New York Paralegal Blog

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'...

This is the fourth and final installment in our series on Affirmative Action. Throughout this series, we've explored various facets of this complex and often misunderstood policy. Today, we're tackling the argument that affirmative action is an unnecessary system focused on quotas rather than merit, a perspective often voiced by figures like Candace Owens. Candace Owens argues that affirmative action hinders the most qualified individuals in college admissions and employment, implying it's an obsolete program in a meritocratic society. In an ideal world, her perspective—that merit alone should dictate opportunity—would be a beautiful truth. We could all agree that "the most qualified" should always rise to the top, and programs designed to correct historical imbalances would indeed be unnecessary. However, we are far from inhabiting that ideal world. The reality on the ground paints a very different picture. Despite decades of civil rights advancements...

A significant settlement has been reached in a federal lawsuit concerning racial harassment at Waste Pro of Florida. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that Waste Pro of Florida has agreed to pay $1.4 million and implement comprehensive changes to resolve a lawsuit alleging race and national origin discrimination against Black and Haitian American workers. The EEOC's lawsuit claimed that 26 Black and/or Haitian American employees were subjected to frequent and severe harassment. This included the use of racial slurs such as the "n-word," "boy," and "monkey," along with instructions to "go back to Haiti on the banana boat." Beyond verbal abuse, the suit also alleged that Black employees were assigned to less desirable routes and trucks. A particularly disturbing incident involved management's refusal to remove a stuffed monkey carrying an American flag during an anti-discrimination training, despi...

A major victory for international justice! Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios, the former director of Venezuela's military intelligence, has pleaded guilty to serious charges, including narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. This marks a significant step in holding accountable those who exploit their power for criminal gain and intentionally harm other nations. Carvajal Barrios, 65, was a high-ranking official in Venezuela, serving as the director of the Direccion de Inteligencia Militar (DIM), Venezuela's military intelligence agency, between 2004-2011 and again in 2013. However, instead of protecting his country, he allegedly used his position to lead and manage the "Cartel de Los Soles" (Cartel of the Suns). What is the "Cartel de Los Soles"? The "Cartel of the Suns" is a Venezuelan organization allegedly comprised of high-ranking members of the Venezuelan armed forces who are involved in international drug trafficking. The name comes from...

Paramus, NJ – A New Jersey Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Ofer Gabbay, has admitted to his role in a scheme that helped wealthy clients cheat on their taxes. Gabbay pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring to defraud the United States by promoting illegal tax shelters, which allowed his clients to claim massive, unwarranted tax breaks. What Happened? Between 2018 and 2019, Gabbay, along with others including Jack Fisher, James Sinnott, and their assistant Kate Joy, pushed what are known as "syndicated conservation easement" tax shelters. So, what's a "syndicated conservation easement"? Normally, a "conservation easement" is a legitimate way for landowners to get a tax break. It involves donating the development rights of their land to a charity, ensuring the land remains undeveloped and preserved. In return, they can claim a charitable contribution tax deduction, which reduces their taxable income. However, the "syndicated" vers...

We've been exploring the complex reasons why affirmative action remains a crucial tool for achieving true equality. In our previous discussions, we've touched on historical injustices. Today, we're going to dive into a particularly powerful one: how the deliberate denial of education to Black Americans for centuries still shapes job opportunities today, making affirmative action necessary. Imagine a race where some runners are intentionally tripped at the start, then forced to run with weights on their ankles, while others get a clear, unobstructed path. That's a bit like the history of education for Black Americans. A Deliberate Denial of Knowledge For hundreds of years, during slavery and beyond, there were active, systemic efforts to prevent Black people from getting an education: Laws Against Learning: During slavery, it was often illegal to teach enslaved people to read or write. Why? Because slave masters knew that knowledge was power. An educated pers...

A Las Vegas woman with a biochemistry degree from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Latonia Smith, has been found guilty of cyberstalking, following a trial that revealed a pattern of deeply concerning online searches and communications. Smith was accused of sending threatening emails to two judges, Judges Dorsey and Boulware, and her probation officer. What made these communications particularly alarming was the discovery of her extensive online activity. Evidence presented at trial showed she had searched for phrases like "judges die," "how to become a bomb maker," "how to be a mass shooter," "buying a gun," and "ar 15 for sale." Even more disturbing, she watched a compilation of videos from the horrific October 1st mass shooting 13 times in just three weeks. During the same period, she repeatedly looked up the names of her targets, some of their children, and even their home addresses. After deliberating for less than a...

A recent court case shines a light on a major scheme involving the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) – a government program designed to help businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the heart of it was an individual named Hockridge and her partners, who have been found guilty of serious charges related to defrauding the system. What happened? Stephanie Hockridge and her co-conspirators created a "personalized service" called "VIPPP." This service promised to help people apply for PPP loans. Sounds helpful, right? The problem is, they coached borrowers to submit applications with false information to get bigger loans. In return, Hockridge and her team took a "kickback" – a percentage of the loan money received by the borrowers, plus extra fees from the banks that processed the loans. Think of a kickback as an illegal payment given in exchange for a favor. In this case, it was for helping people cheat the system to get money they weren't e...

