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Avoid Scams: These Are Top 10 Consumer Frauds Of 2023, NY AG Says
To honor National Consumer Protection Week, New York Attorney General Letitia James has revealed the most common fraud complaints faced by residents during 2023.
In an announcement on Monday, March 4, James said that these common complaints ranged from price gouging of much-needed goods and services to housing issues, online banking fraud, and even travel-related issues.
The top ten most common consumer complaints of 2023 in New York were:
Retail Sales: (Online purchases, price gouging, retail sales, defective merchandise, poor customer service, pet stores, animal breede…
Covid-19 $14.7M Scheme: Westchester Duo Tried Stealing From Relief Program, Feds Say
Two men from Westchester and a Long Island woman face charges after participating in a more than $14 million scheme to steal from a program created to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, federal officials said.
New Rochelle resident Glenroy Walker, age 65, Mount Vernon resident Gary Wheeler, age 46, Freeport resident Sherril Baez, age 50, and three others are charged with scheming to steal more than $14 million from the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Tuesday, June 6.
The …
Bogus Businessman Charged With $65K Fraud In Hudson Valley
A nearly year-long investigation revealed that a 28-year-old opened a phony business account to steal $65,000, officials in the Hudson Valley say.
In Orange County, 28-year-old Reginald Williams, of Newburgh, was indicted and charged for allegedly stealing $65,000 from a real company on Wednesday, May 3, according to Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler.
Williams was arrested and arraigned in the Town of Warwick Justice Court on Wednesday, April 19, after a year-long, multi-agency investigation revealed that Williams, working by himself and with others, opened a …
Westchester Man, Partner Sentenced For Roles In $1M Ponzi Scheme
A Westchester County man and his business partner have been sentenced for their roles in a nearly decade-long $1-million Ponzi scheme.
White Plains resident James Doyle, age 74, and Carl Carro, age 61, of Walton, Delaware, were convicted of defrauding investors in New York and throughout the nation.
On Thursday, Jan. 12, Carro was sentenced to four to eight years in prison, and Doyle was sentenced to five years probation, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced.
As part of their respective sentences, Carro and Doyle agreed to pay a total of more than $1 million in judgments …
NY Businesswoman Convicted Of Obstructing IRS, Filing False Tax Returns
A New York businesswoman is facing federal prison time after being convicted of obstructing the IRS and filing false tax returns.
Long Island resident Lorraine Pilitz, age 64, of Merrick, was found guilty on all five counts against her by a federal jury in Central Islip Wednesday, Nov. 9, following a two-week trial.
Federal prosecutors said between 2011 and 2013, Pilitz, who owned several automotive businesses on Long Island, regularly structured cash deposits in a way that allowed her to avoid filing financial reports that are required for all transactions over $10,000.
The scheme resulte…
Former Sales Chief Of NY Mortgage Lender Sentenced For $8.9M Fraud Scheme
The former co-owner and executive at a New York mortgage lender has been sentenced for an $8.9 million fraud scheme, federal authorities announced.
Long Island resident Edward E. Bohm, age 44, of Smithtown, formerly the president of Sales and part-owner of mortgage lender Vanguard Funding, LLC, based in Garden City, was sentenced on Tuesday, Aug. 30 at the federal courthouse in Central Islip to two years in prison.
Bohm was also ordered to pay $3,488,615.42 in restitution and $1,500,000 in criminal forfeiture.
In February 2019, Bohm pleaded guilty to conspiring to …
Decomposed Body Found In Connecticut Home ID'd As Ponzi Swindler, Jeffrey Epstein Mentor
A body found in a Connecticut home during a welfare check has positively been identified as Steven Hoffenberg, a longtime mentor of Jeffrey Epstein.
Hoffenberg, the one-time owner of the New York Post and businessman who spent 18 years in prison for a $460 million Ponzi scheme, was found in the New Haven County home around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 23, in the city of Derby.
According to the Derby Police, the medical examiner's office confirmed on Friday, Aug. 26, that the badly decomposed body was that of Hoffenberg.
An initial autopsy did not find signs of trauma on the body, the…
