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Child Porn Charges: Capital Region Man Busted With Illicit Photos, Videos, Feds Say Child Porn Charges: Capital Region Man Busted With Illicit Photos, Videos, Feds Say
Child Porn Charges: Capital Region Man Busted With Illicit Photos, Videos, Feds Say Federal prosecutors are pursuing child pornography charges against a man from the region after he allegedly sent and received numerous illicit images of children.  Taykwun Smoaks, age 32, of Albany, was arraigned on charges that he distributed, received, and possessed child pornography in Albany federal court on Friday, April 12. According to investigators, Smoaks sent and received images and videos of child pornography over the internet between February and March 2023. The illicit images were reportedly found on both his computer and an external hard drive. If convicted, he face…

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by Michael Mashburn
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$100M Scheme: NY Man Known As 'Magician' Nabbed In One Of Largest Ever Frauds $100M Scheme: NY Man Known As 'Magician' Nabbed In One Of Largest Ever Frauds
$100M Scheme: NY Man Known As 'Magician' Nabbed In One Of Largest Ever Frauds A New York man known as "the Magician" has been charged in connection with one of the largest-ever tax fraud schemes by a tax preparer, federal officials announced. Northern Westchester County resident Rafael Alvarez, of Cortlandt Manor, has been charged in connection with a $100 million tax fraud scheme involving tens of thousands of federal individual income tax returns with false information, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Monday, April 15.  According to federal officials, from 2010 to 2020, Alvarez, also known as "the Magi…

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by Ben Crnic
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Psychologist Sexually Abused Teens At Capital Region Juvenile Lockup For Years, Police Say Psychologist Sexually Abused Teens At Capital Region Juvenile Lockup For Years, Police Say
Psychologist Sexually Abused Teens At Capital Region Juvenile Lockup For Years, Police Say A state psychologist is accused of sexually abusing numerous underage victims at a New York State juvenile detention center going back years. Maya Hayes, of Albany, was arrested Friday, April 12, following a New York State Police investigation into allegations of abuse at Columbia County’s Brookwood Secure Center, located in the town of Claverack. According to police, the 62-year-old sexually assaulted numerous victims at the facility over several years while employed as a clinician. No other details about the alleged abuse were made public.  Hayes' arrest followed a grand jury indic…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Dad Charged In 5-Year-Old Daughter's Death At Capital Region Home Dad Charged In 5-Year-Old Daughter's Death At Capital Region Home
Dad Charged In 5-Year-Old Daughter's Death At Capital Region Home A man from the region is facing charges for allegedly starving his 5-year-old daughter to death. Police were called to a home in Schenectady on Elmer Avenue near Poplar Street at around 3 a.m. Sunday, April 14, for a young girl who was unconscious and not breathing. Medics pronounced the girl dead a short time later, according to police. Investigators believe the child’s father, 33-year-old Robert Buskey, deprived her of food and water for at least four days, WRGB reports, citing court documents. Buskey was arrested on suspicion of second-degree manslaughter and three counts of end…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Police Officer, Sheriff's Deputy, Suspect Killed In Shootout On Suburban Street In Upstate NY Police Officer, Sheriff's Deputy, Suspect Killed In Shootout On Suburban Street In Upstate NY
Police Officer, Sheriff's Deputy, Suspect Killed In Shootout On Suburban Street In Upstate NY Two police officers were killed overnight in a shooting on a suburban street in upstate New York. Click here for a new, updated story: Over $250K Raised For Families Of Deputy, Cop Killed In Shootout On Quiet Suburban Street In NY The incident happened in Onondaga County in the village of Liverpool, located just north of Syracuse, shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday, April 14. According to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office, Syracuse Police Officers encountered a suspicious vehicle at Emerson Avenue and Hamilton Street and attempted to stop it. However, the driver refused to stop and fle…

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by Joe Lombardi
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Charges Upgraded To Murder In 'Gator' Stabbing Case In Region Charges Upgraded To Murder In 'Gator' Stabbing Case In Region
Charges Upgraded To Murder In 'Gator' Stabbing Case In Region Charges against one of two residents in the region charged in the stabbing of a man in a fight over tools have been upgraded to murder after the victim died days later in a case involving. the presence of an alligator. Related: Live Alligator Discovered At Scene Of Stabbing In Pawling Residence Dutchess County resident Giuseppe Vassallo, age 43, of Pawling, who was initially charged with attempted murder in the stabbing of Nathaniel Vieira, age 42, also of Pawling, on Saturday, March 2, saw his charges increased to murder on Thursday, April 11, said Sinead McLoughlin of the Dutc…

