$9.6M Scheme: Businessman Admits To Fraud Involving Banks, Including 1 In Hudson Valley $9.6M Scheme: Businessman Admits To Fraud Involving Banks, Including 1 In Hudson Valley
$9.6M Scheme: Businessman Admits To Fraud Involving Banks, Including 1 In Hudson Valley The owner of a New York business admitted to running a multimillion-dollar check-kiting scheme to keep his company operating. Long Island resident John B. Mensch, age 54, pleaded guilty in connection with a nearly year-long fraud conspiracy involving banks in Suffolk County and the Hudson Valley, federal authorities announced Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 2. Mensch, of Quogue, faces up to five years’ imprisonment as well as financial penalties, including restitution to the two banks of approximately $9.6 million. According to court filings, Mensch was the owner and operator of East End, a…
Business Owner Who Scammed Customers Caught In Pelham After Stealing Wallet From Gym: Police Business Owner Who Scammed Customers Caught In Pelham After Stealing Wallet From Gym: Police
Business Owner Who Scammed Customers Caught In Pelham After Stealing Wallet From Gym: Police A 36-year-old former business owner from Long Island who admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from customers was apprehended after stealing a wallet from a Northern Westchester gym and using a credit card inside in the Hudson Valley, police said. The theft happened in Yorktown on Tuesday, Oct. 1, when a wallet was stolen from Club Fit at 600 Bank Rd., Yorktown Police said on Friday, Oct. 4.  Investigators quickly realized that the victim's credit card had recently been used in Putnam County, and when they obtained surveillance video from this location, they were able t…
Westchester Actress Starring In New Netflix Series That's Earning Rave Reviews Westchester Actress Starring In New Netflix Series That's Earning Rave Reviews
Westchester Actress Starring In New Netflix Series That's Earning Rave Reviews Their new show may be titled, “Nobody Wants This,” but critics beg to differ. A pair of New York actresses are appearing in a new Netflix series that’s quickly gaining favor with audiences. “Nobody Wants This” – a romantic comedy starring Adam Brody, Kristen Bell, and Justine Lupe – premiered on the popular streaming service Thursday, Sept. 26. It centers on the unexpected relationship between a rogue rabbi and an irascible, loud, agnostic woman, according to its IMDB synopsis. Among those appearing on screen is Long Island native Jackie Tohn, an actress and musician who was born and rai…
Westchester Well-Represented In Brand-New Best High School Rankings Westchester Well-Represented In Brand-New Best High School Rankings
Westchester Well-Represented In Brand-New Best High School Rankings New York is well-represented in brand-new rankings of the best high schools in New York. The first four in Niche's 2025 selections are all from New York City: Stuyvesant in Manhattan, the Bronx High School of Science, Staten Island Technical High School, and Townsend Harris High School in Queens. Checking in at No. 5 and the first Westchester County selection is Scarsdale High School. The first Long Island school picked is No. 7 Half Hollow Hills West in Dix Hills. Long Island schools also make up spots 10 through 13: They are Jericho, Syosset, and Great Neck South high schools. Four mor…
John Gotti Jr's Wife, Daughter Dodge Assault Charges After HS Basketball Brawl In NY John Gotti Jr's Wife, Daughter Dodge Assault Charges After HS Basketball Brawl In NY
John Gotti Jr's Wife, Daughter Dodge Assault Charges After HS Basketball Brawl In NY John Gotti Jr.’s wife and daughter will avoid criminal charges in connection with a fight at a youth basketball game on Long Island. A Nassau County judge cited “procedural grounds” for dismissing the misdemeanor assault charges against Kimberly Gotti, age 55, and Gianna Gotti, age 23, on Tuesday, Oct. 1. “We await the judge’s written decision and will review our options,” a spokesperson for the DA’s office told Daily Voice. The fight broke out in the Oyster Bay village of Lattingtown, during a basketball game at Locust Valley High School against visiting Oyster Bay High School, on Thursd…
'Today' Show's Hoda Kotb Announces Exit To Spend Time With Kids At Westchester Home 'Today' Show's Hoda Kotb Announces Exit To Spend Time With Kids At Westchester Home
'Today' Show's Hoda Kotb Announces Exit To Spend Time With Kids At Westchester Home After more than five years as co-anchor, "Today" show fixture Hoda Kotb says she will be leaving to spend more time with her family in the suburbs. The 60-year-old Kotb announced her upcoming exit from NBC's "Today" during the show on Thursday morning, Sept. 26, saying on the show that she realized it was time "to try something new" during her 60th birthday celebration in August.  "I remembered standing outside looking at these beautiful bunch of people with these gorgeous signs, and I thought, 'This is what the top of the wave feels like for me.' And I thought it can't get better…
