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US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District

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Capital Region Man Admits Storing Child Porn On USB Flash Drive Capital Region Man Admits Storing Child Porn On USB Flash Drive
Capital Region Man Admits Storing Child Porn On USB Flash Drive A 40-year-old man from the region could spend decades behind bars for having child pornography. Schenectady County resident Aaron Griesche, of Niskayuna, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography in Albany federal court on Thursday, Jan. 11. According to the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District, Griesche admitted to storing illicit images of children on a USB flash drive that was found in his home in July 2021. He confessed to purchasing the memory stick online and then transferring videos depicting child sex abuse from the internet to the device. The case was investigated b…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Capital Region Man Molested 6-Year-Old, Photographed Her Genitals, Feds Say Capital Region Man Molested 6-Year-Old, Photographed Her Genitals, Feds Say
Capital Region Man Molested 6-Year-Old, Photographed Her Genitals, Feds Say A 73-year-old man from the region is facing federal charges after allegedly sexually abusing a young girl who was in his care. Albany County resident Daniel Fuino, of Slingerlands, was indicted on multiple counts of sexual exploitation in Albany federal court in November 2023. The US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District announced the charges Tuesday, Nov. 28, following an investigation by FBI Albany’s Child Exploitation Task Force. According to prosecutors, Fuino repeatedly molested the victim between 2022 and May 2023, starting when the girl was 6 years old. He is also accused of t…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Meth Dealer From Capital Region Gets Over Decade In Federal Prison Meth Dealer From Capital Region Gets Over Decade In Federal Prison
Meth Dealer From Capital Region Gets Over Decade In Federal Prison A convicted drug dealer will spend more than a decade in federal prison for selling hard drugs in the region and then obstructing the police investigation into his conduct. Andrew O’Connor, age 36, of Cohoes, was sentenced to 11 years behind bars in federal court in Albany on Thursday, Sept. 28, for trafficking methamphetamine in the Capital Region and obstruction of justice. It came after his guilty plea and admission to distributing methamphetamine in Cohoes in March, April, and June 2022, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District. Investigators intercepted a one-pou…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Bank Robbery Injuring Teller: 29-Year-Old Admits To Armed Heists At Capital Region Branches Bank Robbery Injuring Teller: 29-Year-Old Admits To Armed Heists At Capital Region Branches
Bank Robbery Injuring Teller: 29-Year-Old Admits To Armed Heists At Capital Region Branches A 29-year-old man is facing years in federal prison after admitting his role in two armed bank robberies in the region, one of which injured an employee. Capital Region resident Ulysses Wall, of Rensselaer, pleaded guilty to multiple charges in Albany federal court on Monday, Aug. 21. According to the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District, Walls and co-defendant Christopher Cohn robbed two banks in Albany and North Greenbush in February 2019. They first hit an Albany Trustco Bank on Feb. 6, 2019, where Cohn told Walls he was about to “go do this,” meaning rob the bank, prosecutors…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Cocaine Kingpin Gets 10 Years For Capital Region Trafficking Scheme Cocaine Kingpin Gets 10 Years For Capital Region Trafficking Scheme
Cocaine Kingpin Gets 10 Years For Capital Region Trafficking Scheme A 29-year-old man will spend years in federal prison for leading a cocaine trafficking ring that saw bricks of the drug pour into the region from Puerto Rico. Rensselaer County resident Jan Lopez-Colon, age 29, of Troy, was given a 10-year sentence in federal court in Albany on Monday, Aug. 22. It came after he admitted to working with three others to have over 11 pounds of cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico to the Capital Region between June and December 2021, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District. The drugs were sent through the US postal system in 1-kilogram brick…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Child Pornography Found On Capital Region Man's Phone, Feds Say Child Pornography Found On Capital Region Man's Phone, Feds Say
Child Pornography Found On Capital Region Man's Phone, Feds Say A 41-year-old man from the region could spend years in prison after he was allegedly caught with child pornography, authorities said. Saratoga County resident Christopher Barry, of Saratoga Springs, was arrested and arraigned in federal court in Albany on Thursday, June 22. According to the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District, Barry received sexually explicit images of children between June 2021 and January 2022. Investigators also found child pornography on two of his cell phones in February 2023, prosecutors said. Barry was charged with receipt and possession of child pornog…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
