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$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
Politics
Santos Saga: Ethics Committee Won’t Recommend Punishment For Embattled NY Rep, Report Says Santos Saga: Ethics Committee Won’t Recommend Punishment For Embattled NY Rep, Report Says
Santos Saga: Ethics Committee Won’t Recommend Punishment For Embattled NY Rep, Report Says After months of investigating embattled New York Rep. George Santos, the House Ethics Committee won’t recommend any punishment for the freshman lawmaker, ABC News reports. Instead, the ten-member committee, made up of five Republicans and five Democrats, will leave any disciplinary actions up to the House as a whole, Chair Michael Guest told the outlet. Santos, a Long Island Republican whose 3rd District includes parts of Nassau County and Queens, found himself in the committee’s sights in March 2023 after admitting that he lied about much of his background on the campaign trail. Earlier…

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
George Santos Campaign Staffer Admits Defrauding Donors By Impersonating Speaker's Aide George Santos Campaign Staffer Admits Defrauding Donors By Impersonating Speaker's Aide
George Santos Campaign Staffer Admits Defrauding Donors By Impersonating Speaker's Aide A campaign staffer who worked to elect New York Rep. George Santos has confessed to impersonating a high-level Congressional aide in order to raise money for him and line his own pockets. Samuel Miele, age 27, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in Central Islip federal court on Tuesday, Nov. 14. Miele was a fundraiser for Santos’ congressional campaigns in both 2020 and 2022, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District. Earlier Report: George Santos Pleads Not Guilty To 10 New Federal Charges; Here's When He'll Stand Trial Santos ran as a Republican and was elected to …

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by Michael Mashburn
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Westchester Man Among Trio Nabbed In $701K Fraud Scheme, Feds Say Westchester Man Among Trio Nabbed In $701K Fraud Scheme, Feds Say
Westchester Man Among Trio Nabbed In $701K Fraud Scheme, Feds Say Three men are facing federal charges for allegedly using other people’s identities to defraud the New York Labor Department out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Errol Murray, age 21, of Yonkers; Taliek Lanier, age 22, of Albany; and Thomas Brace, age 61, of Altoona, Pennsylvania, formerly of Albany, were all arrested on federal charges of mail and wire fraud, plus identity theft. Federal prosecutors said the trio conspired with a 36-year-old Albany woman, Jamie Johnson, and provided her with the personal identifying information of other people. Jonson pleaded guilty in February 2022 of…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Capital District Man Admits To $207K Unemployment Insurance Fraud Capital District Man Admits To $207K Unemployment Insurance Fraud
Capital District Man Admits To $207K Unemployment Insurance Fraud A Capital District man could spend decades in federal prison after admitting to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits. Kahleke Taylor, age 21, of Albany, pleaded guilty to mail fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft charges Tuesday, Aug. 9, in federal court in Albany. Prosecutors said Taylor stole the personal information of other people on social media and then used that information to file false unemployment insurance applications with the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL). On one application, filed in A…

