A Pennsylvania doctor and his wife, both from Monsey, have been indicted in Federal Court in New Jersey and accused of soliciting and receiving kickbacks and bribes in exchange for ordering genetic tests. Acting U.S. Attorney of New Jersey, Rachael Honig, says 61 year-old Yitzchok “Barry” Kurtzer and his wife, 60 year-old Robin Kurtzer, reportedly got monthly cash kickbacks, up to $5,000 at a time, for genetic samples from Medicare patients and sending them for testing by clinical labs in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Two of the Kurtzers’ employees, Amber Harris and Shanelyn Kennedy, have pleaded guilty for their roles in the kickback scheme, and two others connected to the case have pleaded guilty as well. Both Barry and Robin Kurtzer face a maximum of 10 years in prison on the top charges.
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Spring Valley Firefighter Accused of Stealing Thousands of Dollars from Two Departments
A Spring Valley Volunteer Firefighter has been accused of stealing thousands of dollars from the two departments he worked for. Rockland’s D-A says Christopher Nau, the Treasurer for the Columbian Engine Company and Assistant Treasurer for the Spring Valley Fire Department, was indicted on several counts, including Grand Larceny and Attempted Grand Larceny. He is accused of taking nearly $38-thousand, but the D-A says donations for 35 year-old volunteer firefighter Jared Lloyd, who died in March at an adult home blaze, were untouched. Nau was removed from both treasurer positions and suspended in August last year. He was arraigned last week and released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court August 11th.
Spring Valley Gets $750,000 to Combat Gun Violence
The village of Spring Valley is among seven Hudson Valley communities that will be getting state funds to combat gun violence. $750,000 is coming to the village to fund workforce training and job placement programs for at-risk youth, part of the program launched when Governor Andrew Cuomo declared gun violence a public health emergency earlier this month…
Under plan, the State Department of Labor will partner with local workforce development boards to provide job training, credentialing and career placement services, ultimately leading to good-paying, permanent jobs for those age 18-24 who are unemployed, underemployed or out-of-school.
Autos Stolen in Orangetown, Supervisor Reminds Residents Not to Leave Key Fobs in Their Cars
If you have one of those electronic keys for your car, and you leave it in your unlocked car, you’re just asking for it to be stolen. That’s the warning from Orangetown supervisor Teresa Kenny, who says they’ve seen several incidents recently in her town in which cars were just taken because the fobs were left in the car in plain sight…
Whether it’s an increase in auto theft, burglaries or gun violence, Rockland sheriff Lou Falco says New York State is falling behind the criminals…
Falco says he’s reached out to area lawmakers for help in bringing back common-sense penalties when it comes to violent crimes.
MTA to Re-start Haverstraw-Ossining Ferry Next Month
The MTA is re-launching the Haverstraw-Ossining ferry service next month after it came to a halt during the pandemic. Haverstraw supervisor Howard Phillips told “The Morning Show” last week shutting it down didn’t help Rockland, which is already lacking when it comes to mass transit in and out of the city…
Rockland County Executive Ed Day says there were more than 500 daily riders on the ferry before the pandemic. The service is expected to resume on Monday, August 30th, just as railroad service is being increased to 83 percent of pre-pandemic levels.