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Audrey Strauss

Politics
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…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Former NY CEO Sentenced For Bribery Scheme Former NY CEO Sentenced For Bribery Scheme
Former NY CEO Sentenced For Bribery Scheme A New York man who was a CEO for a company in the region will spend time behind bars for his role in a multi-million dollar bribery scheme. Long Island resident Alan Kaufman, age 62, of Jericho, the former CEO of the now-defunct Melrose Credit Union, has been sentenced to 46 months in prison after being convicted in a scheme with Long Island businessman Tony Georgiton. US Attorney Audrey Strauss said that Kaufman accepted free housing and hundreds of thousands of dollars in financing for the purchase of his personal residence, after approving millions of dollars in loans to Georgiton’s comp…

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by Zak Failla
News
Six Physical Therapists, Two Acupuncturists Charged In $20M Fraud Scheme, SDNY Says Six Physical Therapists, Two Acupuncturists Charged In $20M Fraud Scheme, SDNY Says
Six Physical Therapists, Two Acupuncturists Charged In $20M Fraud Scheme, Sdny Says Six physical therapists and a pair of acupuncturists in New York are facing charges for their roles in a $20 million health care fraud scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic. US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss announced that nine suspects have been indicted for operating an over $20 million health care fraud scheme at fraudulent medical offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. It is alleged that as part of the fraud scheme, co-conspirators paid a kickback to some patients who were insured by Medicare and other insurance providers to fraudulently bill them for p…

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by Zak Failla
News
Westchester Man Accused Of Running Drug Deliveries That Led To Fatal ODs Westchester Man Accused Of Running Drug Deliveries That Led To Fatal ODs
Westchester Man Accused Of Running Drug Deliveries That Led To Fatal ODs Two men operating a narcotics delivery business in downstate New York, including one from Westchester, have been arrested for their roles in running the service, which led to multiple fatal drug overdoses. Yonkers resident Jose Luis Tejada Aybar, age 39, and Allen Alexis Abisada Guzman, age 40, of the Bronx were charged with narcotics conspiracy following three fatal overdoses directly tied to their delivery service. Manhattan US Attorney Audrey Strauss said that it is alleged that Tejada and Abisada’s business resulted in the death of Marsha Clarke in the Bronx, and Martin Banks and Edwar…

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by Zak Failla
News
Biden Nominates Longtime Lawyer To Serve As US Attorney for the Southern District of NY Biden Nominates Longtime Lawyer To Serve As US Attorney for the Southern District of NY
Biden Nominates Longtime Lawyer To Serve As US Attorney for the Southern District of NY President Joe Biden has nominated Damian Williams to serve as the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, one of the most high-profile federal positions. Williams, age 40, has been an Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York since 2012, serving as its Chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. The Southern District includes Manhattan, the Bronx, Westchester County, and other northern suburbs. If approved, Williams would be the first African American to serve as the leader of the Manhattan prose…

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by Zak Failla
News
Mount Vernon Baseball Coach Charged With Coercion, Enticement Of Minor Mount Vernon Baseball Coach Charged With Coercion, Enticement Of Minor
Mount Vernon Baseball Coach Charged With Coercion, Enticement Of Minor A baseball coach in Westchester is facing charges for allegedly enticing and coercing a 16-year-old former player into sexual activity, federal officials announced. Robert Pope, age 30, the owner and head coach of Mount Vernon Baseball, an independent organization, was arrested following an investigation into allegations of him having improper contact with a minor. U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said that between Sept. 1, 2020, through April 11 this year, Pope allegedly communicated with his teen victim through his cellphone and persuaded him to meet him at a location in Westchester on multi…

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by Zak Failla
News
Man Convicted Of Sex Trafficking Young Girls, Including From Westchester Man Convicted Of Sex Trafficking Young Girls, Including From Westchester
Man Convicted Of Sex Trafficking Young Girls, Including From Westchester A New York man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the sex trafficking of minors that included girls from a Westchester County residential treatment facility. Hurbert Dupigny, of Brooklyn, was sentenced on Thursday, June 24, after being found guilty in a jury trial last year, said Audrey Strauss, U.S. States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.  “Dupigny victimized and violently abused, some of the most vulnerable members of our society for his own financial gain," Strauss said. "His predatory conduct irreparably damaged the lives of his victims." From at least August …

