(Long Island, NY) Suffolk County Police Pattern Crime Unit detectives are investigating a robbery that occurred at a Huntington Station store on Friday, December 4.

A man armed with a handgun entered Beach Bum Tanning at approximately 8:30 p.m. and forced two female employees to the rear of the store. The suspect restrained the victims, and removed cash from the drawers. There were no customers in the store and the two victims were uninjured.

Suffolk County Police are investigating a robbery that occurred at a Huntington Station store on Friday, December 4. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle.

The robber is described as a black male, between 5 feet 10 inches tall to 6 feet tall, with a thin to medium build. He was wearing a scarf and hat.

Similar robberies have occurred in Nassau County since August 20, 2015. The following robberies, which are also similar in nature, have occurred in Suffolk County this year: On November 22 at Pier 1 Imports in Huntington Station; on November 2 at Rainbow Shops in North Lindenhurst; on September 7 at Avenue Clothing in East Farmingdale; on October 12 at New York and Co. in West Babylon; and on October 26 at Avenue Clothing in Deer Park.

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 Homicide Squad detectives are investigating a shooting in which two brothers were killed in Mastic Beach.

Seventh Precinct Patrol officers responded to a residence on Huntington Dr., at approximately 12:25 p.m. after a 911 caller reported two people were shot inside the home.

Suffolk County Police are investigating a shooting in which two brothers were killed in Mastic Beach. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle.

Blake Chambers, 28, and Codi Chambers, 22, both occupants of the residence, were transported by Mastic Beach Ambulance to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in East Patchogue, where they were pronounced dead.

The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information on this shooting is asked to call Homicide Squad detectives at 631-852-6392 or call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.

(Long Island, NY) The Third Squad reports the arrest of a Valley Stream man for Burglary that occurred in Hempstead on Friday, December 04, 2015 at 1:47 am.

According to detectives, Hempstead Police Officers responded to the New Shing Wong Kitchen restaurant located at 133 East Fulton Avenue for an alarm ringing. Upon arrival officers determined someone had entered the restaurant through a front window by breaking the glass and then removed an undetermined amount of US currency.

Nassau County Police reports the arrest of Donald Joseph Smith, 55, of Valley Stream for Burglary that occurred in Hempstead on Friday, December 04. Photo Credit: NCPD.

Hempstead Police Officers initiated an investigation and were able to retrieve a security video in which they were able to get a description of a male black subject. Officers broadcasted the description and a short time later were able to locate the defendant Donald Joseph Smith, 55, standing on Fulton Avenue at which time he was placed into police custody without incident. There were no injuries reported. All proceeds were recovered.

A subsequent investigation revealed the defendant Donald Joseph Smith was also charged with three other burglaries that occurred at the same location on September 17, 2015 November 21, and 25, 2015.

Smith was charged with four counts of Burglary 3rd Degree. He will be arraigned on Saturday, December 5, 2015 at First District Court in 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.

Moazzam Ifzal Malik, CEO Of Seven Sages Capital, L.P. And Wolf Hedge, LLC, Convicted Of Securities Fraud And Grand Larceny And Faces Up To 20 Years in Prison

(Long Island, NY) Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the conviction of Moazzam Ifzal Malik, a.k.a. Mark Malik, 33, of Lahore, Pakistan, for stealing over $800,000 from investors by fraudulently soliciting them to invest in his purported hedge funds, including Seven Sages Capital, L.P. and Wolf Hedge LLC.   Following a two-week trial in New York County Supreme Court, the jury convicted Malik of all counts charged in the Attorney General’s 28-count indictment, including Grand Larceny and Securities Fraud. Malik faces up to 20 years in prison.

“Today’s conviction brings justice to those who were brazenly defrauded,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “We won’t tolerate those who attempt to defraud investors in the state. Our message is clear: if you commit securities fraud in New York, we will bring you to justice.”

During the course of the trial, which included the testimony of 17 witnesses and the admission of hundreds of pages of exhibits, the prosecutor presented evidence that between 2011 and early 2015, Malik lured over a dozen investors with false representations that he managed multi-million dollar hedge funds that would guarantee high returns.

The evidence at trial showed that Malik claimed to be the founder, CEO and fund manager of a series of hedge funds from 2011 to 2015, including Wall Street Creative Partners, L.P., Seven Sages Capital, L.P., American Bridge Investments L.P., and, most recently, Wolf Hedge LLC. Malik advertised his purported hedge funds on his own website on the internet, and also cold-called investors, enticing them to invest by falsely representing that he had extensive experience on Wall Street and that his funds routinely outperformed the market by over 200%.