A Chicago lab owner, Zishan Alvi, 46, from Inverness, Illinois, was just sentenced to seven years in prison for a massive COVID-19 testing fraud scheme. From 2021 to 2022, Alvi ran a lab in Chicago that supposedly performed COVID-19 tests. But he was actually submitting fake bills to a government program called the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). He charged them for tests that either never happened or were done so badly they were useless. Here's where it gets really bad: Alvi’s lab would give people negative test results even when they hadn't actually tested the samples, or the results were unclear because he'd watered down the tests to save money. He knew he was giving out bogus results but still sent the bills to HRSA. This scam ended up costing the government over $14 million. He even lied to his own lab directors to keep his fraud a secret. Alvi pleaded guilty to wire fraud last September. Besides going...

In today's interconnected world, businesses often operate across borders, creating incredible opportunities – and significant responsibilities. One of the most critical of these responsibilities, particularly for U.S. companies, is adhering to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). You might be wondering, "What does this mean for a company, and who helps them navigate this complex legal landscape?" That's where a Compliance Paralegal comes in. What is the FCPA, in a Nutshell? The FCPA, a U.S. federal law, was enacted to prevent American companies and individuals from bribing foreign government officials to gain or retain business. It's built on two main pillars: Anti-bribery provisions: These prohibit making, offering, or authorizing corrupt payments or "anything of value" to foreign officials. The definition of "anything of value" is broad and can include gifts, travel, entertainment, or even charitable donations if made with co...

Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, despite our best efforts, we can find ourselves in a difficult financial situation. For many, the idea of bankruptcy feels daunting, even shameful. But for those genuinely struggling with insurmountable debt, bankruptcy can be a lifeline, offering a structured path to a fresh financial start. If you're considering bankruptcy, understanding the process is the first step. While this is a general overview, remember that bankruptcy law is complex, and individual situations vary greatly. Always consult with a qualified bankruptcy attorney to discuss your specific circumstances. The Bankruptcy Process: A Simplified Guide 1. Initial Consultation with an Attorney: This is crucial. An experienced bankruptcy attorney will review your financial situation, including your income, assets, and debts. They'll help you determine if bankruptcy is the right option for you and, if so, which type of bankruptcy you qualify for (most commonly Chapter 7 or Chapt...

Today, June 19th, is Juneteenth! While it's now a federal holiday, many people might not fully understand its incredible importance. So, let's break down what Juneteenth is and why it matters so much, not just in Texas, but for all of us. The Day Freedom Finally Arrived (for Everyone) Imagine this: It's 1863, and President Abraham Lincoln has issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring enslaved people in the Confederate states free. But here's the catch – in Texas, way out west, the news (and the Union Army) hadn't really arrived yet. So, slavery continued there for two and a half more years! Then, on June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas. He announced General Order No. 3, which officially declared that all enslaved people in Texas were finally free. This wasn't just a suggestion; it was an order, stating that everyone, "former masters and slaves," now had "absolute equality of personal rights....

In a case that has shocked and outraged the community, Renee Hoberman, also known as "Rina," a licensed social worker, pleaded guilty in federal court in Central Islip today to charges of receipt and distribution of child pornography. The proceedings took place before United States District Judge Joanna Seybert. Hoberman faces a minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison when she is sentenced. United States Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. for the Eastern District of New York, along with Michael Alfonso, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), and Patrick Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department, announced the guilty plea. United States Attorney Nocella condemned Hoberman's actions, stating, “The defendant, a licensed social worker, admitted to distributing extremely vile and unthinkable videos depicting the horrific sexual abuse of babies. The videos the defendant distributed and sought for her own perverse pleas...

A recent lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against Champion Media, LLC has been settled, with the North Carolina-based publishing company agreeing to pay $102,500 and implement other significant changes. The lawsuit accused Champion Media of disability discrimination for refusing to provide a sign language interpreter to a deaf job applicant. The incident occurred at Champion Media's printing facility in Lumberton, North Carolina. A qualified deaf applicant was selected for an in-person interview after an initial phone conversation assisted by a video relay service. The applicant simply requested a sign language interpreter for the interview as a reasonable accommodation. Instead of providing the interpreter, Champion Media canceled the interview and ultimately did not hire the applicant. The EEOC stated that this action violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA makes it illegal for companies to discriminate again...

In the high-profile sex trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs, the prosecution has taken the controversial step of showing the jury explicit videos of Combs and his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, engaged in what has been termed "freak offs." While the prosecution argues these tapes are crucial evidence of a pattern of coercion and criminal enterprise, a critical question arises: Was subjecting the jury to what is essentially pornography truly necessary for a just verdict, or was it a calculated gamble that could backfire? The defense has not denied the existence of these sexual encounters. Their argument, in fact, hinges on the assertion that these acts were entirely consensual. This key point raises a significant legal and ethical dilemma regarding the introduction of such graphic evidence. If the defense's core argument is about consent, not the act itself, then what is the true legal benefit of forcing a jury to watch these sexually explicit videos? Fr...

