New York Paralegal Blog

A major victory for international justice! Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios, the former director of Venezuela's military intelligence, has pleaded guilty to serious charges, including narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. This marks a significant step in holding accountable those who exploit their power for criminal gain and intentionally harm other nations. Carvajal Barrios, 65, was a high-ranking official in Venezuela, serving as the director of the Direccion de Inteligencia Militar (DIM), Venezuela's military intelligence agency, between 2004-2011 and again in 2013. However, instead of protecting his country, he allegedly used his position to lead and manage the "Cartel de Los Soles" (Cartel of the Suns). What is the "Cartel de Los Soles"? The "Cartel of the Suns" is a Venezuelan organization allegedly comprised of high-ranking members of the Venezuelan armed forces who are involved in international drug trafficking. The name comes from...

Paramus, NJ – A New Jersey Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Ofer Gabbay, has admitted to his role in a scheme that helped wealthy clients cheat on their taxes. Gabbay pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring to defraud the United States by promoting illegal tax shelters, which allowed his clients to claim massive, unwarranted tax breaks. What Happened? Between 2018 and 2019, Gabbay, along with others including Jack Fisher, James Sinnott, and their assistant Kate Joy, pushed what are known as "syndicated conservation easement" tax shelters. So, what's a "syndicated conservation easement"? Normally, a "conservation easement" is a legitimate way for landowners to get a tax break. It involves donating the development rights of their land to a charity, ensuring the land remains undeveloped and preserved. In return, they can claim a charitable contribution tax deduction, which reduces their taxable income. However, the "syndicated" vers...

We've been exploring the complex reasons why affirmative action remains a crucial tool for achieving true equality. In our previous discussions, we've touched on historical injustices. Today, we're going to dive into a particularly powerful one: how the deliberate denial of education to Black Americans for centuries still shapes job opportunities today, making affirmative action necessary. Imagine a race where some runners are intentionally tripped at the start, then forced to run with weights on their ankles, while others get a clear, unobstructed path. That's a bit like the history of education for Black Americans. A Deliberate Denial of Knowledge For hundreds of years, during slavery and beyond, there were active, systemic efforts to prevent Black people from getting an education: Laws Against Learning: During slavery, it was often illegal to teach enslaved people to read or write. Why? Because slave masters knew that knowledge was power. An educated pers...

A Las Vegas woman with a biochemistry degree from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Latonia Smith, has been found guilty of cyberstalking, following a trial that revealed a pattern of deeply concerning online searches and communications. Smith was accused of sending threatening emails to two judges, Judges Dorsey and Boulware, and her probation officer. What made these communications particularly alarming was the discovery of her extensive online activity. Evidence presented at trial showed she had searched for phrases like "judges die," "how to become a bomb maker," "how to be a mass shooter," "buying a gun," and "ar 15 for sale." Even more disturbing, she watched a compilation of videos from the horrific October 1st mass shooting 13 times in just three weeks. During the same period, she repeatedly looked up the names of her targets, some of their children, and even their home addresses. After deliberating for less than a...

A recent court case shines a light on a major scheme involving the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) – a government program designed to help businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the heart of it was an individual named Hockridge and her partners, who have been found guilty of serious charges related to defrauding the system. What happened? Stephanie Hockridge and her co-conspirators created a "personalized service" called "VIPPP." This service promised to help people apply for PPP loans. Sounds helpful, right? The problem is, they coached borrowers to submit applications with false information to get bigger loans. In return, Hockridge and her team took a "kickback" – a percentage of the loan money received by the borrowers, plus extra fees from the banks that processed the loans. Think of a kickback as an illegal payment given in exchange for a favor. In this case, it was for helping people cheat the system to get money they weren't e...

A Chicago lab owner, Zishan Alvi, 46, from Inverness, Illinois, was just sentenced to seven years in prison for a massive COVID-19 testing fraud scheme. From 2021 to 2022, Alvi ran a lab in Chicago that supposedly performed COVID-19 tests. But he was actually submitting fake bills to a government program called the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). He charged them for tests that either never happened or were done so badly they were useless. Here's where it gets really bad: Alvi’s lab would give people negative test results even when they hadn't actually tested the samples, or the results were unclear because he'd watered down the tests to save money. He knew he was giving out bogus results but still sent the bills to HRSA. This scam ended up costing the government over $14 million. He even lied to his own lab directors to keep his fraud a secret. Alvi pleaded guilty to wire fraud last September. Besides going...

In today's interconnected world, businesses often operate across borders, creating incredible opportunities – and significant responsibilities. One of the most critical of these responsibilities, particularly for U.S. companies, is adhering to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). You might be wondering, "What does this mean for a company, and who helps them navigate this complex legal landscape?" That's where a Compliance Paralegal comes in. What is the FCPA, in a Nutshell? The FCPA, a U.S. federal law, was enacted to prevent American companies and individuals from bribing foreign government officials to gain or retain business. It's built on two main pillars: Anti-bribery provisions: These prohibit making, offering, or authorizing corrupt payments or "anything of value" to foreign officials. The definition of "anything of value" is broad and can include gifts, travel, entertainment, or even charitable donations if made with co...