$3.4M Scheme: Ex-Controller Admits To Embezzling Family-Owned Westchester Business $3.4M Scheme: Ex-Controller Admits To Embezzling Family-Owned Westchester Business
$3.4M Scheme: Ex-Controller Admits To Embezzling Family-Owned Westchester Business A senior member of a family-owned company has admitted to embezzling more than $3.4 million from the business over five years. According to court filings released on Thursday, Oct. 10, John Hickey, age 34, created false invoices that appeared to be from entities with which the Northern Westchester-based corporations did business from February 2018 to November 2023. The company, located in Armonk, manufactured flame retardant fabrics. Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Hickey then forged signatures that supposedly approved payment of those invo…
Man Accused Of Assaulting, Cutting Victims At Bar On Westchester Golf Course Man Accused Of Assaulting, Cutting Victims At Bar On Westchester Golf Course
Man Accused Of Assaulting, Cutting Victims At Bar On Westchester Golf Course A 26-year-old Hudson Valley man faces assault charges after allegedly attacking a victim inside a Northern Westchester bar and cutting a second with a weapon, police announced.  Putnam County resident Miftar Krasniqi of Mahopac was arrested on Monday, Aug. 26 after turning himself in to authorities in connection with an incident at the Tee Bar & Grill at 795 Route 6 in Yorktown that happened on Saturday, Aug. 24, according to Yorktown Police. Just before 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, a Yorktown officer learned of a possible stabbing at the bar, which is located on The Links at Valley Fie…
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 …
$1B Scheme: Pair Of CEOs, Including NY Man, Defrauded 10K Investors, Jury Finds $1B Scheme: Pair Of CEOs, Including NY Man, Defrauded 10K Investors, Jury Finds
$1B Scheme: Pair Of CEOs, Including NY Man, Defrauded 10K Investors, Jury Finds A New York resident was one of two CEOs convicted in federal court of a $1 billion fraud scheme involving thousands of investors. Long Island resident David Gentile, age 57, of Manhasset, and Jeffry Schneider, age 55, of Austin, Texas, were found guilty in federal court on all counts of an indictment charging them with conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and securities fraud. Gentile, the owner and CEO of GPB Capital Holdings, was also convicted on two counts of wire fraud. The verdict came after an eight-week trial. When sentenced on Thursd…
Nursing Home Employee Accused Of Attacking Disabled Resident In Westchester Nursing Home Employee Accused Of Attacking Disabled Resident In Westchester
Nursing Home Employee Accused Of Attacking Disabled Resident In Westchester A 51-year-old nursing home employee from the Hudson Valley faces charges after allegedly attacking a disabled resident in the Northern Westchester facility where she worked, police said. Dutchess County resident Jossette Thompson of Dover was arrested on Tuesday, June 11 in connection with the alleged attack, New York State Police announced on Wednesday, July 17.  According to authorities, while employed at The Paramount at Somers Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Somers at 189 Route 100, Thompson physically attacked a disabled resident at the facility.  After her arrest,…
$185M Scheme: NY Trio Nabbed For Defrauding 1,400 Investors, Feds Say $185M Scheme: NY Trio Nabbed For Defrauding 1,400 Investors, Feds Say
$185M Scheme: NY Trio Nabbed For Defrauding 1,400 Investors, Feds Say Three New York men have been charged in connection with a $185 million fraud scheme involving over a thousand investors, federal authorities announced. The three are Long Island resident Mario Gogliormella, age 47, of Manhasset; and New York City residents Steven Lacaj, age 27, of Manhattan, and Karim Ibrahim, age 34, of Queens, also known as “Chris Hayes." “By allegedly raising approximately $185 million from over 1,400 investors, Mario Gogliormella, Steven Lacaj, and Karim Ibrahim left a trail of shattered trust and financial ruin," US Attorney for the Southern Distric…
Man Snaps Photo Under Muslim Garment In New Rochelle: Police Man Snaps Photo Under Muslim Garment In New Rochelle: Police
