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Great Neck, NY
Breaking News
LI Lawyer Blew Client's $30K Escrow On Personal Expenses, DA Says
A former Long Island attorney is facing serious charges allegedly stealing $30,000 from a real estate escrow account, prosecutors alleged. Marco Materassi, 58, of Dania Beach, Florida, was arraigned on grand larceny charges in Suffolk County Court on Friday, June 20, following an investigation into a 2024 home sale gone wrong. Materassi, formerly the principal attorney at Materassi Legal, P.C. in Great Neck, was acting as the seller’s attorney in the transaction and agreed to hold the buyer’s $30,000 down payment in escrow until closing, according to the Suffolk County DA’s office. But wh…
Cortlandt, NY
Breaking News
Man Caught After Stealing Car In Croton-On-Hudson, Police Say
A Bronx man has been charged with felony grand larceny following the theft of a vehicle in Northern Westchester last month, police said. Rachesta A. Sumpter, age 39, was arrested on Friday, May 30 in connection with a car theft in Croton-on-Hudson that occurred the evening of May 29 near Brook Street, the Croton-on-Hudson Police Department announced Friday, June 13. Officers were dispatched to the area around 7:08 p.m. on the day of the theft for a report of a stolen vehicle. The case was turned over to detectives, who canvassed the area and reviewed surveillance video. Investig…
National Interest
$30K 'Chase Courier' Scammer Duped Merrick Woman, Police Say — Here's How To Protect Yourself
A 71-year-old Long Island woman was conned out of $30,000 by a man allegedly posing as a bank courier, and police believe he may have scammed others too. The North Merrick victim received a text message on Thursday, May 22, warning of “fraudulent activity” on her Apple account. That was followed by a call from a man claiming to be a Chase bank representative, who told her to immediately withdraw $30,000 in cash, Nassau County Police said. She was then instructed to meet a courier near Old Mill Road and Sandra Lane, where she turned over the money to a man she had never seen before. The next…
Spring Valley, NY
Breaking News
Teen Held Knife To Victim's Neck In Armed Robbery In Ramapo, Police Say
An 18-year-old man is facing multiple charges after allegedly robbing a victim at knifepoint in Rockland County and later being found with a young woman who police feared was in danger, police said. The incident unfolded just before 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 18, when officers were called to South Madison Avenue for a reported armed robbery, Ramapo Police Lt. Chris Franklin told Daily Voice on Wednesday, June 11. Investigators say the suspect, 18-year-old Jostin Javier Cabrera-Ruiz of Chestnut Ridge, confronted someone he knew, threatened him by holding a knife to his throat, and stole sev…
Great Neck, NY
Breaking News
Great Neck Doctor Pocketed $100K In Disability While Raking In $700K From Medicare, DA Says
A Long Island doctor is accused of collecting $100,000 in disability while secretly billing Medicare for $700,000. Joseph Golyan, 64, a former gastroenterologist from Great Neck, was arraigned on multiple grand larceny charges in Nassau County Court on Monday, June 9, with prosecutors alleging he maintained a thriving medical practice while falsely claiming to be too injured to work. The alleged scheme began in 2021, when Golyan first applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), followed by early retirement benefits in 2022. He received monthly payments ranging from $2,900 to o…
Clifton Park, NY
On Your Side
Handyman Takes $1K From Clifton Park Client Before Skipping Out On Work, Police Say
A purported handyman took a Capital Region client’s cash before skipping out on the work, police alleged. Charles Ferrara, 52, of Schenectady, was arrested on suspicion of felony grand larceny on Sunday, June 8, following an investigation by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office. Ferrara was hired by a Clifton Park resident to perform handyman-type work, and accepted a check for $1,045 from the client, deputies said. But instead of performing the work, he cashed their check and cut all communication with the victim, according to investigators. Following his arrest, Ferrara was releas…
Yorktown, NY
Breaking News
Yorktown Gas Station Heist Suspect Tracked Down At Rikers Island Prison, Police Say
A 22-year-old man was arrested while already in prison in connection with a gas station burglary that took place in Westchester more than a year ago, police said. John Edward Villar-Villa of the Bronx was taken into custody on Tuesday, June 3, at Rikers Island Correctional Center, where he was already being held on an unrelated matter, the Yorktown Police Department announced on Thursday, June 5. Police said Villar-Villa was wanted on an active warrant charging him with third-degree burglary, third-degree grand larceny, and third-degree criminal mischief in connection with…
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
‘My Body Told Me To Steal A Gun’: Felon Busted At Sonic After Wild Stafford Break-In: Sheriff
His body told him to do it. Deputies told him to get in the back of the cruiser. A convicted felon who said “my body told me to steal a gun” is back behind bars after a brazen theft attempt outside a Sonic in Stafford County, authorities said. Kenneth Gibson, 36, of Culpeper, was arrested on Sunday, June 1, after deputies say he broke into a stranger’s car and tried to swipe a handgun in the parking lot of Sonic on McWhirt Loop, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were called to the scene around 7:37 p.m. that night after a man reported someone he didn’t know was si…
Kingston, NY
Breaking News
$1.2M Heist On Wheels: Dad-Son Duo Busted In Medicaid Limo Fraud Scheme In Ulster County: DA
A father-son duo from the Hudson Valley is accused of masterminding a $1.2 million Medicaid fraud scheme involving fake limo rides and kickbacks to patients. Muhammad W. Khan, 40, and his father, Mohammad A. Khan, 68 — both from Campbell Hall — falsified transportation records, billed for group rides as individual trips, and even paid off patients to use their Ulster County companies, according to state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. Muhammad Khan, owner of MAK Limo, is accused of stealing over $1.1 million between November 2020 and August 2024. His father, Mohammad Khan, who owns Atlas Limo,…
Yorktown, NY
Breaking News
Cleaner Stole $13K Ring From Yorktown Home, Police Say
A house cleaner from Rockland County is facing a felony charge after allegedly stealing a $13,000 ring from a home in Westchester, police said. Rosa Celmira Tene Guallias, 26, of Spring Valley, was arrested on Friday, May 31 and charged with third-degree grand larceny in connection with the alleged theft, which happened in Yorktown, the Yorktown Police Department announced on Monday, June 2. Officers were dispatched at 1:15 p.m. to a Yorktown residence after a report of a missing ring. During their investigation, police identified Tene Guallias—who had been working in the home as a cl…
National Interest
Exclusive
: $1M Theft At Kolstein's In Baldwin Is More Revenge From Ex-Boss, Owner Says
A Long Island music store owner whose father is accused of stealing more than $1 million in rare instruments says the criminal case against him is part of a long-running battle over control of the historic shop. Manuel Alvarez, 61, of East Rockaway, was arrested after Nassau County police say he removed over $1 million in musical instruments and items from Kolstein Music in Baldwin, and transported them to an undisclosed location in Florida, Nassau County Police said. But his son, Manny Alvarez, who has been the owner of the music shop for nearly seven years, tells a different story. “Barr…
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Man Walks Out Of Jail, Steals Car From Fairfax Courthouse, Breaks Into Home: Police
He walked out of jail — then stole a car and broke into a home, police say. A Woodbridge man is back behind bars after Fairfax County Police say he stole a vehicle from the courthouse parking lot shortly after being released from jail, then burglarized a woman’s home in Burke later the same day. Derling Gustavo Hernandez, 28, had just been released from the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on Tuesday, May 27 when police say he stole a car from the Fairfax County Courthouse. Just hours later, at around 7 p.m., officers were called to the 9500 block of Millgate Place in Burke after a wo…
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