Mineola, NY
Politics
Lyin’ King George Santos Sentenced To Prison In Final Act Of Political Circus Lyin’ King George Santos Sentenced To Prison In Final Act Of Political Circus
Lyin’ King George Santos Sentenced To Prison In Final Act Of Political Circus Disgraced former New York congressman and convicted fraudster George Santos is heading to federal prison. The Republican ex-lawmaker, 36, was sentenced to 87 months (just over 7 years) behind bars in Central Islip federal court on Friday, April 25, months after pleading guilty to wire fraud and identity theft.  As part of his plea agreement, Santos agreed to pay a $200,000 forfeiture and over $373,000 in restitution to his victims. Friday’s sentencing capped off one of the most bizarre chapters in American political history, one in which a sitting member of Congress was expelled and l…

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by Michael Mashburn
Port Jefferson, NY
News
$10M Fraud: Port Jefferson Dad, Son Sentenced For Spending Investor Money On Lavish Lifestyle $10M Fraud: Port Jefferson Dad, Son Sentenced For Spending Investor Money On Lavish Lifestyle
$10M Fraud: Port Jefferson Dad, Son Sentenced For Spending Investor Money On Lavish Lifestyle A New York father and son will spend years behind bars for conning investors out of millions of dollars that funded their lavish lifestyle. Long Island resident Eugene Austin, age 62, of Port Jefferson, was sentenced to 18 years in prison in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday, April 23, following a jury conviction for wire fraud and money laundering. Austin’s 29-year-old son, Brandon Austin, of Coram, was previously sentenced to four years behind bars for his role in the scheme. The men offered to serve as a broker for sales of large quantities of cryptocurrency at below-market exchange r…

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by Michael Mashburn
Mineola, NY
Politics
'Unrepentant' George Santos Crying Out For 'Significant' Prison Time With Social Posts: DOJ 'Unrepentant' George Santos Crying Out For 'Significant' Prison Time With Social Posts: DOJ
'Unrepentant' George Santos Crying Out For 'Significant' Prison Time With Social Posts: DOJ Disgraced former New York congressman and convicted fraudster George Santos is proving, once again, that he’s more concerned with clout than consequences. With just days before his sentencing, federal prosecutors filed a scathing letter in Central Islip federal court Thursday, April 17, highlighting a wave of Santos’ recent social media posts they say “cry out” for a stiff prison sentence. The letter–sent from US Attorney John Durham to Judge Joanna Seybert–claims the X posts are “antithetical to the ‘genuine remorse’” claimed by Santos’ attorneys in their sentencing memorandum. Santos, 36…

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by Michael Mashburn
Westhampton-Quogue, NY
News
Disbarred Calverton Attorney Who Stole $25K From Real Estate Escrow Will Dodge Prison Disbarred Calverton Attorney Who Stole $25K From Real Estate Escrow Will Dodge Prison
Disbarred Calverton Attorney Who Stole $25K From Real Estate Escrow Will Dodge Prison A disgraced Long Island attorney won’t spend a day behind bars after confessing he stole $25,000 from a real estate escrow account. Peter Saad Jr., 48, of Calverton, pleaded guilty to grand larceny in Suffolk County on Wednesday, April 16. Saad, a former Riverhead attorney who has since been disbarred, represented the seller in a home sale in 2020. Because of unresolved permit issues, all parties agreed that $25,000 would be held in Saad’s escrow account until those issues were resolved. Instead, Saad stopped responding to the parties and used the funds for personal expenses, according to…

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by Michael Mashburn
Howell-Farmingdale, NJ
Police & Fire
Howell Woman Stole $4 Million From Employer: Attorney General Howell Woman Stole $4 Million From Employer: Attorney General
Howell Woman Stole $4 Million From Employer: Attorney General A 62-year-old Howell woman pleaded guilty on Monday, April 14 to stealing more $4 million from her employer and failing to pay taxes on the stolen money, authorities said. Jeanette Avellan pleaded guilty to theft of moveable property, failure to pay income taxes and filing a fraudulent tax return, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. She faces a four year prison sentence, per the terms of a plea agreement, Platkin said. Avellan had worked as a bookkeeper at West End Express Co. in South Brunswick since 2005, Platkin said. Between 2017 and 2023, Avellan stole $4 million from the…

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by Sam Barron
Levittown-Fairless Hills, PA
Police & Fire
Ex-Levittown Police Officer, Fire Company President Posted Child Porn: DA Ex-Levittown Police Officer, Fire Company President Posted Child Porn: DA
Ex-Levittown Police Officer, Fire Company President Posted Child Porn: DA A former Bucks County police officer and fire company president is accused of posting a sexually explicit photo of an underage girl online, authorities announced on Wednesday, April 9. Gary Margerum, 67, of Levittown, is charged with Felony Dissemination of Photos or Films of Child Sex Acts, Felony Child Pornography, and Felony Criminal Use of a Communication Facility​. The investigation began when the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children tipped off the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office about a Kik user uploading child sexual abuse material in December 2024, prosecutor…

