High-Speed Chase Ends In Massive Gas Line Explosion: Lancaster DA
A driver who turned a simple traffic stop into a high-speed police chase, ultimately crashing into a home and causing a gas line explosion, has been sentenced to state prison, authorities announced Monday, March 17.
Waleem Felder, 46, of Philadelphia, was sentenced to three years and nine months to 12 years in state prison on Tuesday, March 5, after being convicted on multiple charges, including risking catastrophe and fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office.
The chaos began in November 2023 when Lancaster police attempted to p…
$80K Wage Theft: North Babylon Company, Leaders Admit Cheating Workers Out Of Rightful Pay
A Long Island company, along with its top executives, confessed to shortchanging workers on public school projects and falsifying payroll records.
BJA Renovations Corp., a North Babylon-based asbestos removal and demolition company, and its manager, Joseph Demasco, 67, pleaded guilty to failing to pay more than $80,000 in required wages in Nassau County Court on Friday, March 14.
The wages were owed for work performed at schools in the Merrick and Oceanside Union Free School Districts between 2019 and 2021, according to the Nassau County DA’s office.
The company and its president, Nicholas…
Cherry Hill Man Who Paid To Torch $6M PA Book Warehouse, Injuring Firefighter, Sentenced: DOJ
A New Jersey man who orchestrated the arson of a Bucks County book warehouse—injuring a firefighter and causing over $6 million in damages—has been sentenced to six years in federal prison, authorities announced.
Ramiz Duka, 62, of Cherry Hill, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge for his role in the Dec. 10, 2022, fire at Ebooks Web LLC on Bridgewater Road in Bensalem, Acting U.S. Attorney Nelson S.T. Thayer, Jr. said on Monday, March 10.
Duka conspired with two men to set the warehouse ablaze, paying them $15,000 for the job, investigators previously revealed.…
Guilty! Vernon Woman Smuggled Workers Into US, Used Threats, Unpaid Debt To Exploit Them: DOJ
A Connecticut woman who smuggled immigrants into Connecticut and trapped them in a cycle of debt, labor, and fear has been sentenced to three years in federal prison, authorities announced.
Porfiria Maribel Ramos Sanchez, 47, a Mexican national living in Vernon, pleaded guilty to her role in a human trafficking scheme that preyed on vulnerable immigrants, including minors, the US Attorney for Connecticut said.
Investigators found that Ramos, her mother, and others smuggled at least 19 victims — many from Mexico — into the U.S., charging them up to $20,000 just to cross the border. Once in C…
Father-Daughter Duo Who Stole $230K From Elderly Victim In Kingston Dodges Prison
A father and daughter who scammed a 92-year-old woman out of more than $230,000 in Ulster County won’t spend a day in prison.
Frank Whittaker, 56, of Kingston, and his daughter, Christine Ellsworth, 39, of Accord, were sentenced to probation and ordered to pay restitution in Ulster County Court on Tuesday, March 4.
The daddy-daughter duo gained the victim’s trust by helping with yard work and household tasks, according to the New York Attorney General’s office. Over time, Whittaker convinced the woman to grant him Power of Attorney over her finances.
But instead of managing her money resp…
$127K Scheme: Woman Steals From Wallkill Employer, Buys Luxury Car In Its Name, DA Says
A 46-year-old woman has admitted to embezzling more than $127,000 from her Orange County employer and even going as far as to forge a contract that showed she owned the company, prosecutors said.
Meghan Henesy, 46, of Panama City, Florida, pleaded guilty on Monday, Feb. 24, in Orange County Court to second-degree grand larceny, according to Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler.
Henesy worked as a bookkeeper and office manager for a Wallkill-based title insurance company from 2020 through 2022, during which she carried out a series of fraudulent schemes to steal company funds for…
Philly Leader Of Armed Robbery Crew Who Shot Store Employee Sentenced To 32 Years: DOJ
A Philadelphia man who led a string of six violent armed robberies across the city and nearby counties in February 2021 has been sentenced to 32 years in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
Lawrence McKay, 37, forced cell phone store employees at gunpoint to hand over cash and merchandise during a three-week crime spree, authorities said. In one robbery, McKay shot a store employee in the stomach, and in another, co-conspirator Brenton Holmes shot an employee in the leg. Both victims survived, according to U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero.
McKay, wh…
