The Peru Gazette

Source: Covid vaccine disinformation network rakes in millions of dollars – syracuse.com

Source: Veteran to unicycle 22 miles for young cancer patient | Sun Community News SARANAC | This Saturday, one local Navy veteran is taking his hobby to the streets to help raise funds for a young girl battling brain cancer.

Source: Attorney breaks down what marijuana in the workplace means | Sun Community News PLATTSBURGH | On May 13, the North Country Chamber of Commerce held a webinar with Jacqueline Kelleher, an attorney with the firm Stafford Owens, to discuss the recent legaliza

T-Mobile installed a new antenna and co-axial cable today at the Peru water tower.  T-Mobile pays the Town of Peru a monthly charge to lease antenna and generator space.  The crane extended 195 ft. to get above the tower.

5 p.m. May 13, 2021 

“…he federal mask requirement in public transportation remains in force for everyone, vaccinated or not – including on buses, trains, airplanes and in stations and airports. “For travel, we are still asking people to continue wearing their masks,