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Police & Fire
Sex Extortion Scam Circulating Through Emails In Region, Sheriff Says Sex Extortion Scam Circulating Through Emails In Region, Sheriff Says
Sex Extortion Scam Circulating Through Emails In Region, Sheriff Says Police in the region are warning of an automated sex extortion scam that is targeting residents through emails. Undersheriff Eric Chaboy of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office said that scammers are acquiring emails and personal information on the so-called “Dark Web” and feeding it into what appears to be an artificial intelligence (AI) program that automatically contacts potential victims. Earlier report - Warning Issued For Nationwide Automated 'Sextortion' Scam: Here's What To Know According to Chaboty, the program claims in an email that the victim has been looking at pornogra…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
COVID-19: John Gotti's NY Grandson Admits To $1M Relief Fraud COVID-19: John Gotti's NY Grandson Admits To $1M Relief Fraud
Covid-19: John Gotti's NY Grandson Admits To $1M Relief Fraud A New York man with ties to the Mafia formally confessed to a million-dollar COVID-19 relief fraud scheme. Long Island resident Carmine Agnello, age 38, of Smithtown, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in Central Islip federal court on Thursday, Sept. 26. Agnello is the grandson of the late John Gotti, former boss of the Gambino organized crime family. According to prosecutors, between April 2020 and November 2021, he fraudulently applied for, and received, at least three small business loans under the US Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDLP). The program…

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
Ex-Congressional Candidate In NY Illegally Funded Campaign, Feds Say Ex-Congressional Candidate In NY Illegally Funded Campaign, Feds Say
Ex-Congressional Candidate In NY Illegally Funded Campaign, Feds Say A former congressional candidate in New York is accused of illegally funding her campaign. Michelle Bond is charged with conspiring to cause unlawful campaign contributions in connection with her failed congressional bid in 2022, according to an indictment unsealed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Thursday, Aug. 22. Bond ran as a Republican for the 1st District seat, representing eastern Long Island in Suffolk County. She ultimately lost the nomination to current Rep. Nick LaLota. According to federal prosecutors, shortly after launching her congressional …

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by Michael Mashburn
News
New Rochelle Spa Selling Sex For Cash Exposed In Federal Investigation, US Attorney Says New Rochelle Spa Selling Sex For Cash Exposed In Federal Investigation, US Attorney Says
New Rochelle Spa Selling Sex For Cash Exposed In Federal Investigation, US Attorney Says Four people have been charged with offering sexual favors at nine different massage parlors and spas across North Jersey and New York, federal officials said. Zhejun Piao, 37, a Chinese national, Miyeon Choi, 37, a South Korean national, Shangxian Cui, 36, Chinese national, and Meixiang Jin, 34, of Palisades Park, New Jersey, are charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit interstate travel or transportation in aid of a racketeering enterprise., U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced Friday, Aug. 9. The following nine spas and massage parlors owned and operated by …

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
Dow Drops 1,000 Points: US Stock Market In Free Fall, Wiping Away Trillions In Capital Dow Drops 1,000 Points: US Stock Market In Free Fall, Wiping Away Trillions In Capital
Dow Drops 1,000 Points: US Stock Market In Free Fall, Wiping Away Trillions In Capital Investors hoping the major dip in the stock market last week was just a blip were greeted with even more losses on Monday, Aug. 5, as fears of a recession and global turmoil sent stocks tumbling. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1,200 points at one point but closed 1,000 down. The S&P 500 dropped more than 3 percent and the Nasdaq fell 3.4 percent.  The massive sell-off began on Friday after a US jobs report showed that employer hiring in July had slowed more than analysts had predicted. Investors were already on edge over fears the US Federal Reserve had left interest ra…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Beware Of 'Pig Butchering' Online Romance Schemes In NY: Attorney General Beware Of 'Pig Butchering' Online Romance Schemes In NY: Attorney General
Beware Of 'Pig Butchering' Online Romance Schemes In NY: Attorney General New York Attorney General Letitia James urged New Yorkers to be on high alert for increasingly common online romance scams that lead to the victims making fraudulent investments. Also referred to as “pig butchering” schemes, the perpetrators of such crimes will work to gain trust with their victims, “fattening” them up so they willingly provide the scammer money, James said in a Thursday, June 6 press release. Victims are usually targeted via dating websites and apps, social media, and unsolicited text messages. Earlier report - NY Resident Loses $341K In 'Pig Butchering' Scheme: …

