Other officials behaving badly

[RTH10260]

Charlotte Mail Carrier Suspended After Calling 911 In Medical Emergency

WBTV News - Charlotte
22 Dec 2023

US Postal Service reversed course after WBTV’s questions

[RTH10260]

Lubby Navarro, ex-Miami-Dade School Board member, accused of lavish spending on district credit card

By Alfred Charles
Updated on: January 11, 2024 / 9:44 PM EST / CBS Miami

MIAMI -- Former Miami-Dade Public Schools Board member Lubby Navarro was arrested Thursday after she was accused of using a schools-issued credit card to charge at least $100,000 in personal expenses that included lavish travel trips and shopping sprees, the state attorney's office said.

Navarro, 49. was booked into the Miami-Dade County jail on two counts of grand theft and two counts of fraud, State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said during an afternoon news conference in which she detailed the allegations in a 91-page criminal complaint.

The news conference also featured images of Navarro leaving big box retailers with a shopping cart filled with merchandise that was allegedly paid for with her county-issued credit card.

Rundle said bond had been set at $2 million and that Navarro faced between three to 55 years in prison if the former elected official is convicted of the charges.

In a written statement, Navarro's attorney said she was innocent.



https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/lubb ... ion-probe/

[RTH10260]

I wonder if this amount includes settlements for false arrests that did not lead to imprisonment

New York tops list of US state payouts over wrongful imprisonment
State has paid out $322m to settle wrongful incarceration claims, ahead of Texas, Maryland, Connecticut and Michigan

Gloria Oladipo in New York
Wed 17 Jan 2024 14.00 CET

New York has paid out the most of any state in the US to people wrongly incarcerated, according to a new study.

The latest research was produced by High Rise Financial, a pre-settlement legal funding company.

The company analyzed data from the National Registry of Exonerations, a database on exonerated people in each state that has been regularly updated since 1989. The registry also tracks how much each state has paid out to wrongfully incarcerated people.

New York state has paid out a total of $322m to those wrongfully incarcerated. The state has awarded 237 claims for wrongful imprisonment out of 326 exonerated people. Such payouts cost New York taxpayers $15.97 per person, also the largest per capita payment out of any state, the study found.

Texas, Connecticut, Maryland and Michigan were the other states in the top five that paid out the most to exonerated people.

Texas paid out the second highest amount, awarding a total of $155m to 128 people out of 450 people exonerated.

The most recent study comes as the amount of exoneration has steadily increased in recent years, according to Maurice Chammah, a journalist with the Marshall Project and author.



https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... rcerations

[sugar magnolia]

Say it ain't so. You mean to tell me that "tough on crime" states that demand "swift justice" might have a few unintended consequences?

[RTH10260]

Florida guardian suspended from more than 30 cases amid allegations

ABC Action News
8 Mar 2024

For more than a decade, the ABC Action News I-Team exposed problems with Florida’s professional guardianship system in our award-winning series “The Price of Protection." Last week, we were there when Collier County professional guardian Kathy Johnson was suspended from more than 30 cases amid allegations of missing money, lost records, and hacked bank accounts. “At best this is mismanagement. At worst it’s something more,” said Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Krier.

[RTH10260]

Colorado Bureau of Investigation finds DNA scientist manipulated data in hundreds of cases over decades

Emma Tucker and Andi Babineau, CNN
Sun, March 10, 2024 at 12:12 AM GMT+1·5 min read

A now-former forensic scientist with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) manipulated or omitted DNA test results in hundreds of cases, an internal affairs investigation found, which prompted a full review of her work during her nearly 30-year career at the agency.

The CBI released the findings of the investigation into Yvonne “Missy” Woods Friday, which concluded Woods’ handling of DNA testing data affected 652 cases between 2008 and 2023, including posting incomplete results in some cases. A review of her work from 1994 to 2008 is also underway, according to the CBI.

“This discovery puts all of her work in question, and CBI is in the process of reviewing all her previous work for data manipulation to ensure the integrity of all CBI laboratory results,” the agency said. “CBI brought in third-party investigative resources to protect the integrity of the inquiry.”

Woods, a 29-year veteran of the agency’s crime lab, was placed on administrative leave in October after the CBI became aware DNA sample testing performed by Woods “may have deviated from standard operating procedures,” the agency said. She didn’t perform any laboratory work thereafter and retired on November 6, it said.

A separate criminal investigation into Woods’ conduct is ongoing, and the CBI said it continues to work with law enforcement agencies across the state.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser declined to comment on the criminal case against Woods when contacted by CNN on Friday.

