WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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As part of the scheme alleged in the complaint, defendants Cojocaru, Meme, Butoi, and others produced high-quality fake passports so that foreign national co-conspirators in the United States, known as “arrows,” could use the passports as identification to open American bank accounts. As alleged in the complaint, Cojocaru was recorded on video during the investigation displaying new holograms that he was using to create more authentic-looking passports.

As alleged in the complaint, after the fake “sellers” reached an agreement with the victim buyers, they would often e-mail them invoices purporting to be from Amazon Payments, PayPal, or other online payment services, with wire transfer instructions. However, these invoices were also fraudulent—the defendants and their co-conspirators used counterfeit service marks in designing the invoices so that they would appear identical to communications from legitimate payment services.

The fraudulent invoices directed the buyers to send money to the American bank accounts that had been opened by the “arrows.” Finally, the “arrows” would collect the illicit proceeds and send them to the defendants in Europe by wire transfer and other methods. For example, the “arrows” forwarded defendant Pieptea $18,000 cash in fraud proceeds hidden inside hollowed-out audio speakers. Other “arrows” used the proceeds to purchase expensive Audemars Piguet watches and then sent the watches to the defendants abroad.

According to the complaint, it is estimated that the defendants earned over $3 million from the fraudulent scheme.

Each defendant is charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy, and defendants Butoi, Cojocaru, Meme, Mircea, Pieptea, and Simion are also charged with passport fraud conspiracy. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment on each of the wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy counts and 10 years’ imprisonment on the passport fraud conspiracy count.

“As alleged, the defendants ran a sophisticated fraud scheme that used the Internet to reach across the globe and into the homes of unsuspecting Americans. They utilized high-tech counterfeiting techniques to create an aura of online legitimacy.

This virtual con game nevertheless cost Americans real money. Thanks to our international partnerships, even the most sophisticated and tech-savvy criminal organizations are not beyond the reach of law enforcement. No matter how complex the scheme, we will spare no effort in protecting American consumers from fraud on the Internet,” stated United States Attorney Lynch.

“As a result of extensive cooperation between U.S. and European law enforcement officials, the defendants have been charged with a scheme to defraud unsuspecting Americans of millions of dollars,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. “The Department of Justice is committed to finding and prosecuting Internet fraud aggressively, wherever it happens and however hard the perpetrators work to conceal their crimes.”

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Venizelos stated, “The FBI is committed to protecting the American public from predatory conduct whether it originates here or abroad. The international nature of many organized crime groups makes it essential for us to work with our partners here and overseas—as we did in this investigation—to rein in the alleged criminals.”

The offices of the FBI Legal Attachés in Romania, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Hungary were instrumental in coordinating efforts with the United States’ international partners, and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs worked with its counterparts in these countries to effect the provisional arrests and requests for mutual legal assistance, including the forfeiture of the illegal proceeds of these crimes. The Department of Justice’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section also provided assistance with the forfeitures.

The U.S. government thanks the Romanian government, particularly the Ministry of Justice, the Romanian Internal Intelligence Service, and the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, for their collaborative efforts throughout this long-term investigation, and also thanks the Czech National Police, Hungarian National Bureau of Investigation, Metropolitan Police Service in England, Montreal Police Service, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, International Organized Crime Intelligence and Operations Center (IOC2), Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), Costa Mesa Police Department, Orange County District Attorney’s Office, and the New York City Police Department for their assistance.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Cristina Posa, Vamshi Reddy, and Claire Kedeshian, and Trial Attorney Carol Sipperly of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section.

The charges in the complaint are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Defendants

Emil Butoi
Age: 34
Romanian

Aurel Cojocaru
Age: 43
Romanian

Nicolae Ghebosila
Age: 43
Romanian

Fabian Meme
Age: 42
Albanian

Cristea Mircea
Age: 30
Romanian

Ion Pieptea
Age: 36
Romanian

Nicolae Simion
Age: 37
Romanian

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WPCNR D.A. Report. From Lucian Chalfin, Office of the Westchester County District Attorney. December 4, 2012:

The Westchester County District Attorney’s office has isolated four common circumstances that have been typically found involved in 26 infant deaths in Westchester County in the last six years.

The Westchester County Child Fatality Review Team was established six years ago to review every suspicious death of a child in Westchester County. To date, it has investigated the deaths of 63 children of which the vast majority – 26 deaths – occurred while the infants were in unsafe sleeping environments – by far the largest subset of the deaths reviewed.

