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Sex Cult Leader At College In Westchester Draws 60-Year Sentence Sex Cult Leader At College In Westchester Draws 60-Year Sentence
Sex Cult Leader At College In Westchester Draws 60-Year Sentence A man who put a group of college students through sexual, psychological, and physical abuse after moving into his daughter's dorm room in Westchester County will spend the rest of his life in prison.  Earlier Report - Sarah Lawrence Sex Cult Leader In Bronxville Found Guilty On All Charges Larry Ray, also known as Lawrence Grecco, was sentenced to 60 years in prison on Friday, Jan. 20 for leading a sex cult out of Sarah Lawrence College located near the border of Bronxville and Yonkers, according to Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. …

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by Ben Crnic
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Ex-Director Of NY Charity Sentenced For Embezzling Over $1M Ex-Director Of NY Charity Sentenced For Embezzling Over $1M
Ex-Director Of NY Charity Sentenced For Embezzling Over $1M The former executive director of a New York charity is heading to federal prison after being convicted of embezzling more than $1 million to fund a life of luxury. Long Island resident Wafa Abboud, age 55, of Merrick, was sentenced to nearly three years behind bars in federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday, Jan. 11.  It followed her convictions on charges of embezzling funds, bank fraud, and money laundering after a two-week jury trial in July 2019. Earlier Report: Ex-Director Convicted Of Stealing Nearly $1M From Long Island Charity Prosecutors said Abboud ran Human First, a no…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Broker Sentenced In NY ‘Boiler Room’ Scheme That Defrauded Elderly Out Of Millions Broker Sentenced In NY ‘Boiler Room’ Scheme That Defrauded Elderly Out Of Millions
Broker Sentenced In NY ‘Boiler Room’ Scheme That Defrauded Elderly Out Of Millions A former stockbroker is heading to federal prison for his role in a massive fraud scheme based on Long Island that swindled elderly victims out of millions of dollars. Lawrence Isen, age 69, of California, was sentenced to five years behind bars in federal court in Central Islip Friday, Jan. 6. Earlier Report: Former Broker Sentenced In LI 'Boiler Room' Fraud Scheme That Cost Elderly Victims Millions It followed his March 2020 jury conviction on multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and money laundering. Federal prosecut…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Father-Daughter NY Duo Accused Of Acting As Illegal Agents For China Father-Daughter NY Duo Accused Of Acting As Illegal Agents For China
Father-Daughter NY Duo Accused Of Acting As Illegal Agents For China A father and daughter from New York are among several people accused of acting as illegal agents of the Chinese government who allegedly worked to force a US resident to return to China. Long Island residents Quanzhong An, age 55, and his daughter, Guangyang An, age 34, both of Roslyn, were named in an eight-count indictment unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn Thursday, Oct. 20. The indictment charges a total of seven Chinese nationals with taking part in an international forced repatriation effort known as “Operation Fox Hunt,” which prosecutors said involved surveilling, harassing, and …

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by Michael Mashburn
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3 From Westchester Charged In illegal Gambling Operation Allegedly Run By Lucchese Crime Family 3 From Westchester Charged In illegal Gambling Operation Allegedly Run By Lucchese Crime Family
3 From Westchester Charged In illegal Gambling Operation Allegedly Run By Lucchese Crime Family Five New York men, including three from Westchester County, have been accused of overseeing and operating a 15-year long, large-scale illegal, online gambling business with suspected ties to the Lucchese crime family, federal authorities announced. An indictment was unsealed in Brooklyn Federal Court on Wednesday, Sept. 14 charging them for their roles overseeing and operating a large-scale illegal, online gambling business under the protection of the Lucchese organized crime family. The gambling business known as “Rhino Sports” utilized an offshore website and dozens of bookmakers in …

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by Joe Lombardi
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‘Trusted Lieutenant’ Of Westchester College Sex-Cult Leader Admits To Conspiracy ‘Trusted Lieutenant’ Of Westchester College Sex-Cult Leader Admits To Conspiracy
‘Trusted Lieutenant’ Of Westchester College Sex-Cult Leader Admits To Conspiracy A former Westchester County college student who fell under the spell of convicted sex-cult leader Larry Ray has pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder money for his illegal dealings. Isabella Pollok, age 31, a former student at Sarah Lawrence College, located near the border of Yonkers and Bronxville, who was described as Ray's "trusted lieutenant," pleaded guilty on Wednesday, Sept. 7 to one count related to Ray's twisted plot in Manhattan federal court. Ray, now age 62, will be sentenced in December on more than a dozen charges, including extortion, sex trafficking, and racketeering cons…

