SCAM ALERT: PA Woman Loses $115K To NY Duo Posing As DEA, Authorities Say SCAM ALERT: PA Woman Loses $115K To NY Duo Posing As DEA, Authorities Say
Scam ALERT: PA Woman Loses $115K To NY Duo Posing As DEA, Authorities Say Two illegal immigrants living in New York contacted an elderly Pennsylvania woman claiming her social security number was used in the commission of narcotics dealing and money laundering — but she could avoid prosecution if her assets were handed over to the fake government employees, officials explained in multiple releases on Friday, Sept. 29.  Vikram Singh, 22, and Devraj Devraj of South Ozone Park have been charged with theft by deception, criminal use of a communication facility, and two counts of theft by extortion in connection with the scheme.  The police first b…
Overdue Rent Led To Homicide Of MD Man On PA Highway: DA Overdue Rent Led To Homicide Of MD Man On PA Highway: DA
Overdue Rent Led To Homicide Of MD Man On PA Highway: DA An overdue rent payment is believed to have motivated a Maryland man to kill his passenger while traveling on a highway in Pennsylvania, according to a release by the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office on Tuesday, July 18, 2023.  Miguel Vazquez-Ruiz, 54, of Baltimore, was found shot to death on U.S. 222 South, in Brecknock Township Lancaster County near the Berks County line at mile marker 48.6 at 7:07 a.m. on Sunday, April 23, according to Pennsylvania State Police.  An autopsy performed by the Lancaster County Coroner's Office revealed he sustained five gunshot wou…
PA Dad Of 3 Who Killed Wife, Burned House Down Learns His Fate: DA PA Dad Of 3 Who Killed Wife, Burned House Down Learns His Fate: DA
PA Dad Of 3 Who Killed Wife, Burned House Down Learns His Fate: DA "He lied since day one," Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Ponessa said of Carlos Montalvo-Rivera.  The 55-year-old Lancaster liar who concocted a wild story "that intruders broke into the home, killed his wife, and set fire to it out of retaliation for the victim’s brother, who had cooperated with the DEA in an unrelated case," was sentenced on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, according to a release by the Lancaster County District Attorney's office.  Montalvo-Rivera has been sentenced to "life in prison – plus 20 years – for deliberately setting fire to his family’s home a…
7K+ THC-Laced Fake Branded Products Seized In Central PA: DA 7K+ THC-Laced Fake Branded Products Seized In Central PA: DA
7K+ Thc-laced Fake Branded Products Seized In Central PA: DA Brand-name products were used to disguise illegal drugs found in Lancaster, according to a release by the District Attorney's Office on Thursday, June 1, 2023. Kellogg’s, Ruffles, and Nerds were among the over 7,200 products seized by the Lancaster County Drug Task Force during a two-day operation– with a total estimated value of approximately $290,000, as detailed in the DA's release. The task force went to 43 stores throughout the county and conducted searches with the store owners' consent to find the Delta-8 and Delta-10 THC products. Products seized included vapes, cartridges, oi…
3 Children, Dead Mom Abandoned When Dad Commits Arson In Fake Home-Invasion In PA, DA Says 3 Children, Dead Mom Abandoned When Dad Commits Arson In Fake Home-Invasion In PA, DA Says
3 Children, Dead Mom Abandoned When Dad Commits Arson In Fake Home-Invasion In PA, DA Says "He lied since day one," Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Ponessa said of Carlos Montalvo-Rivera.  The 55-year-old Lancaster liar had concocted a wild story "that intruders broke into the home, killed his wife, and set fire to it out of retaliation for the victim’s brother, who had cooperated with the DEA in an unrelated case," according to a release by the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office on Friday, April 7, 2023. Really, he started the blaze to cover up a murder that he himself had committed, authorities said. Montalvo-Rivera's lies started on the night of t…
PA TikToker Who Admitted To Killing Her Wheelchair Bound Sister Learns Her Fate: DA PA TikToker Who Admitted To Killing Her Wheelchair Bound Sister Learns Her Fate: DA
PA TikToker Who Admitted To Killing Her Wheelchair Bound Sister Learns Her Fate: DA "Incoherently tragic," events led a TikToking teen to "Michael Myer's" (as the killer put it) her sister who had Cerebral Palsy, authorities say. Over two years later, the now 16-year-old Claire Miller has learned her fate, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney's office.  The Manheim Township girl "pleaded guilty but mentally ill to a charge of third-degree murder Friday afternoon in Lancaster County Court regarding the stabbing of her sister (Helen, 19) on Feb. 22, 2021," the DA stated in the release on Friday, March 10, 2023. The stabbing happened while the girls' parents we…
