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US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District

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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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'High Risk, High Reward': Santos Staffer Impersonated Speaker's Aide To Fundraise, Feds Say 'High Risk, High Reward': Santos Staffer Impersonated Speaker's Aide To Fundraise, Feds Say
'High Risk, High Reward': Santos Staffer Impersonated Speaker's Aide To Fundraise, Feds Say A campaign staffer who worked to elect New York Rep. George Santos impersonated a high-level Congressional aide in order to raise money for the then-aspiring lawmaker, a scheme that Santos was well aware of, federal prosecutors allege. Samuel Miele, age 27, is charged with wire fraud and identity theft as part of a five-count indictment that was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday, Aug. 16. 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: Trio Of Schemes T…

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by Michael Mashburn
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'Motivated By Greed': Ex-Energy Dept Employee Took Bribes From NY Business For $1M In Contracts 'Motivated By Greed': Ex-Energy Dept Employee Took Bribes From NY Business For $1M In Contracts
'Motivated By Greed': Ex-Energy Dept Employee Took Bribes From NY Business For $1M In Contracts A former employee at the US Department of Energy (DOE) has admitted to accepting thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for securing nearly $1 million in federal contracts for a New York business. Jami Anthony, age 47, of Hayes, Virginia, pleaded guilty to receiving bribes as a federal official in US District Court in Central Islip on Monday, June 26. According to the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District, Anthony is the former Small Business Program Liaison and Procurement Officer for the DOE. Earlier Report: 'Down In Flames': Central Islip Business Owner Bribed Official …

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by Michael Mashburn
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COVID-19 Fraud: Nurse Midwives From Capital Region Doled Out Phony Vaccination Cards, Feds Say COVID-19 Fraud: Nurse Midwives From Capital Region Doled Out Phony Vaccination Cards, Feds Say
Covid-19 Fraud: Nurse Midwives From Capital Region Doled Out Phony Vaccination Cards, Feds Say A pair of nurse midwives from New York is facing federal charges following a nationwide investigation into COVID-19 related fraud. Kelly McDermott, of Albany, and Kathleen Breault, of Cambridge in Washington County, were among five individuals to be charged for their alleged roles in separate schemes that fraudulently distributed more than 2,600 fake COVID-19 vaccination record cards, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District. The investigation also uncovered more than $1.7 million in fraud involving the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan …

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by Michael Mashburn
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Lamborghini, Porsche, Jaguar, Oh My: NY Contractor Charged In $2M Hurricane Sandy Relief Fraud Lamborghini, Porsche, Jaguar, Oh My: NY Contractor Charged In $2M Hurricane Sandy Relief Fraud
Lamborghini, Porsche, Jaguar, Oh My: NY Contractor Charged In $2M Hurricane Sandy Relief Fraud A New York contractor is facing federal charges for allegedly stealing millions of dollars from Hurricane Sandy victims and using the money to fund a lavish lifestyle. Alexander Almaraz, age 55, who formerly lived on Long Island, in Freeport on , is expected to be arraigned on wire fraud charges in federal court in Central Islip on Thursday, Jan. 26, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District. Prosecutors said Almaraz, who owns Design Concepts Group (DCG) in Freeport, targeted homeowners who suffered extensive damage during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 and later recei…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Hudson Valley Woman Sentenced For Attempted Arson Of NYPD Van With 4 Officers Inside Hudson Valley Woman Sentenced For Attempted Arson Of NYPD Van With 4 Officers Inside
Hudson Valley Woman Sentenced For Attempted Arson Of Nypd Van With 4 Officers Inside A New York woman is heading to federal prison after admitting she tried to set fire to an occupied NYPD van during protests over the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020. Ulster County resident Samantha Shader, age 29, of Saugerties, was sentenced to 6 years behind bars Tuesday, Nov. 15, in federal court in Brooklyn. It followed her April 2022 guilty plea to using an improvised incendiary device, commonly known as a Molotov cocktail. According to the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District, Shader traveled from her home in Saugerties to Brooklyn on May 29…

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by Michael Mashburn
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'Can We Party Today?' Westchester Man Convicted In Father's Murder-For-Hire At McDonald's 'Can We Party Today?' Westchester Man Convicted In Father's Murder-For-Hire At McDonald's
'Can We Party Today?' Westchester Man Convicted In Father's Murder-For-Hire At McDonald's A Westchester County man has been found guilty in the murder-for-hire killing of his own father, who was shot to death while sitting in a McDonald’s drive-thru. Anthony Zottola, age 44, of Larchmont, was convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn Wednesday, Oct. 19, of murder-for-hire conspiracy in the October 2018 killing of 71-year-old Sylvester Zottola in the Bronx. The man who Zottola hired to pull the trigger, 36-year-old Himen Ross, of the Bronx, was also convicted Wednesday following the pair’s six-week trial, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District. Zottola and …

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by Michael Mashburn
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Fugitive MS-13 Member Extradited From El Salvador To Face Murder, Other Charges In NY Fugitive MS-13 Member Extradited From El Salvador To Face Murder, Other Charges In NY
Fugitive MS-13 Member Extradited From El Salvador To Face Murder, Other Charges In NY An MS-13 gang member accused of taking part in the brutal killing of a 20-year-old man on Long Island has been extradited to the United States. Jose Jonathan Guevara-Castro was extradited from El Salvador on Tuesday, Aug. 9, nearly a month after the country’s top court gave the green light, the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District announced. Guevara-Castro, also known as “Suspechoso,” had been detained in El Salvador since August 2020, weeks after he was indicted by a federal grand jury in Central Islip for the murder of Kerin Pineda. The former Freeport High School student’s body …

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by Michael Mashburn
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Long Island Woman Admits To Defrauding Elderly Of More Than $1.5M Long Island Woman Admits To Defrauding Elderly Of More Than $1.5M
Long Island Woman Admits To Defrauding Elderly Of More Than $1.5M A New York woman has admitted to leading a fraud scheme that bilked more than $1.5 million from elderly victims. Long Island resident Mara Ficarra, of Southampton, pleaded guilty in federal court Monday, June 6, to conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and bank fraud, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District. Federal prosecutors said Ficarra owned and led several companies, including three that published reference publications featuring biographical information of people across the country. Between 2013 and 2018, Ficarra mailed letters and pamphlets to victims, most of them…

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by Michael Mashburn