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Nine-State, $2.2M Home Depot Theft Scheme Ends In 13 Guilty Pleas — Including Nassau Woman: DA
A Long Island woman and a Hudson Valley man were among 13 people who admitted to a $2.2 million theft scheme that ripped off Home Depots across New York and eight other states, authorities said.
Joana Carolina Fermin, 39, of Hicksville, and Jonathan Tascon Suarez, 32, of Orange County, were both sentenced to prison time for their roles in the sprawling operation that racked up 319 documented thefts, the Queens District Attorney’s office said Monday, Oct. 5.
Suarez was the first person to plead guilty in the case, copping to third-degree grand larceny back on Feb. 18, according to prosecutor…
$78K Welfare Scheme Lands LI Social Worker In Cuffs: Prosecutors
A Suffolk County social services employee swiped $78,000 from the national food stamps program, authorities said Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Kevin Hernandez Meza, 23, of Port Jefferson Station, distributed SNAP benefits to at least seven people who never applied for them, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said.
Hernandez Meza worked in the Suffolk County Department of Social Services as a Social Services Examiner, prosecutors said. His job was to review existing food stamps recipients to see if they still qualified for SNAP, according to authorities.
But instead, Hernandez Meza opened t…
Columbia Grad, Professor Accused Of Sending 50 Antisemitic Threats, Posting Victim's Address
A Haverford College religion professor used anonymous social media accounts to bombard a Jewish man and his family with roughly 50 antisemitic messages, repeatedly posted the family's home address, referenced the victim's minor son, and warned that security cameras would not protect them, federal prosecutors say.
Guangtian Ha, an assistant professor of religion at the Delaware County college, was arrested Tuesday, Oct. 6, and charged with one federal count of cyberstalking, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice.
The indictment alleges the campaign ran from Oct. 9, 2025, throu…
Two Dogs Killed As Flames Engulf Nassau County Home, Cause Remains A Mystery
Two dogs were killed in a house fire on Long Island on Tuesday, Oct. 6, and two residents were displaced, authorities said.
The Franklin Square and Munson Fire Department responded to a home on fire on Nassau Boulevard in West Hempstead just before 2 p.m. Tuesday, the department said in a Facebook post.
“Upon arrival, a substantial amount of fire was engulfing the exterior of the home with extension to the second floor,” firefighters wrote on Facebook.
Shortly after arrival, Engine 711 began operating two hose lines and quickly extinguished the flames, the department said. However, two dog…
Same County Where Trump Was Shot Now Has ISIS Terrorism Indictment: DOJ
A Butler County, Pennsylvania man has been indicted on a federal firearms charge tied to an alleged plan to support ISIS, prosecutors announced Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Jonathan Hunter Kramer, 21, of Valencia, knowingly received a semiautomatic rifle and rifle ammunition on Saturday, Sept. 12, knowing they would be used to commit a felony or federal terrorism crime, including supporting ISIS, a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh charged.
Kramer remains detained pending trial. The one-count indictment carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
The case is the latest h…
LI PTA Leader Sentenced For $15K Theft For Personal Shopping Sprees: Authorities
A Long Island PTA leader who stole nearly $15,000 from her organization was sentenced Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Hope Livingston, 50, of Sag Harbor, got five years of probation for her theft, and she was ordered to repay the money she stole, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said.
Livingston’s sentence was in line with a plea deal she took on Tuesday, Aug. 4, according to authorities. She owes a total of $14,487 in restitution.
From July 2021 to June 2024, Livingston served in leadership roles with the Sag Harbor Elementary School PTA, investigators said. This gave her access to the grou…
Nassau Sex Offender Hit With 18 Charges After Cellphone Discovery At Probation Meeting: Police
A registered sex offender on Long Island was arrested Tuesday, Oct. 6 on numerous child pornography charges, police said.
Steven Klauer, 26, of Bethpage, was cuffed following an investigation that stemmed from a regularly scheduled meeting with the Nassau County Probation Office, the county police department said.
Klauer met with probation officers on Tuesday, July 7 to fulfill his requirements as a level one sex offender in the state, Nassau County police said. At that meeting, investigators found a cellphone they believed Klauer to be using for “sexual purposes,” according to authorities.…
Stun Gun Discovered, Charges Pile Up At Routine LI Traffic Stop: Police
An illegal stun gun was found during a routine traffic stop Monday, Oct. 5 on Long Island, police said.
Erica K. Paul, 28, of Jamaica, Queens, was driving through Water Mill when officers pulled her over around 11 p.m. Monday near the intersection of Montauk Highway and Rose Hill Road, the Southampton Town Police Department said.
