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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
Mount Vernon Mayor, Comptroller At Odds Over City Finances Mount Vernon Mayor, Comptroller At Odds Over City Finances
Mount Vernon Mayor, Comptroller At Odds Over City Finances 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, Westchester HS Grad Roger Stone Sentenced Trump Confidant, Westchester HS Grad Roger Stone Sentenced
Trump Confidant, 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
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
Lifestyle
Here's How Many Robocalls New Yorkers Were Bombarded With In April Here's How Many Robocalls New Yorkers Were Bombarded With In April
Here's How Many Robocalls New Yorkers Were Bombarded With In April Robocalls continue to be a scourge for New Yorkers, with millions of callers being flooded by calls “at all hours of the day and night.” In April, New Yorkers received 290.3 million robocalls, which is an average of 112 calls per second and 11 calls per New Yorker. In April, there were 176 million robocalls made to numbers in New York City and Long Island, and there have been more than 720 million robocalls reported since the year started, according to Sen. Chuck Schumer. In response, Schumer is backing legislation that would give federal investigators the tools to trace, prosecute and fi…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
City Council 'Robbing Peter To Pay Paul,' Mount Vernon Mayor Says City Council 'Robbing Peter To Pay Paul,' Mount Vernon Mayor Says
City Council 'Robbing Peter To Pay Paul,' Mount Vernon Mayor Says Internal strife, bickering and finger-pointing inside Mount Vernon City Hall is back, with the mayor now vetoing a City Council transfer of funds, claiming that they are “robbing Peter to pay Paul.” Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas announced this week that he vetoed a City Council resolution that sought to transfer funds within the Department of Public Works to free up grant-matching funds to match EPA compliance. The city is facing millions of dollars in fines from the Department of Justice and EPA for its failing sewer system and other violations. The latest back-and-forth between the m…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
New Court-Ordered Inquiry Into Hillary Clinton Email Setup Halted By Federal Shutdown New Court-Ordered Inquiry Into Hillary Clinton Email Setup Halted By Federal Shutdown
New Court-Ordered Inquiry Into Hillary Clinton Email Setup Halted By Federal Shutdown The longest-on-record government shutdown may have had some unexpected consequences, as investigators were forced to delay the inquiry into whether Westchester resident Hillary Clinton attempted to evade public record laws with her use of a private email account. Earlier this month, a District Court judge agreed to Judicial Watch’s request to depose several individuals regarding the State Department’s response to the 2012 terror attack in Benghazi, Libya. The watchdog group is attempting to determine whether the former Secretary of State sought to evade the Freedom of Information Act by util…

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by Zak Failla
News
Westchester Pirate Radio Broadcaster Busted By Federal Investigators Westchester Pirate Radio Broadcaster Busted By Federal Investigators
Westchester Pirate Radio Broadcaster Busted By Federal Investigators A pirate radio host operating out of Westchester County is facing criminal charges following a lengthy investigation by the DA and FCC. Richard Dominguez was arrested following a joint investigation into a pirate radio operation in Croton-on-Hudson. Officials said that FCC field agents traced the illegal broadcasts and located Dominguez, who had his radio equipment seized. Dominguez has been charged with unauthorized radio transmission. According to investigators, field agents received complaints of a pirate radio signal that was broadcasting on 98.5 FM in Croton-on-Hudson earlier this yea…

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by Zak Failla