Door-To-Door Ballston Spa Fraudster Who Duped 101-Year-Old Woman Learns His Fate
A Capital Region man who went door-to-door promising home improvement projects — then never completed them — was sentenced Thursday, April 23 for fraud, authorities said.
Zaire Daniels, 29, got 28 months to seven years in prison for scamming 13 victims, including a 101-year-old woman, out of more than $32,000, the Albany County District Attorney’s office said.
Daniels, of Ballston Spa, approached residents in Albany, Bethlehem, Guilderland, and Colonie between the fall of 2024 and December 2025 and promised to complete outdoor projects and exterior renovations in exchange for cash, prosecut…
Albany Woman Conned 92-Year-Old Into Sending $13K for ‘Lottery Taxes’: Cops
A New York woman swiped $13,000 from a 92-year-old woman by convincing her she won the lottery, police said Friday, March 13.
Alicia Stanley, a 35-year-old Albany resident, told the victim in Glasgow, KY, she would need to pay taxes via cashier’s check to collect her winnings, the Albany Police Department said. The woman sent two cashier’s checks totalling $10,232, along with $2,800 in cash to an address in Albany, according to investigators.
Stanley called the victim between Tuesday, March 3 and Thursday, March 5, according to police. Glasgow cops alerted Albany authorities on March 5, and…
How To Avoid Lottery, Prize Scams: You Didn’t Enter, But You 'Won'?
A surprise message says you hit the jackpot, but there’s a catch: you must pay a fee or hand over personal details to claim it.
That’s the hallmark of a lottery or prize scam—designed to separate you from your money and identity.
These schemes often arrive by email, text, phone, or mail and lean on pressure tactics to force quick decisions.
Scammers frequently demand “taxes,” “processing,” or “shipping” upfront, or ask for sensitive data to “verify” you.
Legitimate lotteries do not require payment to release a prize, and you should never be asked for your Social Security…
Nassau Man Linked To $20K Scam Gets More Charges After Victims Come Forward: Nysp
A Rensselaer County man already accused of running a months-long scam that cost victims tens of thousands of dollars is now facing new charges after another victim came forward, police said.
Patrick Walsh, age 63, of Nassau, was arrested Tuesday, Sept. 16, on a warrant charging him with fourth-degree grand larceny and first-degree scheme to defraud, New York State Police announced on Tuesday, Sept. 23.
This was Walsh's second arrest since May, when he was first charged in connection with a scheme involving the theft of more than $20,000. According to police, Walsh took …
Maryland ‘Clown’ Who Scammed 80-Year-Old Virginia Woman Out Of $26K Busted In Sting: Sheriff
An 80-year-old Virginia woman was conned out of more than $26,000 by crooks posing as US Treasury agents — until detectives set a trap that ended with a Maryland man in cuffs, officials said.
The suspect, James Smith, 30, of Gaithersburg, was arrested after showing up to grab another $10,000 in cash from the victim, the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies were waiting.
Smith had already squeezed $26,000 from the woman over several days, investigators said.
He and others pretended to be Treasury agents, threatening the woman with “criminal charges” unless she handed…
NY Man Impersonated FBI Agent, Tried To Scam $21K: Clinton Twp PD
A 44-year-old Flushing, NY man was arrested and charged after he impersonated an FBI agent and tried to scam someone out of $21,000 in Clinton, authorities announced Thursday, Sept. 11.
A resident told officers he was contacted by a man, later identified as Dengjin Chen, who claimed to be an FBI agent, cautioning him of unauthorized access to his bank account, Clinton Township police said.
Chen requested the resident surrender $21,000 to the FBI to ensure the safety of his account, police said. The resident was scheduled to meet and drop off the money to the alleged FBI agent outside …
Con Man Claimed MLB Career While Scamming Women, Dodging Sex Offender Registry In Virginia: DOJ
He said he was going pro in baseball — but what he really went pro in was lying, scamming, and disappearing from the sex offender registry, prosecutors in Virginia say.
Now, he's going to prison.
A Roanoke man who told women he was a Major League Baseball prospect, forged six-figure checks, used burner phones to impersonate team officials, and failed to register as a sex offender pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this year, federal officials announced.
Now, Janike Dunbar Holt — a man who goes by many names — has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison.
