Ads Call Rhodes Scholar Delgado 'Big City Rapper'
Race About Race? Faso Attack Ads Call Rhodes Scholar Delgado 'Big City Rapper' U.S. Rep. John Faso, a Republican representing New York’s 19th Congressional District, which includes the mid-Hudson Valley is seen as vulnerable this year. And now, Faso's campaign has resorted to racist attack ads calling Delgado a "big city rapper," according to multiple reports. The district, encompassing 11 counties including Dutchess, has been represented by Republicans for eight years. However, voter registration is nearly equally split among the GOP, Democrats and unaffiliated voters. Faso’s Democratic challenger is Antonio Delgado of Rhinebeck, a former rapper, Rhodes sc…
Stepinac Welcomes 33 Into Honor Society Stepinac Welcomes 33 Into Honor Society
Stepinac Welcomes 33 Into Honor Society Archbishop Stepinac High School has inducted 33 high achieving students into the Honors Academy. It's the first-of-its-kind, small personalized learning program in the region, officials at the private school in White Plains said.i Starting in September, the group of sophomore-year students will pursue advanced studies in either engineering, health sciences, finance or law. Launched three years ago, Stepinac’s Honors Academy has captured headlines, most recently for the inaugural group’s Symposium last May on the unresolved Flint, Michigan, contaminated drinking water crisis. To qualify for…
Trump Taps Former Giuliani Partner As Preet Bharara Replacement Trump Taps Former Giuliani Partner As Preet Bharara Replacement
Trump Taps Former Giuliani Partner As Preet Bharara Replacement President Donald Trump has nominated a former law partner of New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to serve as United States Attorney Preet Bharara’s replacement in the Southern District of New York. If confirmed by the Senate in the next 120 days, Geoffrey Berman will take over for Bharara, who was fired last March by the president as he cleaned house from the Obama era. He will serve as an interim basis until confirmation, according to the Justice Department. Berman is a partner at Greenberg Traurig in Manhattan, where Giuliani remains a partner. He previously served as an Assistant United St…