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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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'Blight On Community' Long Island Motel That Housed Alleged Sex, Drug Trafficking Ring Sold 'Blight On Community' Long Island Motel That Housed Alleged Sex, Drug Trafficking Ring Sold
'Blight On Community' Long Island Motel That Housed Alleged Sex, Drug Trafficking Ring Sold Nearly a year after the owner and several employees of a Long Island motel were charged in an alleged sex and drug trafficking operation, the property has a new owner. The Sayville Motor Lodge, located in Sayville on Sunrise Highway, was sold to another company, the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District announced Tuesday, Oct. 3. US District Judge Joanna Seybert approved the sale for $2 million, with the payment from the state’s proceeds going to prior lenders on the property. The remaining proceeds will be forfeited to the government, which will seek to have the funds given to vic…

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by Michael Mashburn
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MS-13 Member Admits Role In 'Senseless, Barbaric' Murders, Attacks On Long Island MS-13 Member Admits Role In 'Senseless, Barbaric' Murders, Attacks On Long Island
MS-13 Member Admits Role In 'Senseless, Barbaric' Murders, Attacks On Long Island A member of the notorious MS-13 gang could spend the rest of his life in prison after admitting to his role in a string of murders, including two high school students, and other attacks on Long Island. Enrique Portillo, age 26, of Brentwood, pleaded guilty to racketeering and firearms charges in federal court in Central Islip on Thursday, Aug. 31, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District. Prosecutors said Portillo, a member of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside (Sailors) clique of MS-13, participated in four murders targeting rival gang members between September 2…

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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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'Down In Flames': Business Owner On Long Island Bribed Official For $1M In Federal Contracts 'Down In Flames': Business Owner On Long Island Bribed Official For $1M In Federal Contracts
'Down In Flames': Business Owner On Long Island Bribed Official For $1M In Federal Contracts The owner of a Long Island company could spend over a decade behind bars after admitting that he bribed a federal official in order to secure nearly $1 million in federal contracts. Michael Montenes, age 61, of St. James, pleaded guilty to bribery charges in federal court in Central Islip on Wednesday, May 3. Montenes is the owner of Hauppauge-based M.S. Hi-Tech, Incorporated, a distributor of electronic components. According to the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District, between December 2017 and December 2020 Montenes paid a Procurement Officer employed at the Department of Energy…

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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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MS-13 Gang Member From Suffolk Sentenced For Role In Teen's Murder, Subsequent Shooting MS-13 Gang Member From Suffolk Sentenced For Role In Teen's Murder, Subsequent Shooting
MS-13 Gang Member From Suffolk Sentenced For Role In Teen's Murder, Subsequent Shooting A member of the notorious MS-13 gang will spend decades in federal prison for his role in brutally killing a 19-year-old Long Island man in April 2016. Nelson Argueta-Quintanilla, age 24, of Brentwood, was sentenced to more than 27 years behind bars Tuesday, Nov. 22, in federal court in Central Islip. Earlier Report: Long Island MS-13 Gang Member Admits To 2016 Murder It followed his September 2021 guilty plea to racketeering charges related to the murder of Oscar Acosta, of Brentwood, and attempted murders of suspected rival gang members, along with conspiracy to distribute drugs. Accor…

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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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MS-13 Members Charged For Murder That Killed Innocent Bystander In Brentwood MS-13 Members Charged For Murder That Killed Innocent Bystander In Brentwood
MS-13 Members Charged For Murder That Killed Innocent Bystander In Brentwood Seven years after a 24-year-old man was killed and another was wounded in an unprovoked shooting on Long Island, three MS-13 gang members are facing federal charges in the attack. Kenneth Evans, Jr. was shot multiple times in Brentwood in November 2015 as he walked with two friends on Gibson Avenue, according to police. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Another victim was shot in the head but survived, while a third man escaped without injury, police said. On Tuesday, Nov. 8, the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District announced that three members of La Mara Salvatrucha, also know…

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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