Publishing companies IBT Media and Christian Media, and executives with those companies, are facing fraud charges for their involvement in an alleged fraud and money-laundering conspiracy involving Newsweek magazine. The district attorney's office recently conducted an investigation, which included raiding IBT's offices.Etienne Uzac, co-founder of IBT, William Anderson, former chief executive and publisher of Christian Media and various unnamed co-conspirators were charged with making multiple misrepresentations, including statements regarding the financial status of Newsweek, to defraud lenders. According to prosecutors, the alleged perpetrators pretended to borrow money for high-end computing services and instead put the money into their own accounts. Uzac and Anderson were also accused of creating a fake accounting firm and fake financial statements to trick lenders into giving them millions of dollars. A computer company was also [...]

Identity theft is a growing problem, with many people taking advantage of how easy it is to access someone's personal information. In many cases, a person will be charged with identity theft, if they are accused of using someone else's name, credit card number or Social Security number to make purchases or obtain employment.If one has been charged with identity theft, it will be the prosecution's job to prove that they committed the crimes. Typically, they will have to prove that one obtained someone else's personal information with the intent to defraud someone or fraudulently use the information for their own gain. Even if one has yet to buy anything or use the information in any way, just obtaining it with the intent to use it may be enough to [...]

As we gear up for the holiday season, retailers are paying close attention to preventing theft. According to an annual study by the National Retail Federation, organized retail crime (ORC) is on the rise. Any New York resident who is caught taking items from a store without paying for them or engaging in fraudulent returns may be arrested and charged with theft. The specific charges and potential conviction penalties will depend on the value of the items stolen and the circumstances of the incident.Researchers at the National Retail Federation surveyed loss prevention from various types of stores (e.g. department, discount, grocery) and determined that 67 percent of them reported seeing an increase in organized retail crime over the past year. The survey also revealed that 96 percent of the companies [...]

When many people think of theft crimes, they picture someone breaking into a store or home and taking items that do not belong to them. They may not think of all the intricacies of these alleged thefts. For example, three New Yorkers allegedly used counterfeit money to pay for multiple items from Home Depot. These people were spotted on surveillance camera footage for walking out of the store with nearly $1,500 worth of multiple drill kits.One of the three people supposedly returned to the store three days later and paid for a nearly $400 fuel kit and a $299 brush kit with nine $100 bills. Loss prevention officers recognized the man and called police. When police approached the man, he was close to his vehicle where the other two people [...]

When someone is accused of taking property that does not belong to them, they may be charged with theft. Many criminal theft charges stem from retail theft, which costs companies millions of dollars each year. A New York City man was charged with shoplifting after stealing baby formula from a Costco store.According to police, store managers and staff in multiple locations reported that the man was a part of a shoplifting scheme involving a woman and that they had allegedly run the scam multiple times this year. The woman was seen on the surveillance video making a small purchase and then going to the bathroom. She hid her purchase and walked out. The man later walked in and filled his cart with baby formula but did not pay for it. [...]

With the technological advancements of recent years, identity theft has become one of the fastest growing crimes in society. A Brooklyn woman was recently arrested and charged with identity theft, forgery, receiving stolen property and theft, among other felony criminal counts. The woman was arrested after the alleged victim contacted the authorities. The alleged victim claimed that thieves had gotten her information and drained over $20,000 from her account through numerous bank transactions.After a thorough investigation, the police identified the woman as the alleged perpetrator and obtained a felony warrant for her arrest. She was then located and arrested earlier this summer. She is currently being held on $10,000 bail and will be in jail until her preliminary hearing.Identity theft occurs when someone wrongfully obtains someone else's personal and financial [...]

Fraud in the sale of stocks and private bonds is not uncommon, but before now, no one had been prosecuted for criminal securities fraud involving the sale of municipal bonds. That state of affairs will change dramatically when an elected official of the town of Ramapo, a suburb about 28 miles northwest of New York, will face trial on federal criminal charges involving the sale of municipal bonds.The defendant is the elected supervisor of Ramapo. Prosecutors allege that the defendant defrauded bond purchasers who helped finance a minor league baseball stadium near Ramapo. The essential allegation claims that the defendant and the former executive director of the Ramapo Local Development Corp. defrauded potential investors by concealing the city's shaky financial condition while they were actively marketing the bonds. The federal [...]

When a person in New York thinks of gang crimes, he or she may envision drive-by shootings or massive drug busts. However, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD), more and more drug gangs are committing credit card theft. One NYPD official stated that in 2016, hundreds of apprehended gang members had stolen credit cards on them. The official stated that five-years ago, such crimes were rare.The NYPD is committed to fighting such crimes. They have added detectives to grand larceny squads, as well as having gang squads commit raids. These raids would often turn up additional incidents of alleged weapons or drug crimes.Police utilize surveillance to show how these gangs utilize credit card schemes. For example, one video appeared to depict gang members using a stolen credit card [...]

Last week, this blog discussed the nuances of the crime of burglary. As one may recall, burglary involves knowingly entering a building with the intent to commit a crime therein. Recently, three men from New York were accused of committing that very crime in Nanuet, New York.Three men were arrested by the Clarkstown Police Department on accusations of robbery and burglary. The incident allegedly took place in a home invasion in Nanuet.Reportedly, multiple individuals with guns gained access to a home with people in it and displayed their weapons. One of the alleged occupants reported that when he went out to his garage to get something, he saw two African American males point firearms at him. The man reported that the gunmen demanded jewelry and money. The man handed them [...]

Hollywood likes to portray burglars as hardened criminals who are breaking and entering" to do something extremely violent or nefarious. HoweverUnder New York law, an individual commits third-degree burglary if he or she knowingly enters into a building or unlawfully remains in the building, intending to commit an illegal act therein. Let us unpack some of these phrases and see how the law defines them.First, a building under the law is not restricted to brick-and-mortar structures. It also includes vehicles and watercraft intended for overnight lodging. Also included in the definition of building" are enclosed motor trucks or truck trailers. If a building consists of multiple units that each have a separate lock or are separately occupiedSecond, let us consider the definition of enter or remain unlawfully." In generalThis definition [...]