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Mother, Daughter In Westchester Charged In $1.6M COVID-19 Relief Scheme Mother, Daughter In Westchester Charged In $1.6M COVID-19 Relief Scheme
Mother, Daughter In Westchester Charged In $1.6M Covid-19 Relief Scheme A Mount Vernon city employee, her daughter, and a former resident are facing charges for allegedly taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to bilk the government out of more than $1.6 million in loans earmarked for small businesses and then accepting kickbacks. Andrea Ayers, a civilian employee of the Mount Vernon Police Department, and her daughter, Alicia Ayers, who operates a travel agency were arrested in the city on Tuesday, March 23 for allegedly submitting applications for more than 300 people to claim federal loans for businesses that did not qualify for. A third suspect, Traci Pr…

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by Zak Failla
Sports
Sports Hall Of Famer Identified As Man Accused Of Possessing Child Porn Videos, Images Sports Hall Of Famer Identified As Man Accused Of Possessing Child Porn Videos, Images
Sports Hall Of Famer Identified As Man Accused Of Possessing Child Porn Videos, Images A Northern Westchester man accused of receiving and possessing videos and images containing child porn has been identified as a retired teacher and sports fixture in the area. Richard Leaf, age 72, of Somers, was arrested on Tuesday, Feb. 23, following an investigation by the FBI, said Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017, Leaf, a Scarsdale High School graduate who was a social studies teacher in the Harrison School District, has been the announcer for the Section 1 boys and girls basketball tournaments for…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Westchester Man Accused Of Possessing Child Porn Videos, Images Westchester Man Accused Of Possessing Child Porn Videos, Images
Westchester Man Accused Of Possessing Child Porn Videos, Images Updated story: Sports Hall Of Famer Identified As Man Accused Of Possessing Child Porn Videos, Images A Northern Westchester retired teacher and sports fixture in the area has been accused of receiving and possessing videos and images containing child porn, federal authorities announced. Richard Leaf, age 72, of Somers, was arrested on Tuesday, Feb. 23, following an investigation by the FBI, said Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. According to the allegations contained in court papers between March 2019 and April 2020, Leaf, who is in the…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Hudson Valley Entrepreneur Accused Of Defrauding Investors Of Nearly $1 Million Hudson Valley Entrepreneur Accused Of Defrauding Investors Of Nearly $1 Million
Hudson Valley Entrepreneur Accused Of Defrauding Investors Of Nearly $1 Million An entrepreneur from the Hudson Valley has been accused by federal authorities of defrauding investors of nearly $1 million. Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI announced that Joseph Cimino, the founder of an Orange County-based tequila company, was arrested Tuesday morning, Feb. 17, and charged with securities fraud and wire fraud arising out of his fraudulent solicitation of investments for the company.  Cimino is scheduled to appear in Wh…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
NY Hedge Fund Founder Admits To Fraud In Connection With Neiman Marcus Bankruptcy NY Hedge Fund Founder Admits To Fraud In Connection With Neiman Marcus Bankruptcy
NY Hedge Fund Founder Admits To Fraud In Connection With Neiman Marcus Bankruptcy A hedge fund founder admitted to bankruptcy fraud for abusing his position on a Neiman Marcus Group Inc. bankruptcy committee to purchase securities at a deflated price. Nassau County resident Daniel Kamensky, of Roslyn, the founder of the New York-based hedge fund Marble Ridge Capital pleaded guilty to pressuring a rival bidder to abandon its higher bid for assets in connection with Neiman Marcus’s bankruptcy proceedings. U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said that Kamensky was the principal of Marble Ridgewhich had assets under management of more than $1 billion that invested in secu…

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by Zak Failla
News
Owner Of Hudson Valley Tax Preparation Business Admits To Scam IRS Of $500K Owner Of Hudson Valley Tax Preparation Business Admits To Scam IRS Of $500K
Owner Of Hudson Valley Tax Preparation Business Admits To Scam IRS Of $500K A Hudson Valley tax preparer and the owner of Eversley Tax has been sentenced to six months in prison for preparing false and fraudulent income tax returns. Eversley Barrett, of New Windsor, was sentenced on Friday, Jan. 29, to prison time after pleading guilty to 16 counts of an 84-count indictment, said Audrey Strauss, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. “Eversley Barrett abused his position of trust as a tax preparer by filing false tax returns on behalf of his clients and himself," said Strauss. "He caused over half a million dollars in losses to the IRS, all for hi…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Madoff Ponzi Scheme Victims To Get Nearly $500M More In Distributions Madoff Ponzi Scheme Victims To Get Nearly $500M More In Distributions
Madoff Ponzi Scheme Victims To Get Nearly $500M More In Distributions Thousands of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme victims will be receiving their portions of the latest distribution of nearly $500 million. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss announced that the Madoff Victim Fund will be distributing approximately $488 million to more than 37,000 of his victims involved in the fraud scheme. To date, approximately $2.7 billion has been distributed to Madoff’s victims. Strauss said that this sixth payment will bring the victims’ total recovery to 80.05 percent of their losses. Ultimately, more than $4 billion will be returne…