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by Sophie Grieser
News
NY Resident Loses $341K In 'Pig Butchering' Scheme: Here's What It Is NY Resident Loses $341K In 'Pig Butchering' Scheme: Here's What It Is
NY Resident Loses $341K In 'Pig Butchering' Scheme: Here's What It Is The US Secret Service has seized a web domain used in a cryptocurrency confidence crime scheme known as “pig butchering” after a New York resident was swindled out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to federal authorities, scammers in pig butchering schemes encounter victims in various ways, including on dating applications, social media websites, and even random text messages masquerading as the wrong number. Scammers initiate relationships with victims and slowly gain their trust, eventually introducing the idea of making a business investment using cryptocurrency.  Vict…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
$1.5M Fraud: Hudson Valley Man Lied To Investors About Being Licensed Broker, Feds Say $1.5M Fraud: Hudson Valley Man Lied To Investors About Being Licensed Broker, Feds Say
$1.5M Fraud: Hudson Valley Man Lied To Investors About Being Licensed Broker, Feds Say A Hudson Valley man faces up to 20 years in prison for allegedly lying to investors that he was a licensed investment broker and making off with more than $1.5 million of his customer's cash.  Rockland County resident Jeffrey Tognetti Jr., age 26, of Piermont, was charged on Thursday, Aug. 31 with wire fraud, said Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. As alleged in public court proceedings in White Plains feral court, Tognetti ran a scheme that solicited and obtained funds from victims based on the misrepresentations that, among other things,…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
$10M Fraud Scheme: NY Father-Son Duo Spent Investor Money On Lavish Lifestyle, Feds Say $10M Fraud Scheme: NY Father-Son Duo Spent Investor Money On Lavish Lifestyle, Feds Say
$10M Fraud Scheme: NY Father-Son Duo Spent Investor Money On Lavish Lifestyle, Feds Say A New York father and son are accused of conning investors out of millions of dollars that allegedly went toward funding their lavish lifestyle. Long Island residents Eugene Austin, age 60, of Port Jefferson, and his son Brandon Austin, age 27, of Coram, are named in an indictment that was unsealed in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, July 12. According to prosecutors, the men fraudulently offered to serve as a broker for sales of large quantities of cryptocurrency at below-market exchange rates and provide short-term investments in cryptocurrency for purportedly high returns. They als…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Accused NY Fraudster Agrees To Forfeit $248M He Allegedly Racked Up From Thousands Of Investors Accused NY Fraudster Agrees To Forfeit $248M He Allegedly Racked Up From Thousands Of Investors
Accused NY Fraudster Agrees To Forfeit $248M He Allegedly Racked Up From Thousands Of Investors A New York man admitted to committing fraud and has agreed to forfeit to the US government hundreds of millions of dollars he's accused of racking up from tens of thousands of investors until his arrest less than a year ago. Long Island resident Eddy Alexandre, age 50, of Valley Stream, the leader of a purported cryptocurrency and foreign exchange trading platform called EminiFX, solicited more than $248 million after making false representations in connection with the EminiFX trading platform, the Southern District of New York, announced on Friday, Feb. 10. According to the allegations in …

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by Joe Lombardi
News
'CryptoQueen' Charged In NY On FBI's 10 Most Wanted: May Have Armed Guards, Changed Appearance 'CryptoQueen' Charged In NY On FBI's 10 Most Wanted: May Have Armed Guards, Changed Appearance
'CryptoQueen' Charged In NY On FBI's 10 Most Wanted: May Have Armed Guards, Changed Appearance A woman charged in New York with stealing billions of dollars from investors around the world may have changed her appearance and be traveling with armed guards, according to federal agents.  Bulgaria native Ruja Ignatova, age 42, has been placed on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Ten Most Wanted Fugitive List for participating in a fake cryptocurrency scheme that defrauded victims of more than $4 billion in total.  The scheme began in 2014 when Ignatova founded OneCoin Ltd., a Bulgaria-based company that marketed a fake cryptocurrency to investors. To solicit funds, she would make f…

