Feed

Law & Order

By Colin Campbell 11/15/12 4:02pm

Law & Order

(Photo: Getty)

Attorney General Goes After Price-Gouging Gas Stations

As several gas station owners are about to learn, it’s against New York State law to jack up the price of goods like fuel after a hurricane. To wit, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced he is bringing his “first series of enforcement actions” against price gougers in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

“Today’s action is the first in a series of steps my office will take as we continue to actively investigate the hundreds of complaints we’ve received from consumers of businesses preying on victims of Hurricane Sandy,” the attorney general said in a statement. “We will do everything we can to stop unscrupulous individuals from taking advantage of New Yorkers trying to rebuild their lives.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 11/12/12 7:20pm

Law & Order

photo-15

The Case Against John Liu’s Campaign Begins

This afternoon, just as comptroller and likely 2013 mayoral candidate John Liu appeared alongside Mayor Michael Bloomberg at a press conference discussing the post-Sandy state of the city’s finances, legal arguments got underway this afternoon in the trial of his supporter Xing Wu “Oliver” Pan and his young campaign treasurer Jia “Jenny” Hou, who are being accused of participating in a conspiracy to direct illegal contributions to Mr. Liu’s war chest. In the courtroom today, Judge Richard Sullivan rejected four pre-trial motions requested by Mr. Pan and Ms. Hou’s attorneys and ordered the trial to begin as scheduled February 4.  Read More

By Hunter Walker 10/31/12 10:04pm

Law & Order

Christine Quinn (Photo: Getty)

Christine Quinn Has Harsh Words For Storm Looters

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, there have been mounting reports and rumors of people taking advantage of the chaos and power outages created by the storm to loot abandoned buildings. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn wants these criminals to face exceptionally harsh punishment. Politicker saw Ms. Quinn in Coney Island today as she spoke to reporters after surveying the damage. Ms. Quinn said people need to “do the right thing” and should face very tough consequences if they don’t. Read More

By Hunter Walker 10/24/12 12:32pm

Law & Order

Preet Bharara and Mayor Blooomberg

Queens District Leader Arrested For Alleged Straw Donor Scheme

This morning, Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District, announced multiple charges relating to an alleged campaign finance scheme against Albert Baldeo, a Democratic district leader in Queens. Mr. Baldeo, who surrendered to law enforcement this morning, is being accused of using a system of “straw donors” to fill his campaign coffers for his unsuccessful 2010 City Council campaign with “funds drawn from his own bank account disguised as donations from others.” He is also being charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly telling instructing the straw donors to give false information and say the donations were made with their money when FBI agents began investigating his campaign finances. In a statement accompanying the announcement, Mr. Bharara characterized the charges against Mr. Baldeo as proof his office will be continue to be aggressive in pursuing corruption investigations, something which he has earned a reputation for since being sworn in as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District in 2009. Read More

By Colin Campbell 10/10/12 11:58am

Law & Order

Ken Thompson (Photo: Facebook)

DSK Accuser’s Attorney Plows Ahead With Political Campaign

Ken Thompson, the lawyer who represented the sexual assault accuser of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, appears to be quickly moving forward with his campaign against incumbent Brooklyn District Attorney Joe Hynes. Last week, Capital New York reported Mr. Thompson was “considering” the move, and today, he registered a campaign committee that will serve as a fundraising vehicle for the run. Read More

By Hunter Walker 9/24/12 1:09pm

Law & Order

A still from the Occupy Wall Street raid video released by someone claiming to be affiliated with Anonymous. (Photo: YouTube)

NYPD Says Anonymous’ Occupy Raid Footage Was Not Leaked From the Department

On Sunday, someone claiming to be affiliated with the hacker activist group Anonymous, released a two minute clip containing footage of last November’s eviction of the Occupy Wall Street encampment in Zuccotti Park that they said was obtained from the NYPD’s Technical Assistance Response Unit. While the clip has widely been covered as having been “leaked” from the police, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Paul Browne told Politicker the clip was ‘not ‘leaked” and may have been a combination of footage from television news cameras, public court records and even possibly from the occupiers themselves. Read More

By Hunter Walker 9/19/12 10:33pm

Law & Order

Police arresting Occupy Wall Street protesters during Monday's anniversary demonstrations. (Photo: Getty)

Occupy Organizers Say NYPD Targeted and Arrested Key Leaders Before Anniversary Protest

According to multiple people who have been involved with planning and executing Occupy Wall Street protests the New York City Police Department targeted key organizers for arrests in advance of Monday’s Occupy anniversary demonstrations. These arrests may have prevented the movement from, for the first time, presenting a focused, single message at the center of the protests. Read More

By Hunter Walker 8/24/12 9:25am

Law & Order

Times photographer Robert Stolarik and a police officer at an Occupy Wall Street protest last December. (Photo: YouTube)

NYPD Returns Press Credentials to Photographer After His Arrest

New York Times freelancer Robert Stolarik was arrested and allegedly beaten by the NYPD on August 4 while taking pictures for the paper in the Bronx. Yesterday, the police department gave Mr. Stolarik back his press credential, which was taken at the time of his arrest. The National Press Photographers Association, which has had its general counsel, Mickey Osterreicher, working with Times lawyers and negotiating with the NYPD on Mr. Stolarik’s behalf announced the return of his press pass in a blog post.

“We are very appreciative that the NYPD reconsidered their position with regard to the return of Robert’s credentials but still believe it is unfortunate that they were taken in the first place and we will work very diligently to see that the charges are dismissed,” Mr. Osterreicher said. Read More

By Hunter Walker 8/21/12 7:11pm

Law & Order

The logo of one of Tampa's many adult establishments. (Photo: PinkPonyTampa.com)

Tampa Police Bust 16 Would-Be Prostitutes in RNC Sting

With Republicans and sex workers flocking to next week’s Republican National Convention, police officers in Tampa conducted a two day undercover sting to bust strippers selling sexual favors at the city’s many adult entertainment venues. According to a press release issued by the Tampa police department, the strip club sting was launched “as a result of information that prostitutes may be coming into Tampa to work in adult establishments during the RNC.” Read More