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by Zak Failla
News
Four Charged With Crack Cocaine Distribution In Westchester Four Charged With Crack Cocaine Distribution In Westchester
Four Charged With Crack Cocaine Distribution In Westchester Four men have been arrested in connection with running a crack cocaine distribution ring in Northern Westchester County. According to Audrey Strauss, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the men, Jordan Campbell, Derrick Dickey, Terrance Patterson, and Johnnie Thomas, were arrested on Wednesday, Dec. 2. As alleged in the indictment unsealed in White Plains federal court, the four conspired to distribute at least 280 grams or more of crack cocaine between March 2020 and August 2020. Each faces a maximum term of life in prison and a mandatory minimum term of 10 ye…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
NY Restaurateur Sentenced For Tax Evasion Scheme NY Restaurateur Sentenced For Tax Evasion Scheme
NY Restaurateur Sentenced For Tax Evasion Scheme A Manhattan restaurateur from Long Island will spend time behind bars after he admitted to a near million dollar tax evasion scheme. Nassau County resident Adel Kellel, 63, of New Hyde Park, the former owners of Raffles Bistro in New York City, has been sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty in Manhattan federal court earlier this year to a $771,195 scheme, acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said. In addition to his prison term, Kellel was also ordered to pay $613,478 in restitution to the IRS and $157,717 to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Strauss s…

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by Zak Failla
News
Westchester Tutor Charged With Sexually Exploiting Minor, Transporting Child Porn Westchester Tutor Charged With Sexually Exploiting Minor, Transporting Child Porn
Westchester Tutor Charged With Sexually Exploiting Minor, Transporting Child Porn A tutor from Westchester is facing charges for allegedly sexually exploiting a minor he was teaching, recording it on his phone, and transporting child pornography to and from Fairfield County. Tuckahoe resident John Mueser was arrested on Thursday, Nov. 19 and charged with sexual exploitation of a 7-year-old minor and with transporting child pornography. Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said that on May 1 last year, Mueser induced a 7-year-old he was tutoring to engage in sexually explicit conduct, using his iPhone to record it and then transported the images from Fairfield County to W…

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by Zak Failla
News
Duo Charged For Murder Of 21-Year-Old In Westchester Duo Charged For Murder Of 21-Year-Old In Westchester
Duo Charged For Murder Of 21-Year-Old In Westchester A pair of men already serving prison time have been indicted in the murder of a Westchester man. Marcus Chambers, 29, aka “Chino,” “Chi D,” and “SP,” and Darnell Kidd, 29, aka “Black,” “Donney,” and “Donney Black,”  were indicted on Tuesday, Nov. 3, with the murder of Jonathan Johnson, 21, on March 18, 2011, in White Plains, said Audrey Strauss, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Both men are currently serving prison sentences from prior federal convictions and will be brought to the federal courthouse in White Plains at a later date to be present…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Disbarred Lawyer From Westchester Admits To Stealing 9/11 Victim Funds Disbarred Lawyer From Westchester Admits To Stealing 9/11 Victim Funds
Disbarred Lawyer From Westchester Admits To Stealing 9/11 Victim Funds A disbarred attorney from Northern Westchester admitted to stealing approximately $1 million that was rewarded to one of his clients from the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. Yorktown Heights resident Gustavo Vila pleaded guilty in White Plains Federal Court for stealing from his client, who was a first responder who suffered life-threatening medical conditions while cleaning up the crash site at Ground Zero. The Victim Compensation Fund was created in the wake of the terror attack to provide government funds to compensate anyone who was harmed or killed as a result of the attacks. It ran fr…