Investigators discovered Paul’s vehicle registration sticker was forged, she was in possession of an electric stun gun device, and she was driving with a suspended license, police said.
Paul was charged with third-degree possession of a forged instrument, fourth-d…
LI Man Drowns In Backyard Pool As Family Member Makes Tragic Discovery: Police
A Long Island man drowned in his backyard pool Tuesday morning, Oct. 6, police said.
David Astarita, 60, of Babylon, was reported unresponsive around 6:40 a.m. Tuesday at his home on Bacon Lane, the Suffolk County Police Department said.
A family member had called 911 after finding Astarita unconscious in an above-ground pool, police said. First responders arrived at the scene and pronounced him dead.
Astarita’s death is believed to be “non-criminal,” Suffolk County police said.
For 20 years, Astarita worked as the manager at Gino's Pizza on Deer Park Avenue, next to the Babylon LIRR stop…
Two Nurses Attacked By Patient At Nassau County Hospital: Police
A New York City man being treated at a Long Island hospital punched two nurses who were caring for him Monday, Oct. 5, police said.
Oshane Bernard, 36, of Queens, was arrested at the scene at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, the Nassau County Police Department said.
Cops responded to an assault report inside the hospital around 3:30 p.m. Monday, authorities said. Inside, they learned Bernard became agitated and struck two nurses with a closed fist, according to police.
The two injured nurses, both 29-year-old women, were evaluated by hospital staff at the scene, cops said. Ber…
Man Admits To Selling Russian Plutonium Out Of His Home To Buyers Across US, Abroad: Feds
A convicted Massachusetts felon has admitted to importing plutonium from Russia and mailing the highly radioactive material to dozens of buyers through a business he ran from a South Hadley home, authorities said. Police also found child sexual abuse material at his home.
Jacob D. Miller, 44, of Hadley, pleaded guilty to possession of ammunition and explosives, importing nuclear material without authorization, mailing hazardous materials, and possessing child sexual abuse material, the US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts said on Monday, Oct. 5.
Miller has remained in fed…
Hammer Attack At Nassau County McDonald’s Sends Two To Hospital, One To Jail: Police
A Long Island man attacked a teen and used a hammer on a bystander inside a McDonald’s on Monday morning, Oct. 5, police said.
Javier Antonio Lopez, 45, of Floral Park, was behaving erratically inside the fast food restaurant on Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont around 6:30 a.m. Monday, the Nassau County Police Department said.
Lopez got into a physical altercation with an 18-year-old man, then a 59-year-old man intervened, cops said.
In response, Lopez struck the older man multiple times with a hammer, injuring the victim’s head and hand, authorities said. Officers arrived on scene and arreste…
PA Measles Outbreak Tops 1,000, Highest In US, 4 Vaccinated Residents Among Infected
Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak has surpassed 1,000 confirmed cases and now includes five deaths, state health officials announced Monday, Oct. 5.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 1,004 cases across 39 counties so far in 2026 — up 27 cases since Friday, Oct. 2.
There have been 198 hospitalizations tied to the outbreak, according to the department. Nearly 20 percent of people identified by the state with measles have been hospitalized.
The new numbers come less than a month after the statewide total stood at 676 cases in 37 counties, with 124 hospitalizations and two measles-a…
LI Woman Admits Following, Killing Her Ex-Boyfriend After Argument At Lirr Station: Authorities
A Long Island woman who stabbed her ex-boyfriend to death after tracking him from an LIRR station has pleaded guilty, authorities said.
Nikeya Barker, 46, of Bay Shore, pleaded guilty Monday, Oct. 5 to first-degree manslaughter in the death of Shurvell Rush, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said.
Barker previously faced a top charge of second-degree murder and cut a plea deal in the case, prosecutors said. She’s expected to get between 15 and 25 years in prison, according to authorities.
Rush, 47, of Central Islip, and Barker had previously dated but were separated by May 3, 2…
Fifth Measles Death Reported In US As Outbreak Tops 1,000 Cases
A fifth measles-associated death has been confirmed in Pennsylvania as the Commonwealth’s outbreak surpassed 1,000 cases across 39 counties, health officials said.
An unvaccinated Lancaster County resident with confirmed measles died, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced Wednesday, Sept. 30. The department did not release the person’s age, sex, or other identifying details.
The death is the fifth Pennsylvania resident to meet the state’s measles-associated death definition this year, officials said.
As of Monday, Oct. 5, Pennsylvania had confirmed 1,004 measles cases and 198 hos…
