Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

New York's Attorney General is fighting back against the “Grandparent Scam.” This is the scam when a caller claims to be a person’s grandchild and is in some kind of emergency situation that requires money. For example, the person has been arrested and needs bail money or his car has broken down and needs money for repairs. Today, Eric Schneiderman announced the “Grandkids Against the Grandparent Scam” initiative that encourages high school students to talk to their grandparents about the scam. The program provides the students with specifics about how the scam works, and an informational brochure to share with their parents and grandparents. Among other tips, the brochure offers students a script to warn their grandparents about this dangerous scam: “When I go off to college, someone may call you and pretend to be me. The caller will say he’s in trouble and needs you to wire money fast. He’ll ask you to keep it a secret, and to not say anything to my parents. This is a scam....

HARRISBURG - Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane and New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the creation of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Heroin Task Force (NEMA-HTF), a multi-state heroin task force that will marshal the resources of top law enforcement officers across Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. In addition to New York and Pennsylvania, which will co-chair the effort, New Jersey and Massachusetts have also joined the coalition; additional states are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. NEMA HTF will bring together state attorneys general in an unprecedented law-enforcement collaboration to combat the growing problem of heroin distribution and abuse in communities throughout the region. In the last two years, over 98% of the large-scale heroin trafficking cases prosecuted by the New York Attorney General’s Office have involved heroin flowing between New York and either Pennsylvania, New Jersey or Massachusetts. “For too long, drug organizat...

A state judge has dismissed two lawsuits challenging New York’s delay in finishing its health and environmental analysis of the potential impact of fracking in the state. Supreme Court Justice Roger McDonough dismissed both lawsuits, a move state attorney general Eric Schneiderman says is “an important victory in our effort to ensure all New Yorkers have safe water to drink and a clean, healthy environment.” The lawsuits claimed the Department of Environmental Conservation had abused its discretion in delaying completion of its environmental review, which began in July 2008. The suits were filed on behalf of the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Casella Waste Systems has agreed to a list of reforms after the company was found to be in violation of New York State’s antitrust laws. State attorney General Eric Schneiderman says Casella unlawfully restrained competition through its restrictive contracting practices. The contracts under question involved the collection and disposal of solid waste from dumpsters. The Vermont-based waste management company does business across New York State, but is especially prevalent in Cattaraugus Chautauqua and Allegany counties. The company also operates in several places in Pennsylvania, including McKean County. One of the instances Schneiderman pointed out was that contracts required that the company serve as the exclusive provider to all customers’ waste hauling services for five years. Early termination of the contracts would result in customers paying up to six times the amount of their monthly bill. Besides the reforms, Casella also has to pay a $100,000 penalty to the state. The...

32 people, including a Jamestown man, have been charged with running a drug ring that brought heroin and cocaine into western New York. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and State Police Superintendent Joseph D’Amico announced this afternoon that a 13-month investigation known as “Operation Crazy Train” dismantled the operation. The suspects were arrested during a series of overnight raids. Bryan Moore is the Jamestown man who was arrested. Schneiderman says over the course of the investigation authorities seized nearly $1 million worth of heroin, several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of cocaine and tens of thousands of dollars in cash. Pictured, New York State Police Superintendent Joseph A. D'Amico (right) with Canine Handler Trooper Eric Harper and K9 J.D., who played a major role in the operation. This is police dog appreciation week. New York State Police photo The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

(News Release) NEW YORK – The following can be attributed to Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman regarding Target’s decision to provide free credit monitoring services to all potential New York victims of this week’s announced data breach, at the urging of the Attorney General’s Office. “Following the news this week of a massive breach of personal financial data belonging to millions of Target shoppers, I urged Target to offer affected New Yorkers one year of free credit monitoring to ensure they are not victims of identity theft. I’m pleased to report that, just a short time ago, Target agreed to our request. "We urge shoppers to take advantage of this offer, and exercise additional precaution to ensure their identities and personal accounts are protected. In the coming days and weeks, I will continue to use every power at my disposal to determine the extent of this breach and help holiday shoppers protect themselves from the potential consequences of this incident and any i...

