Las Vegas Woman Sentenced To Prison For $10 Million Tech Support Fraud Scheme That Exploited Elderly Victims

 

Technical Support Scheme Deceived More Than 7,500 Victims Across the United States and Canada, Many of Whom Are Elderly, into Paying for Phony Computer Repair Services

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ROMANA LEYVA was sentenced to 100 months in prison for participating in a fraud conspiracy that exploited elderly victims by remotely accessing their computers and convincing victims to pay for computer support services that they did not need, and which were never actually provided.  In total, the conspiracy generated more than $10 million in proceeds from at least approximately 7,500 victims.  LEYVA previously pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty, who imposed today’s sentence.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said:  “Romana Leyva was a leader of a conspiracy that caused pop-up windows to appear on victims’ computers – pop-up windows that claimed, falsely, that a virus had infected the victims’ computers.  Through this and other misrepresentations, this fraud scheme deceived thousands of victims, many of whom are elderly, into paying a total of more than $10 million.  Today’s sentence sends a clear message: Those who exploit the vulnerable for financial gain will pay a heavy price.”

According to the allegations contained in the Superseding Information, court filings, and statements made in court, including at LEVYA’s plea proceeding and sentencing:

From approximately February 2015 through December 2018, LEYVA was a member of a criminal fraud ring (the “Fraud Ring”) based in the United States and India that committed a technical support fraud scheme that exploited elderly victims located across the United States and Canada, including in the Southern District of New York.  The Fraud Ring’s primary objective was to trick victims into believing that their computers were infected with malware, in order to deceive them into paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for phony computer repair services.  Over the course of the conspiracy, the Fraud Ring generated more than $10 million in proceeds from at least 7,500 victims.

The scheme generally worked as follows.  First, the Fraud Ring caused pop-up windows to appear on victims’ computers.  The pop-up windows claimed, falsely, that a virus had infected the victim’s computer.  The pop-up window directed the victim to call a particular telephone number to obtain technical support.  In at least some instances, the pop-up window threatened victims that, if they restarted or shut down their computer, it could “cause serious damage to the system,” including “complete data loss.”  In an attempt to give the false appearance of legitimacy, in some instances the pop-up window included, without authorization, the corporate logo of a well-known, legitimate technology company.  In fact, no virus had infected victims’ computers, and the technical support phone numbers were not associated with the legitimate technology company.  Rather, these representations were false and were designed to trick victims into paying the Fraud Ring to “fix” a problem that did not exist.  And while the purported “virus” was a hoax, the pop-up window itself did cause various victims’ computers to completely “freeze,” thereby preventing these victims from accessing the data and files in their computer – which caused some victims to call the phone number listed on the pop-up window.  In exchange for victims’ payment of several hundreds or thousands of dollars (depending on the precise “service” victims purchased), the purported technician remotely accessed the victim’s computer and ran an anti-virus tool, which is free and available on the Internet.  The Fraud Ring also re-victimized various victims, after they had made payments to purportedly “fix” their tech problems.

LEYVA was a leader of the Fraud Ring.  Her roles in the scheme included: (1) creating several fraudulent corporate entities that were used to receive fraud proceeds from victims, (2) recruiting others (including through misrepresentations) to register fraudulent corporate entities that facilitated the activities of the Fraud Ring, and (3) assisting others in setting up fraudulent corporate entities and bank accounts, including coaching them to make misrepresentations to bank employees where necessary.

In addition to the prison sentence, LEYVA, 38, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced to three years of supervised release, forfeiture of $4,679,586.93, and restitution of $2,707,882.91.

Mr. Williams praised the New York Office of Homeland Security Investigations’ (“HSI”) El Dorado Task Force, Cyber Intrusion/Cyber Fraud Group, for its outstanding work on the investigation.  Mr. Williams also thanked the New York City Police Department for its assistance on this case. 

New York City Comptroller’s Office Audit Finds NYPD Fell Behind on Civilianization Goals

 

NYPD’s lack of recordkeeping and transparency inhibited department’s ability to make efficient use of resources

 The New York City Comptroller’s Office released an audit that found that the New York Police Department (NYPD)’s progress on their latest civilianization effort, which aimed to hire civilians to perform administrative and other non-patrol functions being performed by police officers, was neither systematic nor timely. The audit, conducted during the prior administration, assessed the NYPD’s ongoing efforts to identify tasks and positions that can be civilianized, in order to lessen the need for uniformed police officers to fill those roles.

