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$8M Fraud Scheme: Westchester Man Billed Millions In False Transportation Claims $8M Fraud Scheme: Westchester Man Billed Millions In False Transportation Claims
$8M Fraud Scheme: Westchester Man Billed Millions In False Transportation Claims A Westchester man will spend years in prison after billing more than $8 million in false transportation service claims as part of a multi-million-dollar Medicaid fraud scheme.  Yonkers resident Julio Alvarado, age 63, was sentenced to 95 months in prison on Wednesday, March 29 for leading the scheme which ended up defrauding Medicaid out of millions of dollars, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.  According to federal officials, Alvarado was responsible for billing more than $8 million in fraudulent transportation services for Medicaid…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Missing Man Found In Woods By K9 Officer After Mile-Long Search In Northern Westchester Missing Man Found In Woods By K9 Officer After Mile-Long Search In Northern Westchester
Missing Man Found In Woods By K9 Officer After Mile-Long Search In Northern Westchester With the help of the trusty nose of a K9 officer, a vulnerable 60-year-old man who had become lost was found in the woods in Northern Westchester.  The incident happened on Monday, March 27, just after Carmel Police Officer Vincent DeSantola and his K9 partner Pietro conducted a demonstration for families at the town's Parks and Recreation Egg Hunt. Shortly after this, a real call for service came in, and the pair were given a chance to prove their skills.  Around 3:35 p.m., DeSantola and Pietro traveled to Somers to help the Somers PD and state police locate a 60-year-old vulnerable adult…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Smoke Shop Shut Down After Selling 'Wonka Bar' With THC In Westchester, Police Say Smoke Shop Shut Down After Selling 'Wonka Bar' With THC In Westchester, Police Say
Smoke Shop Shut Down After Selling 'Wonka Bar' With THC In Westchester, Police Say A smoke shop in Westchester has been shut down after selling numerous unlicensed products containing cannabis, police said.  Yonkers Smokers, located in Yonkers at 262 South Broadway, was shut down following an inspection by the city's smoke shop task force, Yonkers PD announced on Monday, March 27.  As a result of the inspection, many unlicensed products containing cannabis and unlicensed cannabinoids were confiscated from the store.  According to police, many of these products were designed to mimic the appearance of candy, including a THC-infused "Wonka Bar" coming i…

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by Ben Crnic
News
'Evil, Soulless Man' Left Woman's Body On Parkway In Westchester: Here's His Sentence 'Evil, Soulless Man' Left Woman's Body On Parkway In Westchester: Here's His Sentence
'Evil, Soulless Man' Left Woman's Body On Parkway In Westchester: Here's His Sentence A man who strangled a woman to death and left her body wrapped in a blanket alongside a parkway in Westchester County nearly 20 years ago will spend decades in prison.  Earlier Report - Man Admits Leaving Woman's Body On Parkway In Greenburgh Nearly 20 Years Ago: DA Florida resident Christopher Gonzalez, age 41, was sentenced to 20 years to life in state prison for the murder of Yonkers resident Angel Serbay in 2005, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah announced on Friday, March 17.  On the day of the murder, Sept. 3, 2005, Gonzalez strangled 25-year-…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
YouTube Takes Down 'Violent, Graphic' Video Posted By Police Department In Westchester YouTube Takes Down 'Violent, Graphic' Video Posted By Police Department In Westchester
YouTube Takes Down 'Violent, Graphic' Video Posted By Police Department In Westchester A police department in Westchester ran into trouble with YouTube after the company removed a video posted by officers that they deemed was too violent.  The video-sharing website sent an email to Yonkers Police on Sunday, March 12 notifying them that it had removed a video posted by the department in 2021 that was in violation of YouTube's violent or graphic content policy.  The email, which was shared by the department on social media, said the video that had been removed had been titled "Yonkers Police arrest, charge 14 gang members in violent North Broadway assault" and that it had brok…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Trench Collapse Traps Victim At Westchester Residence Trench Collapse Traps Victim At Westchester Residence
Trench Collapse Traps Victim At Westchester Residence This story has been updated. Emergency responders in Westchester had to free a victim who was trapped in a trench collapse.  The collapse happened on Friday, March 10 in Yonkers at a residence at 15 Frederic Place when a person was waterproofing the foundation of the home, according to Yonkers Police.  Members from the Yonkers PD and Fire Department were eventually able to rescue the person by 5:50 p.m. on Friday. More information about the incident has not yet been released.  Check back to Daily Voice for more details. 

