Tag: new york

NY state Senate approves doctor-assisted suicide bill, sends it to Hochul’s desk for approval

State Senate Democrats passed highly controversial legislation that would allow terminally ill people to take their own lives with the help of doctors in a razor-thin vote Monday — leaving it up to Gov. Kathy Hochul whether to sign it into law.

“This is one of the great social reforms of our state,” state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan), the bill’s sponsor in the upper chamber, touted at a press conference earlier in the day Monday — putting the measure on the same tier as the legalization of gay marriage.

“This is about personal autonomy, this is about liberty, this is about exercising one’s own freedom to control one’s body,” Hoylman-Sigal continued.

The measure passed 35 to 27, with six Democrats – Senators April Baskin, Siela Bynoe, Cordelle Cleare, Monica Martinez, Roxanne Persaud, and Sam Sutton – voting against it. 

“The governor will review the legislation,” a spokesperson for Hochul said.

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Urban NYS Dems want to limit how many cows dairy farms can own in latest green push — sparking upstate-downstate beef

This new cow law is total bull.

State lawmakers from the Big Apple want to limit the number of cows on dairy farms in their latest green push – a proposal that opponents argue would cripple the industry.

The legislation, whose backers include members of the Democratic Socialists of America, would prohibit new or expanding dairy farms from reaching or exceeding 700 cows, a measure supporters said would improve the environment and help smaller family farms across the Empire State.

But the proposed moo-ve has sparked an upstate-downstate beef between lawmakers from rural and urban districts — with even Gov. Kathy Hochul viewing the bill as “insane,” according to a source close to the Democratic leader.

“Let’s be clear: this bill makes no sense,” Sen. Mark Walczyk (R-Jefferson) said in a statement.

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Leaders of ‘orgasmic meditation’ women’s wellness company OneTaste convicted in forced labor trial

The leaders of a sex-focused women’s wellness company that promoted “orgasmic meditation” have been convicted of federal forced labor charges.

A Brooklyn jury on Monday found Nicole Daedone, founder of OneTaste Inc., and Rachel Cherwitz, the California-based company’s former sales director, guilty after deliberating for less than two days following a five-week trial. The two each face up to 20 years in prison when sentenced later.

Prosecutors had argued the two women ran a yearslong scheme that groomed adherents – many of them victims of sexual trauma – to do their bidding.

They said Daedone, 57, of New York, and Cherwitz, 44, of California, used economic, sexual and psychological abuse, intimidation and indoctrination to force OneTaste members into sexual acts they found uncomfortable or repulsive, such as having sex with prospective investors or clients.

The two told followers the questionable acts were necessary in order to obtain “freedom” and “enlightenment” and demonstrate their commitment to the organization’s principles.

Prosecutors said OneTaste leaders also didn’t pay promised earnings to the members-turned-workers and even forced some of them to take out new credit cards to continue taking the company’s courses.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nina Gupta, in her closing statement last week, said the defendants “built a business on the backs” of victims who “gave everything” to them, including “their money, their time, their bodies, their dignity, and ultimately their sanity.”

“The jury’s verdict has unmasked Daedone and Cherwitz for who they truly are: grifters who preyed on vulnerable victims by making empty promises of sexual empowerment and wellness only to manipulate them into performing labor and services for the defendants’ benefit,” said Joseph Nocella, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

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Alleged manifesto of murder suspect Luigi Mangione highlights lessons learned from Unabomber: Court docs

Police caught up with Luigi Mangione, 27, at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days after he allegedly gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel last December. In addition to allegedly finding a 9mm handgun, a homemade silencer, multiple cartridges, a fake New Jersey ID, a passport, approximately $7,800 in cash, and a written admission of guilt on his person, police reportedly found a notebook detailing plans for the shooting.

Mangione’s defense attorney asked the court overseeing the case to rule the notebook inadmissible, claiming the search of Mangione’s backpack where it was located violated his Fourth Amendment rights. The defense also asked the court to dismiss his indictment altogether.

Prosecutors responded with a damning court filing on Wednesday containing entries from Mangione’s alleged notebook, which they claim reveals “in unambiguous terms [the] defendant’s intent and motive in deliberately assassinating the CEO of the country’s largest health company.”

In an Aug. 15, 2024, entry, Mangione allegedly wrote, “I finally feel confident about what I will do. The details are coming together. And I don’t feel any doubt about whether it’s right/justified. I’m glad — in a way — that I’ve procrastinated bc it allowed me to learn more about UHC. KMD [the initials of another apparent target considered] would’ve been an unjustified catastrophe that would be perceived mostly as sick, but more importantly unhelpful.”

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‘Cowardice’: Male student ‘frequently switches gender throughout day’ to ogle girls in shower despite competing in boys’ sports

The Defense of Freedom Institute (DFI) filed a federal civil rights complaint against the South Colonie Central School District (SCCSD) in New York over a male student who allegedly frequently “switches gender identity throughout the day” to watch girls change in bathrooms and locker rooms.