Man Snaps Photo Under Muslim Garment In New Rochelle: Police A 23-year-old man faces several charges after taking a photo under a Muslim woman's clothing and exposing himself in Westchester, police said. The arrest stemmed from an incident on Friday, March 8 in New Rochelle, when a suspect approached a woman wearing a niqāb, a Muslim garment that covers the entire body and face besides the eyes, and took a photo underneath it, New Rochelle Police Captain J. Collins Coyne announced on Friday, April 19.  The suspect, identified as New Rochelle resident Hussain Haider, also exposed himself to the victim before running away, Coyne said, adding that …
Sexual Predator Sting: Attorney Nabbed After Arranging To Meet Girl In Hudson Valley, DA Says Sexual Predator Sting: Attorney Nabbed After Arranging To Meet Girl In Hudson Valley, DA Says
Sexual Predator Sting: Attorney Nabbed After Arranging To Meet Girl In Hudson Valley, DA Says An undercover investigation in the Hudson Valley has led to the arrest of a Long Island attorney who is accused of preying on a minor using online platforms. Long Island resident Daniel Waxman, age 55, was arrested on Wednesday, May 31 after authorities say he arrived in Rockland County to meet with whom he thought was a 14-year-old girl. From Monday, May 22 up until Wednesday, an undercover investigator from the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office posing as a minor engaged in a series of text conversations with Waxman, Rockland DA Thomas E. Walsh said. The undercover inve…
Hudson Valley Woman Admits To Abusing 7-Month-Old Granddaughter, Causing Her To Go Blind Hudson Valley Woman Admits To Abusing 7-Month-Old Granddaughter, Causing Her To Go Blind
Hudson Valley Woman Admits To Abusing 7-Month-Old Granddaughter, Causing Her To Go Blind A Hudson Valley grandmother has pleaded guilty to assaulting her baby granddaughter, causing the child to go blind. Orange County resident Kimberly Bennett, age 45, of Middletown, made the plea on Wednesday, Oct. 27. The assault, which occurred in February 2020, at Bennett’s home on Bedford Avenue, in the City of Middletown, resulted in the child suffering serious physical injury including damage to her brain and eyes, and rendered the child blind, said Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler. According to Hoovler, Middletown Police officers and ambulance personnel …
Real Estate Heir Robert Durst Convicted Of Execution-Style Murder Of Friend Real Estate Heir Robert Durst Convicted Of Execution-Style Murder Of Friend
Real Estate Heir Robert Durst Convicted Of Execution-Style Murder Of Friend Hudson Valley native Robert Durst, the nationally-known New York real estate heir, was convicted in the execution-style murder of a close confidante more than two decades ago. The verdict is for the 2000 killing of Susan Berman who was found dead inside her Beverly Hills home in Los Angeles. She was a friend of Durst's who prosecutors said helped him cover up his wife, Kathie's, disappearance in New York, in 1982, in the Northern Westchester hamlet of South Salem in the Town of Lewisboro. Prosecutors alleged that Durst confided in Berman that he killed Kathie Durst, then grew concerned tha…
Man Sentenced For Fatally Shooting Boss In Hudson Valley Man Sentenced For Fatally Shooting Boss In Hudson Valley
Man Sentenced For Fatally Shooting Boss In Hudson Valley A man has been sentenced for the murder of his boss at an area business. Gerard O’Sullivan, age 61, of New City, was sentenced to 18 years to life in prison for the murder of Noe Hamer, age 42, who was shot and killed in Rockland County on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, at the McGowan’s Funeral Home in Haverstraw after he was told he was fired. "Today Gerard O’Sullivan appeared before a Judge of the County Court of Rockland County. What was described in court today was this act was a cold-blooded assassination," said Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh. "We can only hope that Noe’s family…
Westchester Woman Sentenced For Attempting To Kidnap Baby Westchester Woman Sentenced For Attempting To Kidnap Baby
Westchester Woman Sentenced For Attempting To Kidnap Baby A 29-year-old woman has been will spend time in prison after attempting to steal a baby from a hospital emergency room in Westchester. Yonkers resident Laysha Machado has been sentenced to a term of between one and three years in prison after attempting to take a toddler from its mother at a city hospital in February last year. Machado pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful imprisonment in December last year. On Feb. 15 last year, Machado entered the emergency room of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Yonkers where she took a stroller with another person’s child inside and fled the building, Westc…
