$300K Stolen From Youth Soccer Club In Cohoes, Ex-Treasurer Admits Theft: Authorities
A Capital Region youth soccer club leader admitted stealing nearly $300,000 from the club and spending it on personal and business expenses, authorities said.
William Nevins, 55, of Menands, pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny Wednesday, Oct. 14, the Albany County District Attorney’s office said. He is expected to get between one and five years in prison as part of a plea deal, according to authorities.
Nevins siphoned money from Latham Circle Soccer Club between 2017 and 2022 while serving as its treasurer, investigators said.
He wrote checks to his personal and business account…
Jim Bakker Dies: Televangelist’s Rise, Fall Captivated America
Jim Bakker turned television preaching into a multimillion-dollar empire before a spectacular downfall made him a household name for very different reasons.
The televangelist died Monday, Oct. 5, at 86. His wife, Lori, announced his death. A cause was not disclosed.
Bakker and his first wife, Tammy Faye, rose to national prominence through “The PTL Club,” blending faith, music, and celebrity interviews with appeals for donations.
Their ambitions stretched beyond the television screen. They built Heritage USA, a Christian vacation destination in Fort Mill, South Carolina, featuring a hotel …
Dead Passengers, Fake Drivers: NJ Woman, Colombian Lover's $13M Scheme Unravels
Some of the passengers were dead. Some of the drivers had never driven a car.
But a New Jersey woman and her Colombian lover apparently had no trouble taking taxpayers for a ride.
For years, prosecutors say, Jael Watts, 45, of Alloway, operated Pearl Transit Corporation, a New Jersey-based company that purported to have drivers scattered across the country giving rides to elderly and disabled people while also conducting outreach for homeless Americans.
Watts and Luis Pino-Copete, 42, of Bogota, Colombia, were convicted following a multi-week federal trial in Utica of orchestrating a spraw…
Driver Accused Of Exploiting Elderly Lancaster Woman After Gaining Her Trust, Pawning Rings: PD
A Pennsylvania man hired to drive an elderly woman to medical appointments gained her trust before taking thousands of dollars, pawning her rings, and misusing her credit card, police say.
Timothy Hollis, 52, of Fleetwood, was arrested by West Lampeter Township and Strasburg Borough police around 7:20 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, in the 1200 block of Historic Drive in Strasburg, according to an updated release issued Friday, Oct. 2.
The investigation began July 28, when a West Lampeter Township officer was called to the 600 block of Willow Valley Square for a report of ongoing financial exploi…
White Plains, Millwood USPS Workers Stole 200-Plus Gift Cards From Mail, Feds Say
Two former postal workers in Westchester County are facing federal charges for stealing more than 200 gift cards from the mail and using them for their own benefit, prosecutors said.
Pian Pian Wong-Tam, 59, and William Wong, 57, both of New York City, were presented on Friday, Sept. 25, before Chief US Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy on charges stemming from the alleged scheme, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced.
Wong-Tam formerly worked as a mail processing clerk at the US Postal Service's White Plains Processing & Distribution Cent…
$919K Wired By Hicksville Woman In India Scam; Queens Suspect Charged
A 70-year-old Nassau County woman wired nearly $1 million after scammers told her she was implicated in a crime in India, police said.
The victim received a call saying she needed to withdraw money to resolve the supposed criminal matter, Nassau County Police said.
Between Monday, June 29, and Monday, July 27, she withdrew and wired a total of $919,200, according to detectives.
The scammers contacted her again on Tuesday, Sept. 1, directing her to buy an additional $300,000 in gold bars and coins, police said.
That time, the Hicksville woman realized it was a scam and called police.
Foll…
Fake Check For $4,800 Lands Troy Man In Handcuffs: Police
A Capital Region man has been arrested for trying to deposit a fake check for nearly $5,000, police said.
Vincent M. Patrick, 41, of Troy, was cuffed Sunday, Aug. 23 on a warrant out of Halfmoon Town Court, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s office said.
Patrick entered a credit union in Halfmoon on Feb. 2 with a falsified check for $4,853.91 and plans to defraud the establishment, investigators said. He did not succeed, according to authorities.
Instead, Patrick was charged with first-degree possession of a forged instrument, then arraigned in Halfmoon court, cops said. He was released on his …
Maryland Woman Stole DC Grandma's Money, Spent It On Designer Shoes, Football Tickets, Feds Say
It took a federal jury less than five hours to find a Maryland woman guilty of taking advantage of her elderly grandmother.