DFI’s complaint alleges the high school boy competes on the boys’ track and field team and wears the male uniform, but claims a transgender identity during the school day to access the girls’ facilities. Several girls have reported the boy to school officials for “staring at them” while they changed, but the Title IX complaint alleges the school showed “deliberate indifference to that student-on-student harassment.”

The district told the Daily Caller News Foundation it was “unable to comment on individual student matters due to privacy laws” but “can confirm that the district responded to this situation accordingly.” SCCSD also cited several state laws that require schools to accommodate “gender identity.”

The Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) and the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), for instance, prevent discrimination based on gender identity. Assembly Bill A5240A also requires all single-occupancy bathrooms to be designated gender neutral in schools and most other public establishments.

“The filing of a complaint or an investigation into a complaint does not change the district’s approach or procedures,” a spokesman for the district added. “All concerns raised were addressed through the proper channels, and students were offered reasonable accommodations as needed.”

“My daughter and her teammates have a right to feel safe in their own locker room,” Kevin Martin, the father of a student at SCCSD, said in a statement to DFI. “South Colonie refused to protect them and told them to accommodate the boy instead. That’s not fairness—it’s cowardice. I never thought I’d have to file a federal complaint just so my daughter could change clothes in a girls’ locker room without being stared at by a male student.”

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The Rise And Fall Of Two Crypto Traders Who Tortured A Bitcoin Millionaire For His Password

A shocking crypto kidnapping case involving two self-styled traders has rocked New York. On May 23, Italian crypto millionaire Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan escaped from a luxury townhouse in New York’s upscale SoHo neighbourhood, running barefoot onto a city street and flagging down a traffic officer, according to The New York Post. Carturan told police he had been kidnapped and held captive for nearly three weeks by John Woeltz and William Duplessie.

Prosecutors alleged that during his captivity, Carturan was tortured with a chainsaw and tased while standing in water, and at one point was hung off a roof ledge in a bid to force him to reveal the password to his Bitcoin wallet, reportedly worth $30 million.

According to ABC News, prosecutors said Woeltz and Duplessie lured Carturan to New York by threatening to have his family killed. Once he arrived, they allegedly stripped him of his passport and electronics, bound his wrists, beat him, shocked his feet, struck him in the head with a gun, cut his leg with a saw, urinated on him, and forcibly made him smoke crack cocaine.

Prosecutors said Carturan eventually escaped after convincing his captors to retrieve his laptop so he could access his Bitcoin wallet. When Woeltz left to get the laptop, Carturan ran out and sought help.

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New York hospital staffers resign amid allegations state defrauded Medicaid in financial scheme

Several hospital staffers at the Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC) have submitted their resignations effective in June amid investigations to examine if the State of New York has been defrauding Medicaid with what one lawmaker called “a large financial scheme” involving matching payments for hospitals totaling more than $1 billion.

The allegations that New York might be cheating Medicaid first surfaced a few months ago in civil litigation and in a New York Post column. State legislators increased pressure for an investigation and resolution, and staged a rally at the State Capitol.

Claims going back 20 years

A hospital staffer who had first-hand information but chose to remain anonymous told Just The News that the hospital completed an extensive review and assessment of all books and records last summer, and brought questions to an outside law firm.

The staffer said they received a legal opinion and, after reviewing documents filed by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) to CMS in June 2024, they learned that NYS [New York state] halved the hospital’s DSH [Disproportionate Share Hospital] funding year after year for two decades. Allegedly, more than one billion dollars were steered away from NUMC.

They said they spent over a decade working with New York state for over a decade and neither the NYSDOH nor the governor’s office have accepted initiatives to meet with them over the past three years.

In December 2024, it was reported by The New York Post that NUMC was suing New York for $1.06 billion, alleging the state has defrauded the hospital of financial resources over the past 20 years.

The staffer told Just the News that 80% of patients at the NUMC are ensured by Medicaid and Medicare. NUMC is the only public hospital in the county, and a large percentage of its 275,000 patients are low income, uninsured, as well as on Medicare and Medicaid. The hospital includes a nursing home and jail infirmary, Long Island’s only burn unit and its largest inpatient psychiatric treatment center.

A spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office has denied these allegations, stating that they are “false claims.”

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Crime Runs in the Family! Letitia James Buys Home for Niece’s Jailbird Adult Kids

On May 21, New York Attorney General Letitia James attempted to deflect growing controversy over a criminal referral to the Department of Justice regarding her real estate dealings. Speaking before the Association for a Better New York, James claimed her motives were purely familial.

“In reality, the power of attorney was never used to determine my eligibility for a mortgage for my niece for a home in the state of Virginia,” James said. “My niece has children, and because I’m a good aunt, I wanted her to have a home.”

