New York Paralegal Blog

New York - As federal allegations against music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs dominate headlines, it's worth revisiting past cases that highlight the grim realities of sex trafficking. The 2012 conviction of Nicholas Alvarez, a man from Queens, for similar crimes provides a stark, resolved example of the brutal exploitation that prosecutors are now aiming to prove in the high-profile Combs case. Nicholas Alvarez was found guilty in a White Plains federal court in 2012 following a two-week jury trial. The court found that between December 2010 and February 2011, Alvarez lured women with fraudulent promises of financial security and protection, only to force them into prostitution. His cruel reign involved transporting his victims across state lines, including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and Virginia. The methods employed by Alvarez were a horrific blend of physical and psychological abuse. According to evidence presented at his trial, he subje...

MINEOLA, NY – Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced today that a Bethpage pediatrician has been indicted by a grand jury on charges that he sexually abused and assaulted girls as young as 11 years old under the guise of medical examinations, and then secretly videotaped and photographed them.Rakesh Punn The 60-count indictment, filed with the court on Monday, charges Dr. Rakesh Punn, 53, of Bethpage, with four counts of Criminal Sale of a Prescription for a Controlled Substance, 28 counts of Assault in the Second Degree, 10 counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, three counts of Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Child, one count of Possessing a Sexual Performance by a Child, six counts of Unlawful Surveillance in the Second Degree, seven counts of Fraudulently Obtaining a Signature, and one count of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Third Degree. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison on each of the 28 assault charges. He is schedu...

LOS ANGELES – Adam Brothers Farming, Inc., a farm in Santa Maria, Calif., that harvests and cans vegetables, will pay $27,500 and furnish other relief to settle a federal sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of a teen Latina female, the agency announced today. The victim, a former vegetable packer, initially worked for Adam Brothers without incident in 2004 and 2005, according to the EEOC. Upon return to work in 2006, a male supervisor immediately began sexually harassing the teen by brushing his body against her backside, making lewd gestures with his tongue, asking to perform oral sex on her, and ultimately grabbing her private parts, the EEOC said. The teen reported the harassment to a foreman and was subsequently transferred, disciplined and fired within two weeks of complaint in June 2006. The EEOC contends that the harasser also threatened other workers by stating that the victim’s friends would pay...