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Financial Crime

Call About $97K Gold Bar, Porn Site To Nassau County Victim Lands Scammer In Handcuffs: Police Call About $97K Gold Bar, Porn Site To Nassau County Victim Lands Scammer In Handcuffs: Police
Call About $97K Gold Bar, Porn Site To Nassau County Victim Lands Scammer In Handcuffs: Police A phone call about a Chinese porn site ended with a suspected scammer in handcuffs. An 87-year-old Garden City woman contacted Nassau County Police at around 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2, saying a man had called and informed her that a Chinese porn website had stolen money from her bank account. In order to rectify the situation, the man told her she needed to purchase a gold bar worth $97,875 and someone would come to her home and pick it up using a secret code. Fortunately, the would-be victim contacted police before forking over any money. Fifth Precinct officers were waiting when the suspect…
$9.6M Scheme: Long Island Businessman Admits To Bank Fraud Conspiracy $9.6M Scheme: Long Island Businessman Admits To Bank Fraud Conspiracy
$9.6M Scheme: Long Island 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…
Ex-Manager Who Stole From Autistic Residents At Long Island Care Facility Gets Prison Ex-Manager Who Stole From Autistic Residents At Long Island Care Facility Gets Prison
Ex-Manager Who Stole From Autistic Residents At Long Island Care Facility Gets Prison A former manager of a residential care facility on Long Island will serve prison time for stealing from developmentally disabled residents. Desiree Etheridge, age 50, of North Carolina, was sentenced to one to three years behind bars in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, Aug. 29, after pleading guilty to felony grand larceny. According to prosecutors, Etheridge worked as a facility manager at Eden II in St. James. As part of her responsibilities, she regularly withdrew cash from residents’ bank accounts to place in their petty cash envelope so they could go shopping. Earlier Report: …
Duo Accused Of Skimming Cards At Long Island Banks Duo Accused Of Skimming Cards At Long Island Banks
Duo Accused Of Skimming Cards At Long Island Banks Two men on Long Island were arrested after police said they set up card skimming devices multiple times at local banks. According to Nassau County Police, the pair was caught following a Franklin Square incident on Saturday, June 22. On that day, a witness reported seeing two men — later identified as Pavel Olewski, age 30, and Andrei Stefan, age 36 — placed a skimming device on the ATM at Ridgewood Savings Bank, located at 1010 Hempstead Turnpike. Further investigation revealed that the two men were responsible for a number of other incidents not only at the Ridgewood Savings Bank in F…
NY Financial Advisor Stole Over $1M From Clients To Buy Car, High-End Clothing, Jury Finds NY Financial Advisor Stole Over $1M From Clients To Buy Car, High-End Clothing, Jury Finds
NY Financial Advisor Stole Over $1M From Clients To Buy Car, High-End Clothing, Jury Finds A former investment adviser and founder of a New York financial advisory firm could spend decades in federal prison for conning his clients out of more than $1 million. Long Island resident Jeffrey Slothower, age 46, of Southampton, was found guilty of wire fraud and related charges by a jury in Central Islip federal court on Thursday, May 16. According to prosecutors, in 2017 Slothower targeted a California couple whose money he had managed at another financial services firm, promising them he could beat any rate of return they were receiving at his own firm, Battery Private. He offered t…
Geek Squad Scammer Stole Over $55K From Long Island Victims: Police Geek Squad Scammer Stole Over $55K From Long Island Victims: Police
Geek Squad Scammer Stole Over $55K From Long Island Victims: Police A 21-year-old scam artist from Queens was arrested after police uncovered that he had tricked tens of thousands of dollars out of two people on Long Island. Jarnail Singh, age 21, of South Ozone Park, Queens, started his scam by posing as a member of the Geek Squad, the Best Buy tech service team, Suffolk County Police announced on Friday, Feb. 2. A 77-year-old Amityville man received an email from Singh, claiming the victim had a $399 charge. When the victim called the number listed on the email to dispute the charges, Singh allegedly answered, directing the man to log into his bank acc…
