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Athletic Director At School District In NY Accused Of 'Sextortion' Of Teen Athletic Director At School District In NY Accused Of 'Sextortion' Of Teen
Athletic Director At School District In NY Accused Of 'Sextortion' Of Teen This story has been updated. An athletic director at a school district in Westchester County has been arrested and charged in connection with allegedly extorting a teenager to send sexually explicit images and videos. Thomas James Puccini, 28 years old and employed as the Interim Director of Physical Education, Health, and Athletics by the Eastchester Union Free School District, was arrested on Friday, Nov. 1. He was charged with felony grand larceny in the fourth degree and was arraigned in White Plains City Court by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office. Puccini has been pla…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
12-Year-Old Accused Of Making Threat To School In Region 12-Year-Old Accused Of Making Threat To School In Region
12-Year-Old Accused Of Making Threat To School In Region A 12-year-old student in the region was charged with making a terroristic threat at a junior/senior high school. The incident occurred in Sullivan County on Saturday, Oct. 19, in Fallsburg. According to Fallsburg Police Chief Brendan Pavese, the juvenile allegedly made the threats on Snapchat and included a picture of the Fallsburg Junior/Senior High School auditorium.  The threats, which mentioned shootings, came to the attention of police and school authorities via parents and students, both the police and school said. After receiving the information, the police department worked a…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Threat To School In Region Leads To Arrest Threat To School In Region Leads To Arrest
Threat To School In Region Leads To Arrest One person has been charged in connection with an alleged threat of a shooting at a school in the region after an online post was brought to the attention of police by the public.  The incident occurred in Sullivan County on Saturday, Sept. 21, in Fallsburg. According to the Fallsburg Police Department, an arrest was made concerning the threat on Snapchat. Dr. Ivan Katz, the superintendent of schools for the Fallsburg Central School District, said students, parents, and the public also alerted district officials to the threat. "These threats, which mention shooting, are circulating t…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
27-Year-Old Accused Of Having Sex With Teen He Met At Park In Region 27-Year-Old Accused Of Having Sex With Teen He Met At Park In Region
27-Year-Old Accused Of Having Sex With Teen He Met At Park In Region A 27-year-old Connecticut man is accused of carrying on a consensual sexual relationship with a 15-year-old in a neighboring county in New York, authorities announced.  Litchfield County resident Kevin Brathwaite, of Sharon, was arrested on Monday, Aug. 19, and charged with second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor, Connecticut State Police said.  The teen told police she met Brathwaite in Dutchess County at Thomas J. Boyce Park in Wingdale, where she was watching her friends play basketball. He offered to drive her home, but she declined. She was 13 years ol…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Capital Region Child Predator Admits Blackmailing Kids Into Sending Nude Images Capital Region Child Predator Admits Blackmailing Kids Into Sending Nude Images
Capital Region Child Predator Admits Blackmailing Kids Into Sending Nude Images A convicted child sex abuser from the region will spend decades in federal prison after confessing that he blackmailed young kids into sending nude images. Rensselaer County resident Zachary Cota, age 31, of Castleton-on-Hudson, pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography in Albany federal court on Friday, May 10. According to prosecutors, Cota admitted to using SnapChat to get three children to send him nude photos. Two of the victims were 8 and 13 years old. Once the children provided the requested photos, he reportedly threatened to reveal what they had done in order to get more illic…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Drunken, Snapchatting Driver Sentenced For Fiery Crash That Killed NY College Student Drunken, Snapchatting Driver Sentenced For Fiery Crash That Killed NY College Student
Drunken, Snapchatting Driver Sentenced For Fiery Crash That Killed NY College Student An admitted drunk driver who caused a fiery crash on a New York highway, killing a beloved college student, is heading to prison. New Jersey resident Vasu Laroiya, age 24, of Iselin in Middlesex County, was sentenced to 8 ⅓ to 25 years behind bars in Albany County Court on Friday, Jan. 26, after pleading guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide in the death of Katie Fisher. Laroiya admitted that he was Snapchatting while driving drunk at 156 miles per hour on I-87 in Colonie when his Tesla struck Fisher’s Honda Civic on the night of May 28, 2022. Earlier Report: Drunken Driver G…

