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Pot-Smoking NY Rioter Who Donned Fake Beard In Capitol Breach Gets 3 Years In Prison Pot-Smoking NY Rioter Who Donned Fake Beard In Capitol Breach Gets 3 Years In Prison
Pot-Smoking NY Rioter Who Donned Fake Beard In Capitol Breach Gets 3 Years In Prison A New York man who was photographed smoking marijuana inside a Senate office during the US Capitol breach on Jan. 6, 2021 will spend years in prison. Brandon Fellows, age 29, of Schenectady, was sentenced to 3 ½ years in federal lockup on Thursday, Feb. 29 after a Washington, DC jury found him guilty of obstructing an official proceeding, a felony. “His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the US Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election,” the US Attorney’s Office said. Earlier Report: Capitol Rioter F…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Trump Defamation Case: Jury Awards Orange County's E. Jean Carroll $83.M In Damages Trump Defamation Case: Jury Awards Orange County's E. Jean Carroll $83.M In Damages
Trump Defamation Case: Jury Awards Orange County's E. Jean Carroll $83.M In Damages For the second time in less than a year, a Manhattan federal jury has ordered former President Donald Trump to pay columnist E. Jean Carroll, a longtime Hudson Valley resident, millions of dollars in damages for repeatedly defaming her. The seven men and two women – including Hudson Valley residents from Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland counties – awarded Carroll a combined $83.3 million after deliberating for three hours on Friday, Jan. 26. The other jurors were from New York County (Manhattan) and the Bronx. Specifically, jurors decided that Trump should pay Carroll $11 million to fund a…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Capitol Riot: NY Man Who Punched Cop, Stole Shield Sentenced To Federal Prison Capitol Riot: NY Man Who Punched Cop, Stole Shield Sentenced To Federal Prison
Capitol Riot: NY Man Who Punched Cop, Stole Shield Sentenced To Federal Prison A New York man will spend nearly three years in federal prison for assaulting a police officer while trying to breach the US Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. Jonathan Munafo, age 36, of Albany, was sentenced to 33 months behind bars in US District Court in Washington, DC on Friday, Sept. 22. “His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the US Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election,” reads a statement from the US Attorney’s Office. Related Report: 'No Regrets': Pot-Smoking Schenectady Man Donning Fak…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Hudson Valley Man Accused Of Gunpoint Kidnapping Sentenced On Weapons Charge Hudson Valley Man Accused Of Gunpoint Kidnapping Sentenced On Weapons Charge
Hudson Valley Man Accused Of Gunpoint Kidnapping Sentenced On Weapons Charge A man from Westchester County man once accused of committing a violent gunpoint kidnapping has been sentenced to prison on weapons and robbery charges.  Earlier Report - Westchester Man Accused Of Zip Tying Victim In Gunpoint Kidnapping Yonkers resident Owen Drain, also known as “Whiteboy,” and “Tommy,” was sentenced to seven years in federal prison on Friday, Dec. 2 for brandishing a weapon, according to US District Court documents.  Drain was originally accused of kidnapping a victim at gunpoint in the Bronx on Nov. 19, 2019, and zip-tying his victim while doing …

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by Ben Crnic
News
Federal Judge Blocks Key Parts Of NY's New Gun Law Federal Judge Blocks Key Parts Of NY's New Gun Law
Federal Judge Blocks Key Parts Of NY's New Gun Law A federal judge has temporarily blocked a New York law that makes it harder for people to legally carry concealed guns. In his ruling Thursday, Oct. 1, US District Judge Glenn Suddaby in the Northern District of New York allowed a lawsuit from the advocacy group, Gun Owners of America, to move forward. The group claims that the new law is just as unconstitutional as one that was overturned by the Supreme Court in June 2022. Previous Report: Want A Gun In NY? Be Ready To Share Your Social Media Accounts Under New Law Dubbed the Concealed Carry Improvement Act, the law requires license a…

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
NY AG Files Motion To Block Trump Lawsuit Interfering With Her Investigation NY AG Files Motion To Block Trump Lawsuit Interfering With Her Investigation
NY AG Files Motion To Block Trump Lawsuit Interfering With Her Investigation New York Attorney General Letitia James has taken another shot at former President Donald Trump as the two continue to spar over her ongoing investigation into his Organization’s business transactions. James announced that she is taking action to stop the former president's “baseless efforts to thwart the ongoing lawful and justified investigation into his and the Trump Organization’s financial dealings," as she filed a motion in US District Court. In December, Trump filed a lawsuit against James in federal court in an effort to halt her office’s investigation and interfere with state court…

