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Federal Investigation

Former NYPD Officer From Yorktown Admits Helping Gang Leader Escape Justice: Feds Former NYPD Officer From Yorktown Admits Helping Gang Leader Escape Justice: Feds
Former Nypd Officer From Yorktown Admits Helping Gang Leader Escape Justice: Feds A former New York City Police officer from Northern Westchester has admitted to warning gang members about a federal investigation into their activity as well as helping the group's leader escape arrest for murder, federal officials said. Mohegan Lake resident Gina Mestre, a 33-year-old former NYPD officer, has pleaded guilty to charges relating to her obstructing a federal investigation into the Shooting Boys gang and helping the group's leader evade justice for murder, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Thursday, Dec. 7. Earlier Report -…
Feds Probe Trenton Police For Excessive Force, Unlawful Searches Feds Probe Trenton Police For Excessive Force, Unlawful Searches
Feds Probe Trenton Police For Excessive Force, Unlawful Searches The Trenton Police Department and the City of Trenton are under federal investigation for a pattern of excessive force and unlawful stops and searches, authorities said. Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke, of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in Washington and U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger made the announcement on Tuesday, Oct. 17. The investigation seeks to determine if there are systemic violations of the Constitution and federal law by Trenton police, they said. The probe will include a comprehensive review of TPD policies, training and s…
Randolph Man Pimped Out Western Mass 15-Year-Old Runaway: Federal Jury Rules Randolph Man Pimped Out Western Mass 15-Year-Old Runaway: Federal Jury Rules
Randolph Man Pimped Out Western Mass 15-Year-Old Runaway: Federal Jury Rules A federal jury found a 26-year-old Randolph man guilty of turning a 15-year-old runaway from Western Massachusetts into a prostitute, authorities announced.  Admilson Gomes Pires now faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison following the five-day trial in Boston, according to Acting US Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua S. Levy.  Federal investigators said Pires met up with the child in February 2019 after she ran away from her home and began a sexual relationship. What followed was a campaign of grooming and control that led the girl into a life of sexual servitude, po…
Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron Resigns Amid Fraud Indictment Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron Resigns Amid Fraud Indictment
Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron Resigns Amid Fraud Indictment Pete Byron has resigned. The Wildwood mayor, who had been the focus of state and federal investigations into health insurance fraud and tax evasion, quit suddenly, effective Thursday, Sept. 21, his office said in a press statement. Less than a week after pleading guilty to federal tax evasion last March, Byron was indicted by a state grand jury — along with two other elected officials — in an alleged health insurance scam, Daily Voice reported. Byron was sentenced to probation in August on the federal tax charge and faces a state indictment for allegations he submitted false records t…
Co-Owner Of Two Of Ironbound's Most Popular Portuguese Restaurants Admits $715,780 Tax Fraud Co-Owner Of Two Of Ironbound's Most Popular Portuguese Restaurants Admits $715,780 Tax Fraud
Co-Owner Of Two Of Ironbound's Most Popular Portuguese Restaurants Admits $715,780 Tax Fraud A former 50% owner of two of the most popular Portuguese restaurants in Newark's Ironbound admitted that he cheated the IRS out of $715,780 by paying employees under the table, authorities said. Jorge Fernandes, 76, of West Orange, sold the Iberia Tavern and Iberia Peninsula to a developer for a combined $40 million and closed both restaurants in June amid what turned out to be a federal investigation.  Fernandes "was fully aware of his legal obligation to collect payroll taxes from the restaurants’ employees," U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said, "but instead pa…
Store Owner Sold Disguise He Wore In Bank Robbery In His Martha's Vineyard Store: Feds Store Owner Sold Disguise He Wore In Bank Robbery In His Martha's Vineyard Store: Feds
Store Owner Sold Disguise He Wore In Bank Robbery In His Martha's Vineyard Store: Feds A 40-year-old Martha's Vineyard store owner is accused of robbing a bank in April, where he zip-tied the employees and said he'd planted a bomb on the counter, federal authorities announced this week.  Petar Petyoshin, age 40, of Edgartown, is charged with a single count of armed bank robbery, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. He has been held in jail on a related state charge since May.  Investigators allege that Petyoshin entered a Rockland Trust Bank branch in the Cape Cod town of Falmouth on April 8 wearing a blonde wig and face mask and pointing a pistol. He put an object on the…