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by Zak Failla
News
Four Admit To Murder Of 13-Year-Old Innocent Bystander In Mount Vernon Four Admit To Murder Of 13-Year-Old Innocent Bystander In Mount Vernon
Four Admit To Murder Of 13-Year-Old Innocent Bystander In Mount Vernon Four members of a street gang pleaded guilty to the murder of 13-year-old Shamoya McKenzie on New Year’s Eve in 2016 in Westchester. David Hardy, Marquis Collier, Jermaine hugely, and Sincere Savoy, members of the “Goonies” street gang pleaded guilty on Thursday, Oct. 1 for their roles in the death of McKenzie in Mount Vernon, who was struck by a stray bullet intended for a purported rival gang member. Earlier story - Gang Members Charged In Mount Vernon Teen Basketball Star's Fatal Shooting Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said that to fund their gang and maintain a stranglehold i…

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by Zak Failla
News
Financial Advisor From Westchester Accused Of Embezzling $640K From Clients Financial Advisor From Westchester Accused Of Embezzling $640K From Clients
Financial Advisor From Westchester Accused Of Embezzling $640K From Clients A financial advisor from Westchester has been accused of embezzling more than $640,000 from clients. Gregg Brie, of White Plains, was arrested on Thursday morning, Oct. 1 and charged with securities fraud and wire fraud, Audrey Strauss, the acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced. “As alleged, Gregg Brie stole money so he could live a lavish lifestyle," Strauss said. "This office is committed to rooting out fraudule…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Court Order Requires Mount Vernon To Address Polluting Storm Sewers Court Order Requires Mount Vernon To Address Polluting Storm Sewers
Court Order Requires Mount Vernon To Address Polluting Storm Sewers The federal government is forcing Mount Vernon to address its long-broken sewer system, which has sent raw sewage into city homes, the Bronx and Hutchinson rivers for years. A federal district court is ordering the city to bring its polluting storm sewer system into compliance with the Clean Water Act after ignoring two previous EPA administrative orders to make the required fixes. The city's sewage system includes more than 195 miles of sewer lines, 3,100 catch-basins, and 3,000 manholes which run through Mount Vernon. Since the problems were discovered, the city has been fined millions of…

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by Zak Failla
News
Former Town Justice In Westchester Sentenced For Tax Evasion Former Town Justice In Westchester Sentenced For Tax Evasion
Former Town Justice In Westchester Sentenced For Tax Evasion A former town justice in Northern Westchester will spend time behind bars after admitting to a decade-long tax evasion scheme. Former Lewisboro Town Justice Marc Seedorf, a Carmel attorney, was sentenced in White Plains Federal Court to six months in prison following his guilty plea to tax evasion last December. Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said that between 2009 through October 2019, Seedorf was a Town Justice for the Town of Lewisboro, and an Administrative Law Judge for Westchester County.  He also received income from the private practice of law.  Strauss said tha…

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by Zak Failla
News
Four Hudson Valley Brothers Accused Of $19M Scam To Defraud Amazon Four Hudson Valley Brothers Accused Of $19M Scam To Defraud Amazon
Four Hudson Valley Brothers Accused Of $19M Scam To Defraud Amazon Four brothers from the Hudson Valley have been charged for allegedly engaging in a scheme to systematically defraud Amazon.com of millions. "Through the course of the scheme, they manipulated Amazon’s vendor system in attempts to fraudulently induce Amazon to pay for goods that Amazon had not ordered," Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said. In executing the scheme, they fraudulently attempted to obtain at least approximately $32 million and successfully obtained at least approximately $19 million, Strauss said. The four are:…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Two From Westchester Among Four Charged With 'Cooking Books' For Hedge Fund Two From Westchester Among Four Charged With 'Cooking Books' For Hedge Fund
Two From Westchester Among Four Charged With 'Cooking Books' For Hedge Fund A pair of Westchester residents were among those charged in federal court to their roles in an alleged securities scam that saw them overstate their investment firm’s worth by hundreds of millions of dollars to bilk investors. U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss announced on Wednesday that White Plains resident Ashish Dole, 34, and Armonk resident Amin Majidi, 52, have been involved in an elaborate scheme that saw them mismark funds they managed by more than $200 million. According to Strauss, Majidi, Dole and New York City residents Jeremy Shor and Frank Dinucci, Jr. from 2014 through 2016, they …

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by Zak Failla