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
COVID-19: Delays In State Tax Refunds Being Reported By New Yorkers COVID-19: Delays In State Tax Refunds Being Reported By New Yorkers
Covid-19: Delays In State Tax Refunds Being Reported By New Yorkers Some New Yorkers who filed early say they're experiencing delays in receiving their state tax refunds as the state continues combating the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Some of those New Yorkers are now out of work due to the virus and are waiting on thousands of dollars in refunds as the state’s Tax Department takes its time to issue checks. With tens of thousands out of work, any wage-earners have been given an extension to file federal and local taxes, through Wednesday, July 15. Many of those waiting for their refund checks have been waiting weeks after filing their taxes earl…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: 'I Apologize For The Pain,' Cuomo Says As NY's Unemployment System Still Overwhelmed COVID-19: 'I Apologize For The Pain,' Cuomo Says As NY's Unemployment System Still Overwhelmed
Covid-19: 'I Apologize For The Pain,' Cuomo Says As NY's Unemployment System Still Overwhelmed New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an apology to stressed New Yorkers who have been unsuccessfully attempting to apply for unemployment insurance on a site that has repeatedly been crashing due to too much activity amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Between Monday, March 23 and Saturday, March 28, the New York Department of Labor received approximately 3.4 million hits on its site for unemployment filing, approximately 10 times what it would during a normal week. In that same period, the department has fielded more than 8 million calls, a 16,000 percent increase from the ave…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: NYC Must Have Plan For Lack Of Adherence To Social Distancing Protocols, Cuomo Says COVID-19: NYC Must Have Plan For Lack Of Adherence To Social Distancing Protocols, Cuomo Says
Covid-19: NYC Must Have Plan For Lack Of Adherence To Social Distancing Protocols, Cuomo Says New York City has 24 hours to come up with a plan for review by the state to address the lack of adherence to social distancing protocols during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, including at parks and other public spaces, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Cuomo made the announcement on Sunday, March 22 after visiting the city on Saturday, March 21. "I was in these parks and you wouldn't know there was anything going on," Cuomo said. "I saw kids playing basketball. There is not social distancing playing basketball. You can't stay six feet away from someone playing basketball.…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: Molinaro To Host Coronavirus Telephone Town Hall With Local Business Community COVID-19: Molinaro To Host Coronavirus Telephone Town Hall With Local Business Community
Covid-Hall With Local Business Community In an effort to keep local businesses and leaders up to date on the ever-changing numbers and rules associated with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro will host a telephone Town Hall meeting. The event is scheduled for 1 p.m., Friday, March 20 and will provide updates on the county's response to the evolving pandemic, its economic impacts and relief efforts, as well as answer participants’ questions.  “Given this unprecedented health situation, we in Dutchess County Government understand the hardships being faced by our own business community, and…

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by Kathy Reakes
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COVID19: NYS Labor Department Website Crashes As Unemployment Claims Spike COVID19: NYS Labor Department Website Crashes As Unemployment Claims Spike
COVID19: NYS Labor Department Website Crashes As Unemployment Claims Spike As layoffs, particularly among small businesses, have started amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the economic impact is being felt in states around the region and across the nation. After New York state’s unemployment benefits website repeatedly crashed over the last several days, a system of filing alphabetically by the first letter of last names launched. It was outlined on the Department of Labor's Facebook page, where there have been numerous complaints posted by those having trouble accessing the main website. "The system is overwhelmed and keeps crashing," one comment pos…

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by Joe Lombardi
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Positive Test At College In Area Gives Hudson Valley 197 COVID-19 Cases; Trump Awaits Results Positive Test At College In Area Gives Hudson Valley 197 COVID-19 Cases; Trump Awaits Results
Positive Test At College In Area Gives Hudson Valley 197 Covid-19 Cases; Trump Awaits Results Counties in the Hudson Valley, including Westchester, now account for 197 of 525 cases in New York State. The fourth positive case of the novel strain of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Dutchess County has been confirmed as being a member of the community at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson. Dutchess County announced the positive result early Saturday afternoon, March 14, just hours after the first New York state resident died of COVID-19, an 82-year-old woman with underlying respiratory issues in New York City. The breakdown through the state is now as follows: Albany County:…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
State Agencies Directed To Help Furloughed Workers Amid Longest Government Shutdown State Agencies Directed To Help Furloughed Workers Amid Longest Government Shutdown
State Agencies Directed To Help Furloughed Workers Amid Longest Government Shutdown Some relief may be coming for furloughed federal employees in New York as the country’s longest government shutdown enters its fourth week. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that state agencies have been directed to provide support for federal workers, including those seeking unemployment insurance benefits. The Department of Labor has been instructed to accelerate the unemployment application process and extend the hours at the Call Center for those seeking benefits. "It is unconscionable that the President is holding hostage the wages and livelihoods of hard-working Americans in an att…

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by Zak Failla