Former NY Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver Sentenced For Conviction On Corruption Charges Former NY Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver Sentenced For Conviction On Corruption Charges
Former NY Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver Sentenced For Conviction On Corruption Charges Former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, once one of the state’s most powerful politicians, will spend the better part of a decade behind bars after being convicted on corruption charges. A federal judge in Manhattan sentenced Silver, 76, to six-and-a-half years in prison on Monday, July 20 following his 2018 conviction. The former Democratic leader, who acknowledged his wrongdoing at his sentencing, was also ordered to pay a $1 million fine. Silver, who at one point represented most of Manhattan, was found guilty of two counts of honest service wire fraud, two counts of hones…
Area HS Basketball Coach Placed On Leave After Admitting To Collecting $17K For False Injuries Area HS Basketball Coach Placed On Leave After Admitting To Collecting $17K For False Injuries
Area HS Basketball Coach Placed On Leave After Admitting To Collecting $17K For False Injuries An MTA bus driver who lives in Northern Westchester and who worked as a high school basketball coach in Putnam County admitted to collecting workers comp benefits while still maintaining his job on the court, despite being uninjured. Tyrone Searight, 49, of Peekskill, who coaches in the Haldane Central School District, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after he claimed to be injured in 2016, forcing him out of his job as a bus driver. Despite being allegedly injured, Searight was caught by investigators continuing to coach at Haldane, all while collecting nearly $17,000 in workers' compe…
Trio From Area Nabbed In FBI Sting For Running $6M Unlicensed Money Transmitting Scheme In Area Trio From Area Nabbed In FBI Sting For Running $6M Unlicensed Money Transmitting Scheme In Area
Trio From Area Nabbed In FBI Sting For Running $6M Unlicensed Money Transmitting Scheme In Area Three area residents have been arrested and charged for running a multi-million dollar scheme to operate an unlicensed money transmitting businesses to launder money derived from illegal activities. Rockland residents Chaskel Landau, 45, of Spring Valley, Alter Landau, 64, of Spring Valley, and Joseph Neumann, 78, of Monsey, were arrested this week, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman announced. The three were tied to an elaborate scheme to transmit approximately $6 million. The three were arrested following an FBI sting operation. It is alleged that between September 2014 and August 2016, the t…
Hudson Valley Writer Who Accused Trump Of Sexual Assault Sues Him For Defamation Hudson Valley Writer Who Accused Trump Of Sexual Assault Sues Him For Defamation
Hudson Valley Writer Who Accused Trump Of Sexual Assault Sues Him For Defamation The New York journalist who wrote a book accusing President Donald Trump of raping her is filing a defamation lawsuit against him after he denied the claims and stated he never met her. E. Jean Carroll, who lives in a cabin on an island in the Wawayanda Mountains outside Warwick in Orange County, the author of Elle magazine’s “Ask E. Jean” advice column, filed a suit in Manhattan Supreme Court this week because the president claimed he never met her after her book, “What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal” was released. In the book, Carroll alleges that Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Good…
New Rochelle Teacher Charged With Sexual Abuse Makes New Court Appearance New Rochelle Teacher Charged With Sexual Abuse Makes New Court Appearance
New Rochelle Teacher Charged With Sexual Abuse Makes New Court Appearance A temporary order of protection was issued on behalf of a student who allegedly had sexual contact with a teacher in Westchester during school hours. John Fraioli, 34, of White Plains, a teacher at New Rochelle High School, was arrested this week and charged with a felony count of third-degree criminal sexual act after allegedly having inappropriate contact with a 15-year-old student earlier this year. Fraioli resigned from the school in the spring and was arrested on Monday, Oct. 28. He’s since been released on a $50,000 bond. On Wednesday, Oct. 30, Fraioli was back in New Rochelle City …
