Dead Passengers, Fake Drivers: NJ Woman, Colombian Lover's $13M Scheme Unravels Dead Passengers, Fake Drivers: NJ Woman, Colombian Lover's $13M Scheme Unravels Dead Passengers, Fake Drivers: NJ Woman, Colombian Lover's $13M Scheme Unravels
Dead Passengers, Fake Drivers: NJ Woman, Colombian Lover's $13M Scheme Unravels Some of the passengers were dead. Some of the drivers had never driven a car. But a New Jersey woman and her Colombian lover apparently had no trouble taking taxpayers for a ride. For years, prosecutors say, Jael Watts, 45, of Alloway, operated Pearl Transit Corporation, a New Jersey-based company that purported to have drivers scattered across the country giving rides to elderly and disabled people while also conducting outreach for homeless Americans. Watts and Luis Pino-Copete, 42, of Bogota, Colombia, were convicted following a multi-week federal trial in Utica of orchestrating a spraw…
Fashion CEO, Wife Found Shot Dead Outside California Residence Fashion CEO, Wife Found Shot Dead Outside California Residence Fashion CEO, Wife Found Shot Dead Outside California Residence
Fashion CEO, Wife Found Shot Dead Outside California Residence A fashion company CEO and his wife were found shot dead outside their California home, according to multiple reports. Neighbors identified the couple as Bryan and Michelle Walker, who built the women’s clothing brand, Bryn Walker.  They were found outside their home on Panoramic Way in Oakland, California, on Friday, Oct. 2, The Berkeley Scanner reported. Police had not publicly released their names when the Scanner published its report. Michelle was 63. Reports differed on Bryan’s age. A neighbor who heard gunfire discovered the couple around 10:45 a.m., according to the Scanner, ci…
Fake Federal Agents Steal $6.5M In National Fraud; Victims Didn't Know They Were Scammed Fake Federal Agents Steal $6.5M In National Fraud; Victims Didn't Know They Were Scammed Fake Federal Agents Steal $6.5M In National Fraud; Victims Didn't Know They Were Scammed
Fake Federal Agents Steal $6.5M In National Fraud; Victims Didn't Know They Were Scammed Two more victims of a nationwide gold scam involving fake federal agents had no idea they had been swindled until troopers contacted them, Pennsylvania State Police announced on Friday, Oct. 2. The scheme has been linked to approximately $6.5 million in losses across the country, with victims identified in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington State, according to police. The releases do not say whether the newly detailed losses are already included in that figure. “There are victims that are completely unaware that they are even victims,” Trooper Lauren Lesher wrote in an email to Daily Vo…
Former Yale Football Coach Tony Reno Dies At 52 After Lengthy Illness Former Yale Football Coach Tony Reno Dies At 52 After Lengthy Illness Former Yale Football Coach Tony Reno Dies At 52 After Lengthy Illness
Former Yale Football Coach Tony Reno Dies At 52 After Lengthy Illness Tony Reno, the coach who guided Yale football to five Ivy League championships, has died at 52, the university’s athletic director announced on Friday, Oct. 2.  Reno stepped down for health reasons in February. He had been living with a neurodegenerative disease since August 2025.  Even as his health declined, Reno coached the Bulldogs through every game of the 2025 season. Yale won another Ivy League title and reached the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. His loss reaches beyond the sidelines in New Haven. His son, Dante, serves as Yale’s starting quarterback. Re…
Mass Men Avoid Prison After Setting Off Blast Inside Harvard Medical School Mass Men Avoid Prison After Setting Off Blast Inside Harvard Medical School Mass Men Avoid Prison After Setting Off Blast Inside Harvard Medical School
Mass Men Avoid Prison After Setting Off Blast Inside Harvard Medical School Two Massachusetts men received probation after admitting to setting off an explosion inside a Harvard Medical School research lab.  Logan David Patterson, 19, of Plymouth, and Dominick Frank Cardoza, 21, of Bourne, set off a large commercial firework that triggered a fire alarm at the school’s Goldenson Building in Boston around 2:45 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2025, federal prosecutors said. US District Judge Angel Kelley sentenced each man to three years of probation. She also ordered them to pay $28,517 in restitution to the medical school. Both men pleaded guilty in April 2026 to conspir…
Reading Woman Admits Stealing $60K From Federal Union To Cover Meals, Clothes, Dance Lessons Reading Woman Admits Stealing $60K From Federal Union To Cover Meals, Clothes, Dance Lessons Reading Woman Admits Stealing $60K From Federal Union To Cover Meals, Clothes, Dance Lessons
Reading Woman Admits Stealing $60K From Federal Union To Cover Meals, Clothes, Dance Lessons A Massachusetts woman who managed a federal workers’ union’s finances stole more than $60,000 from its accounts to cover personal spending, including meals, clothes and dance lessons. Carol A. Aguja, 55, of Reading, pleaded guilty Thursday, Oct. 1, to wire fraud in federal court in Boston, the US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts said. Federal prosecutors charged Aguja in August 2026. The theft targeted American Federation of Government Employees Local 38. The union represented US Citizenship and Immigration Services employees living in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Ham…