All twenty six of the infants were just weeks to a few months old. Although the cause and circumstances of their deaths were specific to each case, a number of troubling similarities became evident:

• the use of inappropriate bedding,
  
• the use of pillows or stuffed animals in the sleeping area,
  
• sleeping in an adult bed with one or more other individuals,
  
• the use of drugs or alcohol by adults before bed time.

In an effort to combat this continuing trend, the District Attorneys Office, a founding member of the CFRT, along with 8 Hospitals throughout Westchester County, has developed a safe sleeping campaign to inform and educate both parents and caregivers.

The primary element in the campaign is: “The ABC’s of Safe Sleeping”, a six minute video produced with support from Lawrence Hospital Center and narrated by Dr. Jennifer Canter, the Director of Child Protection for the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center and the CFRT’s forensic pediatrician. Dr. Canter guides new parents or caregivers through safe sleeping practices for their baby. The practices are based on guidelines established by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In the video, Dr. Canter explains why a baby:

·        sleeps safest Alone,

·        on its Back,

·        in a Crib,

The campaign will begin with video’s distribution to the 8 participating Westchester hospitals, in both English and Spanish:

Initial funding for the video was provided by Lawrence Hospital Center.

The participating hospitals are:

• Hudson Valley Hospital Center,


• Lawrence Hospital Center,


• Westchester Medical Center; Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center,


• Northern Westchester Hospital,


• Phelps Memorial Hospital,


• St. John’s Riverside Medical Center,


• Sound Shore Medial Center of Westchester,


• White Plains Hospital Center.

In addition, the campaign will include a door hanger and a poster with the safe sleeping message.

The hospitals will use a number of channels for communicating the safe sleeping message such as:

• showing “The ABC’s of Safe Sleeping” to new parents in their maternity departments, and consider including it in their discharge materials;


• showing the video in other appropriate settings, such as classes for new parents;


• posting the video on their websites;


• distributing the “The ABC’s of Safe Sleeping” door hanger to new parents;


• displaying the “The ABC’s of Safe Sleeping” poster in appropriate locations within the hospital.

“In the interest of promoting safe sleeping practices, we created these important resources for parents and caregivers that these participating Westchester hospitals have agreed to show to new parents following the birth of a baby,” explained Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore. “We know that these deaths were preventable and that is why we are committed to communicating this potentially life-saving information before the new parent or parents leave the hospital. We also urge all parents to share this information or watch the video with any caregiver so there is no misunderstanding of what is best for the newborn.”

“At Lawrence Hospital Center we deliver nearly two thousand babies each year,” said Edward M. Dinan, President and CEO of Lawrence Hospital Center.  “We work with mothers from pre-pregnancy through delivery to do all we possibly can to bring healthy babies into the world.  It only makes sense that we take the added step and join in with our District Attorney Janet DiFiore to support the creation and promotion of “The ABC’s of Safe Sleeping” video to educate parents and caregivers about the dangers of unsafe sleeping habits.  This is about saving babies’ lives, and we’ll be taking this message directly to every one of our maternity patients.”

“We thank the District Attorney for including us in this very important project to educate parents on safe sleeping practices,” said Hudson Valley Hospital President John Federspiel. “The information imparted to the community will go a long way towards keeping our children safe.”

“Northern Westchester Hospital supports the District Attorney’s safe sleeping initiative and the American Academy of Pediatrics Safe Sleeping guidelines. For us at NWH, that means ‘modeling’ the safe sleep environment in the way we care for the over 1,700 newborns we welcome into the world each year. We encourage and support mothers who have chosen to breastfeed by offering lactation consultants during and after their stay, and we encourage immunization which has been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS. And of course, we disseminate appropriate literature to educate families, which will now include the DA’s excellent video The ABC’s of Safe Sleeping,” Joel Seligman, President and CEO.

Dr. Jennifer Canter, the Director of Child Protection at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center and the Medical Director of the Westchester County Child Fatality Review Team said, “Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center is in the process of conducting research as to the potential impact of this safe sleep educational program. We are hopeful that our results will demonstrate the program’s effectiveness in increasing awareness of safe sleep risk factors analogous to our successful statewide abusive head trauma prevention initiative, which resulted in a 75% reduction of abusive head trauma in our region.”