US Army National Guardsman, Former Rockville Police Officer Sentenced For Infant, Toddler Porn US Army National Guardsman, Former Rockville Police Officer Sentenced For Infant, Toddler Porn
US Army National Guardsman, Former Rockville Police Officer Sentenced For Infant, Toddler Porn Federal officials say that a former police officer in Maryland who joined the US Army National Guard will spend years in prison after being busted with thousands of child pornography charges. Daniel Morozewicz, 38, of Frederick, was sentenced in federal court to 42 months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release for the possession of child pornography. Prosecutors say that between September 2020 and January 2021, while employed as a police officer in Rockville and an Army National Guardsman, Morozewicz received, possessed, and distributed child porn torrents over the Interne…
Nassau Rep. George Santos Criminally Charged By Federal Prosecutors, Report Says Nassau Rep. George Santos Criminally Charged By Federal Prosecutors, Report Says
Nassau Rep. George Santos Criminally Charged By Federal Prosecutors, Report Says Updated story: George Santos Now In Custody, Facing 13 Federal Counts Embattled New York Congressman George Santos has been charged with at least one federal crime, CNN reports. The Republican lawmaker, whose 3rd District represents parts of Nassau County and Queens, is expected to be arraigned on the sealed charge or charges in federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday, May 10, according to the outlet, which cited three sources familiar with the matter. It was not immediately clear what crime or crimes Santos, age 34, is being accused of, but the federal probe is believed to center around ca…
Naval Nurse In Virginia Busted Coercing Undercover Officer Posing As Teen Girl: Feds Naval Nurse In Virginia Busted Coercing Undercover Officer Posing As Teen Girl: Feds
Naval Nurse In Virginia Busted Coercing Undercover Officer Posing As Teen Girl: Feds A naval nurse from Virginia will spend a decade behind bars after attempting to coerce and entice a 14-year-old "minor" to have sex with him, federal authorities announced. Curtis Wade Spencer, 44, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being busted by an undercover agent posing as the teen amid an ongoing investigation into his actions in 2022. According to court documents, while on active duty in the Navy Nurse Corps, in July 2022, Spencer contacted who he believed to be a 14-year-old girl online and began to engage in sexually explicit conversations with the “minor.” In reality, Spe…
Mount Vernon School Board Reassigns Superintendent After Federal Subpoena Mount Vernon School Board Reassigns Superintendent After Federal Subpoena
Mount Vernon School Board Reassigns Superintendent After Federal Subpoena A superintendent in New York is no longer in charge of her school district, which is currently under investigation by federal officials.  On Monday night, Feb. 13 in Westchester County, the Mount Vernon City School District Board of Education voted to "administratively reassign" Superintendent Waveline Bennett-Conroy and instead appoint Veronica (Kim) Smith as the district's Acting Superintendent of Schools, district officials announced. The vote came after news broke on Friday, Feb. 10 that Mount Vernon Schools were under investigation by the United States Att…
Baltimore County Pill Mill Doc Avoids Prison For Distributing, Dispensing Oxycodone Baltimore County Pill Mill Doc Avoids Prison For Distributing, Dispensing Oxycodone
Baltimore County Pill Mill Doc Avoids Prison For Distributing, Dispensing Oxycodone The medical director of a pain management clinic in Maryland will avoid time behind bars for his role in a conspiracy to overprescribe prescription medication out of his office, federal officials announced. Norman Rosen, 84, of Towson, was sentenced to four months of home detention as part of 18 months probation, followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and dispense oxycodone in connection with his operation of Rosen-Hoffberg Rehabilitation and Pain Management Associates. A partner at the clinic, Rosen admitted that patients at the pra…
GOTCHA! Accused $76,000 Gunpoint Bank Robber Captured By Marshals In Passaic Fits The Profile GOTCHA! Accused $76,000 Gunpoint Bank Robber Captured By Marshals In Passaic Fits The Profile
Gotcha! Accused $76,000 Gunpoint Bank Robber Captured By Marshals In Passaic Fits The Profile An ex-con captured by federal Marshals in Passaic after authorities said he robbed a South Jersey bank of $76,000 at gunpoint during Christmas week fit the profile, investigators said. William Ray, 43, of East Orange, is, in fact, being eyed in at least one other bank holdup, as well, just weeks earlier and barely seven miles away. It was shortly after 4:30 p.m. last Dec. 22 that a robber identified as Ray held employees at gunpoint at the Investors Bank on Route 70 in Cherry Hill. After trying and failing to lock them in the vault, he fled with the cash, authorities said. It was a fairly …
