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Former NYPD Detective Who Helped Robbery Crew That Targeted Westchester Homes Gets Prison Former NYPD Detective Who Helped Robbery Crew That Targeted Westchester Homes Gets Prison
Former Nypd Detective Who Helped Robbery Crew That Targeted Westchester Homes Gets Prison A former NYPD detective who admitted accepting bribes to help a violent burglary crew that targeted homes across the country, including in Westchester County, avoid law enforcement scrutiny will spend years in federal prison.  Queens resident Saul Arismendy De La Cruz, 33, a former New York City police officer and detective known by the nicknames "Nene" and "Venom," was sentenced Friday, May 29, to 75 months in prison after pleading guilty to racketeering conspiracy, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced.   According to federal prosecutors, …

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by Ben Crnic
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Westchester Man Admits Setting Up Cameras In Bathrooms At Marist, Filming Men, Women: DA Westchester Man Admits Setting Up Cameras In Bathrooms At Marist, Filming Men, Women: DA
Westchester Man Admits Setting Up Cameras In Bathrooms At Marist, Filming Men, Women: DA A former Marist University student from Westchester County, NY, has admitted to secretly recording multiple people inside campus bathrooms, pleading guilty to 15 felony counts of unlawful surveillance.  Kyle Petrozzi, 23, pleaded guilty in Dutchess County Court to 15 counts of second-degree unlawful surveillance, all felonies, Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi announced on Friday, May 29.  The charges stem from incidents that occurred between April 27 and May 10, 2025, inside Dyson Hall on Marist University's campus in Poughkeepsie. According to prosecutors, Petroz…

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by Ben Crnic
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New Details Emerge In Claude Lemieux's Death New Details Emerge In Claude Lemieux's Death
New Details Emerge In Claude Lemieux's Death New details are coming to light in the tragic death of former New Jersey Devils star and four-time Stanley Cup champion Claude Lemieux. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office told The Athletic that deputies responded early Thursday morning, May 28 to a suicide attempt at a furniture showroom in Lake Park, Florida. State records show the business is owned by Lemieux and his wife, Deborah, according to the report. The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Lemieux's death but told The Athletic it could not provide additional records because Florida law shields suicide-rela…

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by Cecilia Levine
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Hiker Carried From Trail After Suffering Seizure In Hudson Valley Hiker Carried From Trail After Suffering Seizure In Hudson Valley
Hiker Carried From Trail After Suffering Seizure In Hudson Valley A hiker who suffered a seizure while on a trail in Rockland County had to be carried out of the park by first responders.  The rescue happened at Kakiat Park in Montebello on Thursday afternoon, May 28, when Chaverim of Rockland’s Search & Rescue Team was called to help a group of special needs adults hiking in the park, The Monsey Scoop reported.  According to the outlet, six adult men from a special needs group home were on the trail when a 24-year-old participant suffered a seizure.  By the time responders were notified, the man was in a post-seizure condition and was…

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by Ben Crnic
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New Details Released In Deaths Of 3 Women At Mexican Resort Popular With Americans: Update New Details Released In Deaths Of 3 Women At Mexican Resort Popular With Americans: Update
New Details Released In Deaths Of 3 Women At Mexican Resort Popular With Americans: Update The fear spreading through a vacation hotspot now has a new official answer. Prosecutors in Mexico are now saying that evidence so far does not support the presence of a serial attacker in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, after three women were found dead there in less than two weeks, NTV+ reported. The new details mark a shift from earlier concerns that the deaths could be connected to a single suspect. According to NTV+, prosecutors said there are no objective elements or scientific evidence confirming a possible serial killer. Authorities also said they have not found matching patterns among th…

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by Joe Lombardi
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Man Planned $100K Pokémon Card Store Armed Robberies In NYC: Feds Man Planned $100K Pokémon Card Store Armed Robberies In NYC: Feds
Man Planned $100K Pokémon Card Store Armed Robberies In NYC: Feds A Queens man is facing federal charges after prosecutors say he helped plan and carry out two armed robberies targeting Pokémon trading card stores in New York City, making off with more than $100,000 worth of collectibles. Andy David Palacios Ortiz, 28, of Flushing, was arrested Thursday, May 28, and charged with Hobbs Act robbery and Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.  Federal authorities allege Palacios Ortiz played a central role in a pair of robberies that unfolded just days apart in January 2026. According t…

