Press Release - IRS Phone Scam

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: MAY 25, 2016

RE: PRESS RELEASE - TAXPAYERS TARGETED BY IRS PHONE SCAM

If you get a call from someone from the IRS demanding that you pay up or else, hang up. These individuals are out to cheat you.

This phone scam has hit taxpayers in nearly every state in the country. Callers claiming to be from the IRS tell intended victims they owe taxes and must pay using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. They often threaten those who refuse to pay with arrest, deportation or loss of a business or driver’s license.

The truth is the IRS first contacts people by mail – not by phone – about unpaid taxes. And the agency won’t ask for payment using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer, and it won’t ask for a credit card number over the phone.

If you get such a call, Consumer Affairs (340-3260) offers these suggestions:

·       If you owe Federal taxes, or think you might owe taxes, hang up and call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you with payment questions.

·       If you don’t owe taxes, call and report the incident to TIGTA (Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration) at 800-366-4484.

TIGTA and the IRS encourage taxpayers to be alert for phone and e-mail scams that use the IRS name. The IRS will never request personal or financial information by e-mail, texting or any social media. These scam e-mails should be forwarded to phishing@irs.gov. Don’t open any attachments or click on any links in those e-mails.

                                                                                           

THOMAS M. GASPARRO

The Appellate Division Third Department has today unanimously affirmed the November 15, 2013 conviction of Thomas M. Gasparro upon a plea of guilty convicting him of the crime of Burglary in the Second Degree, two counts.

Gasparro’s conviction stems from a series of residential burglaries which he perpetrated in Milton, New York in June, 2012.  During his burglary spree, the defendant caused damage to each residence and stole thousands of dollars worth of jewelry.  The defendant was linked to these home invasion burglaries through receipts from pawn shops in Dutchess County. 

The defendant subsequently pled guilty to two counts of Burglary in the Second Degree and waived his right to appeal.  He was later sentenced by County Court Judge Donald A. Williams to concurrent five year terms of imprisonment with five years of post release supervision to run concurrently with a sentence on a Violation of Probation in Dutchess County. 

On appeal, the defendant not only challenged the validity of the waiver of appeal, and argued that his plea was not knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently entered.  He also argued that the sentence imposed was harsh and excessive.

On appeal, the defendant is represented by Donna Maria Lasher of Youngsville, New York.  Assistant District Attorney Joan Gudesblatt Lamb handled the appeal for the District Attorney’s Office. 

 

Michael Mink press release

DATE:   May 17, 2016

SUBJECT: PRESS RELEASE – MICHAEL MINK

 

 On May 16, 2016, Michael Mink, age 40, was sentenced by the Honorable Richard Mott to one year in the Ulster County Jail for his conviction after trial of Driving While Intoxicated, as a felony, Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle in the 1^st Degree, and Circumvention of Ignition Interlock Device.

A jury found, that on February 20, 2014, the defendant operated a motor vehicle while intoxicated and while his license was revoked for a prior felony DWI conviction and that he did not have an ignition interlock device installed in his car, as was court ordered. 

This is the defendant’s second conviction in five years for felony Driving While Intoxicated.  On May 31, 2011 the defendant was convicted of felony Driving While Intoxicated in Albany County and sentenced to one year in jail. 

The District Attorney’s Office recommended that the defendant be sentenced to state prison, arguing that the defendant, based upon his criminal history, presents a risk to the public.  In addition to the 2011 felony Driving While Intoxicated the defendant also has a conviction for misdemeanor Driving While Intoxicated in 2001 and two convictions for Driving While Ability Impaired by Alcohol in 1998 and 1993. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Lisa Bondarenka and the defendant was represented by Kevin O'Brien, Esq. of Anelli Xavier, PC.

Press Release - Alan Edwards Sentence

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: MAY 11, 2016

RE: PRESS RELEASE - DISTRICT ATTORNEY D. HOLLEY CARNRIGHT ANNOUNCES: MARLBOROUGH MAN RECEIVES 18 YEARS FOR SEXUAL ABUSE OF TWO CHILDREN  

Calling the defendant Alan Edwards, 62, of 245 Mount Zion Road in Marlborough, a sexual deviant, County Court Judge Donald A. Williams sentenced Edwards Wednesday to eighteen years in state prison to be followed by twenty years of post-release supervision.  Edwards pled guilty on March 2, 2016, to the Class B violent felony offense of Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the First Degree.    