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by Kathy Reakes
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CT Man Sentenced For Scams That Defrauded Hundreds Of Victims Across US Out Of Millions CT Man Sentenced For Scams That Defrauded Hundreds Of Victims Across US Out Of Millions
CT Man Sentenced For Scams That Defrauded Hundreds Of Victims Across US Out Of Millions A Connecticut man who took part in a massive scheme defrauding elderly victims out of millions of dollars is heading to federal prison. Rodney Thomas, age 31, of New Haven, was sentenced to six years behind bars Tuesday, Aug. 23 in federal court in Bridgeport after a jury convicted him of multiple charges stemming from the scheme. Federal prosecutors said Thomas and several others bilked 200 elderly victims across the country out of more than $5 million through bogus lottery and romance scams carried out between August 2015 and March 2020. Some unsuspecting victims were duped into sendin…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Texas Fugitive Nabbed By Police In Capital District Texas Fugitive Nabbed By Police In Capital District
Texas Fugitive Nabbed By Police In Capital District A Texas man on the run from justice has been nabbed by police in the Capital District. Troopers busted Jovan Washington, age 41, of McKinney, Texas, during a traffic stop in Albany Tuesday, Aug. 2, New York State Police said. Officers with the agency’s Commercial Vehicle Unit (CVU) were inspecting a commercial vehicle on Mount Hope Way when they realized Washington had a warrant out of Texas for money laundering, police said. While troopers were arresting him, they discovered that he was illegally in possession of a firearm, according to police. Washington was arrested and later arraigned…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Ex-Employee Accused Of Stealing $8.4 Million From NY Private School Ex-Employee Accused Of Stealing $8.4 Million From NY Private School
Ex-Employee Accused Of Stealing $8.4 Million From NY Private School A 51-year-old man was indicted for allegedly stealing $8.4 million from a New York private school during the 11-year period when he worked there. Long Island resident David Ostrove, of West Islip, was indicted on charges of first-degree grand larceny and first-degree money laundering for allegedly stealing from the Schechter School of Long Island, located in Nassau County, in Williston Park, while he worked as chief financial and technology officer and director of operations, according to an announcement from Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney on Monday, July 25. “As alleged i…

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by Nicole Valinote
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Ex-NY Resident Admits To Multi-State Money Laundering Conspiracy Ex-NY Resident Admits To Multi-State Money Laundering Conspiracy
Ex-NY Resident Admits To Multi-State Money Laundering Conspiracy A former New York man could spend years in federal prison after admitting that he laundered tens of thousands of dollars in fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits in a scheme involving numerous states. Christopher Vandermark, age 57, formerly of Gansevoort in Saratoga County, pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy in federal court in Albany on Tuesday, June 28. Federal prosecutors said Vandermark spent more than a year texting a North Carolina woman who directed him to open multiple bank accounts and give her the associated routing numbers. Between June 2020 and April 2021, the …

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by Michael Mashburn
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Ex-NY Resident Indicted For Massive Fraud Scheme Involving Sports Betting Ex-NY Resident Indicted For Massive Fraud Scheme Involving Sports Betting
Ex-NY Resident Indicted For Massive Fraud Scheme Involving Sports Betting A former New Yorker is accused of being the mastermind of a massive sports betting fraud scheme that bilked victims out of tens of millions of dollars. Cory Zeidman, age 61, formerly of Long Island, was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering. He was arrested Wednesday, May 25, in Florida, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the East District. Federal prosecutors said Zeidman used national radio ads to lure sports fans into believing that they could “get in on the ground floor” of his phony sports betting organization and that it could provide i…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Hudson Valley Man Among Four Charged In $40M Scam Hudson Valley Man Among Four Charged In $40M Scam
Hudson Valley Man Among Four Charged In $40M Scam A Hudson Valley man was among four charged in an 11-count indictment for allegedly stealing more than $40 million in investor funds as part of a cryptocurrency scam, federal authorities announced. On Tuesday, March 8, US Attorney Breon Peace announced that four owners and operators of online cryptocurrency companies - including one from Dutchess County - are facing a host of charges for allegedly running a sophisticated scheme to steal from investors and later attempting to obstruct justice as they were being investigated. Those charged, according to the US Attorney’s Office: Gregory Agg…

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by Zak Failla