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by Ben Crnic
News
NY CEO Charged In $59M Cryptocurrency Scheme NY CEO Charged In $59M Cryptocurrency Scheme
NY CEO Charged In $59M Cryptocurrency Scheme A CEO from New York is facing charges for his role in a $59 million cryptocurrency scheme where he touted phony technology to garner additional funding, federal officials announced.  Long Island resident Eddy Alexandre, age 50, of Valley Stream, the leader of a purported cryptocurrency and forex trading platform called EminiFX, has been charged with commodities fraud and wire fraud offenses, according to US Attorney Damian Williams. It is alleged that Alexandre solicited more than $59 million in investments from hundreds of individual investors after making false representations in con…

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by Zak Failla
News
Hudson Valley Man Among Four Charged In $40M Scam Hudson Valley Man Among Four Charged In $40M Scam
Hudson Valley Man Among Four Charged In $40M Scam A Hudson Valley man was among four charged in an 11-count indictment for allegedly stealing more than $40 million in investor funds as part of a cryptocurrency scam, federal authorities announced. On Tuesday, March 8, US Attorney Breon Peace announced that four owners and operators of online cryptocurrency companies - including one from Dutchess County - are facing a host of charges for allegedly running a sophisticated scheme to steal from investors and later attempting to obstruct justice as they were being investigated. Those charged, according to the US Attorney’s Office: Gregory Agg…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Beware Of These Five New Scammer Tactics, Utility Companies Warn COVID-19: Beware Of These Five New Scammer Tactics, Utility Companies Warn
Covid-19: Beware Of These Five New Scammer Tactics, Utility Companies Warn With the United States crossing a grim milestone as the COVID-19 death toll topped 500,000, utility companies are cautioning about new scams that have arisen in the past year as opportunistic fraudsters look to take advantage of the pandemic. Utility companies across the country have issued alerts regarding new scams as they seek to allow their customers to protect themselves from scammers exploiting the COVID-19 outbreak. According to officials, one of the largest threats involves scammers aggressively threatening to disconnect service, claiming that bills are past due, unless a payment is…

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by Zak Failla
News
Bitcoin Scammers Claim To Have Compromising Videos Of Victims Bitcoin Scammers Claim To Have Compromising Videos Of Victims
Bitcoin Scammers Claim To Have Compromising Videos Of Victims Bitcoin scammers have been threatening to expose sensitive videos of their victims if they are not paid off. Fraudsters have been sending spam emails that allege they have recorded video of “you getting yourself off,” which they threaten to expose if they are not paid off. The emails claim that the scammer is from out of the country, and cannot be targeted by local law enforcement. Related story - COVID-19: Cybercriminals Using New Sextortion Tactics Amid Pandemic Scammers allege that based on their potential victims’ visiting “bad” websites that infected computers with malware, they now …

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by Zak Failla
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
Hundreds Of Bomb Threats Sent To Schools, Businesses In Area, Nation Hundreds Of Bomb Threats Sent To Schools, Businesses In Area, Nation
Hundreds Of Bomb Threats Sent To Schools, Businesses In Area, Nation Fear and panic spread across the country on Thursday, as a bomb threat asking for thousands of dollars in bitcoin payment made the rounds through a series of emails. Law enforcement officials are investigating hundreds of bomb threats that targeted schools and businesses nationwide on Thursday, Dec. 13, including several in New York and Connecticut. According to reports, multiple Hudson Valley businesses were targeted and those threats were also deemed not credible. “Please be advised - there is an email being circulated containing a bomb threat asking for bitcoin payment. While this email…

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by Zak Failla