You may have seen the recent news that the Justice Department and the U.S. Naval Academy are officially ending the use of race in admissions. This follows a lawsuit challenging the practice and marks a significant shift in how the prestigious institution selects its future leaders. Predictably, this news has brought out some old, tired arguments. You may hear claims that Black midshipmen were only admitted because of their race and, as a result, they can't handle the academy's rigorous demands and fail to graduate. This narrative is powerful, but it crumbles when you look at the actual numbers. The Claim: Black Midshipmen Don't Graduate. The Reality: The Data Shows High Success. The idea that a significant number of Black midshipmen "wash out" is not supported by facts. In reality, their success rate is nearly identical to that of their white peers. According to statistics from College Factual on six-year graduation rates at the Naval Academy: Black/Af...

Two oil field service companies, Bigfoot Energy Services and Iron Mountain Energy, will pay nearly $700,000 to settle a lawsuit over serious allegations of racial and sexual harassment in the workplace. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a government agency that fights workplace discrimination, brought the case against them. What Happened? According to the EEOC, things were pretty bad at these companies. Here's a breakdown of the allegations: Racial Slurs: Managers and employees frequently used the "n-word" and other racist language when talking about Black employees. Sexual Harassment: Male employees were accused of creating a hostile environment for others by sharing pornographic images and making offensive sexual comments. Retaliation: When employees tried to speak up, they were fired. One male truck driver was fired the day after he complained about the sexual harassment. Other drivers were let go just days after complaining about the...

A group of individuals is facing serious federal charges for their alleged roles in a sophisticated fraud and theft ring. The indictment outlines a series of crimes, including conspiracies to commit bank fraud, steal postal keys, and pilfer mail, culminating in aggravated identity theft. The defendants, identified as Michael Edwards, Shakeemo Hill, William Hill, Alixandria Lauture, Shuron Malone, and Carlos Mercado, are accused of working together in various capacities to execute their illegal activities. The Charges Breakdown: The core of the allegations is a conspiracy to commit bank fraud, a charge carrying a hefty maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. This count involves five of the six defendants. Several defendants are also charged with crimes related to the U.S. Mail. These include: Conspiracy to steal a postal key, with a maximum penalty of five years. Conspiracy to steal and receive stolen mail, also carrying a potential five-year sentence. The actual theft of a ...

That little red light you don't see might be the most important one in the room. With the advent of micro audio and video recorders, smaller than a button on your shirt, the age of private conversations at work is over. Think about that for a moment. Every word you utter, every sigh of frustration, could be documented. In New York, it's perfectly legal. Welcome to the modern workplace, where the old adage "walls have ears" has been upgraded to "your colleague has a high-definition recorder." New York State operates under a "one-party consent" law for audio recordings. This means that as long as the person hitting record is part of the conversation, they don't need your permission to capture every single word. Your consent is not required. Let that sink in. The disgruntled coworker, the overly ambitious cubicle rival, or even the boss looking for an edge – any one of them can legally create a permanent record of your conv...

A New York-based healthcare executive has pleaded guilty to participating in a substantial kickback conspiracy that defrauded Medicare of millions of dollars by incentivizing doctors to order medically unnecessary brain scans. James Rausch, 57, of Port Jefferson Station, N.Y., admitted in a Boston federal court to his role in a long-running scheme. As the director of operations and sales for a mobile medical diagnostics company, Rausch was involved in a conspiracy to pay doctors for ordering transcranial doppler (TCD) scans, which measure blood flow in the brain. The Anatomy of the Fraud From March 2015 to September 2020, Rausch and his co-conspirators arranged to pay doctors for each TCD scan they ordered. To disguise these illegal kickbacks, they created sham agreements. These documents falsely claimed the payments were for legitimate services, such as renting office space or administrative support, and were based on fair market value. In reality, the payments were directly tied to ...

Imagine a business disagreement spiraling into a shocking criminal plot. That's what authorities in Nassau County say happened in a case involving a Dix Hills man accused of trying to hire a hitman to kill a former associate. The Accusation Navdeep Singh, 48, is at the center of a disturbing story. Prosecutors allege that he was so deep in a business dispute that he decided to have his rival kidnapped and killed. The Alleged Offer What was the price for this horrifying job? Singh allegedly offered the would-be hitman $100,000 and 10 acres of land in India. The plan was reportedly to kidnap the victim, torture him for millions of dollars, and then murder him. The Backstory This wasn't a random act. The feud started around two years ago when the intended victim, also in the construction business, fired Singh's company from a project. This led to a multi-million dollar civil lawsuit that was still pending. The Investigation According to officials, Singh provided the hired ass...