The purported success of Seven Sages Capital, L.P. and American Bridge Investments L.P. was listed on financial websites, including Bloomberg and Barclay Hedge.  In 2012, Barclay Hedge awarded American Bridge Investments L.P. the “yearly performance award” and ranked the fund as the year’s top performing equity long-short fund with over $100 million in assets. The evidence at trial showed that this ranking was based on false documentation submitted by Malik to Barclay Hedge, including a forged financial audit.  The evidence further showed that although Malik claimed to have millions in assets management, in actuality his brokerage accounts never held more than $90,000.

The evidence at trial further showed that Malik promised his victims a partnership interest in his hedge funds, which he claimed held a multi-million dollar portfolio of investments in various high-profile IPO’s and secured bond transactions. Malik created false offering memoranda and marketing material stating that his hedge funds had over $100 million in assets under management. To further his fraudulent scheme, Malik issued fabricated account earnings statements to his victims, which indicated that their investments were consistently earning profits. Instead of investing in securities as promised, Malik diverted investor monies for his own personal use, including $215,000 in cash withdrawals and an additional $210,000 for hotels, airline tickets, rental cars, restaurants, electronics, utilities and even a karaoke bar.

According to his website, Malik “has over a decade of experience on Wall Street in brokerage and in Management” and “used to lead teams to manage assets over USD 5 billion at various alternative asset management firms in New York.” However, the evidence at trial revealed that Malik’s only financial experience was as a trainee at a New York City financial consulting firm, that Malik was only registered as a broker from 2007 to 2009, and that over the past 15 years, Malik had been employed as a security guard, waiter, and traffic agent for the New York City Police Department.

Malik testified at trial and admitted to soliciting dozens of investors in the United States and abroad, including investors in New York, Florida, New Zealand and Switzerland. The evidence at trial showed that based on Malik’s false representations, at least seventeen victims invested over $800,000 in Malik’s purported hedge funds, which Malik then diverted for his personal use.

Today, before the Honorable Ruth Pickholz in New York County Supreme Court, the jury found Malik guilty of two counts of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree (a Class C felony), three counts of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (a Class D felony), 17 counts of Forgery in the Second Degree (a Class D felony), five counts of Securities Fraud under the Martin Act (a Class E felony), and one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree (a Class E felony).   He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18.

This conviction is the latest in a series of securities fraud prosecutions brought by the Attorney General’s Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau. In June 2015, the Bureau charged Albany broker Frederick E. Monroe, Jr., Senior Vice President of Capital Financial Planning, LLC, with allegedly stealing over $1 million from investors by fraudulently soliciting them to reinvest their retirement monies and then diverting their monies for his personal use.  In January 2015, the Bureau convicted broker Khawaja Saud Masud for stealing over $1 million from a retired pediatrician and his wife by fraudulently soliciting investments in his purported hedge fund, RKS Capital, LP.  In January 2015, the Bureau charged William Vogt on an 18-count indictment for allegedly posing as an internationally renowned fashion designer named “Bill Bolland” to lure his victim into making more than $350,000 in investments.  In November 2014, the Bureau convicted Robert H. Van Zandt on a 33-count indictment for operating a $4.8 million Ponzi scheme; Van Zandt was sentenced to 3 2/3 to 11 years in prison. In March 2014, the Bureau arrested Wing K. Lim, owner of Wall Street Investment, LP, on a 31-count indictment for allegedly operating a $4.3 million securities fraud scheme; the case is scheduled for trial in January 2016.

The Attorney General thanks the New York Regional Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Division of Enforcement, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Criminal Prosecution Assistance Group, for their assistance in this investigation.

The investigation originated with a complaint to the Attorney General’s Investor Protection Bureau. Assistant Attorney General Desiree Cummings handled the initial investor complaint.

The criminal case is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Shanon N. LaCorte of the Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau. Legal Analyst Natasha Butalia is assisting on the case. The Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes 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 Attorney General’s investigation was conducted by Investigator Ryan Fannon, Lead Investigator John Sullivan, and Deputy Chief John McManus, with the assistance of Legal Assistant II Edward Jaffe of the Investor Protection Bureau. Auditor Matthew Croghan worked on the case under Chief Auditor Edward J. Keegan. The Investigations Bureau is led by Chief Dominick Zarrella.

