New York Paralegal Blog

Two former supervisors at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) pleaded guilty today to bribery charges in connection with a widespread scheme to bribe high-ranking HPD officials in return for lucrative construction contracts. Michael Provenzano, formerly HPD’s director of construction services, and Luis Adorno, formerly an inspections supervisor in HPD’s Department of Architecture and Construction Engineering, each pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Nina Gershon at the U.S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East in Brooklyn, New York. As part of their plea agreements, Provenzano and Adorno agreed to forfeit to the government assets totaling $30,000 and $100,000, respectively, as proceeds of their crimes.

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Mary Galligan, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that East Haven Police Sergeant JOHN MILLER, 43, pleaded guilty today, before Chief United States District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford, to violating an individual’s civil rights by using unreasonable force during the course of an arrest.

Defendant Fabricated Resisting Arrest Charge Michael Daragjati, an eight-year veteran of the New York City Police Department, pleaded guilty today to violating an African-American victim’s civil rights by charging him with resisting arrest knowing that there was no probable cause to support that charge. Daragjati also pleaded guilty to attempting to violently extort property from another victim. The guilty pleas were entered before United States District Judge William F. Kuntz, II, at the U.S. Courthouse in Brooklyn. As part of his plea agreement, Daragjati will not oppose termination of his employment by the NYPD and has agreed never to apply for a job in law enforcement in the future. Daragjati faces a maximum sentence of 21 years’ imprisonment.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Texas business owner pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to one count of mail fraud and one count of trafficking in counterfeit circuit breakers, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

WASHINGTON—A patient recruiter of a Miami health care agency pleaded guilty yesterday for her participation in a $25 million home health Medicare fraud scheme, announced the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

LITTLE ROCK, AR—Kevin Harold Lewis, of Little Rock, Arkansas, pleaded guilty today to one count of bank fraud, announced Christopher R. Thyer, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Valerie Parlave, Special Agent in Charge of the Little Rock Field Office of the FBI.

PHILADELPHIA—Roosevelt Hairston Jr., 46,of Malvern, PA, pleaded guilty today to mail fraud, money laundering, and filing a false tax return stemming from his embezzlement of $1.7 million from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 13, 2011. Hairston was employed in various senior positions at CHOP, including most recently as general counsel and executive vice president. Between 1999 and February 14, 2011, Hairston used dozens of false invoices he created for shell companies to steal from CHOP. Hairston was able to steal for so long because he occupied a position of trust at the hospital and because he engaged in extensive efforts to conceal and prolong the scheme. Hairston used the funds he stole from CHOP to live a lavish lifestyle, purchasing items such as real estate, a yacht with a captain, and high-end automobiles. Hairston faces five to seven years in prison, restitution, and ...

ATLANTA—JUNA GWENDOLYN BABB, 56, and MICHAEL J. BABB, 54, of Ellenwood, Georgia, pleaded guilty today in federal court to felony offenses related to a scheme to compel the labor of a young woman from the Kingdom of Swaziland in Southern Africa. United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, “This case reminds us that modern-day slavery is occurring in our communities. This young woman believed that she was traveling to the United States for a brief visit to help with a wedding. Instead, she was forced to work for the defendants for more than two years. It is especially disturbing that the victim was exploited by a minister and his wife.” In Washington, D.C., Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division said, “The Department is committed to prosecuting individuals who engage in schemes to exploit and compel the labor of vulnerable persons.” FBI Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Lamkin said, “Human trafficking, while taking on many forms, consists pri...

GREENBELT, MD—Prince George’s County Councilwoman Leslie Johnson, age 59, of Mitchellville, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to the charge of conspiracy to commit witness and evidence tampering in order to obstruct a federal corruption investigation. The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein, Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeannine A. Hammett of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office. “We hope that this sordid tale of corruption will help usher in a new era of honest government,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “Every government official in Maryland swears to serve faithfully without partiality or prejudice, but some officials are tempted to violate that oath. Honest government requires meaningful checks and balances that deter corrupt officials from abusing their power and detect them w...

