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$145M Scheme: Cortlandt Manor Man Known As 'Magician' Admits To One Of Largest Ever Frauds $145M Scheme: Cortlandt Manor Man Known As 'Magician' Admits To One Of Largest Ever Frauds
$145M Scheme: Cortlandt Manor Man Known As 'Magician' Admits To One Of Largest Ever Frauds A Northern Westchester man who earned the nickname “The Magician” for his ability to slash tax bills has pleaded guilty to orchestrating a massive $145 million fraud scheme that spanned a decade, federal officials announced. Rafael Alvarez, age 61, of Cortlandt Manor, entered the plea in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, Dec. 17, after being charged with conspiracy to defraud the US and aiding the preparation of false tax returns, according to Edward Y. Kim, Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.  Alvarez, the CEO and owner of ATAX, a Bronx-based tax preparation bu…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Lives Stolen: These Are 7 Names Behind Gilgo Beach Murder Indictment Lives Stolen: These Are 7 Names Behind Gilgo Beach Murder Indictment
Lives Stolen: These Are 7 Names Behind Gilgo Beach Murder Indictment As accused serial killer Rex Heuermann faces his seventh murder charge, the stories of his alleged victims – young women whose lives were tragically and violently cut short – offer a haunting reminder of the human toll behind the Gilgo Beach case. Here’s a closer look at the seven victims named in the indictment: Melissa Barthelemy, 24 Melissa Barthelemy Suffolk County Police Described by family as a talented hair stylist from the Bronx, she dreamed of opening her own salon. She was last seen alive on July 10, 2009, in her basement apartment on Underhill Avenue.  Barthelemy’s…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
CEO Murder: Manhattan Grand Jury Indicts Luigi Mangione, Could Be Extradited To NY In Days CEO Murder: Manhattan Grand Jury Indicts Luigi Mangione, Could Be Extradited To NY In Days
CEO Murder: Manhattan Grand Jury Indicts Luigi Mangione, Could Be Extradited To NY In Days Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing former UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Mangione is charged with one count of first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism and two counts of second-degree murder. Mangione, a 26-year-old Maryland native, had fled New York City after the high-profile targeted assassination outside the New York Hilton in Manhattan on Wednesday, Dec. 4.  UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. UnitedHealthcare After a days-long manhunt, Mangione was apprehended at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsy…

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by Joe Lombardi
Traffic
Traffic Impact To Last Nearly 2 Years As $30M Road Project Begins Near Carmel HS Traffic Impact To Last Nearly 2 Years As $30M Road Project Begins Near Carmel HS
Traffic Impact To Last Nearly 2 Years As $30M Road Project Begins Near Carmel HS Drivers should brace for delays, as a major $30 million construction project near a Hudson Valley high school is expected to impact traffic for nearly two years.  The project, which began in the Putnam County town of Carmel in September, will widen Fair Street from Simpson Road to Route 52, add sidewalks and streetlights, improve drainage, and create a new turning lane to make it easier to enter and exit the Carmel High School parking lot. The work is expected to continue through summer 2026, Carmel Central School District officials said in an announcement on Friday, Dec. 13.  Pu…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Blaze Damages Apartment Complex In Mohegan Lake Blaze Damages Apartment Complex In Mohegan Lake
Blaze Damages Apartment Complex In Mohegan Lake Firefighters battled a blaze that damaged multiple residences at a Northern Westchester apartment building.  The fire happened at the Eagle Rock Apartments at Mohegan Lake on New Chalet Drive, the Mohegan Fire Department announced on Monday, Dec. 16.  According to the department, arriving crews found a blaze in the apartment's cocklift void space and transmitted a 10-75.  After several hose lines were stretched to the scene, the fire was extinguished and the apartment where the blaze began was extensively overhauled. Three other apartment units sustained minimal damage,…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Update: Police ID Victim In 3-Vehicle Hudson Valley Crash Update: Police ID Victim In 3-Vehicle Hudson Valley Crash
Update: Police ID Victim In 3-Vehicle Hudson Valley Crash Police have identified a 40-year-old Hudson Valley man who was killed in a three-vehicle crash. Alberto Mata, of Chester, was killed around 10 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 14, on Route 94 (Main St.), in front of the Chester Firehouse, said the Village of Chester Police. An exact cause for the crash that involved two SUVs and a pickup truck was not immediately apparent.  The crash remains under investigation. 

