Told the new york times

Over the past dozen years, Sanford Solny has built a New York real estate empire, snatching up small residential buildings across the city that churn out hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent. His portfolio would be enviable but for one thing — much of it, prosecutors and homeowners contend, was stolen. In criminal charges and lawsuits, they have accused him of fraud: offering to help homeowners facing foreclosure by arranging to pay off their mortgages, while actually tricking them into signing over their buildings at bargain-basement prices. In nearly every case, the mortgage was never paid, leaving the homeowner with no property but a pile of debt. The practice is known as deed theft , and as city and state officials promised to crack down on it, they homed in on Mr. Solny. The Brooklyn district attorney, whose office has charged him with taking the homes of seven families, called his behavior “despicable.” In Queens, prosecutors accused Mr. Solny and his associates of … [Read more...] about He Runs a New York Real Estate Empire. Did He Steal It?

Over the course of the next few weeks, a jury in New York will hear the story of a South African crime lord who dealt in guns and gold and the team of former military men he hired to do his dirty work. The panel may be told about a smuggling ship that sank one day in the waters off Manila or of plans to stage a rebellion in the Seychelles. There is likely to be testimony about safe houses in Africa, illegal pain pills trafficked out of Mexico and the murder of a Filipino woman who was shot in the face and then dumped from a van. Three men go on trial this week on charges connected to the murder, and the evidence is expected to tell a tale of international intrigue — one that resembles a James Bond movie, as one of the defendants was caught saying on a government recording. With its exotic locations and cast of violent characters, the trial, in Federal District Court in Manhattan, will also provide the jurors with a privileged glimpse of a rarely seen milieu: the covert world of … [Read more...] about New York Trial Will Explore the Secret World of Mercenary Soldiers

Several defendants face charges in connection with murders and robberies at Manhattan bars that terrorized the city’s gay community, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. The homicides last spring drew wide attention to a danger that has long stalked New York's nightlife: the use of easily obtainable drugs to incapacitate, rob and sometimes kill. John Umberger, 33, and Julio Ramirez, 25, were killed after they left bars in Hell’s Kitchen in what the medical examiner’s office ruled were murders committed in the course of “drug-facilitated theft.” After they died, the families of both men discovered that large amounts of money had been stolen from their financial accounts. Their assailants had unlocked their phones using facial recognition. As public knowledge of the killings grew, more victims came forward to say they too had been drugged at gay bars in New York, and then robbed and left for dead. The police department has said it is investigating a … [Read more...] about Several Face Charges in Killings of Gay Men Who Were Drugged and Robbed

A former Army sergeant with the nickname Rambo pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiring to murder a federal drug agent and another man, in what the government has said was his post-military role as a contract killer. The former sergeant, Joseph M. Hunter, 49, who had been a sniper instructor, was arrested in 2013 after he and two other men were ensnared in a sting operation in which they agreed to kill an agent of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and one of the agency’s confidential informers for $800,000. During the sting operation, Mr. Hunter met with two government informers who were posing as Colombian drug traffickers and who discussed the possibility of Mr. Hunter’s serving as the head of security for their organization, a federal indictment charged. Mr. Hunter later told other men he had recruited that they would be working for a Colombian cartel and “could expect to ‘see tons of cocaine and millions of dollars,’ ” the indictment said. In May … [Read more...] about Former Army Sniper Pleads Guilty in Murder-for-Hire Conspiracy

A former United States Army sergeant with the nickname Rambo who led a team to kill a federal drug agent and a government informer was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday in Manhattan. The Army veteran, Joseph M. Hunter, 51, had worked as a sniper instructor and senior drill sergeant and was honorably discharged in 2004 after two decades. But a few years later, prosecutors said, he went to work as a mercenary for a shadowy South African businessman, helping to orchestrate murders and other violence before becoming ensnared in a sting operation run by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. In late 2012, as part of the sting operation, Mr. Hunter began assembling a security team for what he had been led to believe were Colombian narcotics traffickers but were actually confidential sources working under the direction of the D.E.A., the government has said. The following March, he told team members that they would have the opportunity to do “bonus work” — that is, … [Read more...] about Ex-Army Sniper Gets 20-Year Sentence in Murder-for-Hire Scheme

