$200K Fraud: No Prison For Capital Region Man Who Laundered Illegal COVID-19 Benefits $200K Fraud: No Prison For Capital Region Man Who Laundered Illegal COVID-19 Benefits
$200K Fraud: No Prison For Capital Region Man Who Laundered Illegal Covid-19 Benefits A man from the region will avoid federal prison after admitting that he laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief benefits. Saratoga County resident Michael Smith, age 62, of the town of Saratoga, was sentenced to five years of probation in federal court in Albany on Monday, July 17. It came after he admitted to conspiring with a purported woman he met online and her purported attorney to launder over $200,000 in illegally obtained benefits between June 2020 and May 2022, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District. Using phony u…
New Rounds Of Storms With Downpours, Flash Flood Risk Threaten Region New Rounds Of Storms With Downpours, Flash Flood Risk Threaten Region
New Rounds Of Storms With Downpours, Flash Flood Risk Threaten Region New rounds of storms with localized downpours and risks of flash flooding are taking aim at the region. The time frame for the first system is Thursday night, July 13 into Friday, July 14 with the approach of a frontal system, according to the National Weather Service. Rainfall of about 1 inch with locally higher amounts of around 2 inches is possible. "The strongest thunderstorms during this time may also be capable of producing damaging wind gusts," according to the weather service. The stormy pattern is expected to linger through Tuesday, July 18. "While a setup ex…
Multimillion-Dollar Scheme: Woman From Region Nabbed For Money Laundering, Bank Fraud, Feds Say Multimillion-Dollar Scheme: Woman From Region Nabbed For Money Laundering, Bank Fraud, Feds Say
Multimillion-Dollar Scheme: Woman From Region Nabbed For Money Laundering, Bank Fraud, Feds Say A 49-year-old woman from the region has been charged with conspiring to commit money laundering and bank fraud, stealing more than $10 million from victims. Sullivan County resident Tetiana Berriors, of the hamlet of Smallwood, was arrested on Thursday, June 8, said Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. According to court documents, Berriors conspired to commit money laundering and bank fraud in connection with laundering the proceeds of a series of business email compromise scams that sought to deceive victims into sending nearly $10 million to bank accoun…
50,000-Plus Bottles Of Popular Brand Of Buffalo Wing Sauce Recalled 50,000-Plus Bottles Of Popular Brand Of Buffalo Wing Sauce Recalled
50,000-Plus Bottles Of Popular Brand Of Buffalo Wing Sauce Recalled A recall has been issued for a popular brand of buffalo wing sauce due to an undeclared ingredient. T.W. Garner Food Company is voluntarily recalling 50,688 12-ounce bottles of Texas Pete Buffalo Wing Sauce because some of the bottles may contain Texas Pete® Extra Mild Wing Sauce which contains soy, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to soy run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reactions if they consume this product, the FDA noted The product can be identified as a 12 oz. glass bottle with…
Recall Issued For Deli Meat Distributed In Several States, Including New York Recall Issued For Deli Meat Distributed In Several States, Including New York
Recall Issued For Deli Meat Distributed In Several States, Including New York A recall has been issued for a brand of deli meat sold in several states, including New York. Sofina Foods Inc. is recalling approximately 15,165 pounds of ready-to-eat mortadella deli meat products due to misbranding and undeclared allergen, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced. The product may contain pistachio (tree nuts), a known allergen, which is not declared on the product label. The ready-to-eat mortadella deli meat products were produced on March 27, 2023, March 30, 2023, and April 4, 2023. Click this link from the USDA to view p…
Eye Drops Tainted With Bacteria Now Linked To 4 Deaths, Dozens Of Infections, CDC Says Eye Drops Tainted With Bacteria Now Linked To 4 Deaths, Dozens Of Infections, CDC Says
Eye Drops Tainted With Bacteria Now Linked To 4 Deaths, Dozens Of Infections, CDC Says The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says four deaths and dozens of infections have now been linked to eye drops tainted with bacteria. Patients who have used EzriCare or Delsam Pharma’s artificial tears and Delsam Pharma artificial ointment and who have signs or symptoms of an eye infection should seek medical care immediately, the CDC said.  A total of 81 patients have been identified in 18 states as of Monday, May 15. At this time, there is no recommendation for testing of those who have used those products and who are not experiencing any signs or symptoms of infec…
