New York Criminal Lawyer Blog

Published on: November 19, 2011

Driver Charged with Manslaughter

by Stephen Bilkis

The driver in a two-car crash that caused the death of another driver has been arraigned on manslaughter charges. This occurred after a six-count Suffolk grand jury indictment which claimed the driver was under the influence of intoxicating substances, according to official sources.

The 53-year-old driver pleaded not guilty in Suffolk County Court, Riverhead, and was held on $500,000 bond or $250,000 in cash, by order of the presiding judge.

The driver, operating a 2002 Lincoln Navigator, swerved over the yellow divider line on Montauk Highway, near Old South Country Road in Brookhaven, on December 17, 2010.

Published on: November 18, 2011

Tax Fraud in Georgia is Growing

by Stephen Bilkis

Tax fraud has been a problem almost since people have been required to pay taxes. As a New York Criminal Lawyer also claimed that, the problem has been even more prevalent in the electronic age. This is due, in large part, to the many places that we do business on the Internet that collect our vital information and store it as part of a normal business transaction. Electronic information gathering is not the only method that criminals use to collect our private information, however. Thieves have been scouring trash bins and mailboxes during tax season for many years, and the problem has only grown worse.

Many citizens in one state in particular have been learning of the problem firsthand. Citizens from the State of Georgia have been reporting increasing instances of receiving tax bills that have caught them by surprise. These are also the same citizens who have been filing their taxes regularly and have had no problems either with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or with their Georgia state income tax. Recently it has been learned of one such man who discovered too late that a 26-year old illegal immigrant had been arrested for using his Social Security number when he applied for work in a nearby county. It is also believed that this same illegal immigrant is why the Georgia man had recently received a tax bill from the IRS for $3,434.

Unfortunately, stories like his are not uncommon. During the 2010 tax season, the State of Georgia’s Revenue Department reportedly detected at least 52,000 fraudulent tax returns that totaled approximately $41 million in tax refunds. Those returns are only the returns that were detected; sources indicated.

Published on: November 18, 2011

16-Year-Old Mother In Daytona Beach Arrested For Kidnapping Her Child

by Stephen Bilkis

A 16-year-old girl was arrested for Kidnapping in Florida after taking her baby from a foster care agency. The agency’s purpose was to place children who have been abused or neglected in foster homes.

Both mother and child had been taken to the agency located in Daytona Beach by a caseworker from Jacksonville.

The 16-year-old girl learned that she and her child were going to be separated and she sent texts to two of her friends, who came to pick her up, investigators confirmed. She then took the baby and rushed out to the car. Another caseworker contacted the mother not long after that and the baby was soon returned to the agency.

Published on: November 17, 2011

Alabama House of Representatives Passes Arizona-style Immigration Law

by Stephen Bilkis

The Alabama House of Representatives voted 73-28 on April 5, 2011 to pass an immigration law very similar to the controversial one passed in Arizona. It gives law enforcement officers the ability to detain people on the suspicion of being in the United States illegally.

The sponsor of the bill confirmed that the bill “attacks every aspect of an illegal alien’s life.”

“This bill is designed to make it difficult for them to live here so they will deport themselves,” the bill’s sponsor stated. The bill will go to the Senate, now that it has been passed in the Alabama House.

Published on: November 16, 2011

Chris Cook’s Day in Court was March 21

by Stephen Bilkis

Minnesota Vikings’ cornerback, Chris Cook, will have his day in court on March 21, sources say.. He has been formally charged with brandishing a firearm, which in this case is a misdemeanor.

The incident reportedly began, as the second round, draft pick was involved in a heated confrontation with one of his neighbors. While his arrest did not take place during the argument, the arrest and charges occurred after his neighbor swore out an arrest warrant a short time later.. Although Chris Cook was arrested and charged Saturday, he was shortly released on his own recognizance. The cause or content of Chris Cook’s confrontation with one of his neighbors has yet to be released.

In case many who are reading this are wondering, just how Chris Cook was arrested and charged so quickly, especially when police were never called to the scene of the argument at the time of its occurrence. There are some differences in the way that Virginia law works and how the law in many other states work. We will try to explain.

Published on: November 15, 2011

An international case of fraud involving a major software firm leads to high-stakes charges

by Stephen Bilkis

A former manager of a major U.S. software company was recently indicted on charges of wire fraud, suspicion and money laundering, following an investigation which revealed a multi-million dollar international scam.