His nickname was Rambo. He was a sergeant in the Army, and he trained soldiers to be snipers. But after leaving the military in 2004, the authorities say, he put his skills to work in a less honorable way: earning a living as a contract killer. This past spring, the onetime sergeant, Joseph Hunter, 48, and two other former soldiers agreed to murder an agent of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and one of that agency’s confidential informers, both in Liberia, for a total of $800,000, federal prosecutors said on Friday in Manhattan. The plot had been proposed by men who held themselves out as Colombian drug traffickers, an indictment says. “My guys will handle it,” Mr. Hunter wrote in an e-mail on May 30, responding to a question as to whether his team would be willing to carry out the killings, the indictment charges. In fact, the authorities said, the purported drug traffickers were confidential sources for the D.E.A. and part of an undercover sting … [Read more...] about Ex-Soldier Became Contract Killer, Authorities Say

Former President Donald Trump is facing a possible indictment in connection with his involvement in an alleged hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign. Close attention is on the Manhattan grand jury's schedule in the case, with speculation growing that an indictment could come this week. However, in Florida the Palm Beach County state attorney said that people are reading too much into the grand jury's schedule. A Manhattan grand jury considering evidence related to Donald Trump 's alleged hush money payment to an adult film star won't meet Wednesday , which has generated online speculation about when a possible indictment could be issued. The former president has been investigated by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in the case, which concerns a payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels of $130,000 during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has denied all the allegations, including Daniels' claim that they had an … [Read more...] about Grand jury schedule sparks new speculation about Trump indictment

A lawyer for Donald Trump has claimed the hush money investigation into him is "dead," one week from the day the former president claimed he would be arrested as part of the probe. Trump attorney Lindsey Halligan told Newsmax that the "weak" case against the former president is ending with no indictment for the Republican. Halligan's claim appeared to be more of a suggestion rather than an indication from authorities, adding that if Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg 's inquiry is not "dead" then "it should be." Trump made an uncorroborated claim that he would be arrested in New York on Tuesday, March 21 , as part of the investigation into whether the $130,000 he arranged to be paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep an alleged affair the pair had a secret before the 2016 election amounted to a campaign violation. Trump has denied any wrongdoing, and denies having an affair with Daniels in 2006. It is widely believed that a grand jury in New York who have … [Read more...] about Trump lawyer claims hush money probe is “dead” as investigation continues

Paul Le Roux, one of the world’s least known but most prodigious criminals, emerged from the shadows this week and testified for the first time about the myriad illegal schemes he committed in his 20-year career on the wrong side of the law. In a spellbinding two-day turn as a prosecution witness, Mr. Le Roux confessed to an astonishing array of crimes. He said he had once sold missile technology to Iran, shipped guns from Indonesia, and trafficked methamphetamines out of North Korea. He calmly told a jury in New York that he had taken part in at least five murders. With a businesslike demeanor, he admitted not only to arming a 200-man militia in Somalia but also to hatching plans to use mercenaries to overthrow the government of the Seychelles. When a prosecutor asked what he had smuggled over the years, Mr. Le Roux responded without affect: “Cash, chemicals, drugs and gold.” He said that he had also smuggled weapons and when asked to whom, he answered: “Rebels, warlords, … [Read more...] about In Spellbinding Testimony, Crime Lord Details Mayhem and Murders

The arrest last week of a former CIA officer suspected of spying for China exposed one of the most significant intelligence breaches in American history. But the damage is even worse than first reported, sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News. A secret FBI–CIA task force investigating the case concluded that the Chinese government penetrated the CIA's method of clandestine communication with its spies, using that knowledge to arrest and execute at least 20 CIA informants, according to multiple current and former government officials. American officials suspect China then shared that information with Russia, which employed it to expose, arrest and possibly even kill American spies in that country, said the current and former officials, who declined to be named discussing a highly sensitive matter. The possible sharing with Russia has not previously been reported. Ex-CIA officer Jerry Chun Shing Lee suspected of spying for China … [Read more...] about Alleged CIA China turncoat Lee may have compromised U.S. spies in Russia too