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by Jillian Pikora
Elizabeth, NJ
Police & Fire
$1.5 Million Theft: Elizabeth Man Learns Fate, Prosecutor Says $1.5 Million Theft: Elizabeth Man Learns Fate, Prosecutor Says
$1.5 Million Theft: Elizabeth Man Learns Fate, Prosecutor Says A 25-year-old Elizabeth man was sentenced to four years in prison on Friday, April 4 after he pleaded guilty to stealing more than $1.5 million from a senior citizen, authorities said. Elijah Ray pleaded guilty to theft by deception on Wednesday, Feb. 26, Union County Prosecutor William Daniel said. Between January 2022 and August 2022, Ray targeted an elderly family friend through a prolonged deceptive scheme, Daniel said. Through a series of fabricated documents, impersonation of commercial driving school representatives and fraudulent statements, Ray defrauded the victim on at least…

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by Sam Barron
Plainview-Old Bethpage, NY
Politics
'Pathological Liar' George Santos Deserves 'Significant Prison Sentence,' Feds Say 'Pathological Liar' George Santos Deserves 'Significant Prison Sentence,' Feds Say
'Pathological Liar' George Santos Deserves 'Significant Prison Sentence,' Feds Say Disgraced former New York congressman George Santos will sit in federal prison for more than a half decade if prosecutors get their way. In a sentencing memo filed in Central Islip on Friday, April 4, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District urged Judge Joanna Seybert to impose an 87-month prison term–over seven years–describing Santos as a “pathological liar and fraudster” who “made a mockery of our election system.” Santos, 36, represented Long Island’s 3rd Congressional District, covering parts of Nassau County and Queens, until he was expelled from Congress in December 2023, as…

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by Michael Mashburn
Lancaster, PA
News
‘Horrible Influence’ With TBI Sentenced After Fentanyl-Fueled Crime Spree: Lancaster DA ‘Horrible Influence’ With TBI Sentenced After Fentanyl-Fueled Crime Spree: Lancaster DA
‘Horrible Influence’ With TBI Sentenced After Fentanyl-Fueled Crime Spree: Lancaster DA A Chester County man described by a judge as a “horrible influence on the community” has been sentenced after pleading guilty to a months-long crime spree that ended in a violent, fentanyl-fueled crash, authorities announced. James Michael Steffy, 41, of West Ridge Road in West Nottingham Township, was sentenced to 14 to 28 years in state prison on Tuesday, March 26, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office. Judge Thomas Sponaugle also ordered Steffy to pay more than $52,000 in restitution to his victims. The public “needs to be protected from Mr. Steffy,” the judge sai…

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by Jillian Pikora
White Plains, NY
News
‘Vow Of Poverty' Friar With White Plains Ties Used Donor Cash For Plastic Surgery, Luxury Life ‘Vow Of Poverty' Friar With White Plains Ties Used Donor Cash For Plastic Surgery, Luxury Life
‘Vow Of Poverty' Friar With White Plains Ties Used Donor Cash For Plastic Surgery, Luxury Life A Manhattan friar from a Catholic religious order headquartered in Westchester will spend years in federal prison for stealing more than half a million dollars in donations through a fake charity, federal prosecutors announced. Paul Bielecki, 48, also known as “Paul HRH Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,” was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty in November to wire fraud for orchestrating a multi-year scheme to solicit donations for fake medical clinics he claimed to run in Beirut, Lebanon.  At the time, Bielecki was a Franciscan friar with the Province of St. Mary of the Capuchin O…

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by Ben Crnic
Arlington, VA
Police & Fire
Men Behind $1.2M Brinks Armored Car Robbery Spree In DC Headed To Prison, Feds Say Men Behind $1.2M Brinks Armored Car Robbery Spree In DC Headed To Prison, Feds Say
Men Behind $1.2M Brinks Armored Car Robbery Spree In DC Headed To Prison, Feds Say Two DC men who used assault rifles to rob armored Brinks trucks in broad daylight — then bragged about it online — are headed to prison for decades, federal officials announced. William Brock, 33, and Anthony Antwon McNair, Jr., 36, were sentenced to 47.5 years and 31.5 years in federal prison, respectively, for their roles in a violent series of Brinks armored car robberies that took place across the region between 2021 and 2022. They were convicted by a federal jury in September 2024 of Hobbs Act robbery, bank robbery, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, the US Attorney’…

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by Zak Failla
Elmont, NY
News
NY Art Advisor Who Stole $6.5M From Clients In Years-Long Fraud Scheme Sentenced To Prison NY Art Advisor Who Stole $6.5M From Clients In Years-Long Fraud Scheme Sentenced To Prison
NY Art Advisor Who Stole $6.5M From Clients In Years-Long Fraud Scheme Sentenced To Prison A once-prominent Manhattan art advisor who defrauded her wealthy clients of more than $6.5 million in a years-long scheme is heading to prison. Lisa Schiff, 54, a well-known contemporary art consultant, was sentenced to 30 months behind bars in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, March 19, after admitting to a massive fraud in which she stole money meant for art purchases and sales, instead using it to fund a lavish lifestyle and cover mounting debts. Schiff ran her scheme for five years, from 2018 through 2023, using her company, Schiff Fine Art (SFA), to swindle at least 12 clients, one…

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by Michael Mashburn