New Rochelle Teacher Accused Of Sex Crime With Student During School Hours New Rochelle Teacher Accused Of Sex Crime With Student During School Hours
New Rochelle Teacher Accused Of Sex Crime With Student During School Hours A high school teacher in Westchester is facing charges for allegedly having sexual contact with a teenage student during school hours, police said. John Fraioli, 34, of White Plains, a teacher at New Rochelle High School, was arrested this week and charged with a felony count of third-degree criminal sexual act after allegedly having inappropriate contact with a 15-year-old student earlier this year. Police said that the incident happened in May, while Fraioli was employed as a teacher at the high school. Fraioli was arraigned in New Rochelle City Court on Monday, Oct. 28 and is currently …
Ex-Area Teacher Accused Of Sexually Abusing Student Found Dead Ex-Area Teacher Accused Of Sexually Abusing Student Found Dead
Ex-Area Teacher Accused Of Sexually Abusing Student Found Dead A Hudson Valley teacher who was recently accused of the alleged sexual abuse of an elementary student years ago was found dead at his Orange County home. Shawn Memmelaar, a retired Newburgh physical education teacher, was found dead Sunday, Oct. 13, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Town of Goshen Police said. Memmelaar, who was a gym teacher at the now-closed Union Grove Elementary School in Newburgh, had denied the allegations after a recently filed lawsuit claimed he abused student Sandra Burke, 55, from 1969 through 1975. Burke's attorney, Evan Foulke, told News 12, that Memmelaar wou…
22-Year-Old Scammed Area Resident Into Sending $8,000, Police Say 22-Year-Old Scammed Area Resident Into Sending $8,000, Police Say
22-Year-Old Scammed Area Resident Into Sending $8,000, Police Say A 22-year-old man has been charged after police say he scammed an area resident out of $8,000. New York State Police say Juan Gil-Delao, 22, of Clifton, New Jersey was arrested on Thursday, Sept. 19. According to police, an Orange County resident in Wallkill reported having been tricked into sending bail money to help a relative on Saturday, July 27. The victim reported being contacted by someone alleging to be a defense attorney and that a nephew had been arrested out of state and needed bail money, police say. The victim told police that he was instructed to send $8,000 in cash via…
Woman Accused Of Raping Child After Complaints Of Loud Parties, Police Say Woman Accused Of Raping Child After Complaints Of Loud Parties, Police Say
Woman Accused Of Raping Child After Complaints Of Loud Parties, Police Say A series of loud parties led to a rape charge for a woman who allegedly had sex with a minor in Rockland County, police said. The Stony Point Police Department received numerous complaints from local residents regarding loud music and parties on multiple incidents over the course of months at a Perrins Peak home. In response to the parties, Stony Point resident Andre Oden, 45, was cited four times for noise violations and nuisance party violations after he was arrested on Thursday, Aug. 8. Police said that the investigation into the parties and activities at the Perrins Peak home continued…
Authorities: Weapons Arsenal Found In BMW After Surgeon Threatens Estranged Wife In Westchester Authorities: Weapons Arsenal Found In BMW After Surgeon Threatens Estranged Wife In Westchester
Authorities: Weapons Arsenal Found In BMW After Surgeon Threatens Estranged Wife In Westchester Police in Westchester arrested a well-known surgeon who lives on Long Island with a weapons cache after he was overheard threatening his estranged wife, investigators said. Great Neck resident Matthew Bonanno, 47, who practices in the upper East Side in Manhattan, was overheard threatening his wife, who lives in Tuckahoe, officials said.  Police were contacted by acquaintances on Monday, Aug. 12, who overheard the threats against Bonanno's estranged wife and her family, and when they intervened, he was found with an illegal Glock and an arsenal in his BMW. Officers responded to Growle…
Woman Charged With Assaulting Bus Driver In Westchester Woman Charged With Assaulting Bus Driver In Westchester
