Anita Haines, a New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Community Center Director was arrested and charged with Grand Larceny in the Third Degree and Forth Degree, Criminal Possession of  Stolen Property in Third, Fourth and Fifth Degree, Official Misconduct and Petit Larceny for allegedly defrauding the NYCHA by stealing $4,775 of tenants’ fees.

Between January 2008 and April 2010, 12 tenants paid Haines a total of $4775 to rent the community center or to attend summer camp ran by NYCHA. It was alleged that Haines never reported the payments to the NYCHA and had pocketed that payments without permission or authority.

If convicted, Haines faces a maximum penalty of more than 12 years of imprisonment.

Alfred Bokhour, a Brooklyn property owner, was arrested and charged with Bribery in the 3^rd Degree. Since 2003, Bokhour was amongst the 76 unrelated individuals in New York City investigated under Bribery charges.

When a New York City Department of Buildings (NYC DOB) Inspector was inspecting and found on Bokhour’s building, several electrical violations, Bokhour allegedly offered the inspector cash to overlook such violations. Bokhour was later investigated when the inspector declined and reported Bokhour to the NYC DOB.

If convicted, Bokhour faces a maximum sentence of 7 years in prison.

Jodi Mendelowitz, a resident from Queens, New York was arrest and charged with four counts of 2^nd degree robbery and one count of attempted second degree robbery. It was alleged that Mendelowitz robbed four commercial properties, stealing approximately $50-$200 from each establishment, and attempted to rob a Citibank unsuccessfully.

Between the short period of August 20, 2010 and August 23, 2010, Mendelowitz robbed three of her neighborhood liquor stores and Chinese restaurant while brandishing a toy gun painted to look like a real gun. Investigations led to Mendelowitz when one of the victimized liquor store cashiers jotted down the license plate number of the robber’s get-away-car.

If convicted, Mendelowitz faces up to 15 years of imprisonment.

Te-Hu Tsuei, aka “Peter” a self proclaimed New York State licensed immigration attorney and sometimes an experienced immigration law paralegal, has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of Grand Larceny, Scheme to Defraud, Unauthorized Practice of Law and violating various subsections of the Immigration Assistance Services Law.

Between November 2007 and May 2009, Tsuei allegedly defrauded two Chinese immigrants by falsely introducing himself as a licensed immigration attorney or an experienced immigration law paralegal and assuring them that they can qualify for a U-Visa when they are not.

The victims claimed that Tsuei charged them over $6,000 each for processing their applications. However, Tsuei was neither a New York State licensed attorney nor was he authorized by the Federal Board of Immigration Appeals to provide legal services. By May 2009, Tsuei’s “law office” in New York City was shut down and the victims were unable to reach him after losing $6000.

Tsuei’s case remains ongoing.

If convicted, Tsuei faces a maximum penalty of more than 12 years in prison.

Alvaro Mora, a Sewage Treatment Worker for the New York City Department of Environmental (DEP) Protection was charged with one count of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument and one count of Offering a False Instrument for Filing alleged him of submitting a forged letter from his DEP supervisor to the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB).

In Mach 2009, Mora’s application for a Site Safety Manager’s license to the DOB was denied because he did not submit the required letters of recommendation from his supervisors. Mora resubmitted his application after allegedly forging a letter on behalf of his supervisor stating that Mora performed and supervised construction work at DEP.

It was further alleged that Mora had forged his supervisor’s signature and was ultimately investigated on after misspelling his supervisor’s name multiple times.

If convicted, Mora faces a maximum penalty of 11 years of imprisonment.

Spiros Moshopoulos, Tommy Skiada, and Daniella Radulescu, New York City residents, were charged with a total of 714 counts of fraud; each of the defendants were variously charged with grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, money laundering, promoting gambling, tampering with a witness, conspiracy and scheme to defraud. It was alleged that the three defendants operated a bingo hall in Queens, New York and illegally siphoned funds from charity organizations.

The bingo hall allegedly used various inactive charities under the name of Romanian Orthodox Church of Sts. Constantine & Helen to generate funding and charities by conducting various bingo games. But under Moshopoulos’, Skiada’s and Radulescu’s conspiracy, the funding generated through the bingo games were purportedly used to enrich their own pockets. An approximate total of $830,000 charitable funding was allegedly stolen by the three defendants.

If convicted, each of the three defendants faces more 10 years in prison.

James Smyth, a New York City Deputy Sheriff, was arrested and charged with Grand Larceny, falsifying business records and petit larceny for allegedly embezzling more than $13,000 from the New York City Deputy Sheriffs’’ Association while serving as the union’s treasurer.

Between February 2008 and January 2009, Smyth allegedly wrote eight unauthorized union checks to himself from three of the union accounts. In efforts to conceal his embezzlement of approximately $13,000, Smyth purportedly created false records of expenditures for the union. Investigation revealed that some of expenditures Smyth listed were never acquired by the union.

If convicted, Smyth faces a maximum penalty of more than 10 years in prison. The defendant is currently suspended from his duties without pay.

Lenwood L. Jones, an employee for the Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) licensing office in Long Island City, New York was charged of bribe receiving and receiving unlawful gratuities for attempting to solicit and collect bribes from an undercover investigator.

The criminal complaint against Jones alleged that on August 17, 2010, an investigator posing as an applicant applying for a TLC license was allegedly asked by Jones to give him lunch money in order to be processed. When the investigator held out $50, Jones purportedly pocketed the money.

If convicted, Jones faces a maximum penalty of 8 years in prison.

Alexander Everest, the chairman of Elite American Health Systems, a California based company with a branch in New York City has recently been charged with multiple counts of bribery, criminal possession of a forged instrument, offering a false instrument for filing, and giving unlawful gratuities, for offering bribes to Harlem Hospital’s official in an attempt to place recent medical school graduates in the hospital’s surgical residency program.

Elite American Health Systems offers consultations to medical school graduates to help them better and understand and secure hospital residency positions. However between March 17, 2010 and May 4, 2010, Everest allegedly submit four forged application materials for four potentially unqualified clients to the Department of Surgery at Harlem Hospital in efforts to secure them residency.

On the four applications, the four medical school graduates allegedly secure the residency position mostly because of Everst fraudulent efforts. The defendant fraudulently claimed that the four clients were part of a specialty program in a California hospital.

Everest also purportedly attempted to bribe the hospital employee with at total of $6000 shortly after submitting the applications.

If convicted, Everest faces a maximum sentence of more than 35 years in prison.

Seven immigration service companies throughout New York City has been shut down due to fraudulent and illegal business practices such as misrepresenting their authorization to submit documents on behalf of immigrants to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and giving legal advice when they are not licensed to, etc.

Investigations alleged Centro Santa Ana, Inc. and Ana Lucia Baquero, Margo’s Immigration Services and Margarita Davidov, Miguel Fittipaldi JD., Ltd. and Miguel Fittipaldi, Arthur Hurwitz, Oficina Legal Para Hispanos, P.C. and Geoffrey Stewart, Asilos and Camilo Perdomo, and Mision Hispana.

All seven of these companies are now barred from operating any immigration services businesses, and are required to pay restitution to former clients and a penalty of $370,000 each.