New York Paralegal Blog

Royal Palm Beach Restaurant Permitted Class of Female Employees to be Sexually Harassed by Patron, Federal Agency Charged WEST PALM BEACH – The owner/operator of a Hurricane Grill and Wings restaurant franchise in Royal Palm Beach, Fla., will pay $200,000 to settle a class sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

Tyrone Hunter Sentenced to 18 Years-to-Life in Prison Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the sentencing of TYRONE HUNTER, 56, to 18 years-to-life in prison for committing three burglaries on the Upper East Side in November 2010. On January 30, 2012, the defendant pled guilty to one count of Burglary in the Second Degree and two counts of Attempted Burglary in the Second Degree.

The annual NFPA Joint Leadership/Regulation/Certification Ambassadors Conference is one of the most popular and most beneficial gatherings for paralegal leaders in their local association and their community. As many paralegal professionals are beginning to recover from the financial crisis of 2008-11, many individuals are determined to restore growth and re-embark on a positive mission of expansion. Attendees will have the opportunity to share and network with professionals regarding association leadership, PACE, and regulation within the paralegal profession.

Vertrue And Adaptive Marketing To Pay $2 Million In Refunds To New Yorkers Who Were Duped While Shopping Online NEW YORK - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced a settlement with Vertrue Incorporated and its subsidiary, Adaptive Marketing, LLC (collectively “Adaptive”) to provide $2 million in refunds to New York consumers who were tricked into enrolling online in Adaptive's discount club programs and then charged hidden fees. Adaptive also agreed to reform its online marketing practices.

You never know what you'll find at a flea market – antiques, toys or even a deal of a lifetime. But special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) warn that those deals of a lifetime may be too good to be true.

Company Agrees to Pay $35,000 to Applicant Denied Employment Because of Epilepsy ST. LOUIS – Tyson Foods, Inc., one of the world’s largest processors of chicken, beef and pork, will pay $35,000 and furnish other relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. The EEOC had charged that Tyson Foods refused to hire a former employee because he had epilepsy.

Class of Blacks Subjected to Noose Display and Racial Slurs, Federal Agency Charged BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Ready Mix USA, a major cement and concrete products company, will pay $400,000 and furnish other relief to settle a lawsuit for racial harassment filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission(EEOC), the agency announced today.

Despite Laws, Guidance and Willingness to Work, Many Pregnant Women and Caregivers are Denied Job Opportunities, Workplace Modifications, Leave, and Equal Treatment WASHINGTON—At a time when most pregnant women want and need to work, and more American workers struggle to balance work and family, discrimination against pregnant women and workers with caregiving responsibilities remains a significant problem, experts told the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission at a public meeting today. The meeting follows up on Commission meetings in 2007, when the Commission issued its groundbreaking “Enforcement Guidance on Unlawful Disparate Treatment of Workers with Caregiving Responsibilities” and in 2009 when the Commission issued “Employer Best Practices for Workers with Caregiving Responsibilities.”

FRESNO, Calif. – A 47-year-old Madera man is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court Wednesday afternoon following his arrest on child pornography charges by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The Charlotte Division of the FBI is bringing new attention to the case of a missing girl on the 12th anniversary of her disappearance with a multi-platform media campaign. On February 14, 2000, 9-year-old Asha Degree left her home in Shelby, North Carolina, in the middle of the night and disappeared. A combination of media publicity, digital billboards, online promotion, and the use of social media will be utilized to generate new tips to find Asha. A photo of Asha as a 9-year-old child and an age-progressed photo of what she would look like at the age of 19 will be featured on 14 Adams Outdoor Advertising digital billboards across the Charlotte area and will be sent out on various FBI social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter.

