Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that LEROY GIBBS was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon to 33 months in prison, and JULIO FIGUEROA was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote to 15 months in prison, for accepting bribes in exchange for awarding no-bid contracts at the New York City Housing Authority (“NYCHA”) facilities where they worked. …

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kory O’Hara, age 45, the former Town Supervisor of Prattsville, New York, was sentenced today to 1 year of probation, and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and $24,915 in restitution to the State of New York, for committing wire fraud in connection with a grant extended to Prattsville in the wake of Hurricane Irene.  The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; New York State Comptroller Thomas P.…

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that George H. Moses, 53, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted by a federal jury for his role in defrauding three nonprofit organizations; Rochester Housing Charities (RHC), which provides housing to the elderly and disabled; the North East Area Development (NEAD), which assists low-income residents in the northeast quadrant of Rochester; and Quad A for Kids, which provided after-school…

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that LEROY GIBBS and JULIO FIGUEROA each pled guilty to accepting bribes for awarding no-bid contracts at the New York City Housing Authority (“NYCHA”) facilities at which they served as superintendents.  GIBBS pled guilty before United States Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein on October 7, 2022, and will be sentenced by United States District…

NEWARK, N.J. – Newark Housing Authority (NHA)’s former director of information technology was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for using his position to embezzle NHA funds to purchase cellular telephones and other electronic devices, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Venancio Diaz, 57, of Jersey City, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian Martinotti in Newark federal court to an information…

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kory O’Hara, age 45, formerly the Town Supervisor of Prattsville, pled guilty today to wire fraud in connection with a grant extended to Prattsville in the wake of Hurricane Irene.  The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli; Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); John…

NEWARK, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man today admitted committing wire fraud and making false reports and statements to and for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Shenandoah Adams Sr., aka “Shane Adams Sr.,” 56, of New Providence, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas to one count of an indictment charging him with wire fraud and an…

NEWARK, N.J. – A member of the Newark Municipal Council and Board of Directors of the Newark Community Economic Development Corporation (NCEDC) today admitted scheming to obtain bribes and kickbacks and subscribing to a false personal tax return for 2018, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Joseph A. McCallum Jr., 66, of Newark, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini to an information charging him with one count…

NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 108 months in prison for conspiring to obtain mortgage loans to finance the sale of properties to unqualified buyers, securities fraud by inducing a victim into investing over $1.2 million into real estate companies under false pretenses, and violation of supervised release, Attorney for the United States Vikas Khanna announced. Maurice Bethea, 54, of Newark, previously…

NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 108 months in prison for conspiring to obtain mortgage loans to finance the sale of properties to unqualified buyers, securities fraud by inducing a victim into investing over $1.2 million into real estate companies under false pretenses, and violation of supervised release, Attorney for the United States Vikas Khanna announced. Maurice Bethea, 54, of Newark, previously…

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Paul Richard Heil, 52, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of aiding and abetting the failure to provide lead paint hazard warning notice before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy. The charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that Heil was a…

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Paul Richard Heil, 52, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of aiding and abetting the failure to provide lead paint hazard warning notice before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy. The charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that Heil was a…

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Adam C. McFadden, 50, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of wire fraud and filing a false tax return, was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. McFadden was also ordered to pay restitution totaling $265,528.00 to Quad A For Kids, the Internal Revenue Service and Rochester Housing Charities. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard A. Resnick…

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Adam C. McFadden, 50, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of wire fraud and filing a false tax return, was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. McFadden was also ordered to pay restitution totaling $265,528.00 to Quad A For Kids, the Internal Revenue Service and Rochester Housing Charities. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard A. Resnick…

The Justice Department announced today that Joseph Centanni, a landlord who has owned hundreds of rental units in and around Elizabeth, New Jersey, has agreed to pay $4.5 million in monetary damages and a civil penalty to resolve a Fair Housing Act (FHA) lawsuit concerning his sexual harassment of tenants and housing applicants for more than 15 years. This settlement, which still must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the District of…

NEWARK, N.J. – A former Newark city official and officer of the Newark Community Economic Development Corp. (NCEDC), along with two Newark business owners, were indicted today by a federal grand jury in connection with a conspiracy for the official to obtain corrupt payments intended to influence and reward him for assisting the business owners with the acquisition and redevelopment of various Newark-owned properties, Acting U.S. Attorney…

NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergen County, New Jersey, man was arrested today on charges of engaging in mortgage fraud, fraudulently obtaining an SBA loan, and stealing another person’s identity information, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced. Nathanael Zimmerman, 40, of Wyckoff, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count each of wire fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. He is scheduled to appear by videoconference this…

The owner of hundreds of rental units scattered across 18 residential properties in Elizabeth has been arrested and criminally charged with coercing more than a dozen of his tenants into sexual acts in exchange for financial relief, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo and Elizabeth Police Department Chief Giacomo Sacca and Director Earl Graves jointly announced Monday. Joseph Centanni, 73, of Mountainside is charged with eight…

Defendants Allegedly Engaged in a Scheme to Purchase Real Estate at Fraudulently Depressed Short Sale Prices Resulting in Millions of Dollars in False Claims Submitted to HUD’s FHA Mortgage Insurance Program The United States has filed a civil complaint in federal court in Brooklyn seeking damages and penalties against three individuals and multiple companies alleged to have engaged in a wide-ranging mortgage fraud scheme to defraud the…

NEWARK, N.J. – A former City of Newark official and officer of the Newark Community Economic Development Corporation (NCEDC) and two business owners were charged today for their roles in a bribery scheme, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced. Carmelo G. Garcia, 45, of Hoboken, New Jersey; Frank Valvano Jr., 52, of Florham Park, New Jersey; and Irwin Sablosky, 60, of Springfield, New Jersey, are each charged by complaint with one count of…