Man Scams 9/11 Victim, Widow On Long Island: Police Man Scams 9/11 Victim, Widow On Long Island: Police
Man Scams 9/11 Victim, Widow On Long Island: Police A Queens man has been arrested after he allegedly conned two women out of over $150,000, including one Long Islander who was awarded money as part of the 9/11 Victim Fund, police said. Richard Yasnis, age 42, was arrested on Wednesday, Dec. 20 for his alleged Locust Valley crimes, according to Nassau County Police. In July 2023, Yasnis, who is from Jamaica, Queens, allegedly posed as an investment advisor and representative of the Cahill Financial Group, which is based in New York City. Under the guise that it would be used to invest in stocks and real estate, police said Yasnis receive…
Woman Scammed $750K Out Of Long Island Victim, Sentenced Woman Scammed $750K Out Of Long Island Victim, Sentenced
Woman Scammed $750K Out Of Long Island Victim, Sentenced A Long Island woman who stole nearly three-quarters of a million dollars from an elderly woman will now spend years behind bars, authorities announced. On Friday, Sept. 15, Elizabeth Reilly, a 50-year-old New Hyde Park woman, was sentenced to three to six years in prison for grand larceny, according to the Nassau County District Attorney. Original story: $750K Stolen: New Hyde Park Thief Used Money On Plane Tickets, Beauty, DA Says At the time of the crimes, Reilly was employed by a Floral Park attorney who had a verbal agreement with a 91-year-old woman to handle her finances whil…
$65M Ponzi Scheme: Former NY Hedge Fund Manager Admits To Lending Fraud $65M Ponzi Scheme: Former NY Hedge Fund Manager Admits To Lending Fraud
$65M Ponzi Scheme: Former NY Hedge Fund Manager Admits To Lending Fraud A former bond trader and hedge fund manager in New York could spend decades in federal prison for defrauding his friends and lending institutions out of over $65 million. Nassau County resident Jeffrey Parket, age 59, of Great Neck, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and bank fraud in federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday, Feb. 15. According to the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District, Parket swindled his victims out of millions of dollars between 2016 and December 2021 by lying about his financial condition and pledging fake collateral in order to obtain short-term loans. He claime…
NY Woman Stole Over $1M From Elderly Man To Pay Off Boyfriend’s Debts, Police Say NY Woman Stole Over $1M From Elderly Man To Pay Off Boyfriend’s Debts, Police Say
NY Woman Stole Over $1M From Elderly Man To Pay Off Boyfriend’s Debts, Police Say A New York woman is accused of stealing more than $1 million from an elderly man who entrusted her with his finances. Fulton County resident Gladys Griffith, age 49, of Perth, was arrested Thursday, Oct. 6, following an investigation by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. The first signs of potential wrongdoing surfaced in July 2022, when deputies were asked to do a welfare check on the victim following several suspicious transfers and withdrawals from his bank account, police said. That triggered a joint investigation consisting of several agencies, including the sheriff’s office, New Yo…
Police Issue Alert For Multiple ATM Skimming Devices On Long Island Police Issue Alert For Multiple ATM Skimming Devices On Long Island
Police Issue Alert For Multiple ATM Skimming Devices On Long Island Authorities are alerting Long Islanders after locating a number of ATM skimming devices in the area. The City of Long Beach New York Police Department in Nassau County reported on Tuesday, April 5, that police were alerted to multiple devices over the past few months. The phony card reading devices look like real card readers and allow people to capture financial information from an individual's card. Police said the easiest way to detect a skimming device is to pull on the area where you swipe the card. If the area is loose, people should be suspicious and report the suspected skimming d…
Long Island Woman Indicted For Theft Of Almost $750K, DA Says Long Island Woman Indicted For Theft Of Almost $750K, DA Says