WASHINGTON – A Cincinnati man pleaded guilty yesterday to selling more than $1 million worth of counterfeit financial and tax preparation software through an Internet auction site, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Carter Stewart for the Southern District of Ohio; Tracey E. Warren, Acting Special Agent in Charge for the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); Dugan T. Wong, Assistant Inspector in Charge for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and J. Mark Batts, Acting Special Agent in Charge for the FBI’s Cincinnati Division.     Brandon C. Davis, 31, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Herman J. Weber in the Southern District of Ohio to one count of mail fraud , one count of copyright infringement and two counts of filing a false income tax return.   According to court documents, Davis purchased by downloading or on a CD, Quicken and Turbo Tax software manufactured by ...

ATLANTA—ROBERT WILLIAMS, 72, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty today in federal district court on two counts of health care fraud as part of a scheme to bill for group psychological therapy that WILLIAMS never provided. United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, “With so many elderly citizens and others who need specialized psychological care, this defendant ignored his duty as a doctor and became a billing machine who claimed to treat patients who were in fact dead. This blatant attempt to rip off the system took funds and care away from real live patients with real problems. Medicare and Medicaid need all the money they can get for legitimate patient care and this physician will get none of that money.” “This case sends a strong message that Medicare and Medicaid fraud will not be tolerated in Georgia,” said Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens. “At a time when our state budget is heavily strained, every dollar intended for the needy must reach the recipient. We will conti...

WASHINGTON – Two Arkansas men pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Little Rock, Ark., to charges related to their involvement in the firebombing of the house of an interracial couple, the Justice Department announced. During the plea proceedings, Dustin Hammond of Sharp County, Ark., and Jake Murphy of Scott County, Ark., admitted that on the night of Jan.14, 2011, while at a party in Evening Shade, Ark., they and two other men devised a plan to firebomb an interracial couple’s home. Thereafter, all four co-defendants drove from Evening Shade to the victims’ house in Hardy, Ark. Upon arrival, the co-defendants constructed three Molotov cocktails and threw them at the house. The couple was also barraged with racial slurs and threatened with future violence if they did not leave Arkansas. The victims’ house sustained some damage during the incident. The victims were not injured. Hammond and Murphy pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy against rights and one cou...

William Cozzi, a Chicago police officer, was sentenced today to 40 months in federal prison for violating the federal civil rights of a man whom the officer struck repeatedly with a dangerous weapon while the man was handcuffed and shackled in a wheelchair. Cozzi, 52, of Chicago, pleaded guilty in January and admitted that he used excessive or unreasonable force while acting under color of law. He was ordered to begin serving his sentence on Aug. 6, 2009. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Blanche Manning, who also imposed a $2,000 fine, two years of supervised release and 200 hours of community service. Cozzi joined the Chicago Police Department in 1992 and was assigned to the 25th District at the time of the alleged incident. He was subsequently suspended from duty. Cozzi was charged in April 2008 with depriving the victim of his civil rights. In pleading guilty, Cozzi admitted that on Aug. 2, 2005, while performing his duties as a police officer, he used a "sap...

WASHINGTON – Trevor L. Blackann, 34, a former legislative assistant in the U.S. Senate, pleaded guilty today to making a false statement on his 2003 tax returns by failing to report as income thousands of dollars in illegal gifts that he received from lobbyists, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division announced. Blackann pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard W. Roberts in the District of Columbia. According to court documents, Blackann was employed throughout 2003 as a legislative assistant for a member of the U.S. Senate. Blackann was responsible for advising and counseling the Senator on matters of legislative interest and representing the Senator in communications with other congressional offices and staff, officials in the executive branch and members of the public. More...

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (July 8, 2008) – Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that M & M Medical Transport, Inc., and its owner, Murtada S. Ebrahim, pleaded guilty to stealing $971,267 from Medicaid, and have agreed to pay full restitution to the state. From January 1, 2003 to December 6, 2007, Ebrahim and his company, which offered taxi and ambulette services to Medicaid recipients from Monroe and Wayne counties, defrauded Medicaid by filing claims to Medicaid for reimbursement for services provided by unqualified drivers. Ebrahim, 45, of Sedgefield Court in Irondequoit, also filed a false report with the Department of Motor Vehicles, which covered up an accident involving one of M & M’s ambulette drivers who abandoned an elderly, wheelchair-bound patient at the scene. See, NY State Attorney General