Not So Secure: Data Blunder Left Home Security Cams Open To Outsiders, NY AG Finds Not So Secure: Data Blunder Left Home Security Cams Open To Outsiders, NY AG Finds
Not So Secure: Data Blunder Left Home Security Cams Open To Outsiders, NY AG Finds New Yorkers can feel a little more secure when it comes to their home security systems. Three companies that distribute Eufy home security cameras agreed to a $450,000 settlement for failing to secure consumers’ videos, New York Attorney General Letitia James said Tuesday, Jan. 28. The companies – Fantasia Trading LLC, Power Mobile Life LLC, and Smart Innovation LCC – were plagued with troubling data security vulnerabilities, making them accessible to anyone with the relevant link, even without authentication, the investigation found. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) began looking …
Tax Fraud: Colonie Car Dealership Owner Admits Stealing Over $160K Tax Fraud: Colonie Car Dealership Owner Admits Stealing Over $160K
Tax Fraud: Colonie Car Dealership Owner Admits Stealing Over $160K The owner of a Capital Region car dealership formally confessed to dodging hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes. Guy Nicolas, of Colonie, and his business, G&A Auto Care Inc., were sentenced in Albany County Court on Thursday, Jan. 23, months after Nicolas pleaded guilty to grand larceny. An investigation led by the New York Attorney General’s Office found that Nicolas failed to file annual sales tax returns for his car dealership business for all but two years between June 2013 and June 2023, the AG’s office said. During that period, he failed to report more than $2 millio…
NY Among States Suing Trump For Ending Birthright Citizenship: 'Dangerous, Unconstitutional' NY Among States Suing Trump For Ending Birthright Citizenship: 'Dangerous, Unconstitutional'
NY Among States Suing Trump For Ending Birthright Citizenship: 'Dangerous, Unconstitutional' Several states in the Northeast are fighting to block an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that would end birthright citizenship. A coalition of 18 states – including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maryland – are named as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Trump administration that was filed in Massachusetts federal court on Tuesday, Jan. 21. The suit argues that Trump’s order denying US citizenship to the children of those who are neither a U.S. citizen nor a lawful permanent resident is unlawful. “This dangerous and unconstitutional order undermines…
NYers To Receive Share of $106M Settlement Over Vanguard Retirement Fund Changes NYers To Receive Share of $106M Settlement Over Vanguard Retirement Fund Changes
NYers To Receive Share of $106M Settlement Over Vanguard Retirement Fund Changes Thousands of New Yorkers forced to pay higher taxes on their retirement savings are set to receive restitution after a $106 million, multi-state settlement was reached with Vanguard Group. The agreement, announced by New York Attorney General Letitia James on Friday, Jan. 17, comes after the investment advisory firm failed to inform investors of changes to its retirement funds.  Those changes led to unexpected and significant capital gains tax bills for hundreds of thousands of investors, including over 15,000 in New York, James’ office said. An investigation found that Vanguard reduc…
Massive Drug Trafficking Network Dismantled In Poughkeepsie, 7 Arrested Massive Drug Trafficking Network Dismantled In Poughkeepsie, 7 Arrested
Massive Drug Trafficking Network Dismantled In Poughkeepsie, 7 Arrested A major drug trafficking network responsible for distributing cocaine and counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl throughout the Hudson Valley has been dismantled, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced. Seven individuals, including network leaders, were busted Friday, Jan. 10, following a yearlong investigation led by the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force and the New York State Police Special Investigations Unit.  Authorities seized over 10,500 fentanyl-laced pills worth $75,000, more than eight kilograms of cocaine valued at $200,000, three firearms, in…
Former NY Gov. Cuomo Files Lawsuit Against Sexual Harassment Accuser From Northern Westchester Former NY Gov. Cuomo Files Lawsuit Against Sexual Harassment Accuser From Northern Westchester
Former NY Gov. Cuomo Files Lawsuit Against Sexual Harassment Accuser From Northern Westchester Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 following allegations of sexual harassment, is suing one of his accusers, a Northern Westchester native, for defamation.  Cuomo, age 67, filed the lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court on Thursday, Dec. 19 against former staffer Charlotte Bennett, a Northern Westchester native, who accused the former governor of sexual harassment in 2021.  Bennett had previously filed a federal lawsuit against former Gov. Cuomo in September 2022. However, she voluntarily dropped the lawsuit on Monday, Dec. 9, saying in a joint statement …
