Greenwich Sex Offender Gets Sentenced To Decades For Exploiting 4 Teens In New York: Feds
A repeat sex offender with a conviction in Connecticut, who targeted teenage girls and recorded the abuse, will spend decades in federal prison, authorities said.
Taiel Gookool, 31, was sentenced earlier this year to 35 years behind bars, followed by 20 years of supervised release, according to federal authorities, according to the US Attorney's Office, Northern District of New York.
Prosecutors said Gookool exploited four minors and possessed child pornography in 2024. He engaged in sexual acts with all four victims and recorded the abuse, or had the victims record it.
"Mr…
Duo Falsified Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Inspections Across Westchester, Feds Say
A Putnam County man and a North Carolina resident have been charged in a federal fraud case accusing them of falsifying hundreds of critical safety inspections on natural gas pipelines in Westchester County and New York City, prosecutors announced.
Michael Vasconcellos, 44, of Mahopac, and Liam Treibert, 30, of Wendell, North Carolina, were indicted on charges of wire fraud, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Thursday, Aug. 28.
Both men were arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 27: Treibert in North Carolina, where he will appear before a federal judge i…
$1M IRS Fraud Scheme Masterminded By Woman With Multiple Personas In York: DOJ
A York woman plotted an elaborate scheme to steal more than $1 million from the IRS by filing fake tax documents and a bogus check, federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday, August 13.
Queen Naja, 44, also known as Renata Winifred Ince and Naja Talibah Zahir, worked with 42-year-old Quentin Diego Sturgeon of Montgomery, Alabama, to carry out the plan, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama.
The two met through social media in April 2021, when Naja proposed creating a legal trust, submitting fraudulent paperwork to the IRS, and using a counterfeit check …
Hanukkah Shooting: Man Who Opened Fire Outside Albany Synagogue Gets Years In Prison
A man who fired a shotgun outside an Albany synagogue on the first night of Hanukkah in 2023 has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 29, of Schenectady, pleaded guilty in February to a federal hate crime for the Dec. 7, 2023, incident at Temple Israel, as Daily Voice previously reported.
Alkhader took an Uber to the synagogue, walked up the front steps, pulled a shotgun from a duffel bag, and fired two rounds into the air while shouting “Free Palestine.” Adults and children were inside at the time, but no one was injured.
He had planned to shoot out the syna…
Boiling Springs Man With 14 Convictions Gets Nearly Decade In Prison For Homemade Rifle: ICE
A Pennsylvania man with a long criminal record, including convictions for indecent assault and multiple DUIs, will spend nearly a decade in federal prison for illegally manufacturing a firearm, authorities announced Friday, Aug. 1.
Philip Shearer, 49, of Harrisburg — previously of Boiling Springs, Enola, Mechanicsburg, and Chambersburg according to public records — admitted to possessing an unregistered short-barrel rifle along with more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, several high-capacity magazines, night vision goggles, and a ghillie suit, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the …
$1.4M Maryland Fraud: Couple Lived Large With Cruises, Exotic Birds, Home Renovations: Feds
A South Carolina husband and wife lived it up for more than a decade — jetting off on cruises, renovating their home, spoiling their pets, and racking up six figures at Walmart — all on the dime of a Maryland business they targeted in a $1.4 million fraud scheme, federal prosecutors said.
Robin Joseph, 64, of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, was sentenced on Monday, July 28, to 39 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in the massive embezzlement and identity theft scheme, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
Joseph …
Wiretaps Reveal Westminster Man Ran Crack Ring, Sold Cocaine, Plotted Murder: Feds
A Westminster drug dealer who cooked crack, buried drugs in the woods, and ordered a man’s murder is heading to federal prison for more than two decades, authorities announced.
Rodney Gaines, 35, was sentenced to 23 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release on Thursday, July 10, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland said.
Back on April 4, a federal jury convicted Gaines of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and cocaine base, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and two counts of cocaine distribution.
US District Judge A…
$17M Scam Funded NJ Mini-Golf Buy-In, Lavish Life For PA Adviser: DOJ
A Main Line investment adviser stole millions from clients—including friends, relatives, and retirees—to bankroll a luxury lifestyle and buy into a Jersey Shore mini-golf course, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced on Saturday, July 5.
Scott Mason, 66, of Gladwyne, was sentenced on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, to eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a sweeping fraud scheme that lasted over a decade. The Department of Justice says Mason stole more than $17 million while running his firm, Rubicon Wealth Management LLC, and never reported a cent to the IRS.
Inste…
