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Conspiracy Theorist Who Set Himself On Fire Outside Trump Trial Has NJ, PA Ties
Maxwell Azzarello, a conspiracy theorist who set himself ablaze outside of a Manhattan courthouse where former President Donald Trump's hush money trial was under way, appears to have ties to New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
At 1:30 p.m., Azzarello, 36, walked into the center of a park near the courthouse, took out pamphlets containing conspiracy theories and propaganda from a backpack, and threw them in the air. Then, he took out an accelerant and lit himself on fire, NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maggi said.
Civilians and nearby officers extinguished the blaze and Azzarello was taken to the&nb…
Private Pics Cost Glen Rock 'Sextortion' Victim $20,000, Police Pursue Fugitive Cyberthief
An elderly lonely heart from Glen Rock was “sextorted” out of $20,000 after sending compromising photos to a scammer he thought was a woman -- and was about to hand over another 20 grand when his bank mercifully refused, authorities said.
Online romance scammer Ali H. Maman, 59, of Frederick, MD (photo above), has so far eluded authorities, Glen Rock Police Chief Dean Ackermann said this week.
Posing as a woman, Maman communicated with the Glen Rock senior through Instagram and WhatsApp, the chief said on Wednesday, April 10.
The victim was convinced to share the risqué photos, then w…
Severna Park Woman Admits To Role In $1.89B Cryptocurrency Fraud Scheme
A Maryland woman went under the name of “Bitcoin Beautee” during her role alongside two others in a Cryptocurrency fraud scheme that netted more than $1.89 billion, she admitted in US District Court on Monday, Jan. 29.
Brenda Chunga, 43, of Severna Park, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud for her role as a promoter of HyperFund, also known as HyperTech, HyperCapital, HyperVerse, and HyperNation, US Attorney Erek Barron announced.
The plea came just four days after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Sam Lee, 35, an Australian citizen…
Former Social Media Influencer In MD Gets Prison Time For $1.2M COVID Scheme
A former social media influencer from Maryland is heading to federal prison for his role in a $1.2 million COVID scheme involving wire fraud and money laundering.
Denish Sahadevan, aka “Danny Devan,” 32, of Potomac, Maryland, was sentenced on Tuesday, Jan. 9 to three years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering, authorities said.
‘Danny Devan’ gained a TikTok following for his financial advice regarding stocks and cryptocurrency:
@.dannydevvan
♬ original sound - Stocks • Crypto • Money
The …
$1.5M Fraud: Piermont Man Lied To Investors About Being Licensed Broker, Feds Say
A Hudson Valley man faces up to 20 years in prison for allegedly lying to investors that he was a licensed investment broker and making off with more than $1.5 million of his customer's cash.
Rockland County resident Jeffrey Tognetti Jr., age 26, of Piermont, was charged on Thursday, Aug. 31 with wire fraud, said Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
As alleged in public court proceedings in White Plains feral court, Tognetti ran a scheme that solicited and obtained funds from victims based on the misrepresentations that, among other things,…
Ex-NJ Corrections Officer's Crypto Scam Targeted Police, Firefighters, EMTs: Authorities
A retired New Jersey corrections lieutenant preyed on his peers with a cryptocurrency scheme that cost participating police, firefighters, EMTs, and other first responders more than $620,000, state and federal authorities said.
John DeSalvo, 47, of Linwood, also pulled a $100,000 investment scam that authorities said went to covering his credit card bills, day trading in cryptocurrencies and payments to a contractor who handled a luxury bathroom renovation for him.
DeSalvo -- who worked for the New Jersey Department of Corrections for 13 years before retiring in 2010 -- created and promote…
Hacker Stole $10K In Crypto From Chesco Man, State Police Say
State police are investigating after a Chester County man was robbed of $10,000 in cryptocurrency, the agency said in a release.
The victim, identified only as a 35-year-old London Britain Township man, walked into the Avondale Station on Thursday, Jan. 5, and told troopers that $10,000 in crypto had been transferred from his digital account without his knowledge, authorities wrote.
The matter remains under investigation, state police added.
As cryptocurrency has entered the mainstream in recent years, theft of digital assets appears to have risen in tandem. According to …
Navy Engineer, Wife Sentenced For Trying To Sell American Submarine Secrets For Crypto: Feds
The wife of a former Navy engineer who worked with her husband and attempted to sell American secrets to a foreign country to an undercover operative got a longer sentence than her husband, federal officials announced on Wednesday, Nov. 9.
Diana Toebbe, 46, of Annapolis, and husband Jonathan Toebbe, 44, serviced three “dead-drops," which were picked up by undercover FBI agents during a year-long sting operation, federal prosecutors said, leading to lengthy prison terms for both.
On Wednesday, Jonathan Toebbe received a sentence of 232 months - more than 19 years - in prison, while his wife…
Mass Men Who Tried To Steal $530,000 Through People's Cell Phones Sentenced
Two Massachusetts men who pleaded guilty to taking part in a scheme to steal $530,000 worth of cryptocurrency and "OG" steal social media accounts will spend two years in federal prison, authorities said.
Eric Meiggs, 25, of Brockton, and Declan Harrington, 22, of Rockport, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of conspiracy, four counts of wire fraud, one count of computer fraud and abuse and one count of aggravated identity theft, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. Harrington also copped to an additional count of wire fraud.
The men admitted they we…