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by Kathy Reakes
News
NJ Escort IDd As 7th Victim Of Giglio Beach Serial Killer, Police Say NJ Escort IDd As 7th Victim Of Giglio Beach Serial Killer, Police Say
NJ Escort IDd As 7th Victim Of Giglio Beach Serial Killer, Police Say Accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann was formally charged with murdering a seventh victim. Heuermann, 60, of Massapequa Park, was indicted for second-degree murder in the killing of Valerie Mack in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday morning, Dec. 17. Mack, a 24-year-old Wildwood, NJ woman was working as an escort when she disappeared in 2000. A group of hunters discovered her skeletal remains wrapped in a plastic bag in a wooded area of Manorville in November 2000. She had been decapitated, and both of her hands had been severed from her body, prosecutors said. Her right leg had a…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Update: Five Vehicle Hudson Valley Crash Injures 5 On I-84 Update: Five Vehicle Hudson Valley Crash Injures 5 On I-84
Update: Five Vehicle Hudson Valley Crash Injures 5 On I-84 A five-car crash in Orange County on I-84 westbound has sent five people to the hospital with minor injuries.  According to the New York State Police, the crash occurred in Montgomery around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 17. State police said an investigation determined that Judith Lorveus-Feqyuere, 46, of Monroe, was driving westbound when she stopped in the passing lane for no apparent reason. A second vehicle behind was able to stop but was rear-ended by a third vehicle, pushing it into Lorveus-Fequiere. Vehicle three was hit by vehicle four, followed by vehicle five, state police said…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
CEO Murder: Stunning Poll Shows Shift In Views Among Young Americans CEO Murder: Stunning Poll Shows Shift In Views Among Young Americans
CEO Murder: Stunning Poll Shows Shift In Views Among Young Americans A new national poll from Emerson College reveals a startling trend among young American voters: More respondents aged 18 to 29 believe the targeted assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was acceptable than those who do not. The poll highlights a sharp generational divergence on the issue. A total of 41 percent of voters aged 18-29 find the killer’s actions acceptable, 24 percent somewhat acceptable and 17 percent completely acceptable), while 40 percent find them unacceptable. Noting that 68 percent of voters overall reject the killer’s action, Spencer Kimball, executiv…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Purple-Haired Woman Steals Car From Motel Parking Lot Then Crashes On PIP: Police Purple-Haired Woman Steals Car From Motel Parking Lot Then Crashes On PIP: Police
Purple-Haired Woman Steals Car From Motel Parking Lot Then Crashes On PIP: Police A 36-year-old woman with purple and blue hair was nabbed for allegedly stealing a car from a Hudson Valley motel parking lot. Kayla Jones, of the Bronx, was charged with grand larceny on Tuesday, Dec. 10, after security video showed a purple-haired woman wearing a black sweatshirt and grey pants, get into the car at the Stony Point Budget Inn and drive away on Route 9W, said Lt. Daniel J. Schoales of the Stony Point Police.   While investigating the incident, Schoales said it was determined that Jones was involved in a single-car accident on the Palisades Interstate Park…

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by Kathy Reakes
Weather
Putnam County Sees Snow Accumulations, Nelsonville Reports 4.5 Inches Putnam County Sees Snow Accumulations, Nelsonville Reports 4.5 Inches
Putnam County Sees Snow Accumulations, Nelsonville Reports 4.5 Inches The National Weather Service has released snow totals from this week's winter storm. Snowfall accumulation impacted areas across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New York, with Sussex County, NJ, and Putnam County, NY, seeing the highest totals from Sunday, Dec. 15 into Monday, Dec. 16. Below are detailed figures reported by state, county, and town, as per the National Weather Service: New Jersey Mercer County: Trenton Mercer Airport: Trace (11:59 PM, 12/15) Morris County: Butler (1 S): 3.0 inches (5:15 AM, 12/16) Sussex County: Wantage Twp: 4.1 inches (5:00 AM, 12/16) Wan…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Rapist Gets Maximum 25 Years In Jail: Orange County DA Rapist Gets Maximum 25 Years In Jail: Orange County DA
Rapist Gets Maximum 25 Years In Jail: Orange County DA A Hudson Valley man received a 25-year prison sentence, the most severe penalty under the law after a jury found him guilty of forcibly raping an individual. Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said Jesse Boniface, age 52, of Middletown, was also sentenced to 20 years of post-release supervision on Monday, Dec. 16. Hoovler added that the swift arrest by the Town of Crawford Police, assisted by the New York State Police in forensic analysis, led to the conviction for the Nov. 2023 assault. According to court documents, Boniface engaged in sexual intercourse and oral sexual co…

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by Kathy Reakes