Honors Senate Health Committee Chair for Spearheading Passage of CARE Act

(Long Island, NY) AARP saluted State Senate Health Committee Chairman Kemp Hannon at a celebration today with a plaque for his leadership in helping establish a new law that will support millions of family caregivers across New York when their loved ones go into the hospital and as they transition home.

Dozens of AARP volunteers and other advocates for family caregivers attended the event at Borelli’s Italian Restaurant to celebrate New York State’s enactment of the CARE (Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable) Act.

AARP saluted State Senate Health Committee Chairman Kemp Hannon. Photo Credit: AARP.

AARP’s top 2015 legislative priority, the CARE Act was signed into law this fall by Governor Andrew Cuomo and takes effect in April. It will ensure hospitals allow patients to designate a family caregiver and offer those caregivers instruction and demonstrations of health-related tasks they will be expected to provide for their loved ones at home, such as administering multiple medications and dressing wounds.

Senator Hannon sponsored the CARE Act (S.676) and guided the bill to a unanimous, 59-0 vote in the Senate before it won approval by 119-0 in the Assembly (A.1323).

The CARE Act is expected to help more New Yorkers age in their own homes – the most cost-effective approach and the one most New Yorkers want.

“The CARE Act was the most important health bill of 2015 and will significantly improve patient care and health outcomes,” said Senator Kemp Hannon. “I want to thank and congratulate AARP for their help in making sure this bill became law. The CARE Act requires identification of caregivers while the patient is still in the hospital, includes caregivers in the discharge plan and provides instructions on caring for the patient once they are home, thus ensuring caregivers can and do play a very important role in improving the patient’s health while reducing costs to the health care system.”

“We’re enormously thankful to Senator Hannon for recognizing the importance of the CARE Act and demonstrating bold leadership by making it a priority in the Legislature this year,” said Beth Finkel, State Director of AARP in New York State. “With this bill, the Senator adds to his impressive list of initiatives that have helped New Yorkers and made a dramatic and positive influence on public health in our communities and across the state.”

“Kudos to AARP and Senator Hannon for advancing the CARE Act legislation that meets the critical needs of a growing population of Long Islanders,” said Eric Alexander, Director, Vision Long Island. “It wasn’t hard to have this common sense bill garner support of small businesses, labor and community organizations that comprise the 75 member Long Island Lobby Coalition that endorsed its passage.”

New York is the 18th state to put a version of the CARE Act on the books. AARP and New York’s hospital associations worked together on the bill.

The CARE Act, sponsored in the Assembly by Linda B. Rosenthal, will help many of the nearly 2.6 million New Yorkers who provide unpaid care to family and loved ones, plus as many as 1.6 million adult New Yorkers who are discharged home from hospitals every year. The value of this unpaid care is estimated at $31.3 billion a year.

The CARE Act will also ensure the family caregiver is informed before the hospital patient is to be discharged. It enjoys broad support among New York voters 50 and older, with 92% saying hospitals should “explain and demonstrate” to family caregivers tasks they’ll have to perform when their loved ones are sent home from the hospital, a 2014 AARP survey found.

“Information is power, and the CARE Act will empower millions of family caregivers,” Finkel noted.

The needs and the ranks of New York’s family caregivers are only expected to increase as New York’s population ages – yet AARP found that in the coming years, fewer family members will be available to provide care for more older loved ones who will need it. In 2010 there was a potential pool of 6.6 people aged 45-65 for every person 80 and older who would likely need care at some point. That number will shrink to 4.8 by 2030 and 3.5 by 2050.

About half of all family caregivers perform health-related and nursing tasks for loved ones. And most care recipients don’t receive home visits by health care professionals.

Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia and West Virginia have enacted similar CARE Act laws.

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AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of more than 37 million, that helps people turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare, employment and income security, retirement planning, affordable utilities and protection from financial abuse. We advocate for individuals in the marketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name as well as help our members obtain discounts on a wide range of products, travel, and services.  A trusted source for lifestyle tips, news and educational information, AARP produces AARP The Magazine, the world’s largest circulation magazine; AARP Bulletin; www.aarp.org; AARP TV & Radio; AARP Books; and AARP en Español, a Spanish-language website addressing the interests and needs of Hispanics. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity of AARP that is working to win back opportunity for struggling Americans 50+ by being a force for change on the most serious issues they face today: housing, hunger, income and isolation. AARP has staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Learn more at www.aarp.org.