A settlement has been reached in the case of the man who practiced medicine without a license in Wellsville, and illegally billed Medicaid for his services. 53-year-old Anthony Hudson of Dearborn, Michigan, was sentenced earlier this week to a year in jail and was ordered to pay more than $20,000 in restitution. Today’s settlement says he must repay $300,000 for the Medicaid payments made to him and other healthcare providers for services he provided and ordered between December 1, 2009, and May 7, 2010. A wrongful death civil lawsuit is still going on regarding the case of a 5-year-old Wellsville girl who died shortly after being treated by Hudson. “No matter how elaborate the lie or cunning the criminal, those who attempt to defraud the healthcare system in our state will be brought to justice,” said Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. “Misrepresentation of one’s credentials as a medical professional to make money is a detriment to taxpayers and dangerous to patients. My offic...

ALBANY – Following a statewide undercover investigation, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced that his office has reached agreements with 23 gun show operators across the state to follow the "Model Gun Show Procedures" developed by the Attorney General's Office to promote uniform gun show operations across the state, including a rule that ensures all guns brought into the gun show by private sellers are tagged so that, upon exiting, the operator can determine if guns were sold and that a proper background check was performed. These 23 operators oversee more than 50 currently scheduled shows and gun auctions in New York this year, which represents over 80% of the shows in the state. Five more operators are reviewing the procedures and are also expected to adopt them. The process is ongoing, with the goal of universal adoption of the procedures in the state by the end of this year. “Gun violence is everyone's concern, and I’m proud that we’ve wo...

Niagara Falls, NY -- The Niagara Preservation Coalition (NPC), a not-for-profit organization comprised of Niagara-Falls-area citizens alarmed over a controversial "re-calculated" tourism ferry boat contract that it says would damage the local environment, destroy one of the most significant historical artifacts left in New York State, and cheat taxpayers out of up to $100 million in revenue, today called upon State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to investigate the contract process. At issue is a no-bid state contract NPC says is "being rushed through to the benefit of Niagara Falls ferry boat operator 'Maid of the Mist.' which plans to raze or alter a significant portion of the Schoellkopf Power Station, an historic waterfront property that was in the process of being granted federal landmark status as recently as 12 months ago for its cultural and archaeological significance due to its importance in the history of ...

NEW YORK - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced today that his office has filed a lawsuit against two companies for illegally selling contraband cigarettes without paying the required state excise taxes. The lawsuit, which is the result of an ongoing investigation into contraband cigarette sales across the state, was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York against Grand River Enterprises based on Six Nations land in Ohsweken, Ontario and its wholesaler, Native Wholesale Supply, located in Perrysburg, New York. The lawsuit charges that Grand River Enterprises avoided state taxes by illegally selling its products to Native Wholesale Supply instead of a New York State licensed stamping agent who would prepay the New York State cigarette excise tax and affix the state tax stamp, as required under the law. During the eight month period from November 2011 to July 2012, Native Wholesale Supply paid $85 million to Grand River Enterprises for its cigare...

At just aftern 5 o'clock this afternoon New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into a law a new package of gun regulations to fortify the state's existing assault weapons ban, limit the number of bullets in magazines and strengthen rules that keep the mentally ill from owning firearms. The measure is the nation's first gun-control bill since last month's school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. State Senator Cathy Young voted against the measure saying it goes too far in penalizing law-abiding gun owners who are not part of the problem, and doesn't go far enough to address the root causes of violent crimes. She says untreated mental illness of those who are dangerous is not adepquately addressed. Young says while she's glad parts of Kendra's Law were passed, too many people will still fall through the cracks and there will be more victims as a result. Kendra’s Law allows for court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment for mentally ill people who won’t ...

New York State and the Allegany County Board of Elections have come to an agreement that will help ensure that polling sites meeting state and federal accessibility requirements. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said today that Census data indicates about 12 percent of people over the age of 18 in Allegany County have disabilities, a figure higher than the state average. Today’s agreement says the Board of Elections is required to designate an On-Site Accessibility Coordinator at each polling site in the county; train all poll workers on state and federal accessibility requirements; and work to eliminate barriers that are inconsistent with federal accessibility guidelines. Read more about the agreement here . PDF The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

New York and six other states say they plan to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over methane emissions from oil and gas drilling. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says in a news release issued today that the EPA is violating the Clean Air Act by not addressing the emissions. Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont joined New York in sending a required 60-day notice to EPA. You can read the notice of intent to sue here . ( PDF ) The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The New York attorney general’s office has reached an agreement with a Chautauqua County gun show operator to implement new procedures at their shows. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced today that Niagara Frontier Collectors, along with NEACA in Saratoga County, agreed to establish procedures that go beyond the requirements of the state’s Gun Show Law, including a process that ensures all guns brought into the shows by private sellers are tagged so, when leaving, the operator can determine if guns were sold and that a proper background check was performed. The agreements follow an undercover investigation by the AG’s office. During a news conference in Buffalo this morning, Schneiderman said, "Our investigation demonstrated how the 'off the books' sale of guns presents a great risk to public safety. This agreement builds upon our work by holding gun show operators responsible for the purchases made at their events.” "Gun violence is an epidemic,” Schneide...