“Police officers are trained for challenging jobs on the streets of our city, yet far too often we rely on them to do tasks that they are not well-equipped to do, or that are not good uses of their training. Paying uniformed, armed police officers to perform administrative duties that could be handled by civilian employees wastes resources that could be better utilized to improve community safety for New Yorkers. I urge the Department to take a hard look at the findings of this audit and accelerate the civilianization process to make better use of our public safety resources,” said Comptroller Brad Lander.

Hiring civilians to perform duties currently handled by uniformed officers is a critical task for the NYPD. In its FY16 civilianization initiative, the Department set a goal of hiring civilians in 415 positions by the end of FY17, but did not fill them until March 31, 2019.  This audit reveals that the NYPD is behind on its own modest goals and timetables for getting officers off paperwork and on to patrol. Auditors found that, while the department has made efforts to civilianize positions, these efforts have not been systematic and have been delayed when compared to the NYPD’s own timetables.

Additionally, the audit revealed a lack of recordkeeping and transparency. The NYPD was unable to provide supporting data for the progress that was reported to the City Council and the data that was provided was not internally consistent. Moreover, the Department’s refusal to provide requested information, including a list and pay scale for employees, made it impossible to assess the savings that the NYPD had achieved, could have achieved, or could potentially achieve in the future through civilianization efforts.

“The NYPD’s refusal to provide basic information needed to assess their use of resources is especially distressing,” Comptroller Lander continued. “Civilianizing 415 positions was a goal that they themselves set – but they failed to keep consistent records, achieve that goal on time, or provide payscale information needed to assess the impact.”

Civilianization has long been a shared goal for the NYPD and the City to make better use of both time and money. A 2002 audit by the Office of the Comptroller estimated that civilianization could save the City approximately $24.5 million dollars annually.

Mayor Eric Adams, a long-time supporter of civilianization, made comments at a press conference on January 19, 2022 encouraging more efficient use of resources including reallocating uniformed police officers as a cost-saving measure.

Auditors recommend that the NYPD ensure it:

• capture and maintain verifiable supporting evidence of its activities, determinations, and results;
• convert civilianizable duties and positions to civilian jobs within reasonable timeframes;
• develop and implement written management policies and procedures for a comprehensive, continuous, and documented process of identifying civilianizable duties and positions; and
• has the capacity to produce and appropriately share the data and other records it maintains related to the civilianization process to determine if it is meeting the objectives of its mandate.

To read the audit on the New York Police Department’s latest workplace civilianization effort, click here.

Third Avenue Business Improvement District - The Bronx NYS Executive Budget Presentation, 1/27/22 - 10 AM

The Bronx Chamber of Commerce and the Third Avenue Business Improvement District are hosting the Bronx NYS Executive Budget Presentation by the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul. In Governor Hochul's State of the State, she proposed a new era for New York – one in which her administration, her fellow statewide elected officials, and the legislature will work together to deliver for New Yorkers. New York State is in a position to fully fund these historic policies by making historic investments, including record aid for our children’s education, a transformative infrastructure capital plan, and a groundbreaking program to rebuild the healthcare industry. But NYS is also being smart and responsible, and recognizing that we must fund NYS reserves to historic levels as well as part of a balanced Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2023. NYS is in a strong financial position due to a combination of factors, including increased tax receipts, a thriving stock market, and an influx of federal aid through the American Rescue Plan and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This is a major change from where we were this time last year, when it was projected that the State may experience billion-dollar deficits in the years to come. Join this presentation to learn how the budget will impact you as a Bronxite.

2023 NYS Executive Budget Briefing Book - Click Here

Attorney General James’ Statement on Fatal Shooting of NYPD Officers in Harlem

 

  New York Attorney General Letitia James released the following statement in response to the police involved shooting in Harlem tonight:

“All of New York state is in mourning tonight. As we await the facts, my office may assert jurisdiction in this matter. We pray for the safety of our police and our communities.”

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - JANUARY 22, 2022

Statewide Positivity Rate Below 10% for Second Day in a Row

Cases Per 100k (7-Day Average) Declining in All Regions

179 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19.         

"We are below 10% positivity rate for the second day in a row. This is extraordinary progress," Governor Hochul said. "As we continue to see numbers trend downward, let's also continue to do the right thing. Wash your hands, get the vaccine if you haven't already, get the booster dose, and wear a mask. We will continue to see this downward trend in other parts of the state soon."

Today's data is summarized briefly below: 

• Test Results Reported - 299,580
• Total Positive - 27,643
• Percent Positive - 9.23%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 11.36%   
• Patient Hospitalization - 10,477 (-539)   
• Patients Newly Admitted - 1,264
• Patients in ICU - 1,504 (-44)   
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 884 (+4)   
• Total Discharges - 262,654 (1,581)   
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 179
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 51,716

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.     