Last Full-Size Kmart Store In US, Located In NY, Set To Close: Here's Where, When Last Full-Size Kmart Store In US, Located In NY, Set To Close: Here's Where, When
Last Full-Size Kmart Store In US, Located In NY, Set To Close: Here's Where, When The nation's last remaining full-size Kmart discount department store is just weeks away from permanently closing, according to a new report. The New York store, located on Long Island, will close on Sunday, Oct. 20, a store employee told NBC affiliate WJAR in Providence on Sunday, Sept. 22. The store is in Bridgehampton on Montauk Highway (Route 27). A smaller format store in Miami, Florida remains open, the report said. Kmart operated around 2,500 stores at its peak in the early 90s, according to government filings. It merged with Sears in 2005. Earlier remaining full-size Kmart stores…
New Poll Reveals NYers' Views On Banning Cell Phone Use In Schools New Poll Reveals NYers' Views On Banning Cell Phone Use In Schools
New Poll Reveals NYers' Views On Banning Cell Phone Use In Schools With the new school year comes renewed debate over the use of cell phones in the classroom. Among New York parents of school-age children, 77-percent support barring cell phone use in schools during the day, a Mount Sinai South Nassau “Truth in Medicine” poll found. Most parents, 72-percent, said they still want their child to have their phone on them in case of an emergency, the poll found. Earlier Report: Hochul Signs Bill Restricting 'Addictive' Social Media Feeds Targeting Children The poll was conducted by 600 parents with at least one child under the age of 18 in New York Cit…
American Airlines Mechanic Who Smuggled $250K Worth Of Cocaine On Flight Sentenced American Airlines Mechanic Who Smuggled $250K Worth Of Cocaine On Flight Sentenced
American Airlines Mechanic Who Smuggled $250K Worth Of Cocaine On Flight Sentenced An airplane mechanic from New York will spend nearly a decade behind bars for smuggling over 25 pounds of cocaine on an American Airlines plane. Long Island resident Paul Belloisi, age 56, of Smithtown, was sentenced to nine years in prison in Brooklyn federal court on Friday, Sept. 6, for possessing and importing cocaine. Belloisi, a former mechanic for American Airlines, was arrested in February 2020 after US Customs and Border Protection discovered 10 bricks of cocaine in an electronics compartment beneath a plane arriving from Jamaica at Kennedy International Airport in Queens . The c…
$2M Con Job: NY Contractor Admits Defrauding Victims Of Hurricane Sandy $2M Con Job: NY Contractor Admits Defrauding Victims Of Hurricane Sandy
$2M Con Job: NY Contractor Admits Defrauding Victims Of Hurricane Sandy A former New York contractor confessed to stealing millions of dollars from homeowners who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy to fund his lavish lifestyle. Alexander Almaraz, age 56, who formerly lived on Long Island in Freeport, pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in Central Islip federal court on Thursday, Sept. 5. Prosecutors said Almaraz, who owned Design Concepts Group (DCG) in Freeport, targeted homeowners who suffered extensive damage during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 and later received relief funds from the governor’s office. Earlier Report: Lamborghini, Porsche, Jaguar,…
New Lobster Tales: 2 More Rare Orange Crustaceans Found At NY Businesses New Lobster Tales: 2 More Rare Orange Crustaceans Found At NY Businesses
New Lobster Tales: 2 More Rare Orange Crustaceans Found At NY Businesses As families gathered over Labor Day weekend, these lucky crustaceans enjoyed a reunion of their own. Days after an ultra rare orange lobster was saved from a New York Stop & Shop, two of her siblings were rescued from businesses on Long Island. “Meet Tangerine and Navel, Clementine's sisters who were rescued and released this Labor Day following an influx of calls about orange lobsters turning up at the East Setauket Stop & Shop and Northport Fish & Lobster!” Humane Long Island announced on Facebook Tuesday, Sept. 3. Earlier Report: Ultra Rare Orange Lobster Rescued From…
Mom’s Meth-Fueled, Wrong-Way Crash Killing 9-Year-Old Son On NY Highway Was Murder, DA Says Mom’s Meth-Fueled, Wrong-Way Crash Killing 9-Year-Old Son On NY Highway Was Murder, DA Says
Mom’s Meth-Fueled, Wrong-Way Crash Killing 9-Year-Old Son On NY Highway Was Murder, DA Says A New York mother accused of causing a drug-fueled, wrong-way highway crash that killed her son has been charged with murder. On Long Island, a Suffolk County grand jury charged 32-year-old Kerri Bedrick, of Centerport, with second-degree murder and related charges on Wednesday, Sept. 4. Prosecutors said Bedrick was high on methamphetamine when a Suffolk County Sheriff’s deputy spotted her SUV speeding westbound in the eastbound lanes of the Southern State Parkway at around 2:15 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 22. Earlier Report: NY Mom Accused In Wrong-Way Crash Killing Son Had License Suspend…