(Long Island, NY) Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo (R,C-New Suffolk) today expressed his concern with the closure of Health Republic of New York.

Due to poor financial standings, New York’s Co-Op Plan, established under Obamacare, has been directed to end operations by the Department of Financial Services in conjunction with the New York State of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In addition to hundreds of millions of outstanding claims yet to be paid, the closure has left more than 215,000 enrollees statewide scrambling to find new insurance.

“This is what happens when you let big government control healthcare,” said Palumbo. “You pay for a plan that is mismanaged and doesn’t work, and now you’re left without adequate coverage. We need to do all that we can to help the individuals and businesses that have been so negatively affected by the Obamacare debacle.”

Health Republic was originally planned to remain active throughout the year, but was prematurely closed on November 30. Members of the program have been put into a compromising situation and are now forced to reenroll into alternative coverage plans.

“Anyone affected by this closure can obtain assistance with new enrollment as well as alternate plan options at New York State of Health’s website,” Palumbo concluded.

Amid National Employment Disability Awareness Month

(Long Island, NY) Nassau and Suffolk area employees and businesses were recently recognized by Adults and Children with Learning and Developmental Disabilities (ACLD) during ACLD’s 30^thAnnual Employment Recognition Breakfast at Carlyle on the Green in Farmingdale. More than 150 people representing over 100 Long Island companies that partner with ACLD’s Vocational Programs attended the event.

Farmingdale Target team, including from left to right Bridget Riscia, Annabella Lynch and Helena Flahive with Farmingdale Target Employee and ACLD PACE Award Honoree Mark Engel of Farmingdale (second from left). Photo Credit: ACLD.

As a leading Long Island-based not-for-profit agency devoted to providing opportunities for children and adults with learning disabilities, autism and other developmental disabilities pursue enviable lives, ACLD hosts the Breakfast each year as part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The annual event honors individuals with special needs who have made notable achievements on the job while saluting businesses that have committed to hiring individuals with disabilities and actively encourage other businesses to do the same.

ACLD Assistant Director of Vocational Services Jeannie Shelton-Clyne with ACLD Vocational Achievement Award recipient Lawrence Nagel of West Babylon, who works at Best Yet Market in West Babylon. Photo Credit: ACLD.

This year’s roster of employees honored by ACLD at its 30^th Annual Employment Recognition Breakfast are:

• ACLD Vocational Achievement Award recipient Steven Azarian of Valley Stream, who works with Shred-It in Westbury
• ACLD Vocational Achievement Award recipient Elizabeth Loyola of Huntington Station, who is employed with ShopRite in Commack
• ACLD Vocational Achievement Award recipient Lawrence Nagel of West Babylon, who works at Best Yet Market in West Babylon
• ACLD Vocational Achievement Award recipient Cory Zimmerman of Bay Shore, who is an employee with Summit Manufacturing in Bay Shore
• ACLD Thomas Choma Longevity Award recipient Andrew Cosel of East Setauket, who works at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook
• ACLD Thomas Choma Longevity Award recipient Fred Spiegel of Huntington Station, who is employed with Aramark Food Service at LIU-Post in Greenvale
• ACLD PACE (Partnership for Advancement and Choices in Employment) Award recipient Marc Engel of Farmingdale, who is an employee with Target in Farmingdale

Photo Credit: ACLD.

This year’s Long Island businesses recognized by ACLD for their support and partnership with ACLD’s Vocational Programs were Panera Bread-Doherty Enterprises, Inc., headquartered in Allendale, NJ and has locations in Plainview, West Babylon, Bay Shore and Bohemia, which received ACLD’s Business Leadership Award; Shred-It of Westbury, which was named Employer of the Year; and Target-Farmingdale’s management team, which was declared Advocate of the Year.

Rich Mancuso and Ashley Cabarcas of Panera Bread-Doherty Enterprises, Inc., headquartered in Allendale, NJ with locations in Plainview, West Babylon, Bay Shore and Bohemia, which received ACLD’s Business. Photo Credit: ACLD.

“Meaningful work creates an opportunity for individuals with developmental disabilities to have another dimension of purpose and satisfaction in their lives,” said Rich Breuninger, First Vice President of the ACLD Board of Trustees. “ACLD continues to be committed to pursuing the dream of employment with the people we support.”

ACLD Vocational Achievement Award recipient Lawrence Nagel of West Babylon, who works at Best Yet Market in West Babylon. Photo Credit: ACLD.

