Wallingford School PTO Treasurer Stole $22K From Elementary School Group, Police Say Wallingford School PTO Treasurer Stole $22K From Elementary School Group, Police Say Wallingford School PTO Treasurer Stole $22K From Elementary School Group, Police Say
Wallingford School PTO Treasurer Stole $22K From Elementary School Group, Police Say A former Connecticut elementary school PTO treasurer is accused of stealing about $22,000 from the organization that supports local students and teachers. Erica L. Vitale, 39, of Wallingford, was arrested Friday, July 17, according to police. She served as treasurer for the Highland Elementary School PTO and had full access to the group's funds.  The PTO claims $22,000 is missing from their accounts, and Vitale cannot account for it, police explained.  Vitale is charged with first-degree larceny and fraudulent use of an automated teller machine, Wallingford police said. She …
Nearly 200 Charges Filed Against Alexandria Man Accused Of Gym Parking Lot Theft Spree: Police Nearly 200 Charges Filed Against Alexandria Man Accused Of Gym Parking Lot Theft Spree: Police Nearly 200 Charges Filed Against Alexandria Man Accused Of Gym Parking Lot Theft Spree: Police
Nearly 200 Charges Filed Against Alexandria Man Accused Of Gym Parking Lot Theft Spree: Police Work out. Come back. Wallet gone. That's the pattern Fairfax County detectives say played out again and again this spring as an Alexandria man allegedly targeted gym parking lots across Northern Virginia, leaving dozens of victims with more than just a bad workout. Now, Kumneger Ayalsew, 29, is facing nearly 200 criminal charges after investigators tied him to a string of thefts at fitness centers in Fairfax County and neighboring jurisdictions. According to police, the spree stretched from April through June, with victims returning to find wallets, credit cards and other valuables missing…
Thieving Lawyer From Syosset Who Stole $400K From Clients Gets Prison Time: Authorities Thieving Lawyer From Syosset Who Stole $400K From Clients Gets Prison Time: Authorities Thieving Lawyer From Syosset Who Stole $400K From Clients Gets Prison Time: Authorities
Thieving Lawyer From Syosset Who Stole $400K From Clients Gets Prison Time: Authorities A Long Island lawyer who admitted to stealing nearly $400,000 from her clients is headed to prison, authorities said. Daphna Zekaria, 56, was sentenced Friday, July 17 to six months in prison for the theft, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said. She’ll spent five years on probation after her release. Zekaria, of Syosset, pleaded guilty to stealing from three separate victims — though other alleged victims have spoken publicly about being scammed and not repaid by her. She took $150,000 in an escrow account in early 2022 after helping a client going through a divorce sell her h…
Dead Person's Identity Used In Brazen Attempt To Buy $50K Mercedes SUV In Waldorf: Sheriff Dead Person's Identity Used In Brazen Attempt To Buy $50K Mercedes SUV In Waldorf: Sheriff Dead Person's Identity Used In Brazen Attempt To Buy $50K Mercedes SUV In Waldorf: Sheriff
Dead Person's Identity Used In Brazen Attempt To Buy $50K Mercedes SUV In Waldorf: Sheriff Somebody tried buying a luxury Mercedes-Benz using the identity of a dead person. It nearly worked. The scheme unraveled at a Waldorf dealership in Charles County on Tuesday, July 7, after a representative for the victim's estate alerted authorities that someone was attempting to finance a Mercedes-Benz SUV worth more than $50,000 using the recently deceased victim's identity and credit information. Charles County Sheriff's officers responded to the dealership and quickly spotted 48-year-old Louisa Michelene Coles, of Washington, DC, walking nearby. Investigators determined Coles was the …
Elderly Victims Lost Thousands In Middle Island Man’s Check Fraud Scheme: Police Elderly Victims Lost Thousands In Middle Island Man’s Check Fraud Scheme: Police Elderly Victims Lost Thousands In Middle Island Man’s Check Fraud Scheme: Police
Elderly Victims Lost Thousands In Middle Island Man’s Check Fraud Scheme: Police A Long Island man scammed two elderly victims out of thousands of dollars in a bad check scheme, police said. Kacper Kusnierz, 34, of Middle Island, was part of a larger scam operation that ensnared at least two men outside Long Island, the Suffolk County Police Department said Wednesday, July 15. Kusnierz cashed fraudulent checks at TD Bank branches in Mount Sinai and Medford on Jan. 27 and Jan. 30 in 2025, according to investigators. After authorities learned of the scam, Kusnierz was arrested Wednesday at the police station in Bay Shore, cops said. He was charged with first-degree ident…
PA Corrections Officer Who Had Sex With Inmates, Ran ID Fraud Scheme Sentenced: AG PA Corrections Officer Who Had Sex With Inmates, Ran ID Fraud Scheme Sentenced: AG PA Corrections Officer Who Had Sex With Inmates, Ran ID Fraud Scheme Sentenced: AG
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…
Cash For Supplies That Never Arrived: Former DC School Official Admits Bribery Cash For Supplies That Never Arrived: Former DC School Official Admits Bribery Cash For Supplies That Never Arrived: Former DC School Official Admits Bribery