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
Entrepreneur From Northern Westchester Earns Spot On Forbes' 30 Under 30 List Entrepreneur From Northern Westchester Earns Spot On Forbes' 30 Under 30 List
Entrepreneur From Northern Westchester Earns Spot On Forbes' 30 Under 30 List For Northern Westchester native Tom Weingarten, simply following his passion for sports and coaching and taking a chance ended up bringing him to a level of success that is now earning recognition from major national outlets. Weingarten, age 29, who serves as the chief growth officer for sports media company Overtime, was named on the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 list, which is released annually and features 600 successful young entrepreneurs, stars, and leaders who have already exhibited plenty of potential.  Since Weingarten joined Overtime in 2015 as a startup, it has grown to have …

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by Ben Crnic
News
Condoms, Rope Found On NY Man Who Blackmailed Minors Into Sending Nudes, Feds Say Condoms, Rope Found On NY Man Who Blackmailed Minors Into Sending Nudes, Feds Say
Condoms, Rope Found On NY Man Who Blackmailed Minors Into Sending Nudes, Feds Say A New York man is in federal custody after allegedly blackmailing several underage girls into sending him sexually explicit images. Long Island resident Brandon Kern, age 29, of Bayport, was arraigned on multiple charges in Central Islip federal court on Wednesday, Nov. 22. An investigation found that between December 2020 and October 2021, he posed as a teenager on Snapchat in order to convince at least six underage girls to send him sexually explicit photos and videos. Some of the victims were as young as 12 years old, according to the FBI. When the girls attempted to block him, Kern al…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
‘Tear Him Girl’: Kidnapping, Torture Of Man Inside Capital Region Home Lands Trio In Prison ‘Tear Him Girl’: Kidnapping, Torture Of Man Inside Capital Region Home Lands Trio In Prison
‘Tear Him Girl’: Kidnapping, Torture Of Man Inside Capital Region Home Lands Trio In Prison Three New York men will spend years in prison for kidnapping a man and subjecting him to nearly 24 hours of torture during which they repeatedly beat the victim, stomped his head, and encouraged a dog to bite him. Long Island residents Dwayne Henderson, age 26, and Danny Harrell, age 21, both of Nassau County, were sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in Schenectady County Court on Monday, Aug. 14, following convictions for attempted murder and kidnapping. A third defendant, another Nassau County resident, Dieago Harrell, age 19, of Hempstead, was given 10 years behind bars after being c…

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
New Survey Reveals Gen Z’s Favorite Restaurant New Survey Reveals Gen Z’s Favorite Restaurant
New Survey Reveals Gen Z’s Favorite Restaurant When it comes to satisfying those hunger pangs, it turns out nothing does it for Zoomers quite like the delectably irresistible taste of America’s favorite chicken shack. A new survey by investment firm Piper Sandler found that Generation Z’s favorite restaurant is Chick-fil-A. Of those polled, 18 percent picked the Atlanta-based chicken chain as their favorite place to eat, followed by Starbucks (17 percent) and Chipotle (13 percent). The restaurant category was just one of several that was gauged as part of Piper Sandler’s 44th semi-annual “Taking Stock With Teens” survey, which includ…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
'Dangerous Predator': Long Island Man Who Made Sexually Explicit Videos Of 9-Year-Old Sentenced 'Dangerous Predator': Long Island Man Who Made Sexually Explicit Videos Of 9-Year-Old Sentenced
'Dangerous Predator': Long Island Man Who Made Sexually Explicit Videos Of 9-Year-Old Sentenced A New York man who filmed himself sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl and sent child pornography to minors is heading to prison, thanks in part to the bravery of a Connecticut teenager. Manuel Geovanny Torres Rivas, age 27, of Hempstead on Long Island, was sentenced to 25 years behind bars Friday, Oct. 14, in federal court in Central Islip. The sentence followed his January 2022 guilty plea to sexual exploitation of a child. Federal investigators began looking into Torres Rivas after a 13-year-old Connecticut girl told her school that a user on the social networking app Snapchat had sent h…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Hudson Valley Man Admits To Killing Bat Inside Cave Hudson Valley Man Admits To Killing Bat Inside Cave
Hudson Valley Man Admits To Killing Bat Inside Cave A Hudson Valley man has admitted to animal cruelty charges for killing a bat in a Putnam County cave, SPCA officials announced. Putnam County SPCA Chief Ken Ross said that Caleb Shuk, age 20, of Philipstown, has pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty following an incident in May last year that led to his arrest. Shuk was arrested on May 4, 2021, and charged with torturing a bat resting against a rock wall in the Sunken Mines Caves location in Putnam County. Ross said that Shuk used a large rock to crush the bat repeatedly - all while shouting curses about COVID-19 and laughing - cau…

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by Zak Failla