About ACLD
Adults and Children with Learning and Developmental Disabilities, Inc. (ACLD) was founded in 1957. The 501(c)(3), not-for-profit agency serves the needs of more than 3,000 children, teens and adults with learning disabilities, autism and other developmental disabilities, and provides support for their families. ACLD’s mission is to provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities to pursue enviable lives, increase their independence and improve the quality of their lives within the community. ACLD employs more than 1,100 people and operates 77 different program sites including group homes and apartment programs across Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Service programs include early childhood services, day habilitation, residential alternatives, vocational training and job placement, recreation programs, respite, family support services, Medicaid service coordination, and medical and behavioral health services.

(Long Island, NY) Suffolk County Police are investigating a crash that critically injured a pedestrian in Lindenhurst on Friday, December 4.

Gavin Charrette was walking on westbound Sunrise Highway near Straight Path when he was struck by a 2003 Mercury Mountaineer. The driver of the Mountaineer, Angela Dambrosio, was making a right turn from a parking lot onto Sunrise Highway at 6:52 a.m.

Suffolk County Police are investigating a crash that critically injured a pedestrian in Lindenhurst on Friday, December 4. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle.

Charrette, 29, of Lindenhurst, was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip where he was listed in critical condition. Dambrosio, 23, of Bay Shore, was not injured.

The vehicle was impounded for a safety check and the investigation is continuing. Detectives are asking anyone with information on the crash to contact the First Squad at 631-854-8152.

(Long Island, NY) The Major Case Bureau reports the arrest of a Syosset man for Criminal Possession of a Weapon that occurred on Thursday, December 3, 2015 at 7:40 am.

According to Special Investigation Squad detectives, in a joint investigation with New York office of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Transportation Security Administration initiated a vehicle and traffic stop on Jericho Turnpike in Syosset.

Nassau County Police reports the arrest of Mark Vicars, 49, of Syosset for Criminal Possession of a Weapon that occurred on Thursday, December 3. Photo Credit: NCPD.

The defendant, Mark Vicars, 49, pulled his vehicle over and activated emergency lights on his 2014 Dodge Durango and produced a fraudulent shield and identification credentials identifying him as a Federal Air Marshall. The defendant was in possession of a loaded .380 pistol and a knife, in the back seat was a loaded assault rifle, along with a ballistic body armor vest and a tactical vest containing three high capacity magazines.

The investigation continued and after obtaining a search warrant for the defendant’s residence, detectives recovered multiple weapons and approximately 8300 rounds of assorted ammunition.

The investigation is ongoing.

Vicars is charged with two (2) counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd degree, ten (10) counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon 3rd degree, five (5) counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon 4th degree and Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument 3rd degree. Vicars will be arraigned on Friday, December 4, 2015 at First District Court in 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.

“We do not have to choose between a healthy economy and a healthy environment. We can have both.” –Heather Leibowitz, Environment New York

(Long Island, NY) Today, the nine states of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), announced the results of the 30th quarterly auction of carbon dioxide (CO2) allowances. More than 15 million CO2 allowances were sold at auction at a clearing price of $7.50. Additional details can be found in the Market Monitor Report.

Heather Leibowitz, the Director of Environment New York issued the following statement:

“The results of the latest auction show that RGGI is a successful model that continues to thrive. We do not have to choose between a healthy economy and a healthy environment. We can have both. By investing RGGI funds in smart programs, our states have cut power plant pollution while reducing electricity prices, saving people and businesses more than $1.8 billion on energy bills through efficiency programs, boosting the economy by more than $2 billion, and creating more than 23,000 jobs. Those benefits will only grow over time, providing a roughly $8 billion boost to the region from 2013-2020.

“In New York, cumulative proceeds from 2009 to 2014 equaled more than $700 million. The projected economic value added from 2013 to 2020 equals more than $2 billion for the state and would include the creation of over 18,000 jobs.

“RGGI will be a key element in meeting the ambitious climate pledges northeastern governors have been making in advance of the December climate talks in Paris, including Governor Cuomo’s pledge to aim for 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. The RGGI states’ success shows we can reduce climate pollution in an economically beneficial path.

“Future impacts of global warming depend on the choices we make today. By accelerating our transition to pollution-free energy sources, we can prevent the worst impacts. Participating states should further strengthen the cap to help prevent damage to our climate and protect our children for generations to come.”

Environment New York Research & Policy Center is a statewide advocacy organization bringing people together for a cleaner, greener, healthier future. www.EnvironmentNewYork.org