Handyman Takes $1K From Clifton Park Client Before Skipping Out On Work, Police Say Handyman Takes $1K From Clifton Park Client Before Skipping Out On Work, Police Say
Handyman Takes $1K From Clifton Park Client Before Skipping Out On Work, Police Say A purported handyman took a Capital Region client’s cash before skipping out on the work, police alleged. Charles Ferrara, 52, of Schenectady, was arrested on suspicion of felony grand larceny on Sunday, June 8, following an investigation by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office. Ferrara was hired by a Clifton Park resident to perform handyman-type work, and accepted a check for $1,045 from the client, deputies said.  But instead of performing the work, he cashed their check and cut all communication with the victim, according to investigators. Following his arrest, Ferrara was releas…
Yorktown Gas Station Heist Suspect Tracked Down At Rikers Island Prison, Police Say Yorktown Gas Station Heist Suspect Tracked Down At Rikers Island Prison, Police Say
Yorktown Gas Station Heist Suspect Tracked Down At Rikers Island Prison, Police Say A 22-year-old man was arrested while already in prison in connection with a gas station burglary that took place in Westchester more than a year ago, police said.   John Edward Villar-Villa of the Bronx was taken into custody on Tuesday, June 3, at Rikers Island Correctional Center, where he was already being held on an unrelated matter, the Yorktown Police Department announced on Thursday, June 5.  Police said Villar-Villa was wanted on an active warrant charging him with third-degree burglary, third-degree grand larceny, and third-degree criminal mischief in connection with…
‘My Body Told Me To Steal A Gun’: Felon Busted At Sonic After Wild Stafford Break-In: Sheriff ‘My Body Told Me To Steal A Gun’: Felon Busted At Sonic After Wild Stafford Break-In: Sheriff
‘My Body Told Me To Steal A Gun’: Felon Busted At Sonic After Wild Stafford Break-In: Sheriff His body told him to do it. Deputies told him to get in the back of the cruiser. A convicted felon who said “my body told me to steal a gun” is back behind bars after a brazen theft attempt outside a Sonic in Stafford County, authorities said. Kenneth Gibson, 36, of Culpeper, was arrested on Sunday, June 1, after deputies say he broke into a stranger’s car and tried to swipe a handgun in the parking lot of Sonic on McWhirt Loop, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were called to the scene around 7:37 p.m. that night after a man reported someone he didn’t know was si…
$1.2M Heist On Wheels: Dad-Son Duo Busted In Medicaid Limo Fraud Scheme In Ulster County: DA $1.2M Heist On Wheels: Dad-Son Duo Busted In Medicaid Limo Fraud Scheme In Ulster County: DA
$1.2M Heist On Wheels: Dad-Son Duo Busted In Medicaid Limo Fraud Scheme In Ulster County: DA A father-son duo from the Hudson Valley is accused of masterminding a $1.2 million Medicaid fraud scheme involving fake limo rides and kickbacks to patients. Muhammad W. Khan, 40, and his father, Mohammad A. Khan, 68 — both from Campbell Hall — falsified transportation records, billed for group rides as individual trips, and even paid off patients to use their Ulster County companies, according to state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. Muhammad Khan, owner of MAK Limo, is accused of stealing over $1.1 million between November 2020 and August 2024. His father, Mohammad Khan, who owns Atlas Limo,…
Cleaner Stole $13K Ring From Yorktown Home, Police Say Cleaner Stole $13K Ring From Yorktown Home, Police Say
Cleaner Stole $13K Ring From Yorktown Home, Police Say A house cleaner from Rockland County is facing a felony charge after allegedly stealing a $13,000 ring from a home in Westchester, police said. Rosa Celmira Tene Guallias, 26, of Spring Valley, was arrested on Friday, May 31 and charged with third-degree grand larceny in connection with the alleged theft, which happened in Yorktown, the Yorktown Police Department announced on Monday, June 2.  Officers were dispatched at 1:15 p.m. to a Yorktown residence after a report of a missing ring. During their investigation, police identified Tene Guallias—who had been working in the home as a cl…
EXCLUSIVE: $1M Theft At Kolstein's In Baldwin Is More Revenge From Ex-Boss, Owner Says EXCLUSIVE: $1M Theft At Kolstein's In Baldwin Is More Revenge From Ex-Boss, Owner Says
Exclusive: $1M Theft At Kolstein's In Baldwin Is More Revenge From Ex-Boss, Owner Says A Long Island music store owner whose father is accused of stealing more than $1 million in rare instruments says the criminal case against him is part of a long-running battle over control of the historic shop. Manuel Alvarez, 61, of East Rockaway, was arrested after Nassau County police say he removed over $1 million in musical instruments and items from Kolstein Music in Baldwin, and transported them to an undisclosed location in Florida, Nassau County Police said. But his son, Manny Alvarez, who has been the owner of the music shop for nearly seven years, tells a different story. “Barr…