Edwards admitted that between October 1, 2014 and October 3, 2015, he engaged in multiple acts of sexual conduct, including oral sexual conduct, with a child less than eleven years old.  All acts of sexual conduct occurred at his home.  This plea was in satisfaction of additional charges involving an isolated incident of sexual abuse with another child under the age of eleven at his home.  Edwards was arrested in October 7, 2015, following an investigation conducted by the Ulster County Family and Child Advocacy Center. 

A statement from the family of the victim of the course of conduct was read at sentencing by Katherine R. Van Loan, Bureau Chief of the Special Victims’ Unit at the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.  The letter detailed how years of trust the defendant built with the victim and the victim’s family was shattered by the defendant’s despicable conduct.  It also discussed the effects of prolonged sexual abuse on a “spunky” and “happy go lucky” child.  Both the letter and comments made by the mother of the second victim, lauded the bravery of these children for coming forward, noting that he “sealed his fate” when he selected the wrong child to molest.

District Attorney Carnright also praised the child victims for coming forward to the report the abuse.  “The statistics are clear that only a fraction of child sexual abuse victims ever come forward.  While the choice or ability to disclose is unique to each victim, their testimony is often necessary to hold these pedophiles accountable for their perverse actions.”   Carnright noted that these emotional and legally complex cases are exactly why the Ulster County Family and Child Advocacy exists stating, “It is critical to have both law enforcement and support services who are trained, experienced and regularly deal with these types of sexually deviant offenders.”

The case was prosecuted by Katherine R. Van Loan, Bureau Chief of the Special Victims’ Unit at the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.  The defendant is represented by Majer Gold, Esq. of the Ulster County Public Defender’s Office 

  

 

Press Release - Michael Bigler Sentence

FROM:   HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

        ULSTER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY

DATE:   MAY 11, 2016

SUBJECT: PRESS RELEASE – MICHAEL BIGLER

On May 10, 2016, Michael Bigler, of Connelly, New York, age 51, was sentenced to two and one third to seven years in state prison for his conviction to Driving While Intoxicated.

The case stems from an incident on January 2, 2016 when the Town of Ulster Police were dispatched to the Pizza Hut on Ulster Avenue after the defendant hit a vehicle in the parking lot.  When the police arrived they found that the defendant had fled the scene, leaving behind his sixteen year old daughter.  The defendant then walked back to the parking lot after having attempted to conceal the truck that he had been driving.  The defendant was highly intoxicated and was found to have a blood alcohol content of 0.30%.  At the time of the incident the defendant was on probation for a prior conviction to felony Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated that occurred in May of 2014. 

The defendant has four prior convictions for Driving While Intoxicated, two of which are within the last ten years. 

The case was presided over by the Honorable Donald A. Williams.  Assistant District Attorney Lisa Bondarenka prosecuted the case.  The defendant was represented by Assistant Public Defender MariAnn Connolly.

Press Release - Identity Theft

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: MAY 10, 2016

RE: PRESS RELEASE – IDENTITY THEFT

HELP! I’M A VICTIM OF IDENTITY THEFT

Despite your best efforts to protect yourself, if you have become a victim of identity theft, what do you do? The Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs advises taking the following steps as soon as possible…

·       RECORD KEEPING – Be sure to keep records of all correspondence with the creditors and agencies you contact. Follow up all telephone calls with a letter and keep a copy.

·       CREDITORS – Notify all creditors and financial institutions, in writing and by phone, that your name and accounts have been compromised.

·       LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT – Immediately file a police or identity theft report with your local police. Get a copy of the report. Credit card companies, banks and credit reporting agencies may require you to show a police report to support your claim that a crime was committed.

·       FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT – Report the crime to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at www.identitytheft.gov.

·       THE CREDIT REPORTING AGENCIES – Contact the three national credit reporting agencies by phone (Equifax 1-800-525-6285; Experian 1-888-397-3742; Trans Union 1-800-680-7289) or online (www.equifax.com; www.experian.com; www.transunion.com).

·       UTILITY COMPANIES – Ask utility companies to watch out for anyone ordering services in your name.

·       SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION – if you detect fraudulent use of your social security number, report it to the Social Security Administration at 1-800-269-0271 (www.ssa.gov).

·       FBI – if the identity theft was internet-related, file an FBI Internet Crime Complaint at www.ic3.gov.

Consumer Affairs can be reached at 340-3260.