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NY Extremist Wanted FBI Agents Fed Through Woodchipper, Paid ‘Hitman’ For Job: Feds
A New York man with ties to an extremist group tried to hire a hitman to kill two FBI agents and feed their bodies through a woodchipper, according to federal investigators.
Aaron Corey, 23, was behind bars on a child porn charge but now faces more serious counts for his plot against the two feds and an assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting the case, the Justice Department said Tuesday, June 30.
Corey, of Albany, first spoke about his plans to a fellow prisoner, but the other man talked to his attorney, who informed the feds, according to charging documents. Corey even described himself as an…
LI Murder Victim May Have Teased Killers On Social Media Before Death, Third Suspect Arrested
A third man — accused of being a Bloods gang member — has been arrested in connection with the beating death of a Long Island man in mid-June.
Benjamin Sheppard, 33, was scheduled to make his first court appearance on Wednesday, July 1, according to online records.
Sheppard is now charged alongside Korey Sammarco, 36, and Melissa Fawcett, 50, of beating Christopher Martin to death on Sunday, June 14 in Shirley, the Suffolk County Police Department said.
Cops said Martin, 48, was attacked with dumbbells, a sledgehammer, and a television after five people kicked down his door around 7:30 p.m…
New Development Emerges In Nancy Guthrie Ransom Note Investigation
A troubling part of a high-profile disappearance case may have taken a major turn.
The FBI has determined that ransom notes tied to the disappearance of missing mom Nancy Guthrie are not genuine, Reuters reported Wednesday, July 1, citing a source familiar with the investigation.
Guthrie, 84, is the mother of NBC "Today" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. She vanished from her Tucson, Arizona, home on Sunday, Feb. 1.
Reuters reported that investigators determined the notes, including a third message sent later, were not linked to the people responsible for Guthrie’s disappearance.
The repor…
Feds Crack $10M Cargo Theft Operation, NJ And NY Men Among Suspects
A $10 million cargo theft ring with operations in New Jersey, New York, and across the country has been busted after three years of operation, federal investigators said Tuesday, June 30.
Two Brooklyn residents — Sevak Kocharian and Arkadiy Pastin — and one New Jersey man, Jashanpreet Singh, were among the eight people charged in the wide-ranging scheme, which stole everything from electronics to liquor to clothing, the Justice Department said. Singh was nabbed in Pennsylvania and will initially face charges there, authorities said.
Beginning in March 2023, the crew operated with a relative…
Boy, 17, Fatally Shot By Police: NY AG Now Investigating Hudson Valley Incident (Update)
The New York Attorney General's Office is now investigating the fatal police-involved shooting of a 17-year-old boy in Dutchess County that happened over the weekend.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Tuesday, June 30, that her Office of Special Investigation will look into the death of Oscar Granados Colindres, 17, on Saturday, June 27.
On the day of the shooting, during the early morning hours, New York State Police troopers, members of the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office, and the Village of Wappingers Falls Police Department responded to a report of…
Victor Willis Dies: Voice Of Village People Helped Shape Disco Era, Co-Wrote 'Y.M.C.A.'
A voice behind some of disco’s most enduring anthems is gone.
Victor Willis, 74, the original lead singer and a founding member of Village People, died Tuesday, June 30, after a short illness, the band announced.
Click here for a new, updated story: Trump Cites 'Y.M.C.A.' Revival At His Rallies In Tribute To Village People Frontman
Village People said in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning, July 1, "We are profoundly sad to announce the death of VICTOR WILLIS, lead singer of Village People."
The group said Willis died after a "short but aggressive illness" and requested privacy.
…
National Diarrhea Parasite Outbreak Hits New York Hardest: CDC
A summer illness linked to contaminated food is spreading across multiple states.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking 145 domestically acquired cases of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness caused by the Cyclospora parasite, according to the CDC’s surveillance page.
The cases were reported in 17 states among people who became sick from Friday, May 1, through Tuesday, June 16, the CDC said.
The CDC map shows New York as the most affected state in the nation. The map also shows cases in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Virginia, as well a…
Double-Dipping LI Clerk Gets Prison For Stealing From Boss And Taxpayers: Authorities
A Long Island woman who stole from her employer and from taxpayers has been sentenced to prison time, authorities announced Tuesday, June 30.
Christa Ramos, 57, of Brightwaters, got three to six years behind bars for swiping $230,000 from her company and $40,000 through unemployment fraud, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said.