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by Ben Crnic
Lifestyle
'Still Feels Like Dream': Hudson Valley Duo To Audition On 'American Idol' 'Still Feels Like Dream': Hudson Valley Duo To Audition On 'American Idol'
'Still Feels Like Dream': Hudson Valley Duo To Audition On 'American Idol' Fans of "American Idol" will soon be able to watch two women from the Hudson Valley sing their hearts out on the show and fulfill their childhood dreams.  Both Westchester County resident Amara Valerio of Yonkers and Rockland County resident Dany Epp of Suffern will appear on the beloved show in an episode airing on Sunday, March 12 on ABC at 11:35 p.m.  Valerio and Epp, both lifelong fans of the show, sang in front of celebrity judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie in Las Vegas and said that the auditions were something that they felt their whole lives had led up to.  Ameri…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Fatal Fire: At Least 1 Dead After Massive Blaze Breaks Out At Westchester Apartment Building Fatal Fire: At Least 1 Dead After Massive Blaze Breaks Out At Westchester Apartment Building
Fatal Fire: At Least 1 Dead After Massive Blaze Breaks Out At Westchester Apartment Building At least one person was killed and several others injured during a massive blaze overnight at an apartment building in Westchester County. The blaze began in Yonkers at the Mona Lisa Cooperative Residence at 671 Bronx River Road shortly before 1 a.m. on Wednesday, March 8. Members of the Yonkers Fire and Police departments are still on the scene engaged in active fire operations and traffic control, said officials with the Yonkers Police Department. Residents have been evacuated to the Community Center north of the fire scene. "Sadly, one male resident has been pronounced deceased," offic…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Trio Nabbed With 17 Suspected Stolen Catalytic Converters In Westchester Trio Nabbed With 17 Suspected Stolen Catalytic Converters In Westchester
Trio Nabbed With 17 Suspected Stolen Catalytic Converters In Westchester Three men were caught with 17 suspected stolen catalytic converters at a parking garage in Westchester. Shortly before dawn Wednesday, March 1, members of the Yonkers Police Department responded to the garage in the rear of 80 Alexander St. on a report of an occupied suspicious vehicle.  According to information provided by the Yonkers PD: Officers located two vehicles next to each other – a 2022 BMW X7 and a 2016 Lexus ES 350 – and three subjects, one outside the Lexus and two occupying the BMW.  The Lexus had no license plates attached and the trunk was fully open; Police…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Hudson Valley Restaurateur Sentenced For Burning Down Eatery, Endangering Others Hudson Valley Restaurateur Sentenced For Burning Down Eatery, Endangering Others
Hudson Valley Restaurateur Sentenced For Burning Down Eatery, Endangering Others A former Hudson Valley restaurateur has been sentenced to prison for intentionally burning down his restaurant and endangering the lives of his wife and first responders. Orange County resident Zef Gjurashaj, age 60, of Newburgh, was sentenced Wednesday, March 1. Gjurashaj, who was convicted by a jury in September 2022, was sentenced to 22 years to life in prison for burning down Andiamo’s Restaurant, which was located at 5025 Route 9W, in the Town of Newburgh in 2017, the Orange County DA's Office said. Prior to the trial, Gjurashaj’s co-defendant and the wife of his nephew…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Multi-City Chase: 5 Armed Robbery Suspects Caught By K-9 Unit, Police In Westchester Multi-City Chase: 5 Armed Robbery Suspects Caught By K-9 Unit, Police In Westchester
Multi-City Chase: 5 Armed Robbery Suspects Caught By K-9 Unit, Police In Westchester Updated Story - 2 Stolen Vehicles, Armed Robbery Suspects Caught In 24 Hours In Mount Vernon After leading multiple police departments on a chase through three cities, five armed robbery suspects were unable to escape the law.  The chase started on Tuesday night, Feb. 28 around 8:30 p.m., when the New York City Police Department reported that it was following a vehicle that was wanted in connection with an armed robbery investigation.  Shortly after this, the vehicle entered Westchester on Interstate 87 in Yonkers, traveling onto the Cross County Parkway before then entering…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Road Rage: Suspects Point Gun At Driver, Then Crash In Northern Westchester, Police Say Road Rage: Suspects Point Gun At Driver, Then Crash In Northern Westchester, Police Say
Road Rage: Suspects Point Gun At Driver, Then Crash In Northern Westchester, Police Say Two suspects will be prosecuted by federal officials after allegedly pointing a gun at another driver at a stop light and then fleeing police before crashing in Northern Westchester. The road rage incident started on Monday, Feb. 20 around 10:30 a.m. in Yonkers, when two drivers stopped at a traffic light on Lawrence Street exchanged words, which then escalated into the passenger of one of the cars pointing a gun at the driver of the second vehicle.  The victim then immediately drove away after seeing the gun and called police as the suspect's vehicle, a Chrysler 300, followed clo…

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by Ben Crnic