Courts

(WNY News Now) – A Fayette County jury has convicted former Uniontown City Treasurer Antoinette Hodge of stealing over $106,000 in taxpayer funds to fuel a costly gambling habit.UNIONTOWN – Former Uniontown City Treasurer Antoinette Hodge, 54, was convicted Thursday of embezzling approximately $106,000 in public funds between 2020 and 2021. The Fayette County jury found Hodge guilty of multiple charges, including theft by unlawful taking, perjury, and obstructing the administration of government.“The defendant was elected to a position of trust in her community. She abused that trust and defrauded taxpayers for her own gain,” Attorney General Henry said. “Prosecuting these crimes is vital to maintaining the integrity of local government. My office will continue to protect taxpayers and ens...

(WNY News Now) – Buffalo resident Corey Robert Dodge, also known as “Cakesbaylor,” faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to online fraud and drug distribution charges.BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced that Corey Robert Dodge, 42, of Buffalo, NY, entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr., on charges of fraud and drug possession. Dodge admitted to possessing over 15 unauthorized access devices with intent to defraud, as well as possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Together, these charges could result in a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly stated that the FBI’s investigation began in August 2018, targeting a covert online marketplace known as Genesis Marke...

(WNY News Now) – Rohmelo K. Lewis, 24, faces a 25-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to the manslaughter and robbery of Cortez Galmore in Niagara Falls.LOCKPORT, NY – On November 4, 2024, Niagara County District Attorney Brian D. Seaman announced that Rohmelo K. Lewis, a 24-year-old resident of Niagara Falls, has been sentenced to 25 years in New York State Prison. The sentencing follows Lewis’s guilty plea to charges of Manslaughter in the First Degree, Robbery in the First Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. The charges stem from a deadly robbery on May 3, 2022, in which Lewis admitted to killing Cortez Galmore, a recent arrival to Niagara Falls.Two of Lewis’s accomplices have also faced justice. Isaiah J. Christian, 21, who participated in the incid...

(WNY News Now) – An international manhunt ends in justice as a senior gang leader faces prison for his role in a cross-border drug trafficking network between Scotland and England.United Kingdom – Colin Wright, 38, a high-ranking member of an organized crime group (OCG) that operated a large-scale amphetamine lab in Scotland and trafficked heroin and cocaine across the UK, was convicted today. Wright, originally from Motherwell and recently residing in Torre Pacheco, Spain, was extradited following his arrest by Spanish authorities at the request of the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA).Wright’s criminal activities spanned from drug production to trafficking, as he coordinated the movement of narcotics from Merseyside to Scotland and back. Arrested in March 2024, he was returned to the UK o...

(WNY News Now) – A Hertfordshire man has been sentenced to 11 years after authorities discovered a pistol, ammunition, and 13 kilos of cocaine in his residence, ending a significant criminal enterprise.Albanian national Irakli Rustemi, 33, from Hertfordshire, was investigated by officers from the Organised Crime Partnership – a specialist unit comprised of Metropolitan Police and National Crime Agency officers.In October last year, the OCP instructed Cambridgeshire Police armed officers to stop a white Citroen DS3 on the A10 at Buntingford, which was being driven by Rustemi, after receiving intelligence that those inside had access to a firearm.Checks established that Rustemi was an absconder from Immigration Enforcement with no leave to remain in the UK. Officers searched the vehicle and ...