Ramos worked as a clerk for Northeast Electrical Contractors from December 2018 to June 2023 and was responsible for paying company bills, authorities said.
But in addition to that, she also wrote numerous checks to herself, which she deposited into he…
Woman Found Dead In Nassau County Home, Suspect ID’d As Local Teacher: Police
A Long Island man has been arrested after a young woman was found dead inside a residence, authorities announced Tuesday, June 30.
Joseph Horner, 27, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Victoria Castle, 25, in North Massapequa, the Nassau County Police Department said.
Prosecutors said Horner and his wife lived in the same building as the victim and identified her as his sister-in-law, according to Newsday. He told her needed help moving a piano, then attacked her, sexually abused her, and left her for dead, authorities said.
Cops responded around 8:45 a.m. Monday, June 2…
Cause Of Death Revealed For 'Lilo & Stitch,' 'The Ring' Star Daveigh Chase: Reports
The cause of death has been revealed for the child actor widely known as the psychic girl in "The Ring" and the voice of Lilo in Disney's "Lilo & Stitch," according to reports.
Daveigh Chase, 35, died from AIDS, Us Weekly reported on Monday, June 29. Chronic polysubstance use was listed as another significant condition in Los Angeles medical examiner records.
Chase died in a Los Angeles hospital on Monday, June 16, and her manner of death was listed as natural.
Her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, previously told TMZ that Chase died after battling meningitis and an infection in her …
Repeated Rape Of Teen Relative Lands NY Jail Guard Behind Bars: DA
A New York jail guard who admitted to raping a teenage relative for years has cut a plea deal and will serve less than half a decade in prison, authorities said.
Brian Barrett, 51, pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree rape and nine counts of third-degree incest on Friday, June 26, the Schenectady County District Attorney’s office said.
Barrett, of Rotterdam, began assaulting the victim in 2017 when she was 14 years old and living in Colonie, prosecutors said. The abuse continued the following year when they moved to Rotterdam and lasted until the end of 2023, when the victim was 21, …
Back From The Ashes: Popular Nassau Seafood Spot Reopens After Massive Blaze
Jordan Lobster Farms has announced reopening plans following a devastating fire in mid-June.
The beloved restaurant in Island Park will resume serving customers on Wednesday, July 1, the company announced on Instagram.
“The fire tested us in ways we never imagined, but it also reminded us how fortunate we are to be part of such an amazing community,” the restaurant wrote in its comeback post. “The love, encouragement, and support from our family, friends, customers, first responders, and incredible staff has carried us through every step of this journey.”
A three-alarm fire broke out at th…
NY Rapist Sent Victim Pics Of Assault, Cuts Plea Deal For Prison Sentence: DA
A New York man who took photos and video of himself raping a woman and then sent the pictures to her has taken a plea deal and will serve six years in prison, authorities said.
William Smith, 24, pleaded guilty to first-degree rape at a hearing on Wednesday, June 24, the Schenectady County District Attorney’s office said.
Smith, of Schenectady, was arguing with a woman “well known to him” on the phone in February when he sent her the pictures of him raping her while she was asleep, prosecutors said. The attack occurred on Dec. 6, 2025, at a hotel in Schenectady, according to authorities.
A…
Drone Strikes JetBlue Flight At 3,000 Feet Near JFK, Pilot Says
A drone collided with a JetBlue flight landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday morning, June 29, according to the aircraft’s pilot.
The pilot alerted air traffic controllers at JFK of the collision around 7:15 a.m. at about 3,000 feet in the air, according to audio obtained by WABC.
“We collided with a drone back there in the turn as we were coming to ASALT, just wanted to pass to you,” the pilot said, according to WABC reporting.
“You said you collided?” the controller responded.
“Yup, it hit us, right above the cockpit,” the pilot confirmed.
However, the pilot said f…
$2.5M Nassau Medicaid Fraudster Lived Large While Families Struggled To Eat: Prosecutors
A Long Island man who pulled off $2.5 million Medicaid fraud and spent the money on luxury cars and a Nassau County mansion has been arrested, authorities said.
Nduka Lewis Ekpenyong, a 36-year-old Hewlett man, submitted more than 6,000 claims for a children’s health product, but 90% of the filings were fraudulent, New York Attorney General Letitia James said Monday, June 29.
However, Medicaid reimbursed Ekpenyong for $2,531,194, the vast majority of which Ekpenyong pocketed for his own purposes, prosecutors said.
“While Nduka Ekpenyong was buying luxury cars with money he allegedly stole …
