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Police & Fire
Scammer Posing As Priest, Soliciting Gift Cards From Victims In Hudson Valley: Police Scammer Posing As Priest, Soliciting Gift Cards From Victims In Hudson Valley: Police
Scammer Posing As Priest, Soliciting Gift Cards From Victims In Hudson Valley: Police Authorities in the Hudson Valley are continuing to warn residents of a scammer who has been posing as a local priest to convince victims to purchase gift cards for them.  The warning was issued on Wednesday, Jan. 10 by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, which said the scammer is continuing to "exploit the generosity of our community."  According to the Sheriff's Office, the scammer has been posing as a local priest over phone calls to solicit gift cards from victims. Those who receive such a call are warned to verify the identity of the person or organization claiming to be on th…

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by Ben Crnic
Politics
George Santos In Talks For Plea Deal In 23-Count Federal Case, Court Filing Shows George Santos In Talks For Plea Deal In 23-Count Federal Case, Court Filing Shows
George Santos In Talks For Plea Deal In 23-Count Federal Case, Court Filing Shows Disgraced former New York Rep. George Santos may avoid leaving his fate up to a trial in his federal fraud case. The Republican ex-congressman is currently in talks with federal prosecutors for a possible plea deal in his 23-count criminal case, according to a filing in Central Islip federal court on Monday, Dec. 11. In the joint filing, US Attorney Breon Peace and Santos asked the court to schedule the next status conference in approximately 30 days, saying “the parties are presently engaged in plea negotiations with the goal of resolving this matter without the need for a trial.” Earli…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Duo Nabbed For Identity Theft, Drug Possession At Bank In Westchester, Police Say Duo Nabbed For Identity Theft, Drug Possession At Bank In Westchester, Police Say
Duo Nabbed For Identity Theft, Drug Possession At Bank In Westchester, Police Say A Hudson Valley and Long Island man were both arrested on identity theft charges after being caught with a victim's personal information and a forged driver's license at a Northern Westchester bank, police said. Both Dutchess County resident Duane Pelt of Fishkill, age 59, and Suffolk County resident Kevin Weiss of East Hampton, age 23, were arrested on Wednesday, Nov 29 in connection with an alleged identity theft incident in Yorktown, Yorktown Police announced. According to the department, around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, officers responded to the Chase Bank in Yorktown at 720 Lee Blvd. and be…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Medical Company Data Breach: Affected NY Residents Warned Of Potential Identity Theft Medical Company Data Breach: Affected NY Residents Warned Of Potential Identity Theft
Medical Company Data Breach: Affected NY Residents Warned Of Potential Identity Theft Millions of New Yorkers are being warned by Attorney General Leticia James to protect themselves against identity theft following a data breach at a medical transcription company.  The warning, issued by James on Tuesday, Nov. 28, urges New York residents to take action to prevent their identities from being stolen in the midst of a data breach at medical transcription company Perry Johnson & Associates.  The Nevada-based company, which provides transcription services to healthcare organizations and physicians to help them dictate and transcribe patient notes, first becam…

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by Ben Crnic
Politics
Santos Saga: Ethics Committee Won’t Recommend Punishment For Embattled NY Rep, Report Says Santos Saga: Ethics Committee Won’t Recommend Punishment For Embattled NY Rep, Report Says
Santos Saga: Ethics Committee Won’t Recommend Punishment For Embattled NY Rep, Report Says After months of investigating embattled New York Rep. George Santos, the House Ethics Committee won’t recommend any punishment for the freshman lawmaker, ABC News reports. Instead, the ten-member committee, made up of five Republicans and five Democrats, will leave any disciplinary actions up to the House as a whole, Chair Michael Guest told the outlet. Santos, a Long Island Republican whose 3rd District includes parts of Nassau County and Queens, found himself in the committee’s sights in March 2023 after admitting that he lied about much of his background on the campaign trail. Earlier…

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
George Santos Campaign Staffer Admits Defrauding Donors By Impersonating Speaker's Aide George Santos Campaign Staffer Admits Defrauding Donors By Impersonating Speaker's Aide
George Santos Campaign Staffer Admits Defrauding Donors By Impersonating Speaker's Aide A campaign staffer who worked to elect New York Rep. George Santos has confessed to impersonating a high-level Congressional aide in order to raise money for him and line his own pockets. Samuel Miele, age 27, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in Central Islip federal court on Tuesday, Nov. 14. Miele was a fundraiser for Santos’ congressional campaigns in both 2020 and 2022, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District. Earlier Report: George Santos Pleads Not Guilty To 10 New Federal Charges; Here's When He'll Stand Trial Santos ran as a Republican and was elected to …