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by Zak Failla
News
NY Man Charged In Multi-Million Dollar Mail Scam NY Man Charged In Multi-Million Dollar Mail Scam
NY Man Charged In Multi-Million Dollar Mail Scam A New York man is one of three suspects facing charges for their roles in a multi-million mail scam, federal officials announced. Jeffrey Novis, age 79, of Long Island, Shawn Phillips, age 52, of British Columbia, Canada, and Phillip Priolo, age 58, of Hallandale Beach, Florida have been charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, and multiple counts of mail fraud and wire fraud after operating an elaborate scheme over several years. An indictment was unsealed in US District Court this week charging the three with running a fraudulent mass-mailing scheme that tricked consum…

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by Zak Failla
News
Feds Drop Charges Against Capitol Riot Suspect From Area Feds Drop Charges Against Capitol Riot Suspect From Area
Feds Drop Charges Against Capitol Riot Suspect From Area The Department of Justice is planning to drop its case against a Hudson Valley man who was facing charges for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Rockland County resident Christopher Kelly, of New City, was charged in US District Court in January after being identified through social media as one of the rioters who allegedly entered the Capitol building on Jan. 6 during the pro-Trump demonstration. Original story - Hudson Valley Resident Charged For Role In Capitol Riot However, federal prosecutors told a judge this week that they plan to drop the case aga…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Feds Bust Springsteen For DWI At Sandy Hook Feds Bust Springsteen For DWI At Sandy Hook
Feds Bust Springsteen For DWI At Sandy Hook A federal park ranger who arrested Bruce Springsteen after stopping the veteran rocker on the Jersey Shore reported that he “strongly” smelled of alcohol, had “glassy eyes” and was “visibly swaying back and forth” during a DWI field test. Springsteen also refused a breath test following the Nov. 14 stop at the Gateway National Recreation Area near the Sandy Hook Lighthouse shortly after 4 p.m., Park Service Officer R.L. Hayes wrote on a trio of summonses. “The Boss,” 71, reportedly was chatting with fans that sunny Saturday on the federally-owned, six-mile-long barrier split in Middletown b…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
NJ Man Admits Stealing 300 iPhones From Federal Evidence Storage NJ Man Admits Stealing 300 iPhones From Federal Evidence Storage
NJ Man Admits Stealing 300 iPhones From Federal Evidence Storage A Somerset County man admitted Monday that he stole 300 iPhones seized by federal immigration authorities by stuffing them in his pants, boots and jacket over the course of a month or so. Joel Cruz, 27, of Franklin Park, was working for a government subcontractor hired to manage property seized by Customs and Border Protection agents that was being stored in a warehouse in the Dayton section of South Brunswick. CBP agents had sent 628 phones bound for Dubai to the warehouse after seizing them at Boston Logan International Airport, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Cruz “scanned the locat…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Town Justice In Hudson Valley Admits To Tax Evasion Town Justice In Hudson Valley Admits To Tax Evasion
Town Justice In Hudson Valley Admits To Tax Evasion A town justice in Northern Westchester has admitted to evading payment of more than $160,000 of Federal income tax over a 10-year period, according to authorities. Lewisboro Town Justice Marc Seedorf pleaded guilty to tax evasion before U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel in White Plains Federal Court on Friday, Dec. 6. “As he admitted, for years Marc Seedorf flouted his obligations under the law to file tax returns and to pay taxes," U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey S. Berman said. "This was conduct that would be shameful for anyone, and all the more so …

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Chestnut Ridge Generic Drug Company Accused In Price-Fixing Scheme Chestnut Ridge Generic Drug Company Accused In Price-Fixing Scheme
Chestnut Ridge Generic Drug Company Accused In Price-Fixing Scheme A generic drug company based in Chestnut Ridge and a drug sales and marketing executive from Bardonia are among those charged in what authorities called “one of the most egregious and damaging price-fixing conspiracies in the history of the United States.”  A complaint filed by the 44 states in U.S. District Court in Connecticut names 20 companies and 16 individuals accused of participating in the scheme. Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc., of Chestnut Ridge, and Ara Aprahamian, of Bardonia, the vice president of sales and marketing at Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A, Inc., in Hawthorn…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Politics
NY Joins 15 States In Lawsuit Challenging Trump Emergency Declaration NY Joins 15 States In Lawsuit Challenging Trump Emergency Declaration
NY Joins 15 States In Lawsuit Challenging Trump Emergency Declaration New York has joined 15 other states in a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s so-called “contrived” declaration of a National Emergency at the southern border. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced this week that she has filed a lawsuit in U.S. district court challenging the president’s declaration of a national emergency and his attempt to divert funding appropriated by Congress for other purposes.  In the complaint, which was filed by Attorneys General from 15 other states, they allege that “the Trump Administration’s emergency declaration and diversion of funds i…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Pearl River Pedophile Gets 25 Years In Federal Pen For Making, Sharing Images Of Sex With Child Pearl River Pedophile Gets 25 Years In Federal Pen For Making, Sharing Images Of Sex With Child
Pearl River Pedophile Gets 25 Years In Federal Pen For Making, Sharing Images Of Sex With Child A Pearl River man was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in federal prison for taking and sharing sex videos and images that he made with a child. Richard Murphy, 33, will have to serve out just about the entire sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Murphy told a judge in Newark in June that he "persuaded a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of taking photos and videos of that conduct" in December 2016, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Craig Carpenito said. Murphy also "admitted that he took video of the child performing a sex act on him" an…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Politics
Corruption Scandal, Name-Calling Will Catch Up With Cuomo, GOP Rival Molinaro Says Corruption Scandal, Name-Calling Will Catch Up With Cuomo, GOP Rival Molinaro Says
Corruption Scandal, Name-Calling Will Catch Up With Cuomo, GOP Rival Molinaro Says Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Republican challenger in the Nov. 6 election predicts a corruption scandal and the New Castle Democrat's name-calling will catch up to him on Election Day. A former top aide to Cuomo was sentenced to six years in prison on Thursday, Sept. 20 for fraud and accepting bribes. The federal judge said she hopes the punishment “will be heard in Albany.” U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni said that the sentencing of South Salem resident Joseph Percoco comes amid other high-profile convictions of state officials. “If you do so, this court will show you no mercy,” Caproni said…

