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Police & Fire
$9.6M Scheme: NY Businessman Admits To Bank Fraud Conspiracy $9.6M Scheme: NY Businessman Admits To Bank Fraud Conspiracy
$9.6M Scheme: NY Businessman Admits To Bank Fraud Conspiracy The owner of a New York business admitted to running a multimillion-dollar check-kiting scheme to keep his company operating. Long Island resident John B. Mensch, age 54, pleaded guilty in connection with a nearly year-long fraud conspiracy involving banks in Suffolk County and the Hudson Valley, federal authorities announced Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 2. Mensch, of Quogue, faces up to five years’ imprisonment as well as financial penalties, including restitution to the two banks of approximately $9.6 million. According to court filings, Mensch was the owner and operator of East End, a…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Business Owner Who Scammed Customers Steals Wallet At Gym In Region: Police Business Owner Who Scammed Customers Steals Wallet At Gym In Region: Police
Business Owner Who Scammed Customers Steals Wallet At Gym In Region: Police A 36-year-old former business owner from Long Island who admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from customers was apprehended after stealing a wallet from a Northern Westchester gym and using a credit card inside in the Hudson Valley, police said. The theft happened in Yorktown on Tuesday, Oct. 1, when a wallet was stolen from Club Fit at 600 Bank Rd., Yorktown Police said on Friday, Oct. 4.  Investigators quickly realized that the victim's credit card had recently been used in Putnam County, and when they obtained surveillance video from this location, they were able t…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Ex-School Counselor In Capital Region To Spend 15 Years In Prison For Child Sex Crimes Ex-School Counselor In Capital Region To Spend 15 Years In Prison For Child Sex Crimes
Ex-School Counselor In Capital Region To Spend 15 Years In Prison For Child Sex Crimes A Capital Region ex-school counselor will spend 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to the sexual exploitation of a child. Related: Ex-School Counselor In Capital Region Filmed Sexually Explicit Content Of Child For Years Albany County resident Kristy Lynne Koldis, age 46, of Latham, was sentenced on Thursday, Oct. 3, said US Attorney for the Northern District Of New York Carla Freedman. In previously pleading guilty, Koldis admitted that she created sexually explicit content depicting the lewd and lascivious exhibition of the victim's genitals from the time the child was nine …

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Ex-Controller Who Stole $340K From Region Company Gets Prison Time Ex-Controller Who Stole $340K From Region Company Gets Prison Time
Ex-Controller Who Stole $340K From Region Company Gets Prison Time A 54-year-old woman who stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Northern Westchester-based company she worked for will spend several years in prison.  Mohegan Lake resident ToniAnn Rosado was sentenced to a term of two to six years in prison on Friday, Sept. 27 for stealing more than $340,000 from North Castle-based paint company CR Wallauer & Company, Inc., the Westchester County District Attorney's Office announced on Tuesday, Oct. 1.  According to the DA's Office, in her role as the company's controller, Rosado stole $341,707.54 between July 7, 2017, …