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
George Santos Dodges Expulsion From House: 'Victory For Due Process' George Santos Dodges Expulsion From House: 'Victory For Due Process'
George Santos Dodges Expulsion From House: 'Victory For Due Process' New York Rep. George Santos, who admitted to lying about his background and is facing nearly two dozen federal criminal charges, is claiming victory after an effort to expel him from Congress failed. The freshman Republican lawmaker from Long Island, whose 3rd District represents parts of Nassau County and Queens, easily survived a resolution brought by his fellow New York Republicans to oust Santos from the House on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The resolution failed with 179 members voting in favor and 213 voting against. Nineteen members voted “present.” Earlier Report: George Santos Pleads Not …

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by Michael Mashburn
News
New Yorkers At Risk Of Scam Calls, Attorney General Warns New Yorkers At Risk Of Scam Calls, Attorney General Warns
New Yorkers At Risk Of Scam Calls, Attorney General Warns As New Yorkers across the state report being contacted by scammers impersonating their banks, officials are cautioning consumers to keep their eyes peeled. In a statement on Friday, Oct. 27, NY Attorney General Letitia James provided tips to avoid getting scammed by callers pretending to be bank or government officials. “Scammers claiming to be a trusted bank, or any institution relied on for financial services, can seriously harm New Yorkers by taking their money and their personal information,” she said. James said the Office of the Attorney General has been receiving calls from New Y…

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by Sophie Grieser
Politics
George Santos Pleads Not Guilty To 10 New Federal Charges; Here's When He'll Stand Trial George Santos Pleads Not Guilty To 10 New Federal Charges; Here's When He'll Stand Trial
George Santos Pleads Not Guilty To 10 New Federal Charges; Here's When He'll Stand Trial Beleaguered New York Rep. George Santos was back in a federal courtroom to formally answer to a host of new fraud charges. The Republican lawmaker, whose 3rd District on Long Island includes parts of Nassau County and Queens, pleaded not guilty to 10 new counts in US District Court in Central Islip on Friday, Oct. 27. Judge Joanna Seybert set a trial date for Thursday, Sept. 9, 2024. Earlier Report: George Santos Stole Thousands From Donors, Inflated Fundraising Totals, New Indictment Alleges In their 23-count superseding indictment, which includes allegations of wire fraud and identi…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
$760K Check Scheme: Westchester Man Nabbed For 'Malicious Fraud,' Feds Say $760K Check Scheme: Westchester Man Nabbed For 'Malicious Fraud,' Feds Say
$760K Check Scheme: Westchester Man Nabbed For 'Malicious Fraud,' Feds Say A 26-year-old Westchester man who was arrested while hiding under his co-conspirator’s couch now faces charges in connection to a $760,000 check fraud scheme that victimized several people and their businesses, officials announced.  Mount Vernon resident Ishmael Benreuben, age 26, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Oct. 10 to participating in a scheme involving the deposit of around $760,000 in fraudulent checks into bank accounts in several states, the US Attorney's Office for Southern District of New York announced. According to federal officials, between September 2021 and March 2…

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by Ben Crnic
Politics
George Santos Stole Thousands From Donors, Inflated Fundraising Totals, New Indictment Alleges George Santos Stole Thousands From Donors, Inflated Fundraising Totals, New Indictment Alleges
George Santos Stole Thousands From Donors, Inflated Fundraising Totals, New Indictment Alleges Federal prosecutors have slapped embattled New York Congressman George Santos with an array of additional criminal charges just days after his ex-campaign treasurer implicated him in an alleged scheme to dupe donors. In a 23-count superseding indictment filed in US District Court in the Eastern District on Tuesday, Oct. 10, prosecutors outlined two new schemes that allegedly helped the freshman Republican lawmaker cheat his way into office. The first, dubbed the “Credit Card Fraud Scheme,” allegedly took place between December 2021 and August 2022. Prosecutors say Santos stole the personal …

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by Michael Mashburn
News
George Santos' Ex-Campaign Treasurer Admits Role In Reporting Thousands In Fictional Loans George Santos' Ex-Campaign Treasurer Admits Role In Reporting Thousands In Fictional Loans
George Santos' Ex-Campaign Treasurer Admits Role In Reporting Thousands In Fictional Loans The woman who once oversaw the finances of embattled New York Rep. George Santos’ congressional campaign has confessed to filing fictional finance reports on his behalf, saying he was well aware of the scheme. Nancy Marks, a former campaign treasurer during Santos’ two congressional bids, pleaded guilty to a felony count of conspiracy to defraud the United States in federal court in Central Islip on Thursday, Oct. 5. She admitted that she and Santos, a Republican whose 3rd District represents parts of Nassau County and Queens, recorded phony campaign finance reports stating that Santos had…

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by Michael Mashburn
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