(Long Island, NY) Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Second Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who possessed stolen property in Huntington Station last September.

Suffolk County Police are seeking the public’s help to identify the man who possessed stolen property in Huntington Station last September. Photo Credit: SCPD.

An unknown person entered a storage garage for Aunt Jill Earthy Products, located at 1320 New York Ave., and stole bug spray, a ladder and a pallet jack during the early hours of September 2. A short time later and across the street from the garage, a man was in possession of the stolen property.

An unknown person entered a storage garage for Aunt Jill Earthy Products and stole items on September 2. Photo Credit: SCPD.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

(Long Island, NY) Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad Detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that killed a pedestrian in Nesconset on Wednesday, April 6.

Andrew Sanchez, 23, of Bay Shore, was operating a 2000 Jeep Cherokee, westbound on Nesconset Highway at the intersection of Browns Road when he struck a pedestrian who was crossing from the median to the north side of Nesconset Highway.

Suffolk County Police are investigating a motor vehicle crash that killed a pedestrian in Nesconset on Wednesday, April 6. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle.

The pedestrian, whose identity is being withheld pending notification to next of kin, was transported by Nesconset Fire Department Rescue to Stony Brook University Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Sanchez was not injured. His vehicle was impounded for a safety check and the investigation is continuing.

(Long Island, NY) Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) invites members of the community to join him for a Meet and Greet to discuss state issues such as the state budget, protection for senior citizens, education and other topics of interest.

The event will be held on Monday, April 18 from 7-8:45 p.m. at the Gold Coast Library Annex. The Library Annex is located at 40 Railroad Avenue in Glen Head.

“I look forward to hosting events like this every year,” said Ra. “It gives me an opportunity to sit down and discuss any concerns residents have with issues at the state or local level. It is important to me that their voices and input are heard in Albany. Together we can fight for what matters most to families throughout our community.”

For more information on this event or any other state issue, contact  Ra’s district office via phone at 516-535-4095 or by email at rae@assembly.state.ny.us.

Assemblyman Ra represents the 19^th Assembly District.

(Long Island, NY) Suffolk County Police Third Squad Detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that killed a pedestrian in Bay Shore on Wednesday, April 6.

Marie Brandflu , 65, of Central Islip, was operating a 2001 Hyundai Elantra southbound in the right lane of Fifth Avenue, near Brook Avenue, when she struck a pedestrian who was running from the eastside to the westside across Fifth Avenue.

Suffolk County Police are investigating a motor vehicle crash that killed a pedestrian in Bay Shore on Wednesday, April 6. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle.

The pedestrian, John Green, 57, of Bay Shore, was transported to Southside Hospital by Bay Shore/Brightwaters Ambulance where he was pronounced dead.

Marie Brandflu and her passenger were not injured. Her vehicle was impounded for a safety check and the investigation is continuing.

(Long Island, NY) The Major Case Bureau reports the arrest of 3 males for Grand Larceny that occurred in December 2015.

According to Crimes Against Property Squad detectives, on January 6, 2016 a Maryland Postal Inspector became involved in an investigation with stolen United States Postal Money Orders from Baltimore, Maryland. This investigation led to Nassau County.

Nassau County Police reports the arrest of 3 males for Grand Larceny that occurred in December 2015. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle.

During the month of December 2015, unknown subjects deposited several money orders and later withdrew funds from TD Bank located in Rockville Centre and Capital One Banks located in Baldwin and Rockville Centre. After an investigation by the above detectives and the United States Post Office, the following defendants were placed under arrest:

• Bryant Felder, 27, of Brooklyn was arrested on March 24, 2016 at his home. He was arraigned on March 25, 2016 at First District Court, Hempstead.

Bryant Felder, 27, of Brooklyn. Photo Credit: NCPD.

• Tyrie Barnes, 28, of Brooklyn was arrested on March 24, 2016 at his home. He was arraigned at First District Court, Hempstead on March 25, 2016.

Tyrie Barnes, 28, of Brooklyn. Photo Credit: NCPD.

• Joseph Singleton, 23, of Elmont was arrested on April 6, 2016 in Hempstead. He will be arraigned on Wednesday, April 6, 2016 at First District Court, Hempstead.

Joseph Singleton, 23, of Elmont. Photo Credit: NCPD.

The banks report a total loss of over $12,000.