This statement was in reference to allegations raised by forensic fraud investigator Sam Antar and widely circulated by The Gateway Pundit. At issue is a 2023 mortgage James co-signed for a property at 604 Sterling Street in Norfolk, Virginia. She filed a notarized power of attorney on August 17, 2023, declaring under oath that she “intended to occupy this property as her principal residence.” Yet at the time, James was legally domiciled in Brooklyn, New York, serving as state Attorney General.

William Pulte, Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, cited this declaration in an April 14, 2025 letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, alleging that James may have falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government-backed assistance and loans with more favorable terms.

Pulte noted that mortgages for primary residences typically offer better rates and conditions than those for second homes or investment properties. James’s HAMP loan and her claim of marriage to her father were also cited by Pulte for investigation.

James’s explanation, that she is a “good aunt” merely helping her niece and her children – is now facing deeper scrutiny. While her words evoked images of needy young children, the facts paint a more troubling picture.

Letitia James’s niece, Shamice Thompson-Hairston, was 53 years old at the time of the home purchase. Two of her children – whom James’s statement implied were minors – are both adults, and both have significant criminal histories.

Shamice Hairston’s adult daughter, Cayla Hairston was born on August 20, 2004. She was 20 years old when Letitia James purchased 604 Sterling Street in Norfolk, Virginia and claimed it would be her primary residence.

Cayla Hairston has multiple arrests on her record, including a felony charge for violating Virginia’s law prohibiting firearm possession by convicted felons (Virginia Code §18.2-308.2) and felon in possession. This indicates that Cayla must have had a prior felony conviction, likely when she was under 18 because no records are available online.

Cayla was also charged with making a false statement on criminal history consent form when purchasing a firearm, and this is a serious offense. This form is required by Virginia law for individuals purchasing firearms from dealers. If a person willfully and intentionally makes a materially false statement on this form, they are guilty of a Class 5 felony, which can result in up to 10 years of imprisonment

Cayla was arrested again in June 2024 for grand larceny, a charge later reduced to petit larceny. She received a suspended jail sentence and was fined $539.

Even more concerning is Shamice’s 36 year old daughter, Nakia Monique Thompson, born in February 1989. Her crimes span 20 years in the states of Virginia and North Carolina, and include multiple prison sentences and convictions for: contributing to delinquency of a minor, abuse of child, possession of burglary tools, third degree larceny, grand larceny, assault and battery, petty larceny, trespassing, shoplifting, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana, driving with a suspended license, and conspiracy to commit larceny.

Nakia Thompson was even convicted of crimes while serving prison time, including malicious conduct by prisoner.

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American Backlash: Why the Letitia James Mortgage Fraud Investigation Resonates with Americans

“We’re going to definitely sue him. We’re going to be a real pain in the ass. He’s going to know my name personally,” Letitia James said during her 2018 campaign for New York attorney general.

James campaigned openly on her intention to target President Donald Trump, describing him as an “illegitimate president” and an “embarrassment,” while pledging to pursue all legal avenues to scrutinize his finances and real estate transactions. After being elected, she said, “I look forward to seeing him in court when I assume my new position.”

Upon taking office in 2019, James promptly followed through, filing a lawsuit that ultimately led to a $454 million civil judgment against Trump and his organization for allegedly “overvaluing assets” on mortgage applications – despite industry-standard disclaimers advising lenders to conduct their own valuations.

But despite all of James’ efforts to harm him politically, Donald Trump won the presidency in a landslide in 2024. What happened?

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New York Governor Kathy Hochul Complains Republican Spending Bill Could Cut Services to ‘Members of the Undocumented Community’

New York’s Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul recently gave an interview to Telemundo in which she complained about the new Republican spending bill, claiming that it could adversely effect ‘members of the undocumented community.’ That’s Democrat speak for illegal aliens.

In voicing this concern, Hochul is ignoring the fact that millions of Americans voted for this. People watched for years under Biden as New York put illegal aliens up in luxury hotels and fed them three meals a day, spending untold billions of dollars on these people as American citizens suffered under the inflation of the Biden economy.

Perhaps New York wouldn’t find itself in this position if the state hadn’t spent a fortune month after month, catering to people who were in the country illegally.

Breitbart News has details:

Hochul: We’ll Lose Money Under GOP Bill, ‘Don’t Want to Go’ to Cutting Services for Migrants

During an interview with Telemundo 47 on Friday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) argued that the state is going to lose money under the Republican tax and spending bill and people will lose health care and responded to if she’ll have to cut services to some immigrants by saying, “I don’t want to go there.” And “This is something we have to look at very seriously for how we can not leave these people without essential care.”…

Host Alejandro Mendoza then asked, “Could we see something like we have seen in California where the governor had to cut services to some immigrants?”

Hochul responded, “I don’t want to go there. This is money that’s now been lost by the federal government — they used to help us pay for this. This is something we have to look at very seriously for how we can not leave these people without essential care.

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