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U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman

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Teen Charged With Attempting To Torch NYPD Vehicle Teen Charged With Attempting To Torch NYPD Vehicle
Teen Charged With Attempting To Torch Nypd Vehicle A teenager is facing an arson charge for allegedly attempting to torch an NYPD cruiser, federal officials announced. Queens resident Victor Sanchez-Santa, 19, has been arrested and charged after he was caught on surveillance video attempting to destroy the police car in midtown Manhattan earlier this month, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said. According to a complaint filed by the Southern District of New York Court, at approximately 1:25 a.m. on Tuesday, June 9, Sanchez-Santa stopped his Honda beside a marked NYPD vehicle on West 42nd Street in Manhattan.  It is alleged that San…

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by Zak Failla
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Area Attorney Admits To Tax Evasion, Failure To Pay Over Payroll Taxes Area Attorney Admits To Tax Evasion, Failure To Pay Over Payroll Taxes
Area Attorney Admits To Tax Evasion, Failure To Pay Over Payroll Taxes An area attorney has admitted to tax evasion and failure to pay over payroll taxes. Francis O’Reilly, a Carmel attorney who lives in Danbury, pleaded guilty in White Plains federal court to one count of failing to pay over payroll taxes and one count of tax evasion for the calendar year 2015, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman announced. Berman said that O’Reilly has been permitted to practice law in New York since 1989, and has been a self-employed attorney who worked out of Putnam County at the O’Reilly Law Practice. In 2015, O’Reilly admitted to withholding payroll taxes from the salaries of…

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by Zak Failla
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Ex-Westchester Construction Manager Admits To $35OK Bribery Scheme Ex-Westchester Construction Manager Admits To $35OK Bribery Scheme
Ex-Westchester Construction Manager Admits To $35OK Bribery Scheme A former construction manager from Westchester who worked for a global financial firm admitted to evading taxes on more than $350,000 in bribes that he received from sub-contractors over the course of several years. Michael Campana, 33, of Tuckahoe, pleaded guilty to a single count of tax evasion this week, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman announced, in connection to a bribery scheme he used to pay for personal expenses. Between 2013 and 2017, Campana was a construction manager for a global financial firm engaged in various building projects in New York City and elsewhere. He and others p…

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by Zak Failla
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Massage Therapist Charged With Possessing Child Porn Massage Therapist Charged With Possessing Child Porn
Massage Therapist Charged With Possessing Child Porn A massage therapist was taken into custody by ICE Homeland Security agents on Long Island for allegedly purchasing thousands of child pornography files from an IP address linked to a Hudson Valley non-profit, officials said. Gary Pamperien, 65, was arrested on Wednesday, Nov. 13, in Hicksville following allegations that he was in possession of child porn between at least August 2017 and 2018, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman announced. Pamperien allegedly made his purchases from an IP address associated with a nonprofit educational retreat center in Dutchess County. It is alleged that Pa…

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by Zak Failla
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Ex-NYPD Officer From Area Sentenced For Fraud, Tax Evasion Ex-NYPD Officer From Area Sentenced For Fraud, Tax Evasion
Ex-nypd Officer From Area Sentenced For Fraud, Tax Evasion A former NYPD officer from the area will spend time behind bars for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in disability benefits over two decades while continuing to work security at a strip club. Gerard Scparta, 54, of Campbell Hall in Orange County, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for obtaining approximately $630,000 in disability benefits from the Social Security Administration and underreporting income on his taxes by approximately $268,000. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman noted that while Scparta was obtaining his disability benefits, he earned $1.6 million working as a sec…

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by Zak Failla
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Testing Company Owner From Area Arrested For Fraud Scheme Involving Fake Lab Results Testing Company Owner From Area Arrested For Fraud Scheme Involving Fake Lab Results
Testing Company Owner From Area Arrested For Fraud Scheme Involving Fake Lab Results The owner of a consumer products testing company in Rockland County is facing charges for his role in a scheme to defraud customers out of millions of dollars by reporting fake lab reports over two decades. Gabriel Letizia, Jr., the owner of AMA Laboratories in New City, has been charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman announced. Letizia was arrested last week and arraigned in White Plains federal court on Friday, Aug. 9. Berman said that from 1987 through 2017, Letizia and others at AMA defrauded customers out of tens of millions of dollar…

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by Zak Failla
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Uber Driver Sentenced For Assaulting, Kidnapping Westchester Woman Uber Driver Sentenced For Assaulting, Kidnapping Westchester Woman
Uber Driver Sentenced For Assaulting, Kidnapping Westchester Woman A 25-year-old Uber driver has been sentenced after admitting to picking up a Westchester woman, kidnapping her and sexually assaulting her in his car before dropping her on the side of I-95 in Connecticut. Harbir Parmar, of Howard Beach in Queens, has been sentenced to three years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty in White Plains federal court to kidnapping and wire fraud following his arrest on Oct. 16 last year. In addition to his prison term, Parmar has been ordered to pay $3,642 in restitution, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman announced. Parmar…

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by Zak Failla
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Westchester Teen At Residential Treatment Facility Used For Sex Trafficking Westchester Teen At Residential Treatment Facility Used For Sex Trafficking
Westchester Teen At Residential Treatment Facility Used For Sex Trafficking A 23-year-old man from Queens has been convicted of sex trafficking a pair of minors, including one that lived in a residential treatment facility in Westchester County. Following a five-day trial, Luidji “Zoe” Benjamin, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sex trafficking of a minor, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman announced this week. In 2015, Benjamin “engaged in sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of two minors,” Berman said. Benjamin recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided, obtained, and maintained women for the purpose of commercial se…