Defendant Felder is being charged with 2 counts of Grand Larceny 3rd Degree and 10 counts of Possession of a Forged Instrument 2nd Degree. Defendant Barnes is being charged with Grand Larceny and 5 counts of Possession of a Forged Instrument 2nd Degree. Defendant Singleton is being charged with 5 counts of Possession of a Forged Instrument 2nd Degree.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the prosecution to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

(Long Island, NY) Dr. Suzanne Johnson, Suffolk County Community College’s vice president for academic affairs, is one of a select group of 40 educators nationally that has been awarded the prestigious Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence.

The Aspen Institute, an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC, announced today that Dr. Johnson joined the inaugural class of the Aspen Presidential Fellows, a diverse group of extraordinary leaders “with the drive and capacity to transform community colleges to achieve higher levels of student success.”

“This extraordinary opportunity will provide Dr. Johnson, a valued member of our college community, the chance to collaborate with peers and help our institution and students achieve their goals. Our students’ success means improved skills, better employability, and economic growth for our region as a whole,” said Suffolk County Community College President Dr. Shaun L. McKay.

“It is an honor and privilege to represent Suffolk County Community College as a member of the inaugural Aspen Presidential Fellows” Johnson, of Oakdale, said. “My participation in the Fellowship offers a wonderful opportunity for me and the College.  I appreciate Dr. McKay’s support for this opportunity. I’m looking forward to the work ahead.”

The Fellowship is a highly selective year-long program to prepare leaders aspiring, or recently appointed, to the community college presidency. Fellows will participate in a series of innovative seminars and ongoing mentorship focused on a new vision for leadership, delivered in collaboration with Stanford University faculty and top community college leaders.

“Leadership development is a major focus for our colleges,” said Walter G. Bumphus, President and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges. “The Aspen fellowship is essential to preparing capable and courageous leaders ready to elevate community colleges to greater levels of student success, while maintaining a commitment to access.”

The goal of The Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence is to equip college leaders with the tools to dramatically improve student success.
Dr. Johnson was selected through a rigorous process that considered her abilities to take strategic risks, lead strong teams and cultivate partnerships, and focus on results-oriented improvements in student success and access.

The 2016-2017 Aspen Presidential Fellows hail from 17 states and 30 community colleges of varying sizes and will begin their program in July 2016 at Stanford University with anticipated completion in spring 2017.

The Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence is funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, ECMC Foundation, Greater Texas Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation.

New Rules Will Ensure Greater Accountability And Transparency Between Local Gov’t Officials And Wind Developers

(Long Island, NY) Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the release of a revised Code of Conduct for the wind energy industry in New York State. The Code promotes the sustainable growth of the wind industry by increasing transparency and deterring improper relationships between local government officials and wind development companies, such as improperly sought land-use agreements with citizens and public officials, and improper benefits being given to public officials to influence their official actions relating to wind farm development. These disclosure requirements deter improper relationships between wind development companies and local government officials, such as improperly sought land-use agreements with citizens and public officials, and improper benefits being given to public officials to influence their official actions relating to wind farm development.

“Public officials throughout New York should encourage the growth of a strong, sustainable wind industry for the public good and not for their own private financial gain,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “The revised code of conduct announced today will help ensure greater transparency and limit the potential for corruption and unfair outside influence, thereby fostering the growth of a responsible renewable energy industry throughout our state.”

The original New York State Code of Conduct for Wind Farm Development was signed by many wind companies in 2009 – prior to the enactment of New York State’s comprehensive energy bill known as the “Power NY Act of 2011.” The Power NY Act of 2011 established a centralized process for the siting of electric generating facilities and re-powering projects.  This Act included a new version of Article 10 of the Public Service Law and created a multi-agency Siting Board that is charged with streamlining the permitting process for power plants of 25 megawatts (MW) or greater.

Although the State Siting Board removes most local government approval from the wind farm development siting process, there are still certain local action requirements that remain outside of the State Siting Board process and subject to local approval.  For example, local approval may be necessary for the subdivision of land, extensions of special improvement or benefit assessment districts, tax assessment or payment in lieu of taxes determinations, consents for the extension of utility franchises to provide station power, private water or consumption of water from a municipal supply, the discharge of sewage or storm water into a municipal wastewater treatment system, the setting an payment of hook-in fees, water rates, sewer rents and similar capital and consumption charges, industrial development agency leases and/or the overt grant of property rights or other privileges.  In addition, the regulation of towers used to monitor meteorological conditions is not governed by the Siting Board and permitting, if required, may be under local codes.

