In the News

June 2, 2009

Operation Bracelet: Indictment of Brooklyn Jewelry Stores for Failing to Report Taxes

The Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorneys Office announced the indictment today of Crystal Sparkse and its President, Alexander Shamayan, Golden Art Fine Jewelers and its President, Ghassan Maalouf, and Pavillion Jewelers and its President Saeed Azarfar, for Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree and other crimes. It is alleged that each of these stores under reported their sales tax or had a deficiency of approximately $550,000, $125,000 and $350,000 respectively. It is alleged that undercover officers went to some of the stores to purchase jewelry and they were informed that if they paid in cash no sales tax would be charged.

Former Manhattan prosecutors, the white collar criminal defense attorneys at Saland Law PC have worked on cases involving alleged tax and Grand Larceny crimes as they relate to New York State taxing authorities. In fact in one such case, our client received no jail and was able to civilly litigate whether he owed approximately 3.2 million dollars out of an estimated 5 million dollars prosecutors alleged he had illegally kept.

May 27, 2009

UPDATE: Identity Theft and Check Fraud Ring May Get Bounced into Jail: Hundreds of Victims in Criminal Scheme

by Jeremy Saland

As a follow up to my earlier post, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has announced a 227 count indictment of 18 individuals in an identity theft and check fraud scheme. As I correctly noted in the original post, these defendants are alleged to have perpetrated a scheme involving the crimes of Grand Larceny, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument, Identity Theft, Conspiracy, Unlawful Possession of Personal Identification Information and Scheme to Defraud. As a former Manhattan prosecutor who was one of the first assigned to the Identity Theft Unit upon its creation, I know the Identity Theft Unit will vigorously and thoroughly prosecute the alleged offenders. Depending on the individual and their applicable charges, the defendants face up to 25 years in state prison.

The defendants include:

May 27, 2009

Counterfeit Check Ring Bounced: Manhattan DA to Announce Eighteen Indictments in 4 Million Dollar Fraud Scheme

by Jeremy Saland

The white collar criminal defense attorneys and former Manhattan prosecutors at Saland Law PC have learned that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office will announce the indictment today of 18 people, including accused ring leader James Malloy, in an alleged counterfeit check fraud scheme that utilized forged NYPD checks to perpetrate a multi-million dollar theft.

According to media reports, up to 40 people may have been arrested. It is alleged that the scheme operated by having an individual deposit a forged check into a bogus account. A teller, who was in on the scheme, allegedly provided the fraudsters with accurate account and check information to enable the fraudsters to create the fake checks and deposit them. In all, it is alleged that hundreds of checks were drawn off the accounts of about 20 companies.

May 20, 2009

CraigsList Escort Ring Indictment: “Room Service Entertainment” Nailed for Enterprise Corruption and Prostitution Related Crimes

by Jeremy Saland

From Andrew Cuomo to Robert Morgenthau, state and local prosecutors continue to vigorously prosecute crimes relating to Prostitution, Permitting Prostitution, and Promoting Prostitution. NY criminal defense attorneys experienced in these crimes, such as the criminal defense lawyers and former prosecutors at Saland Law PC, know that these offenses are only the tip of the iceburg. More significant crimes of Enterprise Corruption and Money Laundering lurk behind every corner where crews and organizations run these large scale escort enterprises. Case in point…the unsealed indictment in Queens County against seven alleged co-conspirators who ran “Room Service Entertainment.”

The 47 Count indictment unsealed today against Scott “Sal” Rosenberg, 45; Patricia “Nikki” Krupa, 32; Josef Davenport, 31; Joanna “Anna” Mercado, 24; Sylvia “Jamie” Soto, 29; Lina “Tina” Vazquez; and Barbara “Lisa” Morris, 48, accuses each of the individuals with Enterprise Corruption and related crimes. Enterprise Corruption requires that an organization have an “ascertainable structure” and is punishable by up to 25 years in state prison. Both Rosenberg and Davenport are alleged to be the mind and money behind the operation and ran the crew.

May 20, 2009

White Collar Defense Update: Eleven Stockbrokers, Three Traders and Two Principal Owners of Joseph Stevens & Company, Inc. Indicted for Fraud

by Jeremy Saland

As a follow up to an earlier post, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has announced that 17 individuals who worked at a now defunct securities firm have been indicted by a New York County Grand Jury for allegedly operating a racketeering scheme that scammed over six million dollars in unlawful commissions. The Manhattan Grand Jury indicted the defendants on the charges of Enterprise Corruption, Grand Larceny, Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, Securities Fraud and Falsifying Business Records. As a former Manhattan prosecutor who has supervised prosecutions of numerous multi-million dollar fraud schemes including a two million dollar “pump and dump” scheme with the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as a NY white collar criminal defense attorney who has represented individuals accused of multi-million dollar fraud crimes, I can say with confidence that these defendants and their criminal defense attorneys have a long road ahead of them.

