Mineola Ponzi Schemer Took Disney, Turkey Trips In $600K Fraud Scheme, Dodges Prison: AG
An investment schemer who targeted New York’s Haitian community and stole more than $600,000 has avoided prison time after pleading guilty, authorities said.
Marc Henry Menard, 43, got five years of probation and was barred from trading securities for five years, the New York Attorney General’s office announced Thursday, July 30.
Menard, a former Mineola resident, used the money he stole to travel to Turkey, Puerto Rico, and Disney World, buy a Mercedes-Benz and a BMW, and splurge on Gucci and Louis Vuitton items, investigators said.
To his customers in Nassau, Suffolk, and Rockland counti…
Shotgun-Wielding Attacker Captured In Albany Bus Rider’s Shooting: Police
An arrest has been made in a Capital Region shooting that left a man stumbling onto a bus with gunshot wounds, police said.
John Canton, 23, of Colonie, was arrested Wednesday, July 29, the Albany Police Department said. Another suspect, 26-year-old Crystal Wood, was also cuffed in the case, police said.
Canton blasted a 33-year-old man with a shotgun in Albany on Saturday, July 11 around 8:50 p.m., investigators said. The man stumbled onto a CDTA bus and collapsed, according to video obtained by CBS affiliate WRGB. He was hospitalized in stable condition.
The shooting happened in a McDona…
Year-Long Escape For Riverhead DWI Fugitive Who Badly Injured Two Ends With Arrest: Cops
The law finally caught up with a young Long Island drunk driver who ran from a serious car crash in March 2025, police said.
Santiago Barreto Gomez, 20, of Riverhead, was arrested Thursday, July 30 and hit with a dozen charges, the Southampton Town Police Department said.
Barreto Gomez was involved in a two-car crash on Oak Avenue near Albany Street on March 7, 2025, in Flanders, cops said. Two people in the other vehicle suffered extensive injuries, while Barreto Gomez fled the scene, police said.
Following a “detailed investigation,” Barreto Gomez was arrested with the assistance of seve…
Cocaine Found In Southampton Man’s Second DWI In Five Months: Police
A young Long Island drunk driver was busted for the second time in five months early Thursday morning, July 30, this time with cocaine, police said.
Seven Smith, 22, of Southampton, was pulled over on East Montauk Highway near Canoe Place Road in Hampton Bays around 4:30 a.m. Thursday, the Southampton Town Police Department said.
Cops stopped Smith for a traffic violation, then determined he was driving drunk, authorities said. Additionally, officers found cocaine in Smith’s possession, according to police.
Smith was charged with felony drug possession, DWI, and multiple traffic violations…
Mom, Daughter Ran $160K Retail NY Theft Ring, Stashed Items In Valley Stream Spot: Police
A mother and daughter operated a coordinated retail theft ring across Long Island, the Hudson Valley, and New York City, authorities said Thursday, July 30.
Maria Betances, 47, and Leslie Cruz, 24, had nearly $160,000 worth of stolen goods and $30,000 cash at their homes in Valley Stream and Queens, respectively, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office.
The duo operated the scheme for months, directing at least four burglars to hit stores in Nassau, Westchester, and Rockland counties, along with Queens and Staten Island, according to New York State Police.
Betances also ran the …
Sexually Explicit Comments To Students Get Hauppauge Driving Instructor Fired, Arrested: Police
A Long Island driving instructor made sexually explicit and offensive comments to his students during lessons, police said Thursday, July 30.
Joseph Klein, 66, was arrested Wednesday, July 29 after an investigation into his activities at Elite Driving of Long Island in Hauppauge, the Suffolk County Police Department said.
Klein, of Farmingdale, made the comments to male students between Monday, July 6 and Wednesday, July 22, according to investigators.
Driving school owner Asif Khan told News 12 Long Island that Klein had just been hired recently, then canned last week after the company le…
LI Middle School Weed Gummy Case: Dealer Cuts Plea Deal And Faces Deportation, Authorities Say
A Long Island drug dealer admitted selling weed gummies to a middle school student, eventually sending 12 children to a local hospital, authorities said Thursday, July 30.
Wilmer Castillo Garcia, 23, pleaded guilty to third-degree drug possession and child endangerment in exchange for a two-year prison term, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said.
Castillo Garcia, of Mastic, is a Guatemalan native and will face deportation after serving his sentence, according to authorities.
His legal problems began in March 2025, when a dozen students at William Floyd Middle School in Moriche…
12-Year-Old Girls Targeted For Self Harm, Sexual Images By Brentwood Man, Feds Say
A Long Island college student forced two 12-year-old girls to send him nude pictures, instructed one girl to harm herself with a razor, and attempted to recruit more victims, authorities said.
Jordy Contreras, 21, of Brentwood, was indicted Tuesday, July 28 and held in Nassau County jail, according to Newsday.
Contreras used Snapchat to communicate with his pre-teen victims beginning in December 2025, federal investigators said. He promised to pay one victim, identified only as Jane Doe 1, over Roblox in exchange for nude images, according to charging documents.
Additionally, Contreras ask…
