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Business
Payback Time: NY Delivery Drivers Will Get Cut Of $4M Settlement Over Withheld Tips Payback Time: NY Delivery Drivers Will Get Cut Of $4M Settlement Over Withheld Tips
Payback Time: NY Delivery Drivers Will Get Cut Of $4M Settlement Over Withheld Tips Thousands of local delivery drivers are in for a much-deserved payday. Drizly, a now-defunct alcohol delivery platform, reached a $4 million settlement with the State of New York on Tuesday, Dec. 17, for failing to ensure that delivery workers received their rightful tips. According to New York Attorney General Leitita James, Drizly encouraged customers to tip delivery workers but sent the funds to liquor store owners instead. Store owners were responsible for distributing the tips, but in many cases, workers did not receive the money they earned. The investigation also revealed that Driz…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Former Long Island Co-Op Prez Dodges Prison After Embezzling $26K Former Long Island Co-Op Prez Dodges Prison After Embezzling $26K
Former Long Island Co-Op Prez Dodges Prison After Embezzling $26K The former president of a Long Island co-op formally confessed to embezzling tens of thousands of dollars. Juan Alayo, age 72, of East Meadow, pleaded guilty to grand larceny and related charges on Friday, Nov. 15. New York Attorney General Letitia James said Alayo embezzled more than $26,700 between 2016 and 2023, during his tenure as president of the Marlboro Owners Corporation cooperative in Hempstead. An investigation found that he routinely wrote checks to himself and his company, A&J, that were neither discussed nor approved by the co-op board. He concealed his thefts by falsifyi…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
$9.6M Scheme: Quogue Businessman Admits To Bank Fraud Conspiracy $9.6M Scheme: Quogue Businessman Admits To Bank Fraud Conspiracy
$9.6M Scheme: Quogue 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 From East Hampton Who Scammed Customers Steals Wallet At Gym: Police Business Owner From East Hampton Who Scammed Customers Steals Wallet At Gym: Police
Business Owner From East Hampton Who Scammed Customers Steals Wallet At Gym: 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
'Cherry-Picking' Fraud: Financial Advisor Sentenced For Stealing $2.7M From 45 Clients 'Cherry-Picking' Fraud: Financial Advisor Sentenced For Stealing $2.7M From 45 Clients
'Cherry-Picking' Fraud: Financial Advisor Sentenced For Stealing $2.7M From 45 Clients A Connecticut investment advisor was sentenced for defrauding clients of $2.7 million through a “cherry-picking” securities scheme.Fairfield County resident Jonathan Vincent Glenn, age 55, of Greenwich, will serve 21 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The sentencing was announced in Hartford on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Glenn also must serve the first six months of his supervised release in home confinement. “Cherry-picking” is a fraudulent securities trading practice in which a responsible individual executes trades without assigning them to a particular trading ac…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Ex-Huntington Town Worker Admits Stealing $56K Of Deceased Mother's Pension Funds Ex-Huntington Town Worker Admits Stealing $56K Of Deceased Mother's Pension Funds
Ex-Huntington Town Worker Admits Stealing $56K Of Deceased Mother's Pension Funds A former town employee on Long Island confessed to stealing thousands of dollars from his deceased mother’s pension funds. Moses Johnson, age 63, of Huntington, pleaded guilty to grand larceny in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, Sept. 3. Prosecutors said Johnson’s mother died in April 2021 and he never notified the bank or the New York State and Local Retirement System of her death. Between April 2021 and June 2022, he collected a total of 15 unauthorized payments totaling $56,411. The stolen funds were traced from Johnson’s mother’s bank account into his bank account. Johnson worked for …

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by Michael Mashburn
Business
$2M Con Job: LI Contractor Admits Defrauding Victims Of Hurricane Sandy $2M Con Job: LI Contractor Admits Defrauding Victims Of Hurricane Sandy
$2M Con Job: LI 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-Stony Brook Attorney Who Stole $800K From Clients Gets Prison Time Ex-Stony Brook Attorney Who Stole $800K From Clients Gets Prison Time
Ex-Stony Brook 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
Business
Long Island Business Owners Dodge Prison After $1M Sales Tax Fraud Scheme Long Island Business Owners Dodge Prison After $1M Sales Tax Fraud Scheme
Long Island Business Owners Dodge Prison After $1M Sales Tax Fraud Scheme Two Long Island business owners will avoid prison after confessing that they intentionally dodged income taxes to line their pockets. Brian Soltan, age 62, of West Islip, and Gerald McCrystal, age 51, of Dix Hills, were both ordered to pay six-figure restitution payments in Suffolk County Court on Wednesday, June 26. According to prosecutors, Soltan admitted that he intentionally failed to report more than $2.8 million in taxable sales between January 2011 and November 2015 from several auto body businesses he owned in East Islip. Those companies included Long Island Auto Body, Long Islan…

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by Michael Mashburn