NY Law Requiring Businesses To Warn Customers Of Gift Card Scams Takes Effect NY Law Requiring Businesses To Warn Customers Of Gift Card Scams Takes Effect
NY Law Requiring Businesses To Warn Customers Of Gift Card Scams Takes Effect Leaders in New York have given consumers another tool in their belt to help fend off would-be fraudsters. New legislation that went into effect on Tuesday, June 20, requires businesses that sell gift cards in New York to post a notice warning customers about gift card scams. Notices must be posted near where any gift card or gift certificate is displayed or sold. The law was introduced by Long Island State Sen. Kevin Thomas, a Democrat whose 6th Senate District covers central Nassau County. Thomas chairs the senate’s Consumer Protection Committee. “I am happy to see the Department of St…
PA Charter School CEO Who Stole US Gov't Funds Won't Have Jail Time PA Charter School CEO Who Stole US Gov't Funds Won't Have Jail Time
PA Charter School CEO Who Stole US Gov't Funds Won't Have Jail Time A charter school's CEO and President who pleaded guilty to stealing funds from a federal grant program that was meant for the school where he worked— won't go to jail, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced on Thursday, June 23, 2023. Leonard Hart of Mount Wolf, the former CEO and principal of Lincoln Charter School in York admitted to nearly 20 false and fraudulent reimbursement requests between 2018 and 2020, on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, according to a previous release by the US Department of Justice. Hart "obtained by fraud and misapplied approximate…
Weapons, Drugs Seized Following Gang Unit Investigation In MD, Police Say Weapons, Drugs Seized Following Gang Unit Investigation In MD, Police Say
Weapons, Drugs Seized Following Gang Unit Investigation In MD, Police Say Three suspects are in custody after the Prince George's County Police Department completed a months-long investigation into gang activity throughout the region. Weapons, cash, and drugs were seized by members of the department's Strategic Investigations Division-Gang Unit who have been tracking purported members of the "GMF Crew," according to authorities. The investigation was launched months ago as the agency probed the trafficking of guns and drugs in Prince George's County. During a search and seizure at a home in the 4000 block of Windflower Way in Bowie, police say that they recover…
$500K Scheme: Hudson Valley Man Stole From Retirement Accounts $500K Scheme: Hudson Valley Man Stole From Retirement Accounts
$500K Scheme: Hudson Valley Man Stole From Retirement Accounts A former financial advisor from the Hudson Valley has been convicted of participating in a scheme to steal from a retirement fund sponsored by a labor union for law enforcement employees.  Putnam County resident Andrew Brown, age 55, of Putnam Valley, was convicted of defrauding members of the Law Enforcement Employees Benevolent Association (LEEBA), a labor union for law enforcement officers employed by New York City, the US Attorney's Office for Southern District of New York announced on Wednesday, May 31.  Brown, along with former LEEBA President and New York State Tr…
$260K Stolen From Capital Region Victim's Bank Account By Power Of Attorney, Police Say $260K Stolen From Capital Region Victim's Bank Account By Power Of Attorney, Police Say
$260K Stolen From Capital Region Victim's Bank Account By Power Of Attorney, Police Say A man from the region tasked with looking after the finances of another is facing charges after allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from them. Saratoga County resident Ivan Gerdwagen, age 65, of Saratoga Springs, was arrested Sunday, April 16, following an investigation by New York State Police. It came days after troopers were first contacted with a complaint that over $260,000 was missing from the victim’s bank account, according to police. Investigators determined that Gerdwagen, who was acting as the victim’s power of attorney, stole the money between August 2022 and J…
Embattled NY Rep. George Santos 'Proudly' Announces Re-Election Bid: 'We Need A Fighter' Embattled NY Rep. George Santos 'Proudly' Announces Re-Election Bid: 'We Need A Fighter'
Embattled NY Rep. George Santos 'Proudly' Announces Re-Election Bid: 'We Need A Fighter' Just 104 days after taking office, embattled New York Congressman George Santos “proudly” announced that he is running for re-election. Santos, whose 3rd District represents parts of Nassau County and Queens, made it official in a statement released Monday, April 17, in which he touted his re-election campaign as being “about TAKING BACK our country and restoring greatness back to New York.” Related Report: Nassau Rep. George Santos Confesses To Defrauding Brazilian Clerk Of $1,300 In Clothing: Report The freshman Republican, age 34, claimed he’s already made “significant efforts” to fulfi…