Drug Trafficker From Hagerstown Admits To 'Expansive' Drug Trafficking Conspiracy: Feds Drug Trafficker From Hagerstown Admits To 'Expansive' Drug Trafficking Conspiracy: Feds
Drug Trafficker From Hagerstown Admits To 'Expansive' Drug Trafficking Conspiracy: Feds Federal officials say that a Maryland man has admitted to his role in a wide-ranging drug trafficking conspiracy that spanned several states in the region and now faces a million-dollar fine. Daniel “Danny” Inoa-Rodriguez, 23, pleaded guilty this week to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute heroin, fentanyl, cocaine base, and cocaine hydrochloride in West Virginia, according to federal investigators. In July 2021, a 30-count indictment was levied against 34 people from West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the Dominican Republic. According to prosecuto…
Correction Officer From Cortlandt Manor Charged With Assaulting Inmate, Falsifying Records Correction Officer From Cortlandt Manor Charged With Assaulting Inmate, Falsifying Records
Correction Officer From Cortlandt Manor Charged With Assaulting Inmate, Falsifying Records A correction officer from Northern Westchester is charged with assaulting an inmate of the Dutchess County prison he once worked at and falsifying the records of the incident.  The assault happened on May 28, 2020, when 32-year-old Cortlandt Manor resident Taj Everly assaulted an inmate at Green Haven Correctional Facility in Stormville, according to an announcement by US Attorney Damian Williams from Thursday, Dec. 15.  On the day of the incident, Everly allegedly hit the inmate without provocation as he exited a room in the prison, causing both men to fall. Afterward, Everl…
Melrose Man Accused Of Sending Child Porn Had 400 Images On Computer: Feds Melrose Man Accused Of Sending Child Porn Had 400 Images On Computer: Feds
Melrose Man Accused Of Sending Child Porn Had 400 Images On Computer: Feds A Melrose man who is accused of exchanging child porn online had more than 400 videos of child abuse on his computer, federal authorities said.  Patrick Baxter, 42, was arrested earlier this week and charged with one count each of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. Investigators said Baxter downloaded child sexual abuse material online twice in June and July 2021. Agents found 427 more videos on a computer they seized from his home, the prosecutor said.  Baxter faces up to a minimum of 10 years in prison and u…
‘All Around Great Guy’ From Cold Spring Harbor Charged For Alleged Role In Jan. 6 Riots ‘All Around Great Guy’ From Cold Spring Harbor Charged For Alleged Role In Jan. 6 Riots
‘All Around Great Guy’ From Cold Spring Harbor Charged For Alleged Role In Jan. 6 Riots A 21-year-old New York man is among the latest group of suspects facing charges for their alleged roles in breaching the US Capitol building on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. Long Island’s Jon Lizak, of Cold Spring Harbor in Suffolk County, was arrested by federal investigators on Thursday, Sept. 15. Lizak and four other defendants illegally entered the Capitol as a group before moving through multiple corridors and rooms, including the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the US Attorney’s Office said. The group reportedly exited the building a half hour later. That’s when a 23-year-old ma…
LI Judge Tapped As ‘Special Master’ In DOJ Probe Of Trump’s Handling Of Classified Docs LI Judge Tapped As ‘Special Master’ In DOJ Probe Of Trump’s Handling Of Classified Docs
LI Judge Tapped As ‘Special Master’ In DOJ Probe Of Trump’s Handling Of Classified Docs A veteran New York judge from Long Island will be tasked with reviewing documents that were seized by the FBI from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Raymond Dearie, age 79, a senior federal judge in the Eastern District of New York, was named by a federal judge in Florida as a so-called special master Thursday evening, Sept. 15. Dearie was one of two potential candidates put forward by Trump’s legal team and was also endorsed by the Department of Justice. In his role as special master, he will be responsible for reviewing documents and separating out those that …
DOJ 'Must Immediately Explain Reason' For Trump Mar-A-Lago Search, Says Andrew Cuomo DOJ 'Must Immediately Explain Reason' For Trump Mar-A-Lago Search, Says Andrew Cuomo
DOJ 'Must Immediately Explain Reason' For Trump Mar-a-lago Search, Says Andrew Cuomo Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is weighing in on the FBI search at the Florida compound of former President Donald Trump. In a tweet Tuesday morning, Aug. 9, Cuomo expressed concern that the FBI’s search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home could undermine the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. “DOJ must immediately explain the reason for its raid & it must be more than a search for inconsequential archives or it will be viewed as a political tactic and undermine any future credible investigation & legitimacy of January 6 investigatio…
