New York Paralegal Blog

You've likely seen the headlines about rapper Lil Nas X, a.k.a. Montero Hill, and his recent felony charges in Van Nuys, California. But what do those legal terms actually mean for his case? Let's break down the law so you can understand what's happening. What Is a Felony, and Why Is It So Serious? First, it's important to know the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor. In simple terms, a felony is a more serious crime that carries a potential sentence of more than one year in state prison. A misdemeanor, like a traffic violation or petty theft, usually results in less than a year in county jail and/or a fine. The charges filed against Montero Hill—three counts of felony battery with injury on a police officer and one count of felony resisting an executive officer—are serious because they are all felonies. So, what do these specific charges mean? Battery with Injury on a Police Officer: In California, "battery" is defined as any willful and...

The ongoing legal saga of Sean "P. Diddy" Combs has captured public attention, not just for the gravity of the accusations, but for the almost surreal, cinematic quality of the unfolding narrative. The allegations, detailed in a series of lawsuits and criminal charges, paint a picture so vivid and disturbing that it blurs the line between celebrity scandal and a scripted drama, prompting some to dub it "Keeping Up with the Diddys." At the heart of the storm are serious accusations of racketeering and sex trafficking. Multiple women, including his former long-term partner, singer Cassie Ventura, and another accuser identified in court as "Jane," have come forward with harrowing accounts. A recurring and particularly unsettling theme in their testimonies alleges a pattern of behavior where Combs would compel women to engage in sexual acts with others while he watched. This specific allegation has led to the stark and provocative comparison of his alleged de...

Washington, D.C., Aug. 16, 2012 – The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced fraud charges against a former college football coach who teamed with an Ohio man to conduct an $80 million Ponzi scheme that included other college coaches and former players among its victims.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment of NICHOLAS MINA, 31, a New York City police officer, for stealing police-issued firearms from his colleagues’ lockers in the 9th Precinct Station House and selling them on the underground market.

Scam Involved Steering of Government Contracts, Payments to Former Managers at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers WASHINGTON—Harold F. Babb, 60, the former director of contracts at Eyak Technology LLC (EyakTek), pled guilty today to federal charges of bribery and unlawful kickbacks for his role in a scheme that allegedly involved more than $28 million in bribes and kickback payments and the planned steering of a government contract that potentially was worth about $1 billion.

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”).

Pending Inventory Reduced for First Time in 10 Years, Record Amount of Relief Obtained in FY 2011, EEOC Reports WASHINGTON—The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received a record 99,947 charges of employment discrimination and obtained $455.6 million in relief through its administrative program and litigation in Fiscal Year 2011, the agency announced today. For the second year in a row, despite a record number of receipts, the Commission resolved more charges than it took in with 112,499 resolutions (7,500 more resolutions than FY 2010—an increase of 7%)—leaving 78,136 pending charges, a ten percent decrease in its inventory, the first year the agency has seen a reduction since 2002.

Early this morning, FBI agents and detectives from the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau effected the arrests of 12 men, all but two of whom are current or former law enforcement officers. The arrests are the culmination of a long-term FBI undercover investigation.

PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, JANICE K. FEDARCYK, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and RAYMOND W. KELLY, the Police Commissioner of the City of New York (“NYPD”), today announced charges against 12 defendants, including eight active-duty and retired NYPD Officers, for participating in a variety of schemes involving the illegal interstate transportation of stolen goods. According to the Complaint filed today in Manhattan federal court, from September 2010 to the present, some or all of the defendants conspired to transport across state lines: stolen slot machines; firearms, including three M-16 rifles, one shotgun, and 16 handguns, the majority of which had been defaced to remove or alter the serial number; and stolen cigarettes and counterfeit goods. In total, the goods that the defendants allegedly illegally transported carried a street value of over $1 million.

INDIANAPOLIS – Trinity Health Corporation violated federal law by retaliating against employees who file or refuse to drop discrimination charges with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency charged in a lawsuit it filed today. Trinity Health is a national Catholic health care system which is the parent of St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, a North Central Indiana health care system.

PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that PLAURENT CELA and SKENDER CAKONI were found guilty yesterday in Manhattan federal court of narcotics conspiracy and firearms charges in connection with their participation in an international drug trafficking organization. As part of the organization, the defendants helped smuggle millions of dollars worth of marijuana into the United States, and used firearms to defend their marijuana business against a rival gang of drug dealers. CELA and CAKONI were convicted after a three-week trial presided over by U.S. District Judge RICHARD J. HOLWELL. Manhattan U.S. Attorney PREET BHARARA said: “Plaurent Cela and Skender Cakoni flooded our neighborhoods with marijuana—resorting to lethal violence when someone got in their way. With these convictions, they will now go to prison, and our streets will be that much safer as a result.” According to the Superseding Indictment filed in Manhattan federal...