Special Prosecutor Named In Cornell Fraternity Gang Rape Investigation Special Prosecutor Named In Cornell Fraternity Gang Rape Investigation Special Prosecutor Named In Cornell Fraternity Gang Rape Investigation
Special Prosecutor Named In Cornell Fraternity Gang Rape Investigation New York Attorney General Letitia James is taking over the criminal investigation after members of a Cornell University fraternity were accused of a gang rape. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the move in an executive order on Thursday, Oct. 1. The woman, identified as Jane Doe in a civil lawsuit, accused seven current and former members of the Chi Phi fraternity of drugging, sexually assaulting, and gang raping her in October 2024. Hochul said newly released information raised "serious questions" about the Cornell University Police Department's investigation and Tompkins Cou…
Hundreds Rally Behind Mass College Freshman In ICU After Crash, Raising Thousands For Family Hundreds Rally Behind Mass College Freshman In ICU After Crash, Raising Thousands For Family Hundreds Rally Behind Mass College Freshman In ICU After Crash, Raising Thousands For Family
Hundreds Rally Behind Mass College Freshman In ICU After Crash, Raising Thousands For Family Hundreds of donors have rallied behind an 18-year-old Bridgewater State University student, raising more than $76,000 to help his family as he remains in intensive care after a head-on crash in Plymouth. Dylan Rauch’s GoFundMe had drawn contributions from more than 679 donors as of Thursday, Oct. 1. The fundraiser seeks to cover medical expenses and the unexpected costs his family faces while staying by his side. The Sept. 17 crash came just as Rauch began his freshman year at Bridgewater State. He plays the flute and studies music theory. His family says he loves music, theater, and the ar…
Andrew Cuomo Drops Nearly $10 Million On Hamptons Estate — With Surprising Feature Andrew Cuomo Drops Nearly $10 Million On Hamptons Estate — With Surprising Feature Andrew Cuomo Drops Nearly $10 Million On Hamptons Estate — With Surprising Feature
Andrew Cuomo Drops Nearly $10 Million On Hamptons Estate — With Surprising Feature Former New York governor and NYC mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo has purchased a $9.6 million property in the Hamptons, according to multiple reports. The property lies on the western edge of the Hamptons in Remsenburg, the New York Times reported Wednesday, Sept. 30. The transaction closed back on June 23, sources told the paper. Cuomo’s purchase includes four parcels of land, including two homes, according to the New York Post. He’s planning to use it as a summer home and investment property, the Post reported. The ex-governor still maintains an apartment in Manhattan; his living situatio…
Former New England Goodwill Supervisor Turned Teacher Killed While Trying To Catch Bus: Police Former New England Goodwill Supervisor Turned Teacher Killed While Trying To Catch Bus: Police Former New England Goodwill Supervisor Turned Teacher Killed While Trying To Catch Bus: Police
Former New England Goodwill Supervisor Turned Teacher Killed While Trying To Catch Bus: Police A 26-year-old teacher was killed when an Audi struck her as she crossed a city street while trying to catch a bus early Wednesday, Sept. 30, authorities announced the following day. Zoe Schemm, of the 1200 block of North Fifth Street, was crossing Lombard Street northbound at 19th Street around 6:42 a.m. when she was struck by a white 2023 Audi A4 traveling west, according to Philadelphia police. Schemm became trapped beneath the vehicle and suffered severe injuries. Philadelphia Fire Department medics pronounced her dead at the scene, police said. Schemm was teaching in Philadelphia at th…
Braintree Dad Dies In Jamaica Plain Jobsite Fall, Family Facing ‘Catastrophic’ Financial Loss Braintree Dad Dies In Jamaica Plain Jobsite Fall, Family Facing ‘Catastrophic’ Financial Loss Braintree Dad Dies In Jamaica Plain Jobsite Fall, Family Facing ‘Catastrophic’ Financial Loss
Braintree Dad Dies In Jamaica Plain Jobsite Fall, Family Facing ‘Catastrophic’ Financial Loss A father who worked to support children with ongoing medical needs died after falling from scaffolding in Jamaica Plain, leaving his family facing a financial crisis. A GoFundMe for Manuel Chuqui’s family had raised more than $34,000 as of Wednesday evening, Sept. 30. His family said he provided most of the household’s income and helped pay for his children’s medical care. Chuqui died Thursday, Sept. 24, while working on a building’s exterior in Jamaica Plain. Firefighters told NBC Boston they were investigating what caused the fall and had notified OSHA.   His death leaves his f…
College Student Survives 8-Story Fall While Dancing On Sofa College Student Survives 8-Story Fall While Dancing On Sofa College Student Survives 8-Story Fall While Dancing On Sofa
College Student Survives 8-Story Fall While Dancing On Sofa A 21-year-old University of Georgia senior survived a fall from an eighth-floor apartment window after apparently striking a metal bench on the way down, police said. Kristen Sargent fell at Rambler Athens Apartments at 558 W. Broad St. around 7:37 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, according to an Athens-Clarke County Police Department field case report.  The incident happened just after the Georgia Bulldogs had won a game against the Oklahoma Sooners, Sargent's father, Richard Sargent, told WSB-TV. Richard said he later heard his daughter talking to one of her friends: “Hey, I'm alive. I…