12-Year-Old Raped, Strangled, Hid In Freezer ID'd As PA Girl Who Would 'Light Up The Room' 12-Year-Old Raped, Strangled, Hid In Freezer ID'd As PA Girl Who Would 'Light Up The Room'
12-Year-Old Raped, Strangled, Hid In Freezer ID'd As PA Girl Who Would 'Light Up The Room' A girl who was raped, strangled, and hidden in a basement freezer by her mom's ex-boyfriend has been identified by the Lancaster Coroner as of Monday, February 13, 2023.  Elaina Smith, 12, of Columbia Borough, has been identified as the girl who died in this horrific way, according to the coroner's office. Her death was ruled a homicide as a result of strangulation, the coroner’s office says. Her mom's ex-boyfriend 39-year-old Jason Jerod Shackelford, of Columbia, was arrested on Friday, Feb. 10.  He is accused of raping Elaina at his ex-girlfriend Tiffany Smith's home in the…
Shallow Grave Unearthed 'Missing Mary Ann' Not Found, But Husband Charged With Homicide: DA Shallow Grave Unearthed 'Missing Mary Ann' Not Found, But Husband Charged With Homicide: DA
Shallow Grave Unearthed 'Missing Mary Ann' Not Found, But Husband Charged With Homicide: DA New evidence, including handwriting analysis testing, and "decades of hard work and dedication by law enforcement personnel" has led to the arrest of a woman's estranged husband 38 years after she went missing, authorities announced in a release and at a press conference on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022.  Mary Ann Bagenstose, 25 years old at the time of her disappearance, was last seen at her home located at 167 Willow Street, Pequea Township on June 5, 1984, authorities say.  Bagenstose was last seen by her estranged husband, Jere Musser Bagenstose the morning she disappeared, he&…
Woman Admits To Killing Mom Of Three After Causing Crash While High On Marijuana On RT 30 Woman Admits To Killing Mom Of Three After Causing Crash While High On Marijuana On RT 30
Woman Admits To Killing Mom Of Three After Causing Crash While High On Marijuana On RT 30 25-year-old Renee Emerick is heading to prison for 4 to 15 years after admitting to being high on marijuana when she caused a deadly crash on Route 30 in West Hempfield Township on June 19, 2021, according to a release by the Lancaster County district attorney's office on Nov. 22, 20222. Emerick pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle while DUI, four counts of aggravated assault by vehicle, and related charges in Lancaster County Court in June 2022. She was sentenced to 4 to 15 years in prison by Lancaster County Judge Dennis E. Reinaker on Monday, Nov. 21.  “This is a tragedy …
Lititz Sex Offender Who Sent Nudes To Undercover FBI Agent Learns His Fate Lititz Sex Offender Who Sent Nudes To Undercover FBI Agent Learns His Fate
Lititz Sex Offender Who Sent Nudes To Undercover FBI Agent Learns His Fate Two undercover agents caught a central Pennsylvania man using the social media app Kik to make child pornography, according to the Lancaster County district attorney's office. The sting operation began after the Lancaster County Human Trafficking Task Force received a tip from the FBI that Sean Deemer, 54, of the 500 block of Golden Street, Lititz,'s IP address was linked to child porn and grooming on the app on May 3. Between the dates of May 6 and 12, 2021, the FBI posed as an 11-year-old girl Kik and had a conversation with Deemer. A subpoena served to Kik by the FBI revealed the I…
Chester County Man Convicted For 12th DUI In Lancaster County: DA Chester County Man Convicted For 12th DUI In Lancaster County: DA
Chester County Man Convicted For 12th DUI In Lancaster County: DA A Toughkenamon man has been convicted of his 12th felony charge for driving under the influence, according to a release by the Lancaster County district attorney's office on Nov. 16. Anthony Caraballo, 56, was found guilty to be driving under the influence when he drove his red 2002 Dodge Ram over the fog line and nearly hit another vehicle on State Route 472 in Colerain Township on October 19, 2021, according to the release. During a two-day trial with a 33-minute deliberation, the jury convicted him on Nov. 8, the DA details in the release.  When state police ran Caraballo's li…
Parole, Probation Officer From Delaware Admits To Downloading Child Porn In Pennsylvania: DA Parole, Probation Officer From Delaware Admits To Downloading Child Porn In Pennsylvania: DA
Parole, Probation Officer From Delaware Admits To Downloading Child Porn In Pennsylvania: DA A Lancaster County Probation and Parole officer was arrested on child pornography-related charges on Friday, Oct. 28, the County District Attorney's office announced on Monday, Oct. 31.  Deric Paul Lilly, 45, previously of the 300 block of W. Charlotte Street in Manor Township, but now living in Delaware, was charged with four felony counts of possessing child pornography and two felony counts of criminal use of a communication facility.  Detectives in Lancaster County had received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding an account that was used…