Woman Charged With Assaulting Bus Driver In Westchester Following a five-week investigation, a Westchester woman was arrested and charged with assaulting a Bee-Line bus driver last month outside the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, Westchester County Police said. Johniazia Torres, 24, of White Plains was charged with second-degree assault, a felony. She was arraigned Friday, July 19 in Mount Pleasant Town Court and released on her own recognizance. The Wednesday, June 12 attack occurred at 10:30 p.m. after Torres demanded that the driver allow her to get off the bus directly in front of the hospital entrance, police said. The dr…
Cable TV Installer Found Guilty Of Making Unwanted Sexual Advances In Westchester Cable TV Installer Found Guilty Of Making Unwanted Sexual Advances In Westchester
Cable TV Installer Found Guilty Of Making Unwanted Sexual Advances In Westchester A man working as a cable television installer has been found guilty of making sexual advances toward a teenage customer in her Westchester home, despite her protestations. Bronx resident Nahyime Goldson, 23, was found guilty in Westchester County Court of second-degree burglary and third-degree stalking following a trial. Goldson, 23, was in a Mount Vernon home at approximately 9 a.m. in August last year, working as a cable television installer. While he was there, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr. said that he “subjected a 19-year-old woman to unwanted sexual advan…
Mount Vernon Man Sentenced For Four Armed Carjackings Mount Vernon Man Sentenced For Four Armed Carjackings
Mount Vernon Man Sentenced For Four Armed Carjackings A 33-year-old man will spend the better part of a decade behind bars after being sentenced for several armed carjackings in and around Westchester late last year. Mount Vernon resident Samir “S” Sullivan, has been sentenced to 96 months in prison for four separate armed carjackings of cabs in Mount Vernon and the Bronx in November, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman announced. Sullivan pleaded guilty in White Plains federal court earlier this year. Berman said that in the middle of the night on Nov. 25 and Nov. 29 last year, Sullivan and a co-conspirator committed the four armed carjackings, dur…
New Rochelle Man Sentenced For Scamming Family Out Of Thousands New Rochelle Man Sentenced For Scamming Family Out Of Thousands
New Rochelle Man Sentenced For Scamming Family Out Of Thousands A Westchester contractor will spend time behind bars after scamming a family intending to move into the area out of tens of thousands of dollars. New Rochelle resident Michael Scoca, 54, has been sentenced to a term of between one and a half to three years in state prison after pleading guilty of a scheme to defraud in November last year for his role in bilking a family out of more than $60,000 for work he never completed. In late 2015, Scoca, claiming to be a general contractor, convinced a family from the Bronx that he would build them their family home in Westchester. He proceeded to tel…
Area Man Accused Of Defrauding State Workers’ Compensation Fund Out Of $33.7K Area Man Accused Of Defrauding State Workers’ Compensation Fund Out Of $33.7K
Area Man Accused Of Defrauding State Workers’ Compensation Fund Out Of $33.7K A 56-year-old man has been accused of defrauding the state workers’ compensation fund out of more than $33,000, police say. Robert Marra, of Crawford in Orange County, falsely reported the extent of his injuries to his doctors and independent medical examiners, according to a collaborative investigation by the NYS Department of Financial Services, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. As a result, Marra was deemed fully disabled and received a total of $33,700 in benefits from the NYS Workers’ Compensation Fund that he was not entitled to, acc…
Westchester Woman, Brother Charged In Visa Fraud Conspiracy Westchester Woman, Brother Charged In Visa Fraud Conspiracy
Westchester Woman, Brother Charged In Visa Fraud Conspiracy A Westchester woman and her brother are facing charges for their roles in a visa fraud scheme involving the enticing of illegal aliens to come to the United States to serve as domestic workers. Bronxville resident Maria Luisa Estrella Jaidi and her brother, Philippines native Ramon Singson Estrella, are facing time behind bars after being charged and arrested for running an elaborate scheme involving illegal immigrants, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman announced on Wednesday.  The allegations against the siblings claim that from 2006 through 2016, Jaidi and Estrella conspired with a third…