New York Paralegal

Early this morning, FBI agents and detectives from the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau effected the arrests of 12 men, all but two of whom are current or former law enforcement officers. The arrests are the culmination of a long-term FBI undercover investigation.

PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, JANICE K. FEDARCYK, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and RAYMOND W. KELLY, the Police Commissioner of the City of New York (“NYPD”), today announced charges against 12 defendants, including eight active-duty and retired NYPD Officers, for participating in a variety of schemes involving the illegal interstate transportation of stolen goods. According to the Complaint filed today in Manhattan federal court, from September 2010 to the present, some or all of the defendants conspired to transport across state lines: stolen slot machines; firearms, including three M-16 rifles, one shotgun, and 16 handguns, the majority of which had been defaced to remove or alter the serial number; and stolen cigarettes and counterfeit goods. In total, the goods that the defendants allegedly illegally transported carried a street value of over $1 million.

NEW YORK – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today called on the federal government to adopt stronger regulations to protect consumers against the phone bill fraud known as ‘cramming.’ Schneiderman and a multistate coalition including 16 additional Attorneys General urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to enact rules that would prevent unauthorized third-party charges on telephone bills or ‘cramming’ – a fraud that a recent U.S. Senate report found costs consumers upwards of $2 billion per year.

DREW K. BROWNSTEIN, a/k/a “Bo Brownstein,” CEO of a Denver-based hedge fund (the “Hedge Fund”), pled guilty in Manhattan federal court to securities fraud arising from an insider trading scheme in which he received material, non-public information (“Inside Information”) about a pending acquisition of Mariner Energy, Inc. (“Mariner”) by Apache Corporation (“Apache”). BROWNSTEIN traded on the Inside Information he received from his friend DREW CLAYTON PETERSON (“DREW PETERSON”), who got it from his father, Mariner board member H. CLAYTON PETERSON (“CLAYTON PETERSON”). When the acquisition was publicly announced, BROWNSTEIN realized nearly $2.5 million in profits for himself, the Hedge Fund, and others. BROWNSTEIN pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge ROBERT P. PATTERSON, JR.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced that a jury has found JOHN F. HAGGERTY, JR., 42, and SPECIAL ELECTION OPERATIONS, LLC, (“SEO”) guilty of defrauding Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. HAGGERTY was convicted on charges of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and Money Laundering in the Second Degree in connection with the 2009 mayoral campaign. SEO was convicted of Money Laundering in the Second Degree.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the sentencing of ANDRE VELEZ, 25, to 18 years to life in state prison for the homicide of Glendalyz Pagan, 19, the mother of his child, in a vacant apartment at 570 West 204th Street. VELEZ pled guilty on September 9, 2011 to one count of Murder in the Second Degree.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment and arraignment of TYSHAWN BROCKINGTON, 21, and ROBERT CARTAGENA, 20, on charges of Murder in the Second Degree, Burglary in the First Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. BROCKINGTON and CARTAGENA are charged with the shooting death of Tayshana Murphy, 18, a Harlem teen and athlete. A third defendant, TERIQUE COLLINS, 24, is charged with providing the gun to the other defendants.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the guilty plea of SHAWN JENKINS, 43, in Manhattan Supreme Court to both charges against him, Attempted Burglary in the Second Degree and Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree. Jenkins was a New York City police officer who had been assigned to the 23rd Precinct on the East Side of Manhattan as a Highway Safety Officer until he was suspended on May 13, 2009.

Marat Mikhaylich, a Ukranian national, pleaded guilty today to bank robbery and gun charges arising from the robbery of nine banks in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and New Jersey over a four-month period. Mikhaylich entered his plea before Robert M. Levy, United States Magistrate Judge, at the United States Courthouse in Brooklyn.

PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that RAJ RAJARATNAM was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to 11 years in prison stemming from his involvement in the largest hedge fund insider trading scheme in history.

FRESNO, Calif. – American Laser Centers (ALC), the largest laser hair removal company in the U.S., will pay $125,000 and furnish other relief to settle claims of sexual harassment and retaliation at its site in Fresno, Calif., resolving a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

NEW YORK – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and the City of New York today filed a lawsuit against the Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon) for defrauding clients in foreign currency exchange transactions. The lawsuit seeks to recover the profits BNY Mellon illegally earned by deceiving its customer. The victims include both public and private pension funds, including those of the New York City Employee Retirement System (NYCERS) and the State University of New York.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the sentencing of LAURENCE HARVEY, 47, to 25 years in prison and 8 years of post-release supervision following his conviction at trial on eight counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in the First, Second, and Third Degrees, Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, and Assault in the Second Degree.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment of YAASMIN HOOEY, 35, for stealing $311,586 from the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York, Inc. (“GSCGNY”). The defendant was charged with of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, Forgery in the Second Degree, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, and Criminal Tax Fraud in the Third and Fifth Degrees.1

Long Island Company Fired Employee After Receiving EEOC Charge, Federal Agency Alleges NEW YORK – Sterling and Sterling, a Woodbury, N.Y., insurance broker, violated federal anti-discrimination law when it suspended and fired a sales telemarketer for filing an EEOC questionnaire and charge, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today.