President and CEO of Phelps Memorial Hospital, Keith Safian, supports the initiative designed to prevent infant deaths associated with unsafe sleep environments, stating, “The educational materials provided through this program will enhance our efforts to address this important issue with all of our new parents, and we look forward to collaborating with other hospitals and agencies to increase awareness for greater infant safety.  We commend District Attorney Janet DiFiore for her leadership with this noteworthy initiative.”

“St. John’s Riverside Hospital is the only maternity Services provider in the City of Yonkers and is proud to be part of this Safe Sleeping Initiative,” said Ronald J. Corti, President and CEO of St. John’s. “We believe in the power of education and in this case, educating our new parents and other caregivers on the importance of safe sleeping practices for infants.”

President and CEO of Sound Shore Medical Center John Spicer said, “As a New York State Department of Health designated Prenatal Hospital with a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Sound Shore has always had a keen interest in babies and safeguarding their health and well-being. Just last year, we delivered 1,077 reasons to encourage parents to adopt Westchester County‘s Safe Sleeping practices.”

Jon Schandler CEO and President of White Plains Hospital said, “We feel we have a responsibility to ensure that the over 2,000 babies born at White Plains Hospital each year have the very best start in life.  We are pleased to be able to partner with Westchester County on this important public health initiative to educate parents, grandparents and other caregivers on these essential guidelines to ensure newborns stay healthy and safe once they leave the hospital.”

Additionally, the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital will be conducting a research project entitled: the “Newborn Sleep Practices”. The research project’s goal is to evaluate the potential impact of the new Safe Sleep Video on newborn parents’ knowledge about safe sleeping. This project, led by Dr. Jennifer Canter and Child Abuse Pediatrics fellow Dr. Vinod Rao, has undergone review and approval through the New York Medical College‘s Institutional Review Board prior to its initiation. 

Extensive surveys regarding sleep practice knowledge and planning will be statistically analyzed before and after the video’s implementation to determine if the video had a positive impact as a preventative measure.

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WPCNR THE RECOVERY REPORT. Special to WPCNR. December 3, 2012:

According to Nathan Custer, spokesperson for FEMA, in a statement to WPCNR this morning,  242,947 survivors have registered with FEMA in the 13 counties in New York for which Individual Assistance (IA) was approved.

·         In Westchester County,  Custer reports, 4,986 have registered in the two weeks FEMA has had representeatives available in the County Center to register persons seeking FEMA financial help.

ToToday, FEMEA issued a news release detailing additional steps you need to take to preserve FEMA aid eligibility if your insurance company is taking more than 5 days since you registered with FEMA  to determine your insurance reimbursement.

Keep in mind that you need to file your insurance claim with your insurance company as soon as possible. Failure to file a claim may affect a policyholder’s eligibility for disaster assistance.

After filing a claim, if any of the following situations occur, FEMA may be able to provide some assistance:

Your insurance settlement is delayed.

·                  “Delayed” means a decision on your insurance settlement has been delayed longer than 30 days from the time you filed the claim.

·                  If a decision on your insurance settlement has been delayed, you will need to mail or fax a letter to FEMA explaining the circumstance. Mail or fax your letter to:

FEMA IHP

National Processing Service Center

PO Box 10055

Hyattsville, MD 20782-8055

Fax: 1-800-827-8112

·                  You should include documentation from the insurance company proving that you filed the claim. 

·                  If you filed your claim over the telephone, you should include the claim number, date when you applied, and the estimated time of how long it will take to receive your settlement.

·                  If you receive FEMA assistance and you later find that your insurance will cover what your FEMA assistance was for, then you must return that money to FEMA because it is considered a duplicate benefit.

You have exhausted the Additional Living Expenses (ALE) provided by your insurance company.

·                  If you have received the maximum settlement from your insurance for Additional Living Expenses and still need help with your disaster-related temporary housing need, mail or fax a letter to FEMA at the above address indicating why you continue to have a temporary housing need.

·                  You will also need to provide documentation to prove use of ALE from insurance, and a permanent housing plan.

You have up to 12 months from the date of registration with FEMA to submit insurance information for review.