14-Year-Old Would Be Harmed If She Didn't Send Nudes, Capital Region Man Threatened: Police 14-Year-Old Would Be Harmed If She Didn't Send Nudes, Capital Region Man Threatened: Police
14-Year-Old Would Be Harmed If She Didn't Send Nudes, Capital Region Man Threatened: Police A man from the region is facing federal sex crimes charges after he allegedly coerced underage girls into sending him sexual images, authorities said. Richard Nejame, age 27, of Schenectady, was arraigned in federal court in Albany on Monday, May 1, on charges of sexual exploitation of a child and communicating a threat to injure. According to the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District, Nejame chatted with several underage girls through a messaging app between October 2022 and May 2023. During one exchange, he threatened a 14-year-old Florida girl that “bad people” would come and h…

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
Voter Fraud: NY County Employees Cast Illegal Ballots During Election, Feds Say Voter Fraud: NY County Employees Cast Illegal Ballots During Election, Feds Say
Voter Fraud: NY County Employees Cast Illegal Ballots During Election, Feds Say Three county employees in New York are facing federal charges after allegedly casting fraudulent ballots during the 2021 election. Rensselaer County employees Richard Crist, age 55; James Gordon, age 42; and Leslie Wallace, age 35 were each arrested Thursday, April 27, on an indictment charging them with conspiring to violate the rights of voters, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District. Related Report: Rensselaer County Elections Commissioner Accused Of Voter Fraud Resigns Crist is the county’s director of operations, Gordon is the director of the Bureau for Ce…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
COVID-19: Duo From Capital Region Admits To $100K Unemployment Insurance Fraud Scheme COVID-19: Duo From Capital Region Admits To $100K Unemployment Insurance Fraud Scheme
Covid-19: Duo From Capital Region Admits To $100K Unemployment Insurance Fraud Scheme Two men from the region could spend decades in federal prison after admitting to a massive unemployment insurance fraud scheme that included benefits meant to help those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Rensselaer County residents Taquan Parker, age 26, of Rensselaer, and Olajuwon Sutherland, age 27, of Troy, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and mail fraud charges in federal court in Albany on Monday, March 6. According to the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District, Parker and Sutherland each gave the personal information of two other people to a third man, Kahleke Taylor, which Taylor…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Man From Region Admits Traveling To Meet 12-Year-Old For Sex Man From Region Admits Traveling To Meet 12-Year-Old For Sex
Man From Region Admits Traveling To Meet 12-Year-Old For Sex Undercover agents busted a man from the region who admitted he tried to meet a 12-year-old for sex. Michael Robbins, age 27, of Schenectady, pleaded guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor in federal court in Albany on Monday, Feb. 13. According to the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District, Robbins admitted that between February and March 2021, he exchanged sexually explicit messages online with who he believed was a 12-year-old girl. In reality, he was messaging an undercover federal agent. Robbins told investigators he met the presumed minor in an online chat grou…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
NY Engineer Sentenced For Stealing GE's Trade Secrets To Benefit China NY Engineer Sentenced For Stealing GE's Trade Secrets To Benefit China
NY Engineer Sentenced For Stealing GE's Trade Secrets To Benefit China A New York engineer is heading to federal prison for conspiring to steal General Electric’s trade secrets to benefit the Chinese government. Schenectady County resident Xiaoqing Zheng, age 59, of Niskayuna, was sentenced to two years behind bars in federal court in Albany on Tuesday, Jan. 3. It followed his March 2022 conviction on a charge of conspiracy to commit economic espionage. After a four-week trial, the jury either acquitted Zheng, or could not reach a unanimous verdict, on 11 other charges. According to the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District, Zheng worked at GE Po…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Capital Region Man Admits To Attempted Sex Trafficking Of 14-Year-Old Capital Region Man Admits To Attempted Sex Trafficking Of 14-Year-Old
Capital Region Man Admits To Attempted Sex Trafficking Of 14-Year-Old A Capital Region man will spend at least a decade in federal prison after admitting that he tried to pay for sex with a child. Saratoga County resident Bradley Boisen, age 26, of Waterford, pleaded guilty to attempted sex trafficking of a child Tuesday, No. 15, in federal court in Albany. According to the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District, Boisen admitted that in April 2021 he paid another person $60 in order to have sex with a 14-year-old. He now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life in prison when he’s sentenced in March 2023. Boisen will also be required to…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Capital Region Man Who Attempted To Sexually Abuse 14-Year-Old Sentenced Capital Region Man Who Attempted To Sexually Abuse 14-Year-Old Sentenced