Long Island Woman Indicted For Theft Of Almost $750K, DA Says A woman on Long Island is facing charges for allegedly stealing nearly $750,000 through her employer, which had been entrusted with her victim’s finances, authorities announced. Nassau County resident Elizabeth Reilly, age 48, of New Hyde Park, was arraigned on Wednesday, April 6 on charges she allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from a 91-year-old woman who entrusted her finances to her employer, a Floral Park attorney. Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said that Reilly’s employer had a verbal agreement with the victim that he would handle her finances as she began…
Former Hempstead Official Sentenced For Scamming Lender, Stealing $59K, DA Says Former Hempstead Official Sentenced For Scamming Lender, Stealing $59K, DA Says
Former Hempstead Official Sentenced For Scamming Lender, Stealing $59K, DA Says A former Long Island public official was sentenced for stealing $59,000 and scamming a commercial lender into granting him more than $1 million in loans. John Novello, the former deputy commissioner for the Town of Hempstead Buildings Department, was sentenced on Thursday, Sept. 30, to five years of probation, Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce Smith announced. The 53-year-old Hewlett Harbor man also paid $41,000 in restitution to the Nassau County Republican Committee. Novello pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree grand larceny on Friday, July 23. “As public o…
NY Man Indicted In $700,000 Investment Scheme NY Man Indicted In $700,000 Investment Scheme
NY Man Indicted In $700,000 Investment Scheme A New York man has been indicted for scamming investors out of more than $700,000, authorities announced. Long Island resident Matthew Gallagher, age 37, of Rocky Point, used various investment schemes to scam 24 victims over a period of about four years, according to an investigation by Suffolk County Police and Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini. “We have 24 people here who gave their savings to this defendant with the promise of sound investments only to be lied to and swindled out of their hard-earned money,” Sini said. “He was allegedly selling them on investing in b…
Ex-Long Island Investment Advisor Sentenced For Multi-Million Dollar Ponzi Scheme Ex-Long Island Investment Advisor Sentenced For Multi-Million Dollar Ponzi Scheme
Ex-Long Island Investment Advisor Sentenced For Multi-Million Dollar Ponzi Scheme An investment advisor from Long Island will spend more than a decade behind bars for his role in defrauding his elderly victims in a multimillion-dollar scheme, U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue announced. East Setauket resident Steven Pagartanis, 60, was sentenced to a term of 170 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $6.5 million in restitution after pleading guilty in December to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud for orchestrating a securities fraud scheme over the course of 18 years.   “Today’s sentence is a well-deserved reckoning for Pagartanis, who preyed on el…
Don't Fall For It: Alert Issued For 'Clever' Fake Check Scam Don't Fall For It: Alert Issued For 'Clever' Fake Check Scam
Don't Fall For It: Alert Issued For 'Clever' Fake Check Scam Residents in the area are being warned about a new phony check scam that has been making the rounds in the region. There are several variations to the scam, officials said, but the most common involves a resident receiving notice that they won a “sweepstakes” with a faux check or first installment. Other versions involve letters from allegedly foreign countries that require the deposit of cash into a bank account for safekeeping, while others offer “too good to be true” or “work at home” proposals. Authorities said that, “the checks look real, and might have the names of real companies on t…
Former CEO From Valley Stream Sentenced For Multimillion-Dollar Fraud, Embezzlement Scheme Former CEO From Valley Stream Sentenced For Multimillion-Dollar Fraud, Embezzlement Scheme
Former CEO From Valley Stream Sentenced For Multimillion-Dollar Fraud, Embezzlement Scheme A Long Island man who was the former CEO of Municipal Credit Union will spend time behind bars for defrauding and embezzling nearly $10 million during his time at the helm of the non-profit institution. Kam Wong, of Valley Stream, has been sentenced to 66 months in prison after pleading guilty to embezzlement from a federally insured credit union before U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl, who imposed his sentence this week. Beginning in 2007 and lasting through his arrest in May 2018, Wong was the CEO and president of the Municipal Credit Union (MCU), which has its headquarters in Manhatta…