The CBI internal investigation, which was conducted in collaboration with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, did not find Woods falsified DNA matches or fabricated data. It revealed Woods had omitted material facts in official criminal justice records, thus tampering with DNA testing results, and violating agency policies ranging from data retention to quality control measures, the agency said.

“Public trust in our institutions is critical to the fulfillment of our mission,” said CBI Director Chris Schaefer. “Our actions in rectifying this unprecedented breach of trust will be thorough and transparent.”

Analyst trained ‘generations’ of scientists, attorney says
In a statement to CNN on Friday, Woods’ attorney Ryan Brackley said the findings support Woods’ earlier statements that “she’s never created or reported any false inculpatory DNA matches or exclusions, nor has she testified falsely in any hearing or trial resulting in a false conviction or unjust imprisonment.”

Brackley said his client has been a “loyal and dedicated forensic scientist” during her time at the agency and has worked with and trained “generations” of prosecutors, scientists and law enforcement agents.

The agency said its forensics team discovered Woods deleted and altered data that served to conceal evidence of her tampering as well as her failure to “troubleshoot issues within the testing process.” The agency said Woods’ manipulations “appear to have been the result of intentional conduct.”



https://www.yahoo.com/news/colorado-bur ... 34662.html
(original: CNN)

[RTH10260]

Homeless Services workers among 18 NYC employees arrested in COVID benefit fraud bust

Thursday, March 7, 2024

NEW YORK (WABC) -- At least 18 New York City employees were arrested on Thursday for allegedly stealing identities to get financial benefits during the COVID pandemic.

The suspects are accused of impersonating homeless people at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, and using their names to illegally get their pandemic benefits.

Some of those homeless people died during the pandemic.

The suspects include five Department of Homeless services workers, as well as employees of the NYPD, MTA, USPS and NYCHA.

Prosecutors believe they are responsible for obtaining nearly $1.2 million in fraudulent benefits between April 2020 and October 2021.

Officials say approximately 170 people had their identities stolen.

It is alleged that the five DHS employees got shelter resident information from paper and digital files and shared them with the group.

"Stealing the identities of New Yorkers, many of them homeless, and defrauding a critical social safety program during one of the most challenging times in our city's history is downright shameful and we allege criminal," said District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Prosecutors say they were looking into a DHS employee who may have been manufacturing ghost guns when investigators discovered the other alleged fraud.




https://abc7ny.com/fraud-pandemic-homel ... /14500016/

[Rolodex]

And we think Trump's cases are moving slowly. These guys got a fraudulent loan in 2009 and pled guilty in Nov 2022. Just got sentenced.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/at ... bank-fraud

Attorney And Former Bank Director Sentenced To 30 Months In Prison For Bank Fraud
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that MENDEL ZILBERBERG was sentenced today to 30 months in prison in connection with a scheme to obtain a fraudulent $1.4 million loan from Park Avenue Bank. The defendant was a member of Park Avenue Bank’s board of directors at the time of the offense. ZILBERBERG was previously found guilty following a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels, who imposed today’s sentence.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Those entrusted with the stewardship of financial institutions must uphold their responsibilities with integrity, not exploit their positions. Mendel Zilberberg’s manipulation of his roles as a legal practitioner and a director of Park Avenue Bank exemplifies a disturbing breach: one that led to a staggering loss for the institution. Safeguarding the integrity of our financial systems is imperative, and this Office will not tire in our mission to track down those who pose threats to this vital cornerstone of stability.”

According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, the evidence offered at trial, and matters included in public filings:

In or about 2009, ZILBERBERG conspired with a co-defendant, Aron Fried, and others to obtain a fraudulent loan from Park Avenue Bank (the “Bank”). Knowing that the co-conspirators would not be able to obtain the loan directly, the co-conspirators recruited a straw borrower (the “Straw Borrower”) to make the loan application. The Straw Borrower applied for a $1.4 million loan from the Bank on the basis of numerous lies, as directed by ZILBERBERG and his co-conspirators.

ZILBERBERG used his privileged position at the Bank to ensure that the loan was processed promptly. Based on the false representations made to the Bank and ZILBERBERG’s involvement in the loan approval process, the Bank issued a $1.4 million loan to the Straw Borrower, which was quickly disbursed to ZILBERBERG and his co-conspirators through multiple bank accounts and transfers. In total, ZILBERBERG received more than approximately $500,000 of the loan proceeds. The Straw Borrower received nothing from the loan and ultimately defaulted, resulting in a loss to the Bank of over $1 million.

On November 15, 2022, Fried pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. On April 10, 2023, Judge Daniels sentenced Fried to one year and one day in prison.