Members of Conspiracy Stole from at least 30 Bank Accounts Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment of 37 individuals in connection with a forged check and money laundering ring based in Brooklyn that compromised at least 30 bank accounts at JP Morgan Chase Bank (“Chase Bank”) and Citibank, and stole more than $150,000. All of the defendants are charged with Conspiracy, and the ringleaders are additionally charged with Grand Larceny, Money Laundering, and in some cases, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument and Identity Theft.[1]

NEW YORK— Attorney General Eric Schneiderman today launched a new website, “Share Your I-STOP Story,” that showcases personal stories from New Yorkers who have been impacted by the growing epidemic of prescription drug abuse. As momentum builds for legislative action to address the problem, the site urges doctors, pharmacists, addiction sufferers and their families to put a human face on the issue, and help persuade state lawmakers to pass Schneiderman’s Internet System for Tracking Overprescribing (I-STOP) plan aimed at reining in prescription drug abuse. I-STOP connects doctors and pharmacists to a real time, online database that tracks the prescribing and dispensing of frequently abused narcotics.

Wednesday 02/08/2012 @12pm Eastern Standard Time "Civil Rights Corruption" w/Ricardo Jones Sr. Former Senior Federal Investigator for the EEOC-NYDO The false sense of the rule of law, due process and discrimination. Call in with your questions, suggestions and comments (646)716-6587 Remember to press 1 if you would like to speak with us during this live broadcast. Brought to you by: Chick Chat

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the sentencing of three men to significant prison terms for robbing and murdering a 24-year-old man in Harlem in 2008. MICHAEL SMITH, 33, was sentenced today to 20-years-to-life in prison following his conviction at trial in December 2011 of multiple charges, including Murder in the Second Degree. ANTHONY SMITH, 30, pled guilty to Murder in the First Degree in August 2010 and was sentenced to 20-years-to-life in prison. In May 2011, MELVIN PETERS, 49, was convicted at a separate trial of multiple charges, including Murder in the Second Degree, and was sentenced to 45-years-to-life in June 2011.

Waitress and Three Family Members Fired for Reporting Misconduct, Federal Agency Charged ATLANTA – A federal jury has awarded $51,700 in back pay, compensatory and punitive damages to four family members who were fired for resisting sexual harassment at a Tucker, Ga., restaurant, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today.

Defendant Also Convicted of Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm in Connection with the Drug Conspiracy Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ALFREDO RIVERA, a retired New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) officer, was found guilty yesterday on both counts of an indictment that charged him with participating in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and using, carrying, and possessing a firearm in connection with that conspiracy. The verdict came following a four-day jury trial in Manhattan federal court before U.S. District Judge Katherine B. Forrest.

Defendant Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Violent Attack on Ex-Girlfriend Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the sentencing of RAMON LALONDRIZ-CASTILLO, 26, to 15 years in prison and five years post-release supervision, for shooting his ex-girlfriend two years ago as she left work on the Upper East Side. On January 5, 2012, the defendant pleaded guilty to the top charge in the indictment, Attempted Murder in the Second Degree.

Complaint Charges Use Of MERS By Bank Of America, J.P. Morgan Chase, And Wells Fargo Resulted In Fraudulent Foreclosure Filings NEW YORK – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today filed a lawsuit against several of the nation’s largest banks charging that the creation and use of a private national mortgage electronic registry system known as MERS has resulted in a wide range of deceptive and fraudulent foreclosure filings in New York state and federal courts, harming homeowners and undermining the integrity of the judicial foreclosure process. The lawsuit asserts that employees and agents of Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase, and Wells Fargo, acting as "MERS

Defendants’ Alleged Conduct Contributed to More Than $2.6 Billion Dollar Write-Down in Bank’s Reported Net Income; Two Defendants Have Pled Guilty and Are Cooperating with the Government’s Investigation Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Janice K. Fedarcyk, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the filing of charges against KAREEM SERAGELDIN, DAVID HIGGS, and SALMAAN SIDDIQUI, respectively, managing director/global head of structured credit, managing director, and vice-president in the Investment Banking Division of Credit Suisse Group (“Credit Suisse”).

DETROIT — Twelve individuals were charged in an indictment for their role in a significant drug distribution operation that allegedly trafficked in excess of 30 kilograms of heroin, 12 kilograms of cocaine, 1,000 pounds of marijuana and laundered in excess of $21 million. The joint investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division.