$52M Scheme: 10 Charged By Feds In Fraud Case Targeting Westchester-Based Company $52M Scheme: 10 Charged By Feds In Fraud Case Targeting Westchester-Based Company
$52M Scheme: 10 Charged By Feds In Fraud Case Targeting Westchester-Based Company Ten people have been charged in connection with a massive scheme to defraud a leading cargo airline based in New York of tens of millions of dollars in revenue and the services of its employees, federal authorities announced. The 10 charged are: Connecticut resident Abilash Kurien, age 45, of Wilton in Fairfield County; Hudson Valley resident Carlton Llewellyn, age 55, of Highland Mills in Orange County; Long Island resident Robert Schirmer, age 58, of Port Jefferson Station; Queens resident Patrick Lau, 43, of Flushing; Lars Winkelbauer, age 47, of Bangkok, Thailand; Skye …
Westchester Caseworker Accused Of Stealing More Than $300K From Client Westchester Caseworker Accused Of Stealing More Than $300K From Client
Westchester Caseworker Accused Of Stealing More Than $300K From Client A Westchester County caseworker who resides in Connecticut faces numerous charges after allegedly stealing more than $300,000 from a 95-year-old woman suffering from dementia whom she had been taking care of.  Fairfield County resident Chantel Chenault, age 46, of Danbury, was indicted on multiple charges on Friday, March 24 for stealing from the elderly woman under her care in Westchester, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James.  According to officials from James's office, Chenault became the woman's caseworker in 2017 and was employed with the Westch…
Jersey Shore Cyberthief Swipes $300,000 From Bergen Retiree's Account: It Happens A Lot Jersey Shore Cyberthief Swipes $300,000 From Bergen Retiree's Account: It Happens A Lot
Jersey Shore Cyberthief Swipes $300,000 From Bergen Retiree's Account: It Happens A Lot An unemployed cyberthief from the Jersey Shore swiped more than $300,000 from an elderly Lodi resident’s retirement account after stealing the victim’s identity, authorities charged. Joseph Bilotta, 65, hijacked the online account, along with others in New Jersey and Maryland, “to fund his lifestyle,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Lodi police notified members of the prosecutor’s Financial Crimes Unit of the account takeover scheme in 2021, Musella said. They arrested Bilotta on theft charges following an investigation and sent him to the Bergen County Jail only to have a judg…
Employee In 'Financial Despair' Admits To Killing Former Boss After Being Fired In MD Employee In 'Financial Despair' Admits To Killing Former Boss After Being Fired In MD
Employee In 'Financial Despair' Admits To Killing Former Boss After Being Fired In MD Officials in Montgomery County announced that a Rockville man will face life in prison after he admitted to killing his 66-year-old boss in 2021. On Friday, Feb. 24, Billy Phillips, 38, pleaded guilty to murder and other charges for his role in the violent death of his former manager, Bethesda resident Geoffrey Biddle, 66, nearly two years ago. Specifically, Phillips pleaded guilty to: First-degree murder; home invasion; Armed robbery; Use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. According to court documents, on June 24, 2021, investigators received a report of a missing person at Pay…
Business Partner Killed Jennifer Brown After 'Scam Restaurant Jig' Was Up, MontCo DA Says Business Partner Killed Jennifer Brown After 'Scam Restaurant Jig' Was Up, MontCo DA Says
Business Partner Killed Jennifer Brown After 'Scam Restaurant Jig' Was Up, MontCo DA Says The 33-year-old "friend" and business partner who reported 43-year-old Jennifer Brown as missing has been charged in her death, authorities in Montgomery County announced Thursday, Feb. 9. The motive? A "scam restaurant jig" that said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said was about to be up. Blair Watts, of Royersford, is booked at the Montgomery County lockup on first-degree murder charges in the Limerick mom's death, Steele said. Beginning in August 2022, Brown and Watts were planning on opening a restaurant in Phoenixville together in hopes of being in business by th…
PA DoorDash Driver Learns His Fate In 'Gays For Trump' Impersonation Scam PA DoorDash Driver Learns His Fate In 'Gays For Trump' Impersonation Scam
PA DoorDash Driver Learns His Fate In 'Gays For Trump' Impersonation Scam A Central Pennsylvania DoorDash driver will face prison time after threatening to kill a US Congress member in addition to impersonating members of the Trump family online to raise funds for a made-up political organization, federal officials said.  Joshua Hall, 23, of Mechanicsburg, was sentenced to 20 months in prison as well as three years of probation for both threatening a member of Congress and impersonating some of former President Trump's family members, according to Damien Williams, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.  On Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, Hall pl…