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by Zak Failla
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Man Sentenced For Fatal Westchester Carjackings Man Sentenced For Fatal Westchester Carjackings
Man Sentenced For Fatal Westchester Carjackings A 29-year-old man who was involved in fatal carjackings in an effort to rob Westchester businesses will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Tyrone “Man Man” Felder was sentenced to life in prison plus 34 years for his role in two armed robberies in Yonkers and for killing cab drivers Maodo Kane and Aboubacar Bah in the Bronx in 2014. He had been found guilty by a jury in September last year following a trial in district court. When announcing the sentence, U.S. District Judge Vincent Briccetti said he was “astonished by the audacity and brutality” of Felder’s crimes. Felder was found g…

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by Zak Failla
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$1.39M Suit Seeks Unpaid Taxes From Area Couple $1.39M Suit Seeks Unpaid Taxes From Area Couple
$1.39M Suit Seeks Unpaid Taxes From Area Couple Federal officials are suing a Hudson Valley couple who owe more than a million dollar in unpaid taxes to the Internal Revenue Service. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman announced that the federal government is suing Michael Satz and Marietta Staples of Staatsburg in Dutchess County in an effort to help the IRS collect $1.39 million in unpaid taxes. The lawsuit alleges that they have refused or failed to pay on income taxes dating back more than a decade, to 2016. According to reports, tax liens have previously been levied against the couple in 2008, 2009 and 2016. They were refiled in each of t…

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by Zak Failla
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Ex-Fire Department Company Treasurer In Westchester Admits To Embezzlement Ex-Fire Department Company Treasurer In Westchester Admits To Embezzlement
Ex-Fire Department Company Treasurer In Westchester Admits To Embezzlement A former treasurer with a Westchester fire department has admitted to using thousands of federal dollars he oversaw for his own benefit. Robert Gerardi, the ex-treasurer of the Putnam Engine and Hose company, a unit of the Port Chester Volunteer Fire Department, pleaded guilty on Friday to embezzling more than $38,000 from November 2016 through May 2017.  “Robert Gerardi was entrusted to oversee the finances of a unit of a volunteer fire company,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said. “Gerardi betrayed that trust and lined his own pockets with money meant to be used in furtherance of pro…

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by Zak Failla
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Man Gets 20-Year Sentence For Enticing Westchester 14-Year-Old Into Sexual Activity On Video Man Gets 20-Year Sentence For Enticing Westchester 14-Year-Old Into Sexual Activity On Video
Man Gets 20-Year Sentence For Enticing Westchester 14-Year-Old Into Sexual Activity On Video An Orange County man will spend the next two decades in prison for enticing a teenage girl from Westchester into sexual activity, which was captured on video. Clint Edwards, 28, of New Windsor, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for enticing a child to engage in illegal sexual activity. He pleaded guilty to the crime on July 2 this year following the illicit activities last year. In May and June last year, Edwards admitted to using social media and texting apps on his iPhone to entice the 14-year-old girl from Port Chester to engage in the sexual activities. During their conversa…

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by Zak Failla
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Seven Members Of $3.1 Million Stolen Luxury Car Ring Charged In Westchester Seven Members Of $3.1 Million Stolen Luxury Car Ring Charged In Westchester
Seven Members Of $3.1 Million Stolen Luxury Car Ring Charged In Westchester Seven members of a multi-million dollar national stolen automobile ring are facing time behind bars after being charged in White Plains Federal Court for their roles in the operation in New York and Connecticut. Beginning in October last year, Marvin Williams, Nicholas Dixon, Jason Higney, Besar Ismaili, Steven Klein, Lashaumba Randolph and Abdurahamin Shabazz allegedly operated the stolen car ring. During the operation, they allegedly would obtain stolen cars from Michigan and Florida, transported the stolen cars to New York and Connecticut for resale. In an effort to sell the cars, they w…

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by Zak Failla
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Administrator Of Westchester Estate Admits To Embezzling $1.4M Administrator Of Westchester Estate Admits To Embezzling $1.4M
Administrator Of Westchester Estate Admits To Embezzling $1.4M The former court-appointed administrator of a Westchester estate has admitted to stealing more than a million dollars from it as a family member sought to remove him from the position. New Jersey resident Gregory Bayard has pleaded guilty in White Plains federal court to one count of wire fraud for stealing $1.4 million from a decedent’s estate in Mount Vernon while acting as a court-appointed administrator. Bayard was appointed the administrator of the estate of a former Mount Vernon resident by the Surrogate’s Court in 2008, which included collecting the assets of the estate. As the admin…

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by Zak Failla
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Man Kidnaps, Assaults Westchester Woman Before Dumping Her On Side Of Road, Feds Say Man Kidnaps, Assaults Westchester Woman Before Dumping Her On Side Of Road, Feds Say
Man Kidnaps, Assaults Westchester Woman Before Dumping Her On Side Of Road, Feds Say A 24-year-old ride-share driver is facing charges after allegedly picking up a Westchester woman, kidnapping her and sexually assaulting her in his car before ditching her on the side of I-95 in Connecticut.  Harbir Parmar of Howard Beach in Queens has been charged with kidnapping and wire-fraud charges dating back to an incident in February, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman announced. According to the indictment, on Feb. 21, a woman ordered a vehicle through Parmar’s ride-sharing company to pick her up in Manhattan and take her to her home in White Plains. She was picked up by Parmar at appro…

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by Zak Failla