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by Jon Craig
News
Ex-Cuomo Aide From Hudson Valley To Be Sentenced For Taking $300K In Bribes Ex-Cuomo Aide From Hudson Valley To Be Sentenced For Taking $300K In Bribes
Ex-Cuomo Aide From Hudson Valley To Be Sentenced For Taking $300K In Bribes Joseph Percoco, a former top aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo who lives in Northern Westchester and was convicted of three felonies earlier this year is scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday. Percoco, a South Salem resident, was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and one count of solicitation of bribes or gratuities and acquitted of two extortion charges in March related to his acceptance of $300,000 in bribes to benefit Competitive Power Ventures, an energy company that sought to build the power plant in the Hudson Valley. He was cleared of any …

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Hudson Valley Youth Sports Photographer Admits To Possessing Child Porn Hudson Valley Youth Sports Photographer Admits To Possessing Child Porn
Hudson Valley Youth Sports Photographer Admits To Possessing Child Porn A 27-year-old Northern Westchester man who worked as a youth sports photographer has admitted to possession of child pornography. Emil Kaufman of Yorktown Heights pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography in district court in Springfield, Massachusetts on Wednesday, Aug. 29.  Kaufman was arrested in Great Barrington, Mass., on June 26, 2013 after an investigation into a peer-to-peer file-sharing network, which Kaufman used to download and share child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts.  A subsequent examination of Kaufman’s MacBook Pr…

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by Joe Lombardi
Politics
Sweeping New York Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration Marijuana Policy Sweeping New York Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration Marijuana Policy
Sweeping New York Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration Marijuana Policy Yet another courtroom battle promises to pull the White House into the legal spotlight on Wednesday as key arguments are heard in Manhattan in a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s marijuana policy while seeking to legalize pot under federal law. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein is taking the case seriously: At a hearing in September, Hellerstein said he would give the matter prioritized attention, setting it ahead of his other cases, according to this report in The New York Times. Marijuana activists from across the country are expected to show up at the Courthouse on Wednesday when a…

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by Jon Craig
Lifestyle
'Jersey Shore's Michael ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino, Brother Admit Tax Dodge 'Jersey Shore's Michael ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino, Brother Admit Tax Dodge
'Jersey Shore's Michael ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino, Brother Admit Tax Dodge Former "Jersey Shore" personality Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino and his brother admitted Friday that they ducked taxes on what authorities said was nearly $9 million in income from promotional gigs while claiming pricey clothing, high-end cars and personal grooming as business expenses. Michael Sorrentino, 36, pleaded guilty to tax evasion, while Marc Sorrentino, 38, pleaded guilty to aiding in the preparation of a false and fraudulent tax return, both in U.S. District Court in Newark.  After several delays, both were scheduled to go to trial last month. They took plea deals …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Business
Hudson Valley Businessman Sues Dunkin' Donuts For $90M Hudson Valley Businessman Sues Dunkin' Donuts For $90M
Hudson Valley Businessman Sues Dunkin' Donuts For $90M A Westchester County business owner is seeking $90 million in restitution from Dunkin’ Donuts, claiming that the franchise irreparably damaged his concession stand at the Westchester County Airport. Sammy El Jamal, a gas station owner and entrepreneur, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court this week claiming that Dunkin’ Donuts breached the terms of a franchise agreement the two parties reached in 2010. The lawsuit alleges that Dunkin’ Donuts forced El Jamal to “purchase unusable equipment and unusable space; misrepresenting critical aspects of the franchise agreement; forcing (him) to pur…

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by Zak Failla