Courts

Buffalo, New York (WNY News Now).A federal jury found 52-year-old Khaled Abughanem and his 28-year-old son, Adham Abughanem, of Lackawanna, New York, guilty of plotting to abduct and take Adham's sister and Khaled's daughter to Yemen, where they were detained against their will for 16 months. The goal of the plot was to compel her to enter into a marriage against her will. Additionally, Khaled Abughanem was convicted of threatening to kill the victim as part of his retaliation for her cooperation with the police. On September 8, 2021, Khaled Abughanem and Adham Abughanem flew from Buffalo, New York, to Guadalajara, Mexico, to abduct Victim 1, Khaled's daughter and Adham's sister, according to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles M. Kruly and Maeve E. Huggins, who prosecuted the case. The defen...

(New York News Now) Chektowaga, New York Due to his involvement in a hit-and-run event that left a pedestrian seriously injured close to Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, a Niagara Falls man received a split-term sentence. Travis Rosario, 51, was sentenced to 90 days in jail and five years of probation for hitting a pedestrian on February 27, 2024, at around 4:56 a.m. on Luiz Kahl Way in Cheektowaga, close to Genesee Street. Rosario left the site without reporting the accident, leaving the victim, a 44-year-old Williamsville man, with several fractures and severe injuries, including a head trauma. For medical care, the victim was taken to ECMC. In September 2024, Rosario entered a guilty plea to the Class E felony of Leaving the Scene of an Incident Resulting in Serious Injury. He c...

(WNY News Now) Mother and sister Rashina and Jasmine Long were sentenced to prison for Medicaid fraud and ignoring a paraplegic relative, resulting in life-threatening injuries. HARRISBURGTwo Philadelphia women have been sentenced to prison for ignoring their paraplegic relative, which resulted in their hospitalization and need for critical care, Attorney General Michelle Henry revealed today. The victim depended on Rashina Long, 48, and Jasmine Long, 33, as direct care workers for everyday help with activities including taking a shower, taking care of their skin, and preparing meals. Both women entered guilty pleas to Medicaid fraud and neglect of a care-dependent person in September. Each received a sentence of two to four years in prison and seven years of probation on Thursday. They ar...

(WNY News Now) Noblr, an auto insurance firm, has agreed to pay Attorney General Letitia James $500,000 for failing to protect the private data of more than 80,000 New Yorkers. NEW YORK Today, New York Attorney General Letitia James obtained $500,000 from Noblr, an auto insurance firm, for failing to secure over 80,000 New Yorkers' personal information after a data breach. Scammers used the data breach as part of a larger industry-wide effort to get personal data from online car insurance quote forms, including dates of birth and driver's license numbers. At the height of the COVID-19 outbreak, the scammers then filed false jobless claims using part of the stolen driver's license information. The total amount recovered from vehicle insurance firms for cybersecurity lapses now stands at $...

(WNY News Now) A guy from Amherst was found guilty of killing his mother after a domestic argument and was given a 10-year sentence in state prison. Om D. Samant, 36, was given the bare minimum term allowed by a plea deal for first-degree manslaughter, according to Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane. In addition, he will be under post-release supervision for five years. Amherst Police were called to a domestic incident at a home on Thistle Lea on December 26, 2022, at around 11:33 a.m. Inside the house, authorities found 58-year-old Jagruti Samant dead from deadly wounds from being stabbed and beaten. On October 16, 2024, the defendant entered a guilty plea to the Class B severe felony charge of first-degree homicide. The victim's family pushed for the agreed-upon sent...

A passenger who turns into a fugitive escapes from custody in a patrol car and might spend up to seven years behind bars. (WNY News Now) While under arrest for a warrant, a Brant man entered a guilty plea to stealing a car belonging to the New York State Police and leading police on a perilous pursuit.Photo by the Erie County DA's Office of Bryan D. Ells Bryan D. Ells, 41, pled guilty to one count of Unlawful Fleeing a Police Officer in the Third Degree, a Class A misdemeanor, and one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a Class D felony. Ells submitted his plea before Acting Erie County Court Judge Andrew C. LoTempio on Monday afternoon, according to Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane. On October 17, 2024, a New York State Trooper pulled over a car for a traffic ...

Rochester, New York (WNY News Now).In a September 2023 shooting in Gates, a parolee with a violent criminal past was found guilty of killing his former boss. After responding to a complaint on Pixley Parkway on the evening of September 30, Gates Police found 47-year-old Jessica Romich dead from at least one gunshot wound. Malik Black, 48, drove to Romich's place of business, confronted her as she was leaving, and shot her in cold blood, investigators quickly concluded. Black was on parole at the time of the incident and had prior convictions for second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. He was taken into custody and accused of first-degree murder and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. On January 29, 2025, Black is scheduled to be sentenced in front of the New Yor...

(WNY News Now) A man from Philadelphia has admitted to committing four murders in 2018 and 2019 for pay. HARRISBURGOn Tuesday, 30-year-old Steven M. Williams entered a guilty plea to four murders he committed between 2018 and 2019 for cash. Attorney General Michelle Henry of Pennsylvania announced the statement, stressing the terrible consequences of Williams' actions. Attorney General Henry claimed that this defendant was a paid killer who ruthlessly took lives for money. We will be requesting that the court impose a term that guarantees the community's safety because the defendant is unquestionably a threat to society. Williams acknowledged his guilt on three charges of third-degree murder and murder conspiracy. Four victims were the focus of the murders, which took place in several Phi...

(WNY News Now) After inflating boat business expenses and causing over $900,000 in delinquent taxes, a Rochester businessman was imprisoned. New York's Rochester.The owner of MY PI, LLC, James Leonardo, 56, was sentenced today for filing a fake tax return that led to substantial tax evasion. The punishment, which included time served, a year of supervised release, and a $2,267,315.42 restitution order, was imposed by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. The owner of the 110-foot yacht Pure Insanity, Leonardo, was found guilty of underreporting rental income and improperly deducting maintenance expenses for the vessel, which he utilized for both personal and professional reasons. Leonardo made the untrue assertion that the yacht was used for business 100% of the time, although th...