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by Kathy Reakes
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Measles Outbreak: Cases Surpass 2023 Numbers, NY Among Dozens Of States Reporting Sickness Measles Outbreak: Cases Surpass 2023 Numbers, NY Among Dozens Of States Reporting Sickness
Measles Outbreak: Cases Surpass 2023 Numbers, NY Among Dozens Of States Reporting Sickness Less than a month since a case of measles showed up outside of New York City, the number of cases has more than doubled across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On Friday, April 12, the CDC announced that the total number of measles cases in the US in 2024 has reached 121 — far surpassing last year’s number of 58 — with cases being reported in 18 states and jurisdictions, including New York State. The update comes after a Nassau County child under the age of 5 was announced as the state’s first measles case to be reported outside of New York C…

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by Sophie Grieser
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Capital Region Man Admits Blackmailing Underage Girls Into Sending Sexually Explicit Images Capital Region Man Admits Blackmailing Underage Girls Into Sending Sexually Explicit Images
Capital Region Man Admits Blackmailing Underage Girls Into Sending Sexually Explicit Images Years in federal prison await a man from the region who confessed to blackmailing underage girls into sending him sexually explicit images. Richard Nejame, age 29, of Schenectady, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of receiving and attempting to receive child pornography in Albany federal court on Thursday, April 11. Prosecutors said Nejame messaged several underage girls on social media apps, including Snapchat, while pretending to be a teenage boy between October 2022 and May 2023. As part of his guilty plea, he admitted that he then convinced the girls to take nude pictures and videos of…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Total Solar Eclipse Rescue: Injured NY Woman Pulled To Safety From Mountain In Path Of Totality Total Solar Eclipse Rescue: Injured NY Woman Pulled To Safety From Mountain In Path Of Totality
Total Solar Eclipse Rescue: Injured NY Woman Pulled To Safety From Mountain In Path Of Totality An injured woman was rescued during the height of the solar eclipse in an area in upstate New York that was in the path of totality. According to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, the incident began in the middle of the afternoon on Monday, April 8, at Adirondack trailheads in Franklin County, in the town of Santa Clara. Just after 4:30 p.m., authorities received a call about a hiker with a lower leg injury near the summit of Mount Saint Regis.  Due to the terrain and trail conditions, Forest Rangers called for assistance from the New York State Police (NYSP) Avia…

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by Joe Lombardi
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Road Rage Leads To Beatdown Inside Capital Region Parking Garage: Police Road Rage Leads To Beatdown Inside Capital Region Parking Garage: Police
Road Rage Leads To Beatdown Inside Capital Region Parking Garage: Police A man is facing charges following an alleged road rage attack in the region that sent one driver to the hospital. The Albany County incident happened shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, in Albany inside the Empire State Plaza parking garage. New York State Police said troopers were called for a physical altercation near the garage’s entrance. An investigation found that 30-year-old Nicholas McGraw, of Watervliet, was involved in a road rage incident with the victim on I-787 in Menands. During the initial confrontation, the two vehicles made contact with each other, and both suffered da…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Daycare Commercial Casting Paid Roles Across Northeast Daycare Commercial Casting Paid Roles Across Northeast
Daycare Commercial Casting Paid Roles Across Northeast Do you want to be in a commercial about daycare? A commercial for highlighting the benefits of a daycare communication technology for parents and teachers is seeking talent for four roles, according to a casting notice.  The commercial is looking for people from Baltimore, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York City, Jersey City and Virginia Beach. The roles include: A female daycare owner between the ages of 30 and 50, a female daycare director between the ages of 25 and 50, a daycare teacher between the ages of 18 and 40, and the parent of a daycare child between the ages of 18 and…

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by Sam Barron
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New Details: Elvis Impersonator Died At Milton Home During 'Consensual' Encounter: Report New Details: Elvis Impersonator Died At Milton Home During 'Consensual' Encounter: Report
Man Charged In Death Of Elvis Impersonator TJ Greene This story has been updated. Tributes are pouring in after a popular Elvis and “Star Trek” impersonator was found dead at a home in the region days after going missing. Saratoga County Sheriff’s officials said Thomas Krider, age 40, of Ticonderoga in Essex County, was found dead at a residence in Milton on Middle Line Road on Tuesday, April 9. Krider, who performed as an Elvis tribute artist under the stage name TJ Greene, had last been seen on Friday, April 5, and was officially reported missing the following day. An investigation determined that 69-year-old Ronald Rayher, of Milton, “r…

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by Michael Mashburn