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by Ben Crnic
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Major Studios Are Moving Productions From Hollywood To This Northeast State: Here's Why Major Studios Are Moving Productions From Hollywood To This Northeast State: Here's Why
Major Studios Are Moving Productions From Hollywood To This Northeast State: Here's Why Hollywood’s next boomtown is not where most people would expect. Far from it. Literally. New Jersey has become the only US state where film and TV production is booming, The Wall Street Journal reported in a story published on Thursday, May 28. The reason is money. The Journal says New Jersey’s tax incentive program is now among the most effective in the country, pulling major productions away from traditional hubs as studios cut costs. Across the US, spending on movies and TV shows fell 20 percent last year, according to ProdPro data cited by The Wall Street Journal. But New Jersey w…

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by Joe Lombardi
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Stepbrother Charged As Adult As New Evidence Emerges In HS Cheerleader's Cruise Ship Death Stepbrother Charged As Adult As New Evidence Emerges In HS Cheerleader's Cruise Ship Death
Stepbrother Charged As Adult As New Evidence Emerges In HS Cheerleader's Cruise Ship Death A cruise ship death that drew national attention has taken another sharp turn in federal court. New court details have emerged in the death of Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old high school cheerleader from central Florida, whose stepbrother, Timothy Hudson, 16, is being prosecuted as an adult. US Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres declined on Wednesday, May 27, to immediately jail Hudson while he awaits trial in Miami federal court. Hudson had been living with an uncle under electronic monitoring after he was first charged as a juvenile, according to NBC News. Prosecutors sought to have him detained …

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by Joe Lombardi
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Couple Admits Operating Sex Spa Network Tied To Westchester Spa Couple Admits Operating Sex Spa Network Tied To Westchester Spa
Couple Admits Operating Sex Spa Network Tied To Westchester Spa A husband and wife admitted running a prostitution enterprise tied to nine massage spas across New Jersey and New York, federal prosecutors announced. Zhejun Piao, 38, and Miyeon Choi, also known as “Maya,” 38, both of Palisades Park, pleaded guilty Tuesday, May 26, in Trenton federal court to conspiracy involving interstate racketeering activity, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said. According to prosecutors, the operation dated back to at least 2017 and involved spas in Paterson, Passaic, Fairview, Edgewater, East Brunswick, Toms River, and New Rochelle, NY. Women working at the spas per…

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by Cecilia Levine
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Tree Falls On School Bus Carrying Children In Hudson Valley Tree Falls On School Bus Carrying Children In Hudson Valley
Tree Falls On School Bus Carrying Children In Hudson Valley A frightening scene unfolded in Rockland County when a large tree suddenly crashed onto a school bus carrying children, heavily damaging the vehicle and narrowly missing nearby pedestrians.  The incident happened around 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 28, on South Cole Avenue near Route 59 in Spring Valley, The Monsey Scoop reported.  The outlet reported that the falling tree slammed onto the bus while children were inside, also crushing multiple parked vehicles nearby. Pedestrians walking along the sidewalk were nearly struck by the tree and falling debris, according to the report. …

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by Ben Crnic
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Conviction Upheld For Restaurateur Who Had NY Eatery Burned Down For Insurance Money Conviction Upheld For Restaurateur Who Had NY Eatery Burned Down For Insurance Money
Conviction Upheld For Restaurateur Who Had NY Eatery Burned Down For Insurance Money A former Orange County restaurateur convicted of orchestrating a devastating arson-for-profit scheme that destroyed his own business and endangered firefighters will remain behind bars after an appeals court upheld both his conviction and lengthy prison sentence. The Appellate Division, Second Department, on Wednesday, May 27, affirmed the conviction and sentence of 64-year-old former Newburgh resident Zef Gjurashaj, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday, May 28.  Gjurashaj was convicted by a jury in 2022 of first-degree arson, second-degree conspiracy, two…

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by Ben Crnic
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Woman Who Barged Into Ex's Apartment, Held Family At Gunpoint In Westchester Is Convicted Woman Who Barged Into Ex's Apartment, Held Family At Gunpoint In Westchester Is Convicted
Woman Who Barged Into Ex's Apartment, Held Family At Gunpoint In Westchester Is Convicted A 36-year-old woman has been convicted on all counts after prosecutors said she forced her way into her ex-girlfriend’s Westchester County apartment while armed with a loaded handgun and threatened several of her family members.   Brooke Manderson, 36, was found guilty by a Westchester County jury on Wednesday, May 27, of three counts of first-degree burglary, three counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, two counts of second-degree menacing, and one count of third-degree menacing, according to the Westches…

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by Ben Crnic