During the course of his five-year employment with the software company, the defendant appears to have taken kickbacks from foreign suppliers in exchange for insider information and future plans of the company. The co-conspirators included several suppliers from Singapore and China, as well as other partners in Asia. A the defendant is responsible for approximately $2.25 million in lost revenue for the company which he represented. This amount reflects both personal gains that the defendant gleaned from the shady Asian foreign suppliers, as well as damages to the software company he once served as manager. Potentially he can be charged with Grand Larceny wither in State or Federal Court

A New York Criminal Lawyer observes that the defendant, a native of Sunnyvale, CA, was indicted on August 11, 2010. He subsequently entered into a plea deal, the details of which are summed up in an official statement by a representative of the U.S. Department of Justice: “…(the defendant) admitted to engaging in a scheme to defraud (the company) of its money or property and its right to his honest services while he was employed with the company from 2005 through 2010.” Federal agents scoured the defendant’s home following his detailed conviction, where they found approximately $150,000 cash hidden in shoe boxes. This cash was most like part of the kickbacks he received from the Asian-based suppliers, which constituted a certain percentage of the commerce between the plaintiff company and its foreign suppliers.

Published on: November 14, 2011

SEC Accuses Former Goldman Sachs Director of Participating in Insider Trading

by Stephen Bilkis

A former director of financial firm Goldman Sachs has been accused of providing illegal business tips to the head of the Galleon Group, another financial firm. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleges that Rajat K. Gupta provided information about Warren Buffet’s intentions to invest in Goldman Sachs to Raj Rajaratnam hours before the investment was complete. This tip allowed the Galleon Group to earn $900,000 in profits after the company purchased 175,000 Goldman Sachs shares. Providing tips like this to other business people is illegal and unethical, and is charectarized as White Collar Crime.

According to the SEC, this is not the first time Gupta has provided Rajaratnam with trading tips. Gupta, who also sits on the board of Proctor and Gamble (P&G) alerted Rajaratnam of the company’s quarterly earnings early which prompted the Galleon Group to purchase shares right before quarterly earnings announcements. The Galleon Group earned more than $13.6 million in profits.

Gupta and Rajaratnam met about ten years ago during their work with the Indian School of Business. Since then, the two men have shared thousands of phone calls, lunches and formed business alliances such as the New Silk Route, a financial firm specializing in investment opportunities in India. Even though Rajaratnam’s role in New Silk Route is unclear, as he never took an active role in the firm, the two men are linked to the company, states a New York Criminal Lawyer. Gupta’s lawyer insists that the two men are friends and business colleagues and that Gupta has 40 years of experience in business and has never been accused of any illegal activities during this time.

Published on: November 13, 2011

Friends Mourn Horrific Death of Connecticut Woman

by Stephen Bilkis

The murder of a 23-year-old woman has brought sorrow to many, in particular to a Bronx man who dated her for most of a year.

“It’s a tragic situation,” the 27-year-old man told authorities. “It’s shocking.”

The Bronx man was still in contact with the young woman and considered her a friend. He knew he was living with a new boyfriend, the man now suspected of slashing the woman’s face before stabbing her to death in sudden rage. The Bronx man said he’d never heard the victim say anything bad about the suspect who will be charged with the felony.

Published on: November 12, 2011

Police Charge Two Homeless Men in Long Island with Eight Burglaries

by Stephen Bilkis

It was all about a heroin addiction with two homeless men, Suffolk police told a source. They committed a number of burglaries to pay for their expensive habit and are charged with drug possession.

The two men, 41 and 42 years of age, were arrested by police, following a chase. The police were tipped off after a witness saw the pair breaking into a home in Dix Hills.

Police said the two men are suspected of committing eight burglaries. Seven of them were in Dix Hills, and they attempted two others.

Published on: November 11, 2011

Animal Doctor Murders His Pregnant Technician

by Stephen Bilkis

It is one of the grisliest murders the locals have seen in a while. The incident is right out of an “America’s Most Wanted” episode. An animal doctor was arrested last week for killing in cold blood his veterinarian technician, 27, who was also pregnant. The man has been charged with criminal homicide according to one source and a possible sex crime. The suspect has also been charged with the death of her unborn child. Snyder is from North Whitehall Township near Allentown Pennsylvania. The suspect is a veterinarian at Montgomery County’s animal health facility.

Authorities found the victim’s body in a wooded, hilly area outside of North Whitehall Township. Her body had multiple gunshot wounds. Authorities told a N York Criminal Lawyer that on March 17, 2011, they found Snyder’s car parked in an industrial park. One of the windows was shattered. Shell casings and blood were found inside the vehicle. Upon reviewing security tapes, authorities observed that a man drove the woman’s car into the park and exited the vehicle after a short time. Upon exiting the vehicle the man, later identified as the suspect, tossed some items into a dumpster. After investigating, police removed a bleach container and some sealed medical records belonging to the victim inside the dumpster.

Friends of the technician told police that they were aware that the 27 year old was going out with her “boyfriend” whom they identified as the suspect. There were accounts that the couple was fighting a lot recently due to her pregnancy. Her roommate told police in the court report that on the fateful day she received a strange text from her phone. She was suspicious as to who wrote the text because it was written differently than her usual texts.