Covid-19: Capital District Woman Admits To Pandemic Relief Fraud
A woman from the Capital District is facing years in prison after admitting that she took advantage of loan programs meant to help businesses struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Debra Hackstadt, age 67, of Albany, pleaded guilty Thursday, May 19, to fraudulently obtaining 32 government-backed loans, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
The loans were issued to Hackstadt herself, various friends and relatives, and several companies that she controlled, prosecutors said.
In all, investigators said she received more than $1.6 million between April 2020 and June 2021 through two separat…
Data Of Nearly One Million NY Students Compromised In Hack Of Online Grading System
The personal data of nearly a million New York students has been compromised by hackers attempting to alter grades, investigators announced.
In January, Illuminate Education, a taxpayer-funded software company that tracks grades and attendance for the New York City Department of Education, was targeted, resulting in the data of approximately 820,000 students being made available.
Specifically, officials said that the hackers gained access to students’ names, birthdays, ethnicities, English-speaking, special-education, teacher schedules, and free-lunch statuses, though information including …