For more information on New York’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4085, http://twitter.com/FEMASandy, www.facebook.com/FEMASandy and www.fema.gov/blog

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WPCNR WATCH ON THE RIVER. By John F. Bailey. November 27 UPDATED November 28,  1:50 A.M. E.S.T.:

The Yonkers  Water Treatment Plant is still pouring 80 to 100 Million gallons of below E.P.A.  standard effluent into the Hudson River, after 30 Days. The WPCNR- estimated total of substandard treated effluent dumped into the Hudson is about 2.3 Billion gallons as of Tuesday. Repairs to the extensively damaged plant have so far cost $12.65 Million according the Department of Health.

The unacceptable levels of effludent have been pouring into the Hudson River since October 29.

On that day, the 14 foot tide of  Hurricane Sandy engulfed the sewage treatment plant, flooding and short-circuiting the plant’s pumps. The tidal surge crested across Fernbrook Street, damaging the County Bus Company offices as well.

Spokesperson for the  Westchester County Department of Health, Caren Halbfinger advised WPCNR Tuesday that repairs are still being made to the Ludlow Street plant after 30 days.

Ms. Halbfinger told WPCNR all effluent (80 million to 100 million gallons per day) is being “screened, disinfected and chlorinated but is below the Environmental Protection Agency standard.” Ms. Halbfinger said no solid effluent is being dumped into the Hudson, that solid wastes are being removed and trucked elsewhere.

Asked the degree of how substandard the effluent is, Halbfinger said she did not have that figure.

Halbfinger said it could take another 14 days to complete repairs at the plant, which she said are ongoing. Tuesday evening Halbfinger got back to WPCNR and reported the total cost of repairs to the plant so far was $12.65 Million.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency management was unaware last week of the damages the plant suffered, WPCNR has learned.

An advisory to avoid contact with Hudson River waters remains in effect, Halbfinger said.

Halbfinger in a previous WPCNR interview three weeks ago explained the extent of the damage when the tide of Hurricane Sandy engulfed the plant:

1.     WPCNR:  What caused the Yonkers sewage plant to discharge the raw sewage into the Hudson?

Halbfinger: The equipment was shut down to prevent an explosion and fire that could be caused by water hitting high voltage lines. In addition, the storm surge washed the Hudson into the basement of the plant, where much of the pumps and electrical equipment are located. All of the motors had to be taken apart, cleaned and repaired and parts had to be replaced, along with electrical controls. The whole plant had to be pumped out washed and disinfected and treated to prevent mold. All the insulation on the pipes had to be removed, the pipes had to be cleaned and the pipes will be reinsulated.

WPCNR: When is it expected to be fixed? 

Halbfinger:  Secondary treatment is expected in the next few days, but it will take at least a week for this biological process to start providing treatment.

 WPCNR: What was the delay in getting it fixed? What caused the delay?

Halbfinger: We’re making steady progress, but the sheer size and scope of the work involved has been a tremendous undertaking by the Department of Environmental Facilities. The plant is about a half-mile long, and for most of this length, the basement was filled with water that had to be pumped out. 

Then the basement had to be dried out. All of the pipes had to have their insulation removed, the salt water had to be washed from the pipe and then new insulation will be installed.

We had 250 motors that had to be removed, repaired and reinstalled. It all takes time. Two 5,000 gallon tanks of polymer ruptured in the basement and that had to be cleaned up. It took time to get the needed parts and to make the repairs. And we’re in good company. Sewage treatment plants throughout the tri-state area have all been faced with similar problems.

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WPCNR ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER. Thanksgiving Portfolio: On this Thanksgiving, let us remember the band of hardy intrepid souls who crossed an ocean in a boat no more bigger than a large Chris Craft and settled in an unforgiving landscape and started a country in the cold landscape of New England.

They were helped by Indians who welcomed them, without whom they would not have survived. A salute to this brave band. They sailed into a bay, dropped anchor and just carved out a living after living in incredible conditions in a ship’s hold for weeks, crossing the storm-tossed North Atlantic. Here are some views of America’s first hometown captured by the WPCNR Roving Photographer.

Plymouth Rock Landing. Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The Mayflower II. Plymouth Harbor.

Indian Statue welcoming the Pilgrim Settlers. Plymouth.

Governor William Bradford Statue on the Shores of Plymouth Harbor

“Plymouth Rock,” The landing place of the pilgrims.

Settlers Home, left, circa 1690.

Church, Plymouth late 1700s. .

The Jury: Old Burial Ground, Plymouth. Last resting place of the pilgrims overlooking Plymouth Harbor. The sacrifices, bravery and perseverence of these persons stand as examples to Americans today.