Convictions keep coming in investigations of darknet sites
Criminal Defense
Kirk Cottom, 45, of Rochester, New York, was sentenced to six years in prison for accessing child pornography. He previously pleaded guilty to the charges on August 3, 2015. Cottom is the 19th man to be convicted of child pornography-related charges stemming from an FBI investigation into websites residing on the so-called “darknet.” The darknet…
Case combining hacking and securities fraud may be first, but certainly not last
Criminal Defense
A Georgia man pleaded guilty in what authorities say is the first criminal securities fraud case involving information obtained by computer hacking. Alexander Garkusha, a real estate developer, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a Brooklyn federal courtroom on a recent Monday. He admitted to obtaining corporate press releases from distribution services…
White-collar crime on the rise among street gangs
Criminal Defense
A recent Associated Press (AP) article highlights a shift in money-making schemes for young street gangs — away from violent crime and drug sales in favor of white-collar fraud. New York’s Van Dyke Money Gang used a Western Union money order scheme to net more than $1.5 million in 2015, the article says. The Neighborhood…
Multiple child pornography charges for Nassau County man
Criminal Defense
After allegedly uploading a number of child pornography images to Twitter, Matthew Kerniss of Valley Stream was arrested on a recent Thursday. Police say that in March, April and May of 2015, Nassau County detectives received tips on the alleged activity from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A subsequent investigation by Nassau…