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by Ben Crnic
Business
$2M Con Job: NY Contractor Admits Defrauding Victims Of Hurricane Sandy $2M Con Job: NY Contractor Admits Defrauding Victims Of Hurricane Sandy
$2M Con Job: NY Contractor Admits Defrauding Victims Of Hurricane Sandy A former New York contractor confessed to stealing millions of dollars from homeowners who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy to fund his lavish lifestyle. Alexander Almaraz, age 56, who formerly lived on Long Island in Freeport, pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in Central Islip federal court on Thursday, Sept. 5. Prosecutors said Almaraz, who owned Design Concepts Group (DCG) in Freeport, targeted homeowners who suffered extensive damage during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 and later received relief funds from the governor’s office. Earlier Report: Lamborghini, Porsche, Jaguar,…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Ex-NY Attorney Who Stole $800K From Clients Gets Prison Time Ex-NY Attorney Who Stole $800K From Clients Gets Prison Time
Ex-NY Attorney Who Stole $800K From Clients Gets Prison Time A former New York attorney is heading to prison after confessing that he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from his clients. Former Long Island resident Douglas Valente, age 57, now of Florida, was sentenced to between one and four years in prison in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, Aug. 22. Prosecutors said Valente, the former principal attorney at the Valente Law Group in Stony Brook, stole more than $800,000 from three former clients by taking money from his escrow account. Earlier Report: Former NY Attorney Stole Nearly $1M From Clients, DA Says Among the victims was a cl…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Hudson Valley Caregiver Steals $164K From Elderly Victim, DA Says Hudson Valley Caregiver Steals $164K From Elderly Victim, DA Says
Hudson Valley Caregiver Steals $164K From Elderly Victim, DA Says A Hudson Valley woman was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison for stealing thousands from a man she was supposed to be a caregiver for. Dutchess County resident Sabrina Aboshanab, age 33, of Wappingers Falls, was sentenced on Wednesday, Aug. 14, and ordered to pay $164,332.26 in restitution, said Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi. Aboshanab became acquainted with the victim around 2017 and eventually moved into his home, where she lived rent-free in exchange for agreeing to act as a caregiver for the 81-year-old, who had no relatives to assist him, court docum…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
$1.6M Fraud Scheme: Capital Region Man Admits Role In Unemployment Insurance Scam $1.6M Fraud Scheme: Capital Region Man Admits Role In Unemployment Insurance Scam
$1.6M Fraud Scheme: Capital Region Man Admits Role In Unemployment Insurance Scam A man from the region admitted to taking part in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme that targeted unemployment insurance benefits. Rensselaer County resident Todd Ward, age 45, of Troy, pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) in Albany federal court in late June 2024. Prosecutors said Ward confessed to providing co-conspirator Carl DiVeglia with the personal identifying information of another individual, which DiVeglia then used to file a false claim on the NYSDOL website. Earlier Report: Former State Employee From Albany Pleads Guilty…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Former Hudson Valley Finance Director Pleads Guilty To Theft Of $95K From Recreation Center Former Hudson Valley Finance Director Pleads Guilty To Theft Of $95K From Recreation Center
Former Hudson Valley Finance Director Pleads Guilty To Theft Of $95K From Recreation Center A former Hudson Valley finance director has pleaded guilty to the theft of tens of thousands of dollars from a local non-profit for his private use. Former Ulster County Finance Director Burton Gulnick, Jr., entered the plea on Tuesday, Oct. 10, said Ulster County District Attorney David Clegg. Following a lengthy investigation by the New York State Police, Gulnick was arrested in June and charged with felonies in connection with theft from the Hurley Recreation Center, a not-for-profit organization that provides summer activities and programs for families, including a children’s summer cam…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Hudson Valley Man Sentenced For Murder Of Ex-Girlfriend's Boyfriend Hudson Valley Man Sentenced For Murder Of Ex-Girlfriend's Boyfriend
Hudson Valley Man Sentenced For Murder Of Ex-Girlfriend's Boyfriend In a courtroom packed with large contingents of supporters for the victim and the defendant, a Hudson Valley man was sentenced to prison for gunning down and killing his ex-friend's new boyfriend. Orange County resident Walter Post, Jr., age 26, of Pine Bush was sentenced to 18 years to life in prison for his jealous killing of his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend, Michael Hankins, age 29, in Ulster County, on Vinegar Hill Road in Shawangunk in the early morning of Tuesday, Jan. 11, said the Ulster County District Attorney's Office. Visiting Ulster County Court Judge James Farrell also gr…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
NY Man Sentenced For Role In $12M Ponzi Scheme Targeting Nearly 50 Victims NY Man Sentenced For Role In $12M Ponzi Scheme Targeting Nearly 50 Victims
NY Man Sentenced For Role In $12M Ponzi Scheme Targeting Nearly 50 Victims A New York man was sentenced for his role in a $12 million Ponzi scheme that targeted nearly 50 victims from throughout the region and the nation between 2015 and 2017. Long Island resident Matthew Eckstein, age 52, of Syosset, was sentenced on Monday, July 11 to three-and-a-half to 10-and-a-half years in prison. Eckstein originally pleaded guilty to the charges on September 26, 2019, but later withdrew his plea. A new indictment was secured in August 2020, but court closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic further delayed the case. “This defendant preyed upon seniors and hard-working men…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Man From Capital District Sentenced For Hacking Classmates' Nude Photos, Possessing Child Porn Man From Capital District Sentenced For Hacking Classmates' Nude Photos, Possessing Child Porn
Man From Capital District Sentenced For Hacking Classmates' Nude Photos, Possessing Child Porn A former law student from the Capital District will spend the next decade in prison for stealing his college classmates’ naked photos and possessing child pornography. Michael Fish, age 26, of Albany, was sentenced to 111 months (just over nine years) behind bars Friday, May 20, on charges of computer fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the North District. It follows a 2020 guilty plea in which Fish admitted to hacking into dozens of female classmates’ school email accounts at SUNY-Plattsburgh and then using information from those accounts to access…

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by Michael Mashburn