New York Paralegal Blog

Yesterday, a somber chapter closed in a case that highlights the critical importance of workplace safety and honest accountability. Richard Zagger, a 58-year-old supervisor from Blue Point, New York, received a sentence of one year in prison and two years of supervised release. His crime? Conspiracy and obstruction of justice in connection with a fatal construction accident. This tragic story began when Zagger, overseeing a project for Northridge Construction Corporation in East Patchogue, Long Island, was in charge of assembling a metal shed. During the construction, a horrific accident occurred: one of the employees fell from the improperly secured shed roof and died. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the agency responsible for ensuring safe working conditions, launched an investigation. What they found was deeply concerning: multiple violations of worker safety standards. A key issue was the failure to keep the metal structure stable throughout the construct...

In a shocking case that has gripped New York, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng, a 35-year-old gastroenterologist, has pleaded guilty to multiple counts of rape and sexual abuse. He admitted to assaulting unconscious female patients in the hospital and acquaintances in his apartment, often filming the horrific acts. A Doctor’s Oath Betrayed Dr. Cheng, who once took an oath to "do no harm," used his position of trust to prey on vulnerable individuals. The District Attorney highlighted the disturbing nature of the crimes, emphasizing that Cheng abused his power as a medical professional. The brave actions of one woman who discovered videos of the assaults on Cheng’s phone led to his arrest in December 2022. This discovery triggered a major investigation by the Queens District Attorney’s Special Victims Bureau. The Investigation and Evidence Investigators found shocking evidence after searching Cheng’s apartment. They seized digi...

Imagine billions of dollars meant for hospitals, doctors, and patient care ending up in the pockets of criminals. It sounds like a movie plot, but it's a real-life crime that's happening every day. The good news? The U.S. government just announced the biggest crackdown on healthcare fraud in history! The Staggering Numbers The Department of Justice (DOJ) just brought charges against 324 people—including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists—for schemes that tried to steal over $14.6 billion from our healthcare system. But it’s not just about catching the bad guys; it's about getting our money back. Authorities seized over $245 million in cash, luxury cars, and even crypto. On top of that, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) stopped over $4 billion from being paid out on fake claims. Attorney General Pamela Bondi put it best: "This record-setting Health Care Fraud Takedown delivers justice to criminal actors who prey upon our most vulnerable citi...

Hey everyone! As a compliance paralegal, I spend a lot of time thinking about how companies can stay on the right side of the law. And one fascinating legal idea that often comes up is the "Collective Knowledge Doctrine." It might sound a bit technical, but it’s actually a pretty common-sense concept with big implications for businesses. Think of it this way: Imagine a puzzle. Each employee in a company has a piece of that puzzle. Individually, one piece might not tell you much. But when you put all the pieces together, a clear picture emerges. The Collective Knowledge Doctrine basically says that a company can't claim ignorance if different employees have different pieces of information that, when combined, would reveal something important – especially if that "something" is wrongdoing. In simpler terms, if employee A knows one fact, and employee B knows another, and bringing those facts together would show the company was breaking a rule or doing s...

A sophisticated, nationwide bank fraud scheme that stole over $2 million by impersonating individuals across the country has been dismantled with the conviction of its alleged ringleader, Oluwaseun Adekoya, also known as "Ace G." On Thursday, June 26, 2025, a jury found the 39-year-old Cliffside Park, New Jersey, resident guilty of bank fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and nine counts of aggravated identity theft. The Modus Operandi: How the Scheme Operated From his luxury apartment, Adekoya orchestrated a complex operation targeting people with substantial home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) at credit unions nationwide. He used encrypted messaging platforms like Telegram to acquire sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers, account numbers, and mothers' maiden names. Adekoya then recruited a network of managers across the country. He supplied them with this stolen information and fake driver's licenses for lower-leve...

Ever heard of "checks and balances" in our government? It's the idea that no single part of our government – the President, Congress, or the Courts – gets too powerful. Each one has ways to "check" the others. Recently, the Supreme Court made a big decision about something called "universal injunctions." This might sound like a super technical legal term, but it really affects how our country runs and how much power the President has. So, What's a Universal Injunction? Think of it this way: Imagine the President issues a new rule (called an executive order) that affects people all over the country. Before this Supreme Court decision, if just one federal judge decided that rule was illegal or unconstitutional, they could issue a "universal injunction." This meant that President's rule would be stopped nationwide, for everyone, even if the case only involved a few specific people. It was like a single referee blowing the whi...

It's a question that's been on my mind: why are some truly remarkable figures seemingly left out of our history textbooks, especially when their achievements are so groundbreaking? Today, I want to shine a light on one such individual: Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, a Black surgeon whose incredible contributions deserve to be known by everyone. In a time when racial discrimination was rampant and opportunities for Black individuals were severely limited, Dr. Williams defied the odds and achieved something truly extraordinary. In 1893, he performed one of the world's first successful open-heart surgeries (Columbia Surgery, n.d.; Rock County Wisconsin, n.d.). Think about that for a moment: long before many of the modern medical advancements we take for granted, Dr. Williams bravely and skillfully operated directly on a human heart and saved a life. His patient, James Cornish, had suffered a severe stab wound to the chest. Dr. Williams, without the benefit of today'...