Cordova resident Linda Laird, 62, was found guilty of her role in an elaborate scheme to abuse her position as the co-guardian and co-conservator of what prosecutors described as an 81-year-old vulnerable adult.
According to court documents, in November 2017, Laird, her late father, James Blizzard, and her late mother, Joyce Blizzard, were appointed by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to look after Laird's grandmother and estate.
At the time, Laird’s gra…
$50K Company Spending Spree: Lower Merion School Board Member Charged With Felony Theft
A school board member who campaigned on her experience with financial oversight and audits is accused of using more than $50,000 from her employer for family vacations, Amazon purchases, and Bar Mitzvah photography, authorities announced on Monday, Aug. 24.
Lower Merion School Board member Jennifer Rivera, 41, of Bala Cynwyd, turned herself in to Lower Merion Township Police on Monday on multiple felony charges stemming from her employment at SMB, a Bala Cynwyd law firm marketing agency, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Lower Merion Township Police Superintendent Andre…
$740K Stolen From Churches, Priest's Own Mother By Ex-Clergyman: PA AG
A former Ukrainian Catholic priest stole more than $740,000 from Pennsylvania churches, church groups, and his own mother, state authorities announced.
Gregory Allen Madeya, 69, formerly of Westmoreland County, was arrested in Vero Beach, Florida, on Friday, Aug. 14, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Monday, Aug. 17.
Madeya is awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania on felony charges of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, theft by unlawful taking, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, financial exploitation of an older adult or care-dependent pers…
Fake Caregiver Kickbacks In $1.76M Medicaid Scheme Lands King Of Prussia Mom, Daughter In Jail
A home care agency owner whose daughter was already jailed in a massive Medicaid fraud case is now headed to state prison herself, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Thursday, Aug. 20.
Stephanie Mobley, 54, of King of Prussia, owned ComfortZone Home Health Care, LLC, where prosecutors say she approved kickback arrangements, assigned phony caregivers to clients, and recruited clients to participate in the scheme.
A Montgomery County judge sentenced Mobley to 17 months to 10 years in state prison and ordered her to pay $1.76 million in restitution on Wednesday, Aug. 19, ac…
New Texts Emerge In Mystery Death Of Designer Aboard Investor’s Hamptons Boat: Report
A Long Island designer found dead on a boat last year complained of being “harassed” by her company’s only investor days before her body was found on his boat, according to a new report.
Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra, 33, had even blocked Christopher Durnan, 61, for months to ignore his calls and texts, the New York Post reported Saturday, Aug. 15.
But Nolan-O’Slatarra’s business partner, Dylan Grace, convinced her to unblock Durnan because he was now on the receiving end of Durnan’s communication, according to the Post. Durnan was concerned about fraud by the operators, according to texts obtain…
No Floors, No Refunds: East Islip Flooring Contractor Admits $90K Hamptons Rip-Offs, DA Says
A Long Island flooring contractor has admitted to stealing $90,000 and bailing on three projects, authorities announced Thursday, Aug. 13.
Leones Martins Rodrigues, 40, of East Islip, took the money for three jobs across Southampton and East Hampton from May 2022 to February 2024, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said. Martins Rodrigues was the owner of Smart Flooring.
But instead of completing the work, Martins Rodrigues simply drained his accounts to pay down outstanding debts, investigators said. He never even purchased any hardwood flooring as promised, according to authori…
Fake Youth Basketball Operator Scams Saratoga County Parents Out Of $1K, Cops Say
A New York man created a fake youth basketball team and scammed parents out of more than $1,000, authorities said Monday, Aug. 10.
Norbert A. Sygdziak, 44, of Milton, collected money from several parents for their children to join a basketball team, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s office said.
With no basketball games occurring, the parents filed a series of complaints, leading to Sygdziak’s arrest on Tuesday, July 21, authorities said. He was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, first- and second-degree scheme to defraud, and five counts of petit larceny.
Sygdziak carried out his schem…
Wallingford School PTO Treasurer Stole $22K From Elementary School Group, Police Say
A former Connecticut elementary school PTO treasurer is accused of stealing about $22,000 from the organization that supports local students and teachers.
Erica L. Vitale, 39, of Wallingford, was arrested Friday, July 17, according to police. She served as treasurer for the Highland Elementary School PTO and had full access to the group's funds.
The PTO claims $22,000 is missing from their accounts, and Vitale cannot account for it, police explained.
Vitale is charged with first-degree larceny and fraudulent use of an automated teller machine, Wallingford police said. She …