The The Grand Jury indicted 17 defendants. Among them are Joseph Stevens & Company, Inc., Joseph Sorbara, Steven Mrakowiz, Craig Shapiro, John, Moraitis, Massimo Martinucci, Peter Orthos, Alan Ferraro, Charles Raspa, Scott Tierney, John Micciola, Steven Scarcella, Michael Tripodi, Douglas Costabile, James Rathgeber, Matthew Menies and Haradjin Mucovic. Because each of the defendants are charged with the top count crime of Enterprise Corruption, they all face a minimum of one to three years if convicted and a maximum of eight and one third to twenty five years in prison.

May 20, 2009

Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau to Announce 17 Defendant Indictment: Fraud Investigation Nets Securities Specialists and Brokers

by Jeremy Saland

According to published reports, 17 brokers and securities specialists are to be arraigned today in Manhattan Supreme Court after a Grand Jury indicted each of them in a scheme defrauding hundreds of investors out of over $150 million dollars. As a NY white collar defense attorney who has represented defendants charged with multi-million dollar fraud schemes and as a former Manhattan prosecutor who supervised the prosecution of a “pump and dump” involving over two million dollars in theft, I know first hand how the assistant district attorneys likely investigated this case and will prosecute the alleged offenders. At a minimum, those defendants who are charged with the actual theft or acting in concert to perpetrate a Grand Larceny in an amount of one million dollars or more will be facing one to three years in prison, but as much as eight and one third to twenty five years. However these defendant’s decide to proceed, they better act quickly or it has the potential to get significantly worse.

As I receive more information I will share it with you. Check back for an update.

May 14, 2009

Operation Plastic Pipe Line Busts Up Identity Theft Ring – Shola Enterprise Corruption Indictment Leads to Dozens of Arrests

by Jeremy Saland

As a NY criminal defense attorney and a former Manhattan prosecutor under Robert Morgenthau, I have defended or supervised numerous multi-million dollar investigations into Identity Theft, Credit Card Fraud, Forgery, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument, Grand Larceny, Falsifying Business Records and related fraud schemes. In fact, prior to starting Saland Law PC, I was assigned to the elite Identity Theft Unit when it was created by DA Morgenthau in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. In that capacity I received extensive training and hands on experience in the “trenches” and “front line” of Identity Theft and related crimes.

It comes as no surprise to me that another fraud scheme has reared its head and was ultimately broken up in Queens today. According to the Queens District Attorney’s Office, Operation Plastic Pipe Line began in 2007 and resulted in the multiple hundred count indictment for Enterprise Corruption and the arrest of dozens of people. It is alleged that this ring, led by Wole “Shola” Ogunwen, used multiple “cells” to defraud banks and steal the personal identification of thousands of people. In the last year alone, it is alleged that the financial loss exceeded twelve million dollars. To perpetrate the crime, these cells would use counterfeit credit cards, set up fake accounts, withdraw funds from banks and purchase products to be shipped overseas. With strong ties to Nigeria, it is further claimed that this ring operated on a global level.

May 14, 2009

Starting Your own Law Firm: Jeremy Saland to Speak at NYC Bar Association on Tuesday May, 19, 2009

by Jeremy Saland

Saland Law PC, is pleased to announced that Jeremy Saland, the treasurer of the New York City Bar Association’s Small Law Firm Committee, is one of the panel members scheduled to speak at 6:00 pm this Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at the NYC Bar Association. This three credit CLE forum will include small law firm and solo practitioners who have forged out on their own recently as well as years ago. A range of issues will be addressed including, tax considerations, financing a business, generating clients and ethical obligations. Not only will this discussion be informative, but it will give you the opportunity to meet people who are in the same situation as you or who have already made the jump.

If you are interested in attending, the NYC Bar Association’s website has more information.

May 13, 2009

Craigslist “Erotic Services” Going Down – Escort, Prostitution & Unlicensed Massage Getting Stripped from Service Section

by Jeremy Saland

Prosecutors, police and criminal defense attorneys in NY have known for a long time that prostitution, unlicensed massage, and other crimes relating to escort services have flourished on Craigslist. Due to pressure by numerous states and law enforcement agencies, Craigslist will no longer be permitting prostitution and escort services to be blatantly advertised on their website without scrutiny.

According to media reports, Craigslist executives informed Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal that the “erotic services” section would be removed in approximately one week and it would be replaced with an “adult services” section. Moreover, each advertisement will be reviewed by Craiglist to prevent the further proliferation of prostitution and escort related activities and materials.

April 30, 2009

Tyra Banks’ Stalker Convicted: Facing 90 Days Jail – But Remains Free

by Jeremy Saland

His criminal defense clearly did not work. Without a jury, he rolled the dice with a judge who didn’t buy it. Brady Green, the man convicted for stalking Tyra Banks in Manhattan Criminal Court, faced 90 days in jail, but ultimately kept his freedom.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office initially charged Mr. Green with Stalking in the Second Degree, an “A” misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail. At some point prior to trial the prosecutors reduced or dismissed the top count leaving the top charge as as Stalking in the Third Degree. This charge, a “B” misdemeanor, is punishable by up to 90 days jail. As a former Manhattan prosecutor and a NY criminal defense attorney experienced in these crimes, it is likely the reduction was done for one of two reasons.