FBI Agents, Police Raid Hell's Angels Clubs In Lynn, Danvers, And Others: Report FBI Agents, Police Raid Hell's Angels Clubs In Lynn, Danvers, And Others: Report
FBI Agents, Police Raid Hell's Angels Clubs In Lynn, Danvers, And Others: Report FBI agents and Massachusetts State troopers raided several Hell's Angel's clubhouses in Massachusetts, including the North Shore, on Thursday, July 21, news reports said.  Agents wouldn't go into specifics about the raids, telling WPRI they were “court-authorized activity in connection with an ongoing federal investigation.” The report said heavily armed FBI agents were seen at two of the gang's Westport clubs and Hell's Angel facilities in Lynn and Danvers.  ABC6 reported there has been escalating tensions between the famed outlaw biker gang and the Pagans Motorcycle Club.  A member of t…
DOJ Launches Civil Rights Probe Into Maryland State Police Hiring Practices DOJ Launches Civil Rights Probe Into Maryland State Police Hiring Practices
DOJ Launches Civil Rights Probe Into Maryland State Police Hiring Practices A federal investigation has been launched by the Department of Justice into alleged racially discriminatory hiring practices within the Maryland State Police. On Friday, July 15, US Attorney Erek Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced that they have opened a civil pattern or practice investigation into the department under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, and religion, according to the DOJ. The investigation wil…
Hagerstown Drug Dealer Admits To Distributing Heroin, Fentanyl: Prosecutors Hagerstown Drug Dealer Admits To Distributing Heroin, Fentanyl: Prosecutors
Hagerstown Drug Dealer Admits To Distributing Heroin, Fentanyl: Prosecutors A Maryland drug dealer has admitted to federal drug possession and distribution charges, authorities announced. Washington County resident Thamar Smith, 48, of Hagerstown, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl following his arrest in 2019. As part of the plea, Smith becomes the latest to admit to his role in supplying drugs to Tyler and Eddie Ware, known heroin and fentanyl dealers in Hagerstown, that were later sold throughout the region. In March 2019, prosecutors received a tip from a storage facility customer in Hagersto…
PA Ex-Con Wanted For Raping 4-Year-Old Twins Nabbed From NY Homeless Shelter PA Ex-Con Wanted For Raping 4-Year-Old Twins Nabbed From NY Homeless Shelter
PA Ex-Con Wanted For Raping 4-Year-Old Twins Nabbed From NY Homeless Shelter A 22-year-old former convict who is accused of raping 4-year-old twins and attacking two NYPD officers who attempted to arrest him in a homeless shelter was arrested in Westchester, New York, authorities say. Isaiah John Metz, of North 16th Street in Harrisburg, was arrested in Yonkers inside a different shelter on West 30th Street at approximately 4:15 a.m. on Tuesday, April 19, according to US Marshals. Metz was subdued by a stun gun and hospitalized when police took him into custody— he later returned to Manhattan to face charges that include assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest…
Eight In CT Charged For Roles In Drug Distribution Ring Eight In CT Charged For Roles In Drug Distribution Ring
Eight In CT Charged For Roles In Drug Distribution Ring Eight people are facing federal charges for their roles in a massive drug distribution ring throughout Connecticut that led to the seizure of cocaine and nearly $800,000, authorities announced. US Attorney Leonard Boyle announced that eight suspects have been charged for distributing fentanyl, heroin, crack, and powder cocaine in the New Haven area following a federal and local investigation. Those charged: Jason Spearman, also known as “J,” and “Deuce,” age 33, of New Haven; Henry Horton, also known as “Bodie,” age 39, of New Haven; Jayquan Martinez, also known as “Neighbor,” and “Quan,…
Feds: NJ Military Vet Charged With Child Porn Trafficking Feds: NJ Military Vet Charged With Child Porn Trafficking
Feds: NJ Military Vet Charged With Child Porn Trafficking A U.S. Army veteran who most recently trained soldiers at New Jersey's McGuire Air Force Base was arrested there by federal agents for trafficking child porn, authorities said. Brian J. Crann, 37, who's been with the military more than a decade, "transmitted a video and two images of child sexual abuse to another individual using an account on an instant messaging mobile application" this past weekend, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Crann "also transmitted a non-pornographic image of himself with a minor who appeared to be the same victim depicted in the images and v…
Police Working With Feds After Threat Forces School Lockout In Westchester Police Working With Feds After Threat Forces School Lockout In Westchester