NEW YORK – The following statement can be attributed to Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman regarding today’s ruling by the New York State Court of Appeals to deny a motion to appeal the Marriage Equality Act. The Attorney General’s Office defended the State law in this case. “Today another barrier has been overcome in the struggle for full equality for gay and lesbian New Yorkers. The New York State Court of Appeals sided with my office in a rejecting a challenge to the Marriage Equality Act. With this ruling by our state’s highest court, same sex couples can now have peace of mind that this legal challenge to their marriages has been laid to rest. The struggle to secure federal recognition of all New York marriages continues, but today’s decision is an important victory for equal justice. My office will keep fighting every day to defend the fundamental guarantee of equal protection of the law for all New Yorkers.” The case was handled by Assistant Solicitor General Victor P...

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has released the following statement regarding the shooting of nine people outside of the Empire State Building this morning: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims of today’s tragic shootings and their families. For those of us in government, and in law enforcement, the news of yet another mass shooting so close on the heels of the massacres at the Sikh temple in Wisconsin, and in Aurora, Colorado, should make it crystal clear that our current laws have failed to protect the public from gun violence. We must redouble our efforts to protect public safety so that New Yorkers don’t have to live in fear of the next deadly attack.” For updates go to http://www.nbcnews.com/ The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

BUFFALO – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced that 24 individuals have been arrested on narcotics trafficking charges in connection with drug distribution networks in Erie, Allegany, Cattaraugus and Genesee Counties. Today’s two indictments are the result of an investigation known as “Operation Babcock” run by the Attorney General Schneiderman's Organized Crime Task Force and the New York State Police's Community Narcotics Enforcement Team (C-NET) unit. Babcock is the nickname of a neighborhood in South Buffalo where much of the investigation took place. Attorney General Schneiderman's office is prosecuting the 24 individuals who participated in two separate cocaine distribution networks centered in and around the Buffalo area. During the course of this investigation, several kilograms of cocaine, and approximately $58,500 in cash were seized. "Operation Babcock has led to the arrests of dozens of individuals who infiltrated the streets of Western N...

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today issued the following statement on the agreement to restore MSG Networks’ programming to Time Warner Cable customers. “Our office has worked diligently with Time Warner Cable and MSG Networks over the last month to bring about a resolution to their dispute. We are pleased that both parties have reached an agreement that will finally allow Knicks, Rangers, and Sabres fans to enjoy the rest of this season’s games.” The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman today launched a new website, “Share Your I-STOP Story,” that showcases personal stories from New Yorkers who have been impacted by the growing epidemic of prescription drug abuse. As momentum builds for legislative action to address the problem, the site urges doctors, pharmacists, addiction sufferers and their families to put a human face on the issue, and help persuade state lawmakers to pass Schneiderman’s Internet System for Tracking Overprescribing (I-STOP) plan aimed at reining in prescription drug abuse. I-STOP connects doctors and pharmacists to a real time, online database that tracks the prescribing and dispensing of frequently abused narcotics. “Numbers and statistics are important, but at the end of the day, the prescription drug crisis is about people,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “The firsthand experiences of doctors, pharmacists, patients and family members prove that the status quo is not tenable. You can’t read these stories ...

Amid New York’s growing prescription drug epidemic, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today endorsed Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman’s legislation to create an online database to report and track certain controlled substances. Support from Senator Gillibrand follows the recent release of a report from the Attorney General detailing the growing prescription drug abuse crisis in every corner of New York State. Statewide, the number of prescriptions for all narcotic painkillers has increased by six million, from 16.6 million in 2007 to nearly 22.5 million in 2010. “Abuse of addictive painkillers has increased drastically in the last decade, but our state’s regulation and monitoring of these powerful drugs has not kept up,” said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “I strongly support Attorney General Schneiderman’s I-STOP bill, which would help to rein in doctor shopping, prevent the use of forged prescriptions, and identify patients in need of addiction treatment. It’s the right solution...