* * *

In addition to the prison term, ZILBERBERG, 65, of Monsey, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $1,066,853 in restitution and $506,000 in forfeiture.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Office of the Inspector General.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dina McLeod, Daniel G. Nessim, and Kimberly Ravener, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Joseph Carbone, are in charge of the prosecution.

[RTH10260]

Louisiana coroner accused of child abuse cuts sexual assault exam program
Christopher Tape, indicted in 2022 before charges were dismissed, says office will stop giving exam that helps collect key evidence

Ramon Antonio Vargas in New Orleans
Tue 26 Mar 2024 10.00 CET

Having been elected with no opposition despite prior charges of child molestation, the chief medical examiner of a south-east Louisiana community with more than a quarter-million residents took office on Monday, poised to deliver on a pledge to eliminate an agency program that has helped collect key evidence in cases of sexual assault.

Dr Christopher Tape, 53, is expected to ultimately face an effort from voters to subject him to a recall election and force him from office, the top local government official in St Tammany parish has told the outlet, which exposed the new coroner’s criminal history.

But that drive to remove Tape must clear a relatively high procedural threshold now that he’s in place at the parish – or county, in Louisiana parlance – coroner’s office.

Tape was indicted in New Mexico in 2002 on charges that he sexually assaulted his then girlfriend’s daughter, who was seven at the time, as local TV station WWL Louisiana first reported in February. A court in that state later found prosecutors took too long between arresting and indicting Tape – who was a medical school student at the time – and tossed the charges, saying his constitutional right to a speedy trial had been unduly compromised.

Eventually, Tape landed work at the St Tammany coroner’s office – which primarily handles investigations of deaths in the parish with a population of about 270,000 but also offers a range of other services, including mental health commitments and sexual assault nurse examinations.

Tape in August signed up to run to take over the $11m office, and the incumbent – Dr Charles Preston – declined to seek re-election. No one else came forward as a candidate, meaning Tape was automatically elected to succeed Preston.

But the transition from Preston to Tape in an office that is roughly 50 miles (80km) north of New Orleans has been anything but smooth.

First, in October, Preston fired Tape, accusing him of improperly disclosing medical test results and violating the office’s confidentiality policies, as the local news site Nola.com reported.

Then, on 11 February, WWL Louisiana investigative reporter David Hammer not only revealed that a technicality had spared Tape from being tried on six charges of child sexual assault in New Mexico, WWL also uncovered how Tape in 2022 had struck an out-of-court settlement with a 26-year-old employee at his private forensic pathology practice who alleged that he made unwanted sexual advances toward her.




https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... am-program

[Rolodex]

Makes you think maybe we should eliminate coroner as an elected official. Our is elected and I'm not sure why. Maybe the parish administration can remove a lot of duties from the coroner's office until this guy is removed somehow.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

The history of the coroner, who was not traditionally a doctor, versus a physician medical examiner is fascinating.

[Rolodex]

The history of the coroner, who was not traditionally a doctor, versus a physician medical examiner is fascinating.

Yeah our coroner is a funeral home owner. His opponent had campaign signs out: [I can't remember her name] - Your Last Responder

[Ben-Prime]

In California, for example, I think the county sheriffs are also the county coroners, yes?

[bob]

In California, for example, I think the county sheriffs are also the county coroners, yes?

For most, but not all, counties.

[RTH10260]

doesn't that make the sheriff a bit biased when one of his underlings delivers a person to their afterlife and then to the morgue?

[bob]

doesn't that make the sheriff a bit biased when one of his underlings delivers a person to their afterlife and then to the morgue?

That, in fact, has happened:

One of the main impetuses behind the introduction of Assembly Bill 1608 was the 2020 death of Angelo Quinto, a 30-year-old Navy veteran living in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Antioch who died three days after an Antioch police officer knelt on his neck for five minutes.

The Contra Costa County coroner — part of the sheriff's department — investigated Quinto's death for eight months before ruling the death an accident and listing the cause of death as “excited delirium.”

AB 1608 died in committee; it didn't pass.

[chancery]

Ex-Caltrain employee, contractor charged with building secret homes at train stations
Former deputy director and co-defendant allegedly misused public funds to construct clandestine residences inside Peninsula stations

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/28/ ... -stations/

Shades of the Campbell Apartment, which was legit, and private rather than secret. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campbell_Apartment

In this case the concept was attractively audacious, but these jamokes didn't really think things through.

[RTH10260]

Mass. woman's fight with RMV takes final, unexpected twist

WCVB Channel 5 Boston
4 Apr 2024

She fought for months with the RMV over a wrongfully suspended license. But just when she thought the issue had been resolved, she received another suspension letter in the mail.