Police Working With Feds After Threat Forces School Lockout In Westchester Police investigators are working with federal authorities to identify who called in a threat to a Westchester elementary school that led to a districtwide lockout of students and staff. On Wednesday, Jan. 12, school officials in Port Chester entered a lockout due to an anonymous threat that was called in to the Park Avenue Elementary School. Original story - Port Chester School District Placed In Lockout Due To Anonymous Threat The nature of the threat has not been disclosed. Police said that investigators were called to the school and increased their presence districtwide as a precaution…
Man From Region Sentenced For Cocaine Distribution Man From Region Sentenced For Cocaine Distribution
Man From Region Sentenced For Cocaine Distribution A Western Massachusetts man has been sentenced to five years in prison for distributing nearly one kilogram of cocaine. Julio Rivera, age 47, of Worcester, was sentenced on Thursday, Dec. 16, after being convicted by a jury in September of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, said Acting US Attorney Nathaniel Mendell. In October 2018, a federal investigation into co-conspirator Melvin Burgos intercepted numerous communications between Burgos and co-conspirator William Torres arranging to obtain one kilogram of cocaine from Rivera, court do…
Feds Reportedly Probing Cuomo Sexual Harassment Claims, Nursing Home Deaths, Book Feds Reportedly Probing Cuomo Sexual Harassment Claims, Nursing Home Deaths, Book
Feds Reportedly Probing Cuomo Sexual Harassment Claims, Nursing Home Deaths, Book Disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is reportedly now under federal investigation over the sexual harassment accusations that cost him his job in Albany, according to the New York Post. The Post reported that a legal services contract signed in October and released by the state Comptroller’s Office on Thursday, Dec. 2 found that Cuomo is being investigated by the feds for his administration's handling of COVID-19, its coverup of nursing home deaths, and the profits he made on his book about leadership during the pandemic. According to the report, the contract states that "DOJ has al…
FBI Searches Westchester County Home In Ashley Biden Diary Theft Inquiry FBI Searches Westchester County Home In Ashley Biden Diary Theft Inquiry
FBI Searches Westchester County Home In Ashley Biden Diary Theft Inquiry The FBI carried out a court-ordered search at the suburban New York home of the founder of a conservative group in connection to an investigation involving the possible theft of a diary belonging to Ashley Biden, President Joe Biden’s 40-year-old daughter, according to a brand-new report by The New York Times. The search happened on Saturday, Oct. 30 at a Westchester County apartment associated with James O'Keefe of Project Veritas in Mamaroneck, the report said. An investigation into the matter was launched in October 2020, shortly before the Nov. 3 presidential election after a Biden…
Ex-Suffolk DA Spota, Aide Sentenced For Corruption Ex-Suffolk DA Spota, Aide Sentenced For Corruption
Ex-Suffolk DA Spota, Aide Sentenced For Corruption Two former high-ranking Suffolk County government officials have been sentenced to jail following a six-week federal jury trial. Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas J. Spota and Christopher McPartland, his former anti-corruption aide were each sentenced Tuesday, Aug. 10, by US District Judge Joan M. Azrack, to five years in prison.  Additionally, Spota, age 79, of Mount Sinai, was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine. The sentences stem from the defendants’ December 17, 2019 convictions for trying to cover up a prisoner’s beating at a Hauppauge …
Feds Raid Giuliani's Manhattan Apartment Feds Raid Giuliani's Manhattan Apartment
Feds Raid Giuliani's Manhattan Apartment Federal agents on Wednesday raided the Manhattan apartment of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani as part of an investigation into his activities in Ukraine, according to multiple reports. Guiliani, who was ex-President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, didn’t immediately comment, nor did the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York in Manhattan. No charges had been filed against the 76-year-old former federal prosecutor as of Wednesday afternoon. Agents earlier in the day seized electronic devices during a warranted search as part of a months-long investigation, acco…
PSERS Hires Fund Management Firm Amid Federal Investigation PSERS Hires Fund Management Firm Amid Federal Investigation
Psers Hires Fund Management Firm Amid Federal Investigation The Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement system has hired a management firm amid a federal investigation due to a 2020 miscalculation, PennLive reports. The fund hired Verus Investments, a Seattle-based firm that will take over “monitoring and oversight of investment,” the job previously done by PSERS Chief Investment Officer James Grossman. Grossman has not resigned, however, the fund considers this an emergency hire to monitor and oversee investments during “internal and external investigations” of PSERS investments, the fund told PennLive. The fund reversed its previous sta…