Virginia Man Walks Out Of Jail, Steals Car From Fairfax Courthouse, Breaks Into Home: Police Virginia Man Walks Out Of Jail, Steals Car From Fairfax Courthouse, Breaks Into Home: Police
Virginia Man Walks Out Of Jail, Steals Car From Fairfax Courthouse, Breaks Into Home: Police He walked out of jail — then stole a car and broke into a home, police say. A Woodbridge man is back behind bars after Fairfax County Police say he stole a vehicle from the courthouse parking lot shortly after being released from jail, then burglarized a woman’s home in Burke later the same day. Derling Gustavo Hernandez, 28, had just been released from the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on Tuesday, May 27 when police say he stole a car from the Fairfax County Courthouse. Just hours later, at around 7 p.m., officers were called to the 9500 block of Millgate Place in Burke after a wo…
Selden Bookkeeper Who Embezzled Over $1M From LI Businesses Sentenced To Prison Selden Bookkeeper Who Embezzled Over $1M From LI Businesses Sentenced To Prison
Selden Bookkeeper Who Embezzled Over $1M From LI Businesses Sentenced To Prison A former bookkeeper who embezzled more than $1 million from two Long Island construction companies could spend years behind bars. Mary Spora, 59, of Selden, was sentenced to between one and four years in prison in Nassau County Court on Wednesday, May 28. It followed her guilty pleas to grand larceny and falsifying business records in August 2024. An investigation found that Spora abused her position as a bookkeeper to steal from Coastal Materials and Big Apple Concrete Supply, Inc., which share the same owner, the Nassau County DA’s office said. She altered payroll software records to mak…
Syosset Attorney Admits Stealing $400K From Clients, Including Lottery Winner Syosset Attorney Admits Stealing $400K From Clients, Including Lottery Winner
Syosset Attorney Admits Stealing $400K From Clients, Including Lottery Winner A Long Island attorney formally confessed to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from her clients, including a lottery winner. Daphna Zekaria, 54, of Syosset, pleaded guilty to grand larceny and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Wednesday, May 21, in connection with a series of thefts committed while working as a partner at the Huntington law firm Sokolski and Zekaria, P.C. Zekaria admitted to using her position to siphon large sums from clients under the guise of holding funds for safekeeping or investing on their behalf, prosecutors said. In one case, she stole approximatel…
$477K Scheme: Doorman From Yonkers Steals From Retired NYC Teacher, Husband, DA Says $477K Scheme: Doorman From Yonkers Steals From Retired NYC Teacher, Husband, DA Says
$477K Scheme: Doorman From Yonkers Steals From Retired NYC Teacher, Husband, DA Says A Westchester County man has admitted to stealing nearly $478,000 from a retired New York City schoolteacher and her husband while working as their building’s doorman, prosecutors announced. Alfredo Mateo, 38, of Yonkers, pleaded guilty in Manhattan Supreme Court to grand larceny and identity theft charges, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced on Wednesday, May 21.  According to Bragg, Mateo launched a calculated financial scheme against the couple after the husband died on September 1, 2022, and the wife, a retired schoolteacher, was living in a nursing home under co…
Back-To-Back Robberies Of Store, Victim In Red Hook: Suspect Caught, Police Say Back-To-Back Robberies Of Store, Victim In Red Hook: Suspect Caught, Police Say
Back-To-Back Robberies Of Store, Victim In Red Hook: Suspect Caught, Police Say A Dutchess County village was shaken after two robberies were allegedly committed within minutes of each other by the same Ulster County man, police said. The incidents unfolded on Wednesday, May 21 around 7:20 a.m., when troopers responded to a reported robbery in the parking lot of the Stewart’s Shop located at 7558 North Broadway in the Village of Red Hook, New York State Police announced. Troopers arrived quickly and located the suspect, later identified as 61-year-old John E. Pagan, of Kingston, nearby in the village. He was taken into custody without incident, police said.  …
$20K RV, Ticket Scam Orchestrated By Nassau Man, Police Say $20K RV, Ticket Scam Orchestrated By Nassau Man, Police Say
$20K RV, Ticket Scam Orchestrated By Nassau Man, Police Say A 63-year-old man is behind bars after allegedly conning multiple people out of thousands of dollars in a months-long fraud scheme, police said. Rensselaer County resident Patrick Walsh, of Nassau, was arrested following a New York State Police investigation Monday, May 5. Troopers determined that Walsh targeted victims while in Schodack, collecting payments for high-value items like RVs and concert tickets he never provided, police said. In total, he is accused of stealing over $20,000 through the alleged scam. Walsh is charged with four counts of grand larceny and one count of scheme to…