Fired Riverhead Health Aide Didn’t Let Dismissal Stop Her $5K Medicaid Fraud: Investigators
A Long Island health care aide turned her month-long employment into an extended scheme and stole $5,000 from Medicaid, authorities said.
Latricia Hires, 34, of Bridgehampton, was arrested and arraigned in Riverhead on Tuesday, Oct. 13, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said.
Hires got a job in September 2025 as an aide for two residents at L’Arche – Long Island, a residential facility for people with intellectual disabilities in Riverhead, investigators said.
Her employment was terminated on Oct. 17, 2025, but she continued billing Public Partnerships LLC, the fiscal intermedi…
Paramus BJ's Bust: 146 Cases Of Red Bull, Blank EBT Cards Seized, Police Say
More than 140 cases of Red Bull, blank EBT cards and a credit card re-encoding device were seized in an alleged organized retail theft scheme at a Paramus BJ's Wholesale Club, authorities said.
Paramus police responded to the BJ's at 30 Route 17 North on Tuesday, Oct. 6, after receiving a report of suspicious people in a U-Haul van who were believed to be creating fraudulent credit cards, Deputy Police Chief Frank S. Scott IV said.
Officers found Tavonte McClary, 26, inside the van before spotting Shaheim Scarborough, 22, walking toward it with a shopping cart filled with cases of Red Bull,…
Dead Passengers, Fake Drivers: NJ Woman, Colombian Lover's $13M Scheme Unravels
Some of the passengers were dead. Some of the drivers had never driven a car.
But a New Jersey woman and her Colombian lover apparently had no trouble taking taxpayers for a ride.
For years, prosecutors say, Jael Watts, 45, of Alloway, operated Pearl Transit Corporation, a New Jersey-based company that purported to have drivers scattered across the country giving rides to elderly and disabled people while also conducting outreach for homeless Americans.
Watts and Luis Pino-Copete, 42, of Bogota, Colombia, were convicted following a multi-week federal trial in Utica of orchestrating a spraw…
PA Corrections Officer Who Had Sex With Inmates, Ran ID Fraud Scheme Sentenced: AG
A former Pennsylvania corrections officer who admitted to having sexual relationships with multiple inmates while running an identity theft scheme from inside a state prison has been sentenced, Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Friday, July 10.
Kristina Miller, 36, of Kane, was sentenced to 22 to 44 months in state prison after previously pleading guilty to institutional sexual assault, unlawful use of a computer, and conspiracy to commit identity theft, the Attorney General's Office said.
As part of her sentence, Miller was ordered to register as a sex offender under SORNA for 15 y…
LI Man Canceled Ex-Partner’s Vacation To Aruba, Arrested For Identity Theft: Police
A Long Island man canceled his former business partner’s vacation to Aruba by impersonating him on a travel agency phone call, police said.
Robert Fisher, 42, was arrested Thursday, May 7 and charged with first-degree identity theft, the Suffolk County Police Department said.
Fisher’s business partner arrived at JFK Airport on March 22, 2025, for a $4,000 trip to Aruba, police said. However, he was told on arrival that the trip had been canceled without his knowledge about three hours earlier, cops said.
Investigators determined Fisher had called the travel agency, used his former partner'…
Baldwin Fraudster Made 110 Illegal Transactions In Chase Scam: Police
A Long Island fraudster made 110 illegal transactions from Chase Bank accounts to steal $55,000, police said Friday, April 3.
Paras Javed, 26-year-old Baldwin man, was arrested Thursday, April 2 and hit with numerous charges, the Nassau County Police Department said.
Javed contacted Chase customer service and claimed to be an account holder on multiple occasions, then changed the victims’ mailing addresses to his own and ordered debit cards, cops said. The scheme began in November 2025 and continued into January 2026, according to investigators.
During those two months, he made all 110 una…
Millions Stolen In Bank Scam Run By York Fraud Ring: PA AG (Update)
A central Pennsylvania fraud scheme that drained millions from unsuspecting bank customers has led to prison time for its ringleader, Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Wednesday, March 18.
Jeremy Antuan Boria Fraticelli, 23, of Dover, pleaded guilty in January after orchestrating the operation that targeted victims in Cumberland, Dauphin, and York counties, according to the AG’s office.
Fraticelli posed as a bank employee along with his co-conspirators, tricking customers into handing over personal banking information. The group then used that data to access accounts, move money int…
Alleged Westport Thief Delivered Himself To Police After Ordering DoorDash On Stolen Card: Cops
An alleged Connecticut thief may have delivered himself to police after he used a stolen credit card to order DoorDash to his home, effectively outing himself to investigators, authorities said.
William Torres, 18, of Meriden, turned himself in to police on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, months after authorities say he stole credit cards from an unlocked car in a Westport home's garage last year and used them to make purchases, officials said.
Westport officers responded to a home on Tuesday, Oct. 21, after receiving a report of a motor vehicle burglary. The homeowners told police they started g…
Ramsey Traffic Stop Unravels Alleged Fake ID, Phone Fraud Scheme: Cops
A traffic stop off of Route 17 in Bergen County last week led police to uncover an alleged scheme involving fraudulent identification used to buy Verizon phones, authorities said.
Officers stopped a Honda Accord off Route 17 North and Lake Street in Ramsey on Thursday, Jan. 15, and learned the driver, Xavier Brito, 31, of the Bronx, New York, had a suspended license and no valid driver’s license, Ramsey Police Detective Jaclyn Sabatelli said.
Police then checked the passenger, Alexandra Calderone, 31, of Newark, and found she also had a suspended license along with six out-of-state warrants…
PA Woman Accused Of $150K Wire, Check Fraud In Syosset: Police
A Pennsylvania woman is accused of stealing more than $150,000 through a wire transfer scam and altered check scheme targeting New York businesses, police announced on Saturday, Jan. 10.
Danesha Glenn, 28, of Philadelphia, was arrested following an investigation by the Nassau County Police Department’s Electronics Squad Fraud and Forgery Section, according to police.
Zench Eye Care, located on Merrick Road in Baldwin, received a fraudulent email on Monday, Sept. 20, requesting a wire transfer of $49,300 that appeared to be a legitimate vendor payment, detectives said. The transfer was compl…
New Rochelle Roommates Used Dead Men's Names To Steal Over $150K In Covid-19 Benefits: Jury
A Westchester County man was convicted of stealing identities—including those of two men who died more than a decade ago—to collect over $150,000 in COVID unemployment benefits.
Aly Kaba, 30, of New Rochelle, was found guilty Tuesday, Oct. 21, by an Albany federal jury after a five-day trial on conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Jurors deliberated less than three hours before convicting him on all counts.
Evidence showed that in late 2020, Kaba and his former roommate, Tony Brobbey, filed fraudulent unemployment claims using multiple stolen identitie…
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…
$30K Stolen From 90-Year-Old Nassau County Woman By Home Care Aide, Police Say
A Queens woman is accused of stealing $30,000 from a 90-year-old Long Island woman she was hired to care for in North Woodmere, police announced on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
Sarika Mangru, 48, of Jamaica, was employed as a home care aide for the elderly victim between June 2024 and January 2025, according to detectives with the Nassau County Police Department’s Fourth Squad.
During that time, Mangru allegedly used the victim’s credit card to make unauthorized purchases totaling about $30,000, detectives said.
Following an investigation, Mangru was arrested without incident on Tuesday, Sept. 16.…