The Code of Conduct was revised to address wind farm development projects proceeding through the State Siting process. The Code of Conduct seeks to ensure that wind farm development is done in a transparent manner in which municipal officials and companies are accountable, and wind farm development business practices are established and maintained so as to avoid conflicts, or even the appearance of conflicts, of interest.  The new Code of Conduct will assure the public the wind power industry is acting properly and within the law.

The first wind companies to sign the revised Code of Conduct are all subsidiaries of Apex Clean Energy: Lighthouse Wind, LLC, has a proposed wind power project in Somerset (Niagara County) and Yates (Orleans County), Galloo Island Wind, LLC, has a proposed wind power project in Jefferson County and Stockbridge Wind, LLC, has a proposed wind power project in Madison County.

The Attorney General’s Code of Conduct prohibits conflicts of interest between municipal officials and wind companies and establishes specific public disclosure requirements.

The New Code of Conduct:

• Bans wind companies from hiring municipal employees or their relatives, giving gifts of more than $15 during a one-year period, or providing any other form of compensation that is contingent on any action before a municipal agency;
• Prevents wind companies from soliciting, using, or knowingly receiving confidential information acquired by a municipal officer in the course of his or her officials duties;
• Requires wind companies to establish and maintain a public website to disclose the names of all municipal officers or their relatives who have a financial stake in wind farm development;
• Requires wind companies to submit in writing to the municipal clerk for public inspection and to publish in the local newspaper the nature and scope of the municipal officer’s financial interest;
• Mandates that all wind easements and leases be in writing and filed with the County Clerk; and
• Dictates that within ninety days of signing the Code of Conduct, companies must conduct a seminar for employees about identifying and preventing conflicts of interest when working municipal employees.

(Long Island, NY) The Major Case Bureau reports the details of an arrest for Grand Larceny that occurred May 2008 to April 2015.

According to Crimes Against Property Squad detectives, defendant Bobby Juarbe, 30, of Mineola was employed by Safe Banking System also located in Mineola from May 2008 to April 2015. Defendant Juarbe was issued two (2) company American Express Credit Cards.

Nassau County Police reports the arrest of Bobby Juarbe, 30, of Mineola for Grand Larceny that occurred May 2008 to April 2015. Photo Credit: NCPD.

After leaving the company in April 2015 an internal review was performed. The company discovered that Mr. Juarbe had made several unauthorized purchases for his personal use, totaling over $62,000. On Wednesday, April 06, 2016 at 7:10 am, the defendant surrendered to the Nassau County Police Department.

Defendant Juarbe is being charged with 2 counts of Grand Larceny 3rd Degree. He will be arraigned on Wednesday, April 06, 2016 at First District Court, 99 Main Street, Hempstead.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the prosecution to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Ringleader Tyrone Lee Will Serve 10-20 Years In State Prison Following Conviction At Trial; Sentence Will Run Concurrent To Previous Sentence Of 4 ½ To 9 Years In Westchester

(Long Island, NY) Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the sentencing of ringleader Tyrone “Reece” Lee, 29, for running an identity-theft ring that stole over $457,000 from customers of Wachovia Bank (now Wells Fargo) in Newburgh, N.Y.   In February, following a trial in Orange County Court, the jury convicted Lee of all 15 Counts charged, including Grand Larceny and Identity Theft.  Lee, who is already serving a sentence of 4 ½ to 9 years in prison for operating a similar identity-theft scheme in Westchester County, will now serve an aggregate of  10-20 years in state prison following his sentencing in front of the Honorable Nicholas DeRosa in Orange County.

“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message: If you steal New Yorkers’ personal financial information, you will be held accountable,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “We will remain vigilant in cracking down on identify theft rings as fraudsters continue to innovate and look for new ways to scam consumers.”

During the course of trial, the prosecutors presented evidence that from June 2010 to August 2011, Lee was the leader of a bank fraud ring that stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the accounts of Wachovia Bank customers.  The evidence at trial included testimony by Lee’s accomplice, Nadia Figueroa, recorded telephone calls of Lee impersonating a Wachovia customer, and a text message exchanged between Lee and Figueroa comparing the fraud detection procedures of Wachovia to that of Chase Bank.

The evidence at trial showed that Lee initiated his scheme by recruiting his girlfriend, Figueroa, to obtain a position as a bank teller at a Wachovia branch located at 41 North Plank Road in Newburgh, New York.  Once she was hired at the Newburgh branch, Lee directed Figueroa on how and what customer data to steal, instructing her to search for common names and to copy specific information including account numbers, social security numbers and signature cards.  Many of the accounts victimized were selected by a practice known as “name surfing,” wherein Figueroa illegally searched Wachovia’s customer database for common names, states of residence, and high account balances.