Capital Region Man Who Attempted To Sexually Abuse 14-Year-Old Sentenced A man from the region who attempted to sexually abuse an underage minor will spend years in federal prison. Green County resident Thomas “Tommy” Squires, age 37, of Cairo, was sentenced to 10 years behind bars Tuesday, Oct. 25, in federal court in Albany. Squires admitted that between June and August 2020, he exchanged sexually explicit messages with an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old and tried getting the “teen” to engage in sexual acts with him, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District. He repeatedly asked the presumed child for naked photos and sent them…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Capital Region Sex Offender Sentenced For Escaping Halfway House Capital Region Sex Offender Sentenced For Escaping Halfway House
Capital Region Sex Offender Sentenced For Escaping Halfway House A convicted sex offender from the region will spend additional time in federal prison for escaping from a halfway house. Glyn Frink, age 51, of Albany, was sentenced to three years behind bars Thursday, Sept. 29, after admitting that he signed out of a residential re-entry center to go to work in September 2021 and then never came back. Instead, he stayed in the Albany area without approval and failed to notify Albany Police of his change of address as required under the sex offender registry laws, the US Attorney's Office in the Northern District said. At the time, Frink was serving 15 y…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
4 Charged With Conspiring To Distribute Cocaine In Capital District 4 Charged With Conspiring To Distribute Cocaine In Capital District
4 Charged With Conspiring To Distribute Cocaine In Capital District Four men from the region are facing federal charges for allegedly running a cocaine ring in the Capital District. Between June and December 2021, the group obtained numerous packages that were shipped by US Mail from Puerto Rico to addresses in Albany and Rensselaer counties, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the northern district. Inside each package was approximately one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of cocaine, prosecutors said. The packages were then retrieved by the defendants and taken to Troy, where the cocaine was processed for distribution, according to investigators. Prosecutors …

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Capital District Man Admits To $207K Unemployment Insurance Fraud Capital District Man Admits To $207K Unemployment Insurance Fraud
Capital District Man Admits To $207K Unemployment Insurance Fraud A Capital District man could spend decades in federal prison after admitting to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits. Kahleke Taylor, age 21, of Albany, pleaded guilty to mail fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft charges Tuesday, Aug. 9, in federal court in Albany. Prosecutors said Taylor stole the personal information of other people on social media and then used that information to file false unemployment insurance applications with the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL). On one application, filed in A…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Capital District Sex Offender Admits To Attempting To Entice Minor Capital District Sex Offender Admits To Attempting To Entice Minor
Capital District Sex Offender Admits To Attempting To Entice Minor A previously convicted sex offender from the Capital District could spend more than a decade in federal prison after admitting that he tried having sex with a 13-year-old boy. Rensselaer County resident Lawrence Belcher, age 37, of Troy, pleaded guilty to attempting to coerce and entice a child to engage in sexual acts with him Thursday, July 28, in federal court in Albany. According to the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District, between January and April 2022 Belcher sent sexually explicit text messages to someone he thought was a 13-year-old boy. He eventually asked to meet the te…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Selling Meth, Stealing IDs Nets Capital District Man Years In Prison Selling Meth, Stealing IDs Nets Capital District Man Years In Prison
Selling Meth, Stealing IDs Nets Capital District Man Years In Prison A Capital District man has learned his fate after admitting that he sold large quantities of methamphetamine and stole other people’s identity. Albany resident Matthan Carroll, age 36, was sentenced to 94 months - or nearly eight years - in prison Thursday, July 7, in federal court in Albany. It followed his guilty plea to multiple charges, including distribution of methamphetamine, making fake government identification documents, and aggravated identity theft. Carroll admitted to selling 277 grams of meth and sending a portion of the drug through the US mail system, according to the US At…

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by Michael Mashburn