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Ramapo: FBI, Rockland DA make 7 arrests from 2016 E-Rate computer raids

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“Authorities today arrested seven people – including six Ramapo residents – who are accused of fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars through a federally subsidized program to provide electronic equipment to local yeshivas.

The arrests of Peretz Klein, 64, of Spring Valley, Susan Klein, 57, of Spring Valley, Ben Klein, 39, of Monsey, Simon Goldbrener. 55, of Monsey, Moshe Schwartz, 45, of Monroe in Orange County, Sholem Steinberg, 39, of Monsey and Aron Melber, 42, of Monsey resulted from a series of raids on multiple Ramapo businesses and schools in 2016.

They were all charged with various counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The statute sets a prison sentence of 20 years for the crime, though a judge has discretion under federal sentencing guidelines. [Read more…]

Feds Arrest Seven, Including some Rabbis, in $14M Monsey/Kiryas Joel Funding Scam

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Shield of the Dept of JusticeBy Jonathan Dienst  NBC 4 New York

Published 46 minutes ago | Updated 9 minutes ago

Seven Monsey and Kiryas Joel residents – including some rabbis – were arrested Wednesday in connection with an alleged $14 million dollar rip-off of a federal school technology funding program, federal prosecutors said. The FBI arrested the seven for allegedly stealing money meant to help underprivileged children.

Prosecutors said the suspects lied to claim they were serving as independent consultants and vendors to help obtain and provide telecommunication services to private religious school students across Rockland County. Federal dollars would come from the federal E-Rate program which is funded by the FCC. But investigators said the services were never provided with the seven allegedly stealing much of the money from 2010-2016. [Read more…]

Ramapo nears breaking point

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Front Page of The Journal News Sunday Jan. 8, 2017

On Sunday, The Journal News devoted its entire front section to an examination of the accelerating, crushing growth in the Town of Ramapo. The cautionary lead on the front page was followed by six feature articles in section one, all dealing with the growing crisis in a town with uncontrolled development, a collapsing tax base, and top-level administrators busy working on their legal defenses against scores of federal charges. The dry rot resulting from endemic political corruption threatens the entire community.

The six features in section one are divided by six separate themes:

“It’s Ramapo’s lack of zoning and safety code enforcement, not religion, that has encouraged development chaos and divided the town. [Read more…]

2016 The Year of Indictments–A Calendar of Corruption

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By the end of the year, 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Rockland County District Attorney, New York State’s Attorney General and the New York State Department of State all had turned their attention to the widespread corruption in the Town of Ramapo. Investigations, search warrants, arrests and indictments followed and continue as the year came to a close. The half-dozen agencies are filing their intentions in courts, and several serious investigations continue. Finally, It’s on. [Read more…]

Shalom Lamm and others charged in voter fraud scheme

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Shield of the Dept of Justice

The following press release is from the Dept. Of Justice:

Three Real Estate Developers Charged In White Plains Federal Court With Conspiracy To Corrupt The Electoral Process In Bloomingburg, New York

Shalom Lamm and Others Charged in Voter Fraud Scheme in Connection with a March 2014 Bloomingburg Election

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), today announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging SHALOM LAMM, KENNETH NAKDIMEN, and VOLVY SMILOWITZ, a/k/a “Zev Smilowitz,” with conspiracy to corrupt the electoral process, in connection with an election in Bloomingburg, New York. Bharara also today announced the guilty plea of HAROLD BAIRD, a former Town Supervisor of Mamakating, New York, to conspiracy to submit false voter registrations, charged in a one-count Information unsealed today.  [Read more…]

Mallia court hearing adjourned again

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Anthony Mallia Ramapo Director of Building and Planning

Anthony Mallia arrest photo

 

Anthony Mallia, the Town of Ramapo Chief Building Inspector and  Director of the Building Dept, was due in court Thursday, Nov. 17, in Airmont, but, once again, the hearing was adjourned to Thursday, December 15, at 5pm.

Mallia is facing corruption charges including:

One count of Grand Larceny in the second degree (Class C felony);
33 counts of Tampering with Public Records in the first degree (Class D felonies);
33 counts of Falsifying Business Records in the first degree (Class E felonies);
33 counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing (Class E felonies);
One count of Official Misconduct, a class A misdemeanor. [Read more…]

Alex Lichtenstein of Pomona admits bribing NYPD cops for gun licenses

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lichentstein-leaves-federal-court-nypost

Shaya Lichtenstein (center) leaves Federal Court after arraignment  Photo: Matt McDermott/New York Post

Alex Lichtenstein of Pomona, a volunteer for the Brooklyn Borough Park Shomrim, sold the licenses for up to $18,000 each, prosecutors said.

“A Pomona man admitted in federal court Thursday that he bribed New York City police officers with thousands of dollars to obtain gun licenses he sold for up to $18,000 each, federal prosecutors said. [Read more…]

SEC Fines and sanctions Consolo and O’Connor Davies for Ramapo fraudulent filing

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Seal of the US SEC

Press Release from the SEC — Washington, DC Oct. 31, 2016

Firm and Partner Charges with Issuing Fraudulent Audit Reports

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that a New York-based audit firm and a senior partner agreed to settle charges that they issued fraudulent audit reports in connection with municipal bond offerings by the town of Ramapo, N.Y., and its local development corporation. The SEC’s order finds that PKF O’Connor Davies and Domenick F. Consolo allowed Ramapo to record a $3.08 million receivable in its general fund for a property sale that Consolo knew had not occurred. [Read more…]

St. Lawrence and Board still hiding from the State Comptroller

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board_edited_editedA week ago Tuesday, September 27, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli published this year’s list of the most fiscally stressed municipalities in New York State. And once again, Supervisor St. Lawrence and his Town Board have refused to provide the financial data requested of all of the State’s counties, cities, towns and villages. That makes two of the last three years that this group has hidden the Town’s finances in order to avoid the Comptroller’s Fiscal Stress Monitoring System. Why would they do this? You need only look at the one recent year when they did provide the numbers to get an answer. [Read more…]

Corruption cases stacking up in Ramapo and SV

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Wordmap of corruption in RamapoThe Journal News has updated your scorecard of those Ramapo and Spring Valley politicians who have been arrested and are facing criminal and civil charges.  So far, those seen in handcuffs include: (in Ramapo) Christopher St. Lawrence, Aaron Troodler, Michael Klein, Nat Oberman, Samuel Tress, Anthony Mallia; (in Spring Valley) Noramie Jasmin, Joseph Desmaret, Walter Booker.

For a quick review of who’s in prison and who’s trying to keep out, go to LoHud here.