Figueroa testified that at Lee’s direction, during the approximately seven weeks of her employment, Figueroa accessed the personal identification information of over 200 Wachovia bank account holders without conducting any financial transactions regarding those accounts.  Figueroa then gave this information to Lee, who in turn enlisted other co-conspirators to withdraw funds from the compromised accounts.  Lee obtained fraudulent driver’s licenses containing the pictures of other co-conspirators and the names of compromised bank account holders, which were then used at the out-of-state bank branches to convince bank tellers to process fraudulent withdraws from the accounts of customers.

Using the stolen account information and forged licenses, Lee withdrew funds from 77 customer accounts at branches located in Nassau County and New York City, as well as in Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia.  In total, Lee and his co-conspirators stole approximately $457,980 from Wachovia between July 2010 and August 2011.

Among the 123 different Wachovia branches whose customers were victims of identity theft are:

• 3584 Long Beach Road, Oceanside, N.Y.
• 3709 Riverdale Avenue, Bronx, N.Y.
• 1076 Yonkers Avenue, Yonkers, N.Y.
• 339 Hemingway Avenue, East Haven, C.T.
• 150 Elm Street, Westfield, N.J.
• 13140 U.S. Highway 301, Riverview, F.L.

In February 2016, the jury found Lee guilty of one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree (a Class C felony), 13 Counts of Identity Theft in the First Degree (a Class D felony), and one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree (a Class E felony).

In September 2014, Lee and Figueroa were arrested and charged by the Attorney General’s Office, along with three other individuals, for operating an identity-theft ring in Westchester County from July 2012 to June 2014. As in Orange County, Lee orchestrated the hiring of corrupt bank tellers and also directed them to target customers with common names and over $50,000 in their accounts.  These bank tellers, including Figueroa, fraudulently accessed and stole personal information, including account numbers and Social Security numbers, from hundreds of customers at Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, and TD Bank. Lee arranged for other ring members to impersonate bank account holders and withdrew over $850,000 at bank branches in Westchester County, New York City and Long Island, as well as Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Last year, Lee pleaded guilty to the entire 37-count Westchester County indictment against him, including multiple counts of Grand Larceny in the Second and Third Degrees and Identity Theft in the First Degree, and was sentenced to 4 ½ to 9 years in state prison. Figueroa pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, and was sentenced to 2 to 6 years in prison. Their three charged co-conspirators in the Westchester scheme also pleaded guilty.

These prosecutions were the culmination of a long-term investigation by the Attorney General’s Crime Proceeds Strike Force, including court-authorized wiretaps and search warrants.

Attorney General Schneiderman thanks the New York State Department of Financial Services, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and New York State Police for their valuable assistance in this case.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Rhonda Greenstein and Tyler Reynolds of the Attorney General’s Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau, with the assistance of Legal Analyst Brandon Shapiro. The Bureau is led by Bureau Chief Gary T. Fishman and Deputy Bureau Chief Stephanie Swenton. The Division of Criminal Justice is led by Executive Deputy Attorney General Kelly Donovan.

The investigation was conducted by Investigators Steve Pratt, Vincent Gisonti, Sylvia Rivera, Ismael Hernandez, Ryan Fannon, Dave Negron and Larry Riccio, Senior Investigator Dennis Maddalone, Investigator John Sullivan, and Deputy Chief Investigators John McManus and Greg Stasiuk. The Investigations Division is led by Chief Investigator Dominick Zarrella.

Opening Reception: Thursday, April 28, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

(Long Island, NY) Boat Builders and Boatyards of Long Island, the Oyster Bay Historical Society’s spring/summer exhibition,opens with a reception on Thursday, April 28, from 6 to 8 pm in the Society’s Angela Koenig Center at 20 Summit Street in Oyster Bay.

Curated by Nancy Solomon, executive director of Long Island Traditions, the exhibition presents graphic panels profiling a selection of our region’s boat builders and restorers.

Frame of Ida May, J Building, Oyster Bay. Photo Credit: OBHS.

The exhibition also provides featured coverage of the Ida May Project’s replication of the 1925 oyster harvesting boat that worked Oyster Bay’s waters until 2009.

The reception is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Donations and membership subscriptions help support the Society’s ongoing schedule of public programs.

Boat Builders and Boatyards of Long Island remains on view through Sunday, September 4. For more information, contact the Society at 516-922-5032, or visit oysterbayhistorical.org.