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 64,120  

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.     

• Total vaccine doses administered - 35,409,903
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 80,188
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 496,685
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 90.6%   
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 81.6%   
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 95.0%   
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 84.1%   
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 79.7%   
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 71.3%   
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 86.8%   
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 73.5%   

Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center Offers STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Resource for High School Teachers

 

 The Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center announced the release of Energy & Us, an interdisciplinary high school curriculum dedicated to exploring the relationships between people, energy, and the environment. With the beach itself as a classroom, Energy & Us encourages students to think critically about their role in the energy systems and environments that surround them.

Located just 20 miles from New York City, Jones Beach has been a beloved New York State Park for almost a century. The opening of the Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center on the Park’s West End in September 2020 marked New York State’s commitment to transitioning to a cleaner energy future, as outlined in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019. Exhibits, educational programs, and events at the Center showcase landscapes of energy production and consumption—sites where energy sources are extracted and power plants are located; how scientists choose locations for wind turbines and the orientation of solar panels; the energy embodied in building materials; biomimicry; and the transfer of energy in a dynamic coastal environment. The exhibition theme, “the power of nature and the nature of energy,” invites visitors to conceptualize energy and environment as one. For more information, visit www.jonesbeachenc.org/exhibits.

Energy & Us extends this commitment to high school students, striving to equip young people with sophisticated scientific, historical, and political frameworks to understand their place the changing global climate. Over five Units, the curriculum explores the intersection of energy, environment, and society from the atomic to the global scale:

• Unit 1: Water, air, and light at the tideline demonstrate the essential physics and chemistry of energy at the molecular level, while the electrical system of the Center itself is a template for understanding the physical science behind human-built energy infrastructure.
• Unit 2: Plants and animals of Jones Beach’s West End are a window onto the cycling of energy through the ecosystem.
• Unit 3: Surveying the historical geography of Long Island reveals how energy has shaped the environment throughout US history, particularly through the development and expansion of cities, suburbs, and transportation networks.
• Unit 4: Reflecting on the role of energy in contemporary American culture, students are empowered to forge a new relationship to energy consumption.
• Unit 5: Students understand the dynamics that connect energy consumption to global climate change — as well as the possibilities of mitigation, adaptation, and migration in response to climate change — and begin to imagine their own place in a world shaped by altered weather patterns, rising sea levels, and people on the move.

Each unit comprises a narrative discussion and 2-3 interactive or creative activities, including role-plays and debates, scavenger hunts, research reports, and creative writing exercises. Activities involve work with historical documents, contemporary data sets, journalistic accounts, scientific research abstracts, and interactive maps. Students move fluidly and confidently between different knowledge-production frameworks and learn to identify trustworthy sources of information. Throughout, critical thinking and Social and Emotional Learning skills are prioritized, allowing students to continually relate the materials they encounter to their prior knowledge and their own lived experiences. All activities can be carried out at the Center, during scheduled field trips funded by the Connect-Kids-To-Parks program, or used in classrooms.

“We are excited to weave this new curriculum into our existing International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, Regents, and elective science courses,” said Cristie Tursi, Science Director of Long Beach Public Schools. “We look forward to a continued partnership and making the Center’s resources an integral part of Long Beach Public Schools’ growing program in Environmental Education and Sustainability.” Kimberly Williams, New York State Master Teacher in Science, celebrated the curriculum for having “something for everyone who wants to help foster their students' curiosity and drive. It offers a fantastic guide for educators who need to learn with their students! The fun, creative, hands-on activities can be easily tailored for a variety of learners whether at the Center, at home, or in the classroom.”

“By bringing together history, environmental conservation, and energy, Energy & Us will increase the capacity of the Center to achieve its mission of educating and inspiring the public about environmental stewardship and responsible energy consumption,” said Jeanne Haffner, Director and Chief Curator.

Energy & Us was developed by Olivia Schwob, formerly a member of Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center Curatorial Team, in collaboration with Dr. Jeanne Haffner, Director and Chief Curator of the Center, as well as volunteer teacher advisors from Long Beach Public Schools, Roosevelt Public Schools, Freeport Public Schools, the New York State Master Teachers Program, and the New York State Marine Education Association. The development of the curriculum was supported by a generous grant from the Rauch Foundation, which also sponsors ongoing exhibitions and programming at the Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center. In a public talk at the Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center on January 22, 2022, at 11:00AM, Olivia Schwob will discuss the making of the curriculum. The Center will use Energy & Us to launch a Teacher’s Academy in summer and fall 2022, offering professional development programs for educators across Long Island and New York State.