Holt, 29 — also known as…
‘Government Agents’ Were Actually Rutherford Brothers In $400K Senior Scam, Prosecutors Say
Two New Jersey brothers are accused of running a scam that stole nearly $400,000 from elderly victims in New York and Connecticut, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Monday, Aug. 25.
Abhishek Barvalia, 31, and Tushar Barvalia, 32, of Rutherfo, were indicted on charges of second-degree grand larceny, first-degree scheme to defraud, and fourth-degree conspiracy, Gonzalez said. They were released without bail after being arraigned in Brooklyn Supreme Court and are due back Oct. 22.
Prosecutors say the scam ran from June 2023 to January 2024, targeting women ages 76, 78, 83, and 90 i…
Home Improvement Scammer Who Swindled Elderly Glen Rock Victim Out Of $25K In Custody: Cops
A New York man accused of scamming elderly North Jersey residents out of nearly half a million dollars has been caught, authorities said.
At 12:07 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 11, the NYPD apprehended Abba Cohen, 40, of Flushing, NY, who was wanted out of Glen Rock having previously been arrested and released out of Woodland Park, local officials said Monday, Aug. 18.
In Glen Rock, Cohen was sought on charges of conspiracy to commit theft by deception and receiving stolen property stemming from a January 2024 home improvement scam that cost an elderly resident $25,800, Police Chief Dean A…
FBI, Police Crack 2 Major Sex Crime, Multi-Million Dollar Scam Cases In Bedford
Two high-profile police investigations in Westchester County—one involving the sexual abuse of a minor and another tied to a nationwide fraud ring—have concluded with major developments in federal court, authorities announced.
According to Bedford Police, the first case began on Aug. 30, 2023, when detectives arrested John Lord, 40, of Arizona, after he engaged in sexual acts with a 15-year-old boy in a wooded area of Katonah earlier that day. The FBI later charged Lord with persuading, inducing, enticing, and coercing the child to engage in sexual activity.
This week, Lord was s…
Zelle Left Users Open To $1B In Scams, NY AG Says
The operator of Zelle is accused of designing the popular payment app without basic safeguards, allowing scammers to steal more than $1 billion from users.
A lawsuit filed against Early Warning Services, LLC (EWS) by New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office Wednesday, Aug. 13, alleges the company failed to protect users from scams.
EWS operates Zelle and is owned by a consortium of some of the country’s largest banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Capital One, and Wells Fargo.
According to the complaint, EWS launched Zelle in 2017 without critical safeguards, making it …
Fake FBI Agents Scammed Man Out Of $15K, Then Got Caught In Monroe, Police Say
Two Brooklyn men posing as FBI agents were arrested in Orange County after allegedly scamming a 27-year-old man out of $15,000, police said.
The suspects, identified as Wei Baoguo, 34, and Yu Sheng Gui, 38, were charged with grand larceny in the third degree after police said they tricked the victim into handing over thousands in cash under the threat of arrest, New York State Police announced on Tuesday, Aug. 5.
According to investigators, the two men contacted the victim and falsely claimed to be federal agents. They told him that unless he paid $15,000, he would be arrested.
The v…
$3M In Gold Bars Stolen By Man, $18K Used To Buy Porn, Lehigh County DA Says
A Pennsylvania man is accused of scamming an elderly woman into believing $18,000 from her bank account was used to purchase pornography, then stealing more than $3 million in gold bars, authorities announced on Monday, July 28.
Dharmikkumar Sutariya, 25, of Scranton, is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly posing as a “courier” to defraud a 68-year-old Upper Milford Township woman, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan said in a release.
Sutariya has been charged with two counts of Felony Theft by Unlawful Taking – Movable Property, Felony Receiving Stolen Property, Fe…
$62K Psychic Scam Foiled At Hicksville Bank: Nassau Police
A Queens man posing as a spiritual guide was arrested after trying to scam a Long Island woman out of $62,000 for fortune telling services, Nassau County police announced on Friday, July 18.
Hemanth Kumar Muneppa, 33, allegedly convinced a 68-year-old woman to pay him $20,000 for psychic services on Thursday, July 3, detectives said. When she returned for a follow-up session at Anjana Ji on South Broadway in Hicksville on Thursday, July 17, he demanded another $42,000.
Muneppa drove the woman to a nearby bank on Broadway so she could withdraw the additional money, police explained. There, a…