NY Baby Formula Suppliers Accused Of Price Gouging Agree To $675K Settlement NY Baby Formula Suppliers Accused Of Price Gouging Agree To $675K Settlement
NY Baby Formula Suppliers Accused Of Price Gouging Agree To $675K Settlement Thousands of cans of baby formula are being distributed to families in need across New York after a settlement was reached with two companies accused of illegal price gouging. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Monday, Dec. 18, that her office had secured $675,000 worth of baby formula from Marine Park Distribution Inc. and its affiliate, Formula Depot Inc., following an investigation into price gouging during the nationwide formula shortage in 2022. The companies allegedly raised formula prices by more than 60 percent in some cases, with costs doubling for certain product…
NYers To Receive Cut Of $4.8M Settlement With SmileDirectClub Over Improper Billing NYers To Receive Cut Of $4.8M Settlement With SmileDirectClub Over Improper Billing
NYers To Receive Cut Of $4.8M Settlement With SmileDirectClub Over Improper Billing Thousands of New Yorkers will benefit from a $4.8 million settlement with the now-defunct SmileDirectClub over improper billing practices. The former Nashville, Tennessee-based teledentistry company agreed to the move after it continued to charge more than 28,000 consumers despite filing for bankruptcy and stopping services in September 2023. Multiple complaints were filed with the New York State Office of the Attorney General (OAG) after consumers were told to keep making monthly installment payments despite no longer receiving aligner treatment. In December 2023, OAG sent a cease-and-de…
NY Pet Stores Face Deadline To Halt Sales Of Dogs, Cats, Rabbits NY Pet Stores Face Deadline To Halt Sales Of Dogs, Cats, Rabbits
NY Pet Stores Face Deadline To Halt Sales Of Dogs, Cats, Rabbits Retail pet stores in New York will soon be prohibited from selling dogs, cats, or rabbits under a new state law aimed at ending the abusive practices of puppy mills.  Starting Sunday, Dec. 15, pet stores across the state must cease all sales, leases, or transfers of dogs, cats, and rabbits, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Friday, Nov. 22. James emphasized that the law, known as the Puppy Mill Pipeline Act, is designed to disrupt large-scale breeding operations, often referred to as puppy mills, which have long been criticized for inhumane treatment and poor health …
Over 100 Assault Weapons, Guns Turned In At Buyback Event In Peekskill Over 100 Assault Weapons, Guns Turned In At Buyback Event In Peekskill
Over 100 Assault Weapons, Guns Turned In At Buyback Event In Peekskill More than 100 firearms, including several assault weapons, were turned in during a community gun buyback event held in Northern Westchester.  A total of 103 guns were collected during the buyback event held in Peekskill on Saturday, Nov. 16 at the United Methodist Church of Peekskill, the New York Attorney General's Office announced.  This included 68 handguns; 19 long guns; and 9 assault weapons, officials said, adding that the office has removed more than 8,300 guns from New York communities since 2019.  "Every one of the guns collected today is a step in the right di…
Former Hempstead Co-Op Prez Dodges Prison After Embezzling $26K Former Hempstead Co-Op Prez Dodges Prison After Embezzling $26K
Former Hempstead Co-Op Prez Dodges Prison After Embezzling $26K The former president of a Long Island co-op formally confessed to embezzling tens of thousands of dollars. Juan Alayo, age 72, of East Meadow, pleaded guilty to grand larceny and related charges on Friday, Nov. 15. New York Attorney General Letitia James said Alayo embezzled more than $26,700 between 2016 and 2023, during his tenure as president of the Marlboro Owners Corporation cooperative in Hempstead. An investigation found that he routinely wrote checks to himself and his company, A&J, that were neither discussed nor approved by the co-op board. He concealed his thefts by falsifyi…
White Plains Nursing Home Among 4 In NY To Pay $45M Settlement After Mistreating Residents: AG White Plains Nursing Home Among 4 In NY To Pay $45M Settlement After Mistreating Residents: AG
White Plains Nursing Home Among 4 In NY To Pay $45M Settlement After Mistreating Residents: AG A Westchester County nursing home is one of four in New York that will be required to pay tens of millions of dollars following years of mistreating and neglecting its senior residents, officials announced. In an announcement on Thursday, Nov. 14, New York Attorney General Letitia James revealed that four New York nursing homes, including the Martine Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing at 12 Tibbets Ave. in White Plains, would pay a $45 million settlement to address years of alleged insufficient staffing and resident neglect. The other nursing homes, all managed by Centers for Care, …