New Item Added To Recall Of Spinach, Kale, Collard Green Products Due To Listeria Risk New Item Added To Recall Of Spinach, Kale, Collard Green Products Due To Listeria Risk
New Item Added To Recall Of Spinach, Kale, Collard Green Products Due To Listeria Risk A new item has just been added to a recall announced late last week for brands of vegetable products due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes. Lancaster Foods announced the recall of Robinson Fresh, Lancaster, and Giant brand Kale, Spinach, and Collard Green products produced at the company’s Jessup, Maryland facility and distributed through retailers and distributors in the states of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia.  The recall was initiated after notification that a random sample of a single bag of Chopped Kale Gree…
Popular New England Coffee Chain Opens First Capital Region Location Popular New England Coffee Chain Opens First Capital Region Location
Popular New England Coffee Chain Opens First Capital Region Location Java heads have a new place to get their caffeine fix after a popular New England coffee chain opened its first location in the region. Aroma Joe’s, located in Troy at 666 Hoosick Road, held its grand opening on Monday, May 8, the company announced on Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Aroma Joe's Coffee (@aromajoescoffee) Founded in East Rochester, New Hampshire in 2000 by four cousins, the company has gone on to open over 70 locations in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Florida, according to its w…
Recall Issued For 3 Brands Of Spinach, Kale, Collard Green Products Due To Listeria Risk Recall Issued For 3 Brands Of Spinach, Kale, Collard Green Products Due To Listeria Risk
Recall Issued For 3 Brands Of Spinach, Kale, Collard Green Products Due To Listeria Risk New Update Issued On Recall Of Spinach, Kale, Collard Green Products Due To Listeria Risk A recall has been issued for three brands of vegetable products due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes. Lancaster Foods announced the recall of Robinson Fresh, Lancaster, and Giant brand Kale, Spinach, and Collard Green products produced at the company’s Jessup, Maryland facility and distributed through retailers and distributors in the states of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia.  The recall was initiated after notification that a r…
COVID-19: Highly-Infectious 'Arcturus' Variant First Detected In NY Now Identified In 27 States COVID-19: Highly-Infectious 'Arcturus' Variant First Detected In NY Now Identified In 27 States
Covid-19: Highly-Infectious 'Arcturus' Variant First Detected In NY Now Identified In 27 States Click here for a new, updated story - COVID-19: New ‘Arcturus' Variant Causing Symptom Not Typically Seen A new COVID-19 variant first detected in New York in January has now been identified in 27 states. The so-called Arcturus strain — officially known as XBB.1.16 — is believed to be one of the most infectious versions of Omicron to date.  Shortly after the World Health Organization began monitoring the variant in late March, cases had been reported in about two dozen countries. Arcturus has been sparking a surge of cases in India, prompting  Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s…
3K Foreign Contraband Cigarettes Seized, Destroyed By USPS In NY, Other States: Officials 3K Foreign Contraband Cigarettes Seized, Destroyed By USPS In NY, Other States: Officials
3K Foreign Contraband Cigarettes Seized, Destroyed By USPS In NY, Other States: Officials Around 3,000 packages of foreign contraband cigarettes bound for Connecticut, New York, and other states have been found and destroyed by the US Postal Service since the beginning of the year, officials said.  According to Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, the seizures were a result of a settlement between the USPS and several states in August 2022 that forced the Postal Service to destroy untaxed foreign cigarettes instead of returning the illegally-mailed packages back to the sender.  Of the 3,000 cigarette packages destroyed since the beginning of 2023, 44 had bee…
Honda Recalls 564K Vehicles Due To Rust Risk Concern Honda Recalls 564K Vehicles Due To Rust Risk Concern
Honda Recalls 564K Vehicles Due To Rust Risk Concern Hundreds of thousands of Honda SUVs are being recalled due to concerns that road salt could cause the frame of the vehicle to rust and unintentionally detach parts of the rear suspension. Officials announced this week that Honda is recalling nearly 564,000 CR-V models that were produced between 2007 and 2011 that were sold in states where salt and other de-icing chemicals are used to clear roads during winter storms. According to Honda, “in salt-belt states where de-icing agents are used to maintain the roadway, the de-icing agents, along with mud and water, could enter the rear frame throu…