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Feds Detail Albany Woman's Alleged Plan To Bomb State Capitol, Kill Senators For ISIS
Federal officials are detailing a New York woman's alleged plan to bomb the State Capitol, kill senators, and flee to ISIS-controlled territory in Syria.
Jessica Bowie, 35, of Albany, made her initial appearance in federal court on a charge of attempting to provide material support to ISIS, the US Department of Justice said (see criminal complaint attached at the bottom of this news story).
Bowie was arrested Wednesday, Aug. 19, as she took possession of what she believed was an explosive device intended for an attack on the New York State Capitol and state senators, authorities said. …
Cohoes Man Admits Murdering Girlfriend, Triggering Adirondack Manhunt: Authorities
A New York man admitted to stabbing his girlfriend to death then fleeing last year, leading to a multicounty manhunt across the Adirondack Mountains, authorities said.
Anthony Bechand, 54, of Cohoes, copped to second-degree murder in the killing of 41-year-old Amanda Rodriguez on Sept. 13, 2025, the Albany County District Attorney’s office said.
Bechand faces 20 years to life behind bars as part of his plea deal, prosecutors said. His sentencing hearing was set for Oct. 30.
Rodriguez’s body was found Sept. 14, 2025, after a family friend walked into her home, investigators said. Cohoes Pol…
Ex-NY Giants Star Raising Money After Losing $500K: Alleged Scheme's Founder Dies, Report Says
Former New York Giants linebacker Tae Crowder says he lost his entire life savings in an alleged financial scheme that also ensnared other former NFL players, leaving him trying to rebuild after losing at least $500,000.
Tae Crowder, who spent three seasons with the Giants, launched a GoFundMe on Saturday, Aug. 8, saying the loss has left him without the financial stability he spent years building.
The fundraiser follows allegations involving Motion Venture, a company run by 23-year-old New Jersey resident Mohamed Coulibaly, who was found dead on Friday, July 31, ESPN reported.&…
Molotov Cocktail Plot: Massachusetts Trans Woman Sentenced In Plan To Firebomb Scott Bessent
A Massachusetts woman will spend more than six years in federal prison after admitting to bringing two homemade firebombs and a knife to Washington, D.C., in an attempt to kill then-Treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent, federal authorities said.
Ryan Michael English, 26, of South Deerfield, previously pleaded guilty to two federal weapons charges. A judge sentenced English to 73 months in prison on Tuesday, Aug. 18, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced. English must also serve three years of supervised release.
The plot unfolded on Jan. 27, 2025, when Bessen…
‘No Words’: NY DWI Crash Victim’s Mom Describes Her Pain At Driver’s Sentencing
A Capital District man who admitted to causing a fatal highway crash has been sentenced to several years in prison, authorities said.
Lewis Thomas, 44, of Coxsackie, got five to 15 years behind bars for the drunken wreck on Interstate 787 through Albany, the Albany County District Attorney’s office said. Thomas pleaded guilty in the case back in April.
Eric Hurley, 38, of Albany was killed in the wrong-way collision on Oct. 12, 2025.
“There are no words that truly describe that pain,” Rita Hurley, his mother, said at Thomas’s sentencing hearing Tuesday, Aug. 18. “I still expect to hear his…
NY ‘Handyman’ Who Stole $1K Arrested For Skipping Court: Police
A Capital Region man facing grand larceny charges has been arrested again for failing to show up in court, authorities said.
Charles J. Ferrara, 54, of Malta, took $1,045 from a client after promising a variety of handyman services for a Clifton Park resident, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s office said.
Instead of completing the projects, Ferrara cashed the check and cut off all communication with the victim, police said. He was arrested in June 2025, then released on appearance tickets for Clifton Park Town Court.
But when it came time to make that appearance, Ferrara was nowhere to be fou…
Drug Hub Busted In Capital District As Five Suspects Cuffed — Including Familiar Faces: Cops
Five people were arrested in a Capital District drug bust, including at least three with previous drug arrests, according to authorities.
The suspects, all charged with third-degree drug possession, were identified by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s office as:
Andre L. Ovitt, 57, of Corinth
Erica B. Shippee, 39, of Corinth
Thomas A. Allen, 37, of Hadley
Trevor A. Thompson, 27, of Porter Corners
Todd L. Joubert, 63, of Corinth
Cops raided a Corinth residence on Wednesday, Aug. 12 after obtaining a search warrant, the sheriff’s office said Sunday, Aug. 16.
The raid and subsequent investigat…
Teen With Ghost Gun Arrested In Albany County Park, Police Say
An Albany teenager was busted with a loaded ghost gun in a city park, authorities said.
Amir X Harrell, 18, was spotted loitering in a park at Ontario Street near Madison Avenue around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, the Albany Police Department said.
Cops approached Harrell and cited him for being in the park after posted hours, but during the investigation they found him holding a loaded handgun, authorities said.
Harrell was charged with second-degree weapons possession for the loaded gun, third-degree possession for the ammunition, and fourth-degree possession for the weapon being unregi…
NY Pagan Religious Leader Admits Disgusting Sex Abuse Of Underage Boys, Authorities Say
A pagan religious leader in New York admitted Monday, Aug. 17 that he traveled to the Capital District to sexually abuse two underage boys, authorities said.
James Yerdon, 56, pleaded guilty to first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child and faces 20 years in prison, the Albany County District Attorney’s office said.
Yerdon, of Adams Center (Jefferson County), also pleaded guilty to possession of child porn in federal court earlier this year and could be looking at several decades behind bars, according to authorities.
In the state case, Yerdon was accused of sexually assaulting …
International Manhunt Ends With BF Captured After GF Found Slashed, Hidden In Closet: DA
An international manhunt for a man accused of slashing his girlfriend’s throat, hiding her body in a closet, and fleeing the country ended with his capture in Honduras, prosecutors announced on Monday, Aug. 17.
Darwin David Espinal-Del Cid, 27, of Telford, Pennsylvania, was taken into custody by Honduran agents with the Technical Agency for Criminal Investigation during an operation coordinated with the FBI early Monday in Pespire, Honduras, according to Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan.
Espinal-Del Cid is accused of killing his girlfriend, 23-year-old Maria Bernarda Popol Garcia, as…
Girl Under 15 Sexually Abused In Albany County, Suspect Arrested: Authorities
A Capital Region man has been arrested for sexually assaulting a girl under age 15, authorities revealed Monday, Aug. 17.
Julian Lloyd, 31, of Albany, was charged with second- and third-degree aggravated sexual abuse, first-degree sexual abuse, and child endangerment, the Albany County District Attorney’s office said.
Lloyd met the girl at 479 State Street in Albany around 8 p.m. on Sunday, June 7 and sexually assaulted her, investigators said. New York State Police looked into the allegations against Lloyd and arrested him Wednesday, Aug. 12, according to prosecutors.
At his arraignment M…
Sister Strangulation Suspect In Albany Headed For Mental Eval: Authorities
A Capital Region man accused of trying to kill his sister is headed for a mental health evaluation before trial.
Lawyers for Ahmed Hemedan, 20, of Albany, requested the exam at his arraignment Monday, Aug. 17, and a judge agreed, local NBC affiliate WNYT reported.
Hemedan was arrested Sunday, Aug. 9 at Corning Preserve Boat Launch next to the Hudson River, the Albany Police Department said. He tried to strangle his sister inside a car at the boat launch, and she drove into the river, investigators said.
Underwater, Hemedan pulled his sister from the submerged car, then began trying to drow…