NEW YORK STATE’S BROWNFIELD CLEANUP PROGRAM MARKS SUCCESSFUL YEAR IN 2021

 

State Cleanup Program Continues to Advance Comprehensive Cleanups and Economic Redevelopment Statewide

42 Cleanups Completed in 2021, 90 New Sites Accepted into BCP

 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today celebrated another year of successful environmental cleanups as part of the State’s Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP). In 2021, DEC issued a total of 42 Certificates of Completion and accepted 90 new sites into the program, helping to protect public health and the environment across New York State while revitalizing neighborhoods and strengthening local economies.

“New York’s Brownfield Cleanup Program is a powerful tool transforming former industrial properties across the state, improving quality of life, and revitalizing communities,” Commissioner Seggos said. “With site visits to cleanups from Buffalo to Long Island, I’ve seen first-hand just how valuable this program is for New York. During 2021, DEC’s Brownfield Cleanup Program completed 42 cleanups and accepted 90 new sites into the program. With Governor Kathy Hochul’s leadership, DEC is bolstering our commitment to restore, redevelop, and revitalize abandoned and underutilized properties in even more neighborhoods, particularly in communities historically overburdened by environmental pollution.”

In her 2022 State of the State Agenda and 2022-2023 Executive Budget, Governor Kathy Hochul proposed to build upon the success of New York State’s BCP by extending and expanding the program, which is set to expire in December 2022. The proposal, which includes the 10-year extension, would reauthorize the program and improve it by making property tax credits available in certain disadvantaged, low-income communities, and providing credits for the development of certain renewable energy facility sites to help focus BCP-driven redevelopment and meet the State’s ambitious climate goals. Governor Hochul also plans to grow the State’s Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) program, which provides communities with guidance, expertise, and financial assistance to help develop revitalization strategies for areas affected by urban blight or economic distress. For more information about the BCP, visit https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8450.html.

“The Brownfield Cleanup Program continues to transform communities from blight to economic and environmentally sustainable areas across the state,” said Acting Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez. “Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, we will continue to redevelop and revitalize these underutilized and dormant areas and continue to make our communities stronger.”

New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, "The Brownfield Cleanup Program is a critical tool in the fight to remove blight and decay from communities, safeguard the environment, and transform contaminated sites into high quality neighborhood assets and affordable homes.  I commend Governor Hochul for embracing the tremendous potential of the Brownfield Cleanup Program and working to expand its reach. By growing and improving the program, we can make sure it revitalizes more communities across New York and returns distressed properties to productive use.”

DEC oversees New York State’s BCP, which encourages the voluntary cleanup of contaminated properties known as “brownfields,” so these sites can be redeveloped and returned to productive use. A brownfield site is any real property where a contaminant is present at levels exceeding health-based or environmental standards or applicable cleanup objectives based on the anticipated future use of the property. The program encourages private-sector cleanups of brownfields and promotes redevelopment of these sites as a means to revitalize communities. Site uses many include recreation, housing, business, or other uses. The BCP is a sustainable alternative to greenfield development and helps remove barriers to, and provide tax incentives for, the redevelopment of urban brownfields.

Since its inception in 2003, DEC has approved 1,156 applications to the program, and to date, the State has issued Certificates of Completion (COCs) to 543 formerly contaminated properties statewide. DEC issues COCs based on its review of the Final Engineering Report, which certifies the remediation work performed by the applicants meets cleanup requirements for the protection of public health and the environment. The COC triggers the availability of tax credits for eligible parties and also allows the certificate holder to redevelop the site, subject to certain restrictions, if applicable.

Some completed BCP projects are located in the New York Department of State's Brownfield Opportunity Areas. The BCP and BOA programs complement one another and, along with DEC partners including the State Department of Health and State Office of Homes and Community Renewal, help transform former industrial sites into community assets that support businesses, jobs, and revenue for local economies, as well as new housing opportunities and public amenities.

In addition, in December 2021, DEC proposed changes to the BCP, State Superfund, and other cleanup program regulations. This rulemaking would create new cleanup standards for the oversight of the emerging contaminants perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanoic sulfonate (PFOS), and strengthen the implementation of cleanups. To comment on the proposed regulations or attend one of the two virtual hearings on the draft rulemaking, go to https://www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/101908.html. The public comment period on the proposed changes ends on April 21, 2022.

For more information on the BCP, visit DEC's BCP webpage. A list of sites that have been completed and issued a COC in New York can be found at the New York State Open Data website.