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Tag: Manhattan Federal Court
Weight Loss Drug Illegally Purchased On Social Media Sickens Westchester Woman, Feds Say
A wannabe social media influencer from New York hoping to cash in on the medication weight loss craze illegally sold Ozempic and other drugs on TikTok, sickening at least one victim, federal prosecutors allege.
Long Island resident Isis Navarro Reyes, age 36, of Shirley, is named in a six-count indictment that was unsealed in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, May 1.
Prosecutors allege that Reyes posted dozens of TikTok videos advertising and selling various misbranded and adulterated weight loss drugs, including Ozempic, Mesofrance, and Axcion, between November 2022 and January 2024.
S…
‘Trusted Lieutenant’ Of Sarah Lawrence College Sex-Cult Leader Admits To Conspiracy
A former Westchester County college student who fell under the spell of convicted sex-cult leader Larry Ray has pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder money for his illegal dealings.
Isabella Pollok, age 31, a former student at Sarah Lawrence College, located near the border of Yonkers and Bronxville, who was described as Ray's "trusted lieutenant," pleaded guilty on Wednesday, Sept. 7 to one count related to Ray's twisted plot in Manhattan federal court.
Ray, now age 62, will be sentenced in December on more than a dozen charges, including extortion, sex trafficking, and racketeering cons…
Alleged Crime Family Member From Tuckahoe Charged With Racketeering
Alleged members of the Genovese Organized Crime Family from Westchester and Fairfield counties are facing racketeering charges for their roles within the organization.
Federal prosecutors announced that four members and two associates of the family have been charged with racketeering conspiracy involving illegal gambling and extortion.
Those charged in Manhattan federal court:
Michael Messina, age 69, of New Fairfield, Connecticut;
Ralph Balsamo, age 51, of Tuckahoe, NY;
Michael Poli, age 37, of Hawthorne, NY;
Nicholas Calisi, age 63, of Boca Raton, Florida;
John Campanella, age 47, of t…
Lirr Worker Sentenced For Overtime Scheme
One of five Long Island Rail Road employees charged with a conspiracy to defraud the MTA through an overtime scheme has been sentenced to three months in prison.
Joseph Balestra, age 52, of Blue Point, was sentenced in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, Jan. 4, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
Balestra, who must also repay $109,641 in restitution, said during sentencing, he took full responsibility for his role in the scheme.
Following his three months in prison, he will have to serve three years of supervised release, three months of which will be s…
Fairfield County Man Sentenced For Running $5M Ponzi Scheme
A Fairfield County man has been sentenced to 42 months in prison in connection with his years-long Ponzi scheme to defraud customers of nearly $5 million.
James T. Booth, 75, of Norwalk, was sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court on Tuesday, Nov. 17, Audrey Strauss, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York said.
Booth, who ran Booth Financial Associates, pleaded guilty in October 2019 to the crimes.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Booth ripped off clients of nearly $5 million through a variety of lies and misrepresentations.
“Today, James T. Booth was se…
Nypd Officer From Area Charged With Conspiring To Commit Bank, Loan Fraud
An NYPD police officer from the Hudson Valley is facing charges for allegedly participating in a $1.5 million auto loan scam that targeted people attempting to boost their credit scores.
Eduardo Rodriguez, 41, of Goshen in Orange County, has been charged with conspiring to commit bank and loan fraud, as well as making false statements to federal law enforcement officers. He was arrested on Tuesday, July 2, and arraigned in Manhattan Federal Court.
It is alleged that in June 2017, Rodriguez agreed with two other men, Ricardo Taboada, and Daniel Duran, to submit an application to a lender for…
Westchester Native, Ousted Wfan Radio Host Craig Carton Sentenced For Ponzi Scheme
This story has been updated.
Westchester native and former radio/TV sports talk star Craig Carton was sentenced by a Manhattan federal judge for running a ticket-resale Ponzi scheme.
Carton, who grew up in New Rochelle, was ordered on Friday, April 5 to serve 42 months in prison.
In addition to the prison term, he was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $4,835,186.56 in restitution and to forfeit $4,590,000.
In a plea for leniency, the 50-year-old Carton, who co-host WFAN's “Boomer and Carton” morning show for a decade alongside retired NFL qua…
Westchester Man Charged In Decades-Old Double Murder For Hire
A 46-year-old man from Westchester was one of two suspects charged Friday in connection with a 20-year-old double murder for hire in the Bronx, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Geoffrey S. Berman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI, and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, announced the unsealing of a federal indictment charging Robert Acosta of Yonkers and Jose Diaz, also known as “Cano,” of the Bronx with the Dec. 22, 1997, mu…