New York Paralegal Blog

Joseph Romano, a convicted boiler room owner, and Dejvid Mirkovic, Romano’s business associate, have been charged in a federal criminal complaint with conspiring to murder a United States District Judge and an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.1 Romano, who is currently serving a 15-year-sentence following his conviction for conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, and Mirkovic allegedly attempted to hire a hitman to kill the judge, who presided over Romano’s underlying case (“the judge”), and the prosecutor who handled the case (“the AUSA”), in exchange for $40,000.

Earlier today, Vincent McCrudden, a former commodities trader, pleaded guilty to two counts of transmitting threats to kill more than 40 current and former officials of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), the National Futures Association (“NFA”) and the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). McCrudden has been in custody since his arrest on January 14, 2011.

VENTURA - Daniel Avila, a former candidate for the Thousand Oaks City Council has been sentenced to six years and four months in prison for threatening to kill six prosecutors in the Ventura County District Attorney's office. Avila was convicted of six counts of making criminal threats and six counts of threatening public officials on April 4 in Ventura County Superior Court. He was sentenced yesterday. The case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Jonathan Kline. "As the chief law enforcement officer of California," Attorney General Kamala D. Harris said, "I take very seriously any threat against prosecutors or police officers. They are the ones charged with keeping the public safe, so their own protection is doubly important, and violators must be punished. The result in this case achieves both objectives." Avila ran for the Thousand Oaks City Council in 2004, and was charged with hacking into the Verizon wireless system and sending bogus text messa...

WOBURN – A New York man has been found guilty today on murder charges in connection with the shooting death of Justin Cosby, 21, of Cambridge, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone informed the public today. Jabrai Jordan Copney, 22, of New York City, New York, was found guilty by a Middlesex Superior Court jury on charges of First Degree Murder and Carrying a Firearm Without a license. Middlesex Superior Court Judge John Lu sentenced the defendant to life in prison with no eligibility for parole on the murder charge and two and one half to three years in prison to run concurrent on the firearm charge. “A manipulative and calculating Jabrai Jordan Copney has been found guilty today of arming himself with a gun that he used to rob and kill Justin Cosby. Copney then executed his plan in a dormitory basement stairway area that was a virtual dead-end with no way out, fatally shooting Justin Cosby when he attempted to struggle and get away. Copney then attempted to cover up his crime...

Vincent McCrudden, a former commodities trader, was charged in federal court today with two counts of transmitting threats to kill 47 current and former officials of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA"), the National Futures Association ("NFA"), and the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC").1 McCrudden's initial appearance is scheduled for this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge E. Thomas Boyle at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York. The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Lanny A. Breuer, Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division, United States Department of Justice; and Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office. According to the criminal complaint, which was unsealed today, McCrudden sent ...