SANTA ANA, CA—An Inland Empire police officer and an Orange County criminal defense attorney were taken into custody this morning by special agents with the FBI on federal bribery charges. Rialto Police Officer Aaron Scott Vigil, 41, of Highland, and criminal defense attorney Lawrence Anthony Witsoe, 67, of Mission Viejo, surrendered to the FBI after being named in a three-count indictment that was returned by a federal grand jury on June 1. The indictment, which was unsealed this morning, alleges that Vigil, who served as a task force officer with the Drug Enforcement Administration, agreed to accept a $2,500 bribe in exchange for falsely telling the Orange County District Attorney’s Office that a criminal defendant being represented by Witsoe was a cooperator who had provided information to the DEA. The indictment charges both men with two counts—conspiracy and soliciting and accepting a bribe by a public official. Witsoe alone is charged with bribery of a public official. Both...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - A Westchester County, N.Y., man has been arrested on charges of possession, receipt and distribution of child pornography, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Ricky Valencia, 24, of Yonkers, N.Y., was taken into custody at his residence Tuesday by New York HSI agents. He was arraigned at the federal court in White Plains before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul E. Davison. According to court documents in the case, Valencia admitted he had taken pornographic pictures of a minor. He also had also used Gnutella, a peer-to-peer file sharing software, to download child pornography. During the course of the nine-month investigation, HSI agents seized Valencia's laptop computer. A forensic analysis of the laptop revealed Valencia had downloaded videos of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Further investigation revealed that numerous images of child pornography were found...

NEW YORK- Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced New York is part of a 46-state settlement with a Bankruptcy Trustee charged with overseeing the collection of late fees and other charges allegedly owed by approximately 3.3. million former customers of Hollywood Video and its parent company, Movie Gallery, both of which have filed for bankruptcy and are in the process of being liquidated. As many as 200,000 New Yorkers could be impacted by the settlement. "Imagine applying for a mortgage only to find your credit report is tarnished because of a video rental late fee you didn't even owe," said Attorney General Schneiderman .  "This settlement will provide important safeguards to protect consumers against abusive debt collection practices and will ensure that consumers will not have their credit harmed as a result of any outstanding fees claimed to be owed to Hollywood Video or Movie Gallery." New York and the other settl...

OAKLAND, Calif. - A federal grand jury here has indicted the president of a Pleasanton, Calif., university on 33-criminal counts, charging her with an array of violations, including visa fraud, money laundering and alien harboring, as a result of a two-year investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Tri-Valley University President Susan Xiao-Ping Su, 41, who also served as the school's chief executive officer, is accused of engaging in a two-year scheme to defraud the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by submitting phony documents in support of Tri-Valley University's applications to admit foreign nationals on student visas. The indictment further alleges that after obtaining such approvals, Su fraudulently issued visa-related documents to student aliens in exchange for "tuition and fees." Su was taken into custody Monday morning at her Pleasanton, Calif., home by HSI special agents. She made h...

WASHINGTON – Three stock promoters have been indicted for their roles in a stock manipulation scheme that defrauded investors, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida, Chief Postal Inspector Guy Cottrell of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Timothy Barham Jr., 43, of Henderson, Tenn.; Nathan Montgomery, 30, of Henderson, Nev.; and Ryan Reynolds, 39, of Dallas, were each charged in a superseding indictment filed on April 28, 2011, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. On April 29, 2011, Barham was arrested in Henderson, Tenn., and Montgomery was arrested in Las Vegas. Reynolds, who was in custody on previously filed civil charges, made his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court in Dallas. The superseding indictment charges Barham, Montgomery and...

PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that DONALD LONGUEUIL pled guilty today to conspiracy and securities fraud charges arising from an insider trading scheme in which he obtained and traded on material, nonpublic information. LONGUEUIL participated in this scheme while working as a research analyst and a portfolio manager at two different hedge funds. During his plea allocution and in his plea agreement, LONGUEUIL admitted that, upon reading of the Government's investigation in the press, he destroyed and disposed of a flash drive and hard drives relevant to his securities fraud conviction. LONGUEUIL pled guilty before U.S. District Judge JED S. RAKOFF. Manhattan U.S. Attorney PREET BHARARA stated: "Less than three months after being arrested on insider trading charges, Donald Longueuil has pled guilty. He is the latest example of a privileged professional who thought he was above the law and found out the hard way he su...

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 unsealing of charges against JOSEPH F. SKOWRON III, a/k/a “Chip Skowron,” a former portfolio manager of a health care unit of a hedge fund group (the “Hedge Fund”) for engaging in an insider trading scheme. SKOWRON allegedly used material, non-public information (“Inside Information”) that he received from YVES BENHAMOU, a doctor who served as an advisor to Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (“HGSI”) on a clinical drug trial, to avoid approximately $30 million in trading losses. SKOWRON also was charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice for urging BENHAMOU to lie during an investigation into his trading. SKOWRON surrendered to authorities earlier this morning and is expected to be presented in Magistrate Court this afternoon. BENHAMOU, who was previously charged a...

BIRMINGHAM—A federal fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy indictment was unsealed today against the former state director of a college consortium of business development centers, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, FBI Special Agent in Charge Pat Maley, and IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent In Charge Reginael D. McDaniel. The 96-count indictment, returned March 30, charges MAURICE WILLIAM CAMPBELL JR., 59, of Rainbow City, with using his position as state director of the Alabama Small Business Development Consortium to obtain more than $7 million from the State of Alabama.