Cash For Supplies That Never Arrived: Former DC School Official Admits Bribery She was supposed to be buying supplies for students. Instead, federal prosecutors say a longtime DC school administrator was taking cash under the table while approving payments for orders that never showed up. District resident Tracy Hatton, 60, admitted to her role in the scheme after pleading guilty to bribery, according to the US Attorney's Office for DC.  The guilty plea, entered in November 2025, was unsealed Thursday, July 9. Hatton worked as the administrative officer at McKinley Technology High School, where she controlled the school's supply budget, selected vendors, approv…
Amityville Nurse Who Pocketed $1.25M In Fake Vaccine Scheme Hit With Record Fine Amityville Nurse Who Pocketed $1.25M In Fake Vaccine Scheme Hit With Record Fine Amityville Nurse Who Pocketed $1.25M In Fake Vaccine Scheme Hit With Record Fine
Amityville Nurse Who Pocketed $1.25M In Fake Vaccine Scheme Hit With Record Fine A Long Island nurse who admitted to faking more than 150 child vaccines was fined $544,000 by the state, officials announced Thursday, July 9. Julie DeVuono’s fine is the largest in the New York Department of Health’s 125-year history, the agency said. DeVuono, 53, pleaded guilty to criminal charges in June 2024, in which she agreed to complete community service, forfeit $1.2 million in criminal proceeds, and give up her professional licenses. Between 2019 and 2022, DeVuono lied about giving 162 children various vaccines, including for chickenpox, measles, hepatitis, tetanus, and COVID-19,…
NY Woman Ran Sex Trafficking Ring Out Of Allston, Brighton Brothels: Feds NY Woman Ran Sex Trafficking Ring Out Of Allston, Brighton Brothels: Feds NY Woman Ran Sex Trafficking Ring Out Of Allston, Brighton Brothels: Feds
NY Woman Ran Sex Trafficking Ring Out Of Allston, Brighton Brothels: Feds A New York woman and Chinese national has been federally indicted after prosecutors accused her of running an alleged sex trafficking operation out of residential brothels in the Boston area. Zengzeng Liu, 40, of Flushing, New York, also known as "Bella," is accused of managing an international operation beginning no later than August 2025. Investigators say women, many of them foreign nationals from Japan, Vietnam, China, and the Philippines, were recruited to travel to the Greater Boston area to engage in commercial sex acts, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts said. She is…
South Brunswick Cop Learns Fate For Stealing From PBA: Prosecutor South Brunswick Cop Learns Fate For Stealing From PBA: Prosecutor South Brunswick Cop Learns Fate For Stealing From PBA: Prosecutor
South Brunswick Cop Learns Fate For Stealing From PBA: Prosecutor A 53-year-old South Brunswick police officer has been sentenced to five years in prison after admitting to stealing $75,000 from his Policeman's Benevolent Association chapter, authorities announced Wednesday, July 1. Jason Gassman pleaded guilty to theft earlier this year, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said.  An investigation into Gassman was launched after he stole bedding valued at $100 from an Ocean Township department store, Santiago said. Gassman had served as his local PBA's treasurer since 2009, stealing more than $75,000 over the last six years by using the chap…
'Jackpotting' Scheme: 4 Venezuelan Nationals Accused Of Stealing More Than $500K From CT ATMs 'Jackpotting' Scheme: 4 Venezuelan Nationals Accused Of Stealing More Than $500K From CT ATMs 'Jackpotting' Scheme: 4 Venezuelan Nationals Accused Of Stealing More Than $500K From CT ATMs
'Jackpotting' Scheme: 4 Venezuelan Nationals Accused Of Stealing More Than $500K From CT ATMs Federal prosecutors say four men are accused of carrying out a sophisticated ATM theft operation that stole more than $500,000 from machines across Connecticut before they were caught. Federal investigators said that the men ran a "jackpotting" scheme to force machines to spit out cash. The scam uses a device to install malware on an ATM to force the machine to continuously dispense large amounts of cash, according to the FDIC. The agency said the scheme cost banks about $20 million last year.  Federal prosecutors say the group stole $529,220 from eight ATMs between Aug. 8 and Aug…
Trumbull Woman Accused Of Stealing $78K From Southport Family Dental Through Years-Long Scheme Trumbull Woman Accused Of Stealing $78K From Southport Family Dental Through Years-Long Scheme Trumbull Woman Accused Of Stealing $78K From Southport Family Dental Through Years-Long Scheme
Trumbull Woman Accused Of Stealing $78K From Southport Family Dental Through Years-Long Scheme A former employee of a Connecticut dental practice is accused of stealing more than $78,000 from the business through a years-long scheme, according to Fairfield police. Barbara Economovich, 29, of Trumbull, was arrested last week and charged with third-degree burglary, first-degree larceny, and first-degree computer crime, police said. The investigation began after employees of Southport Family Dental noticed unusual activity at the business while it was closed, as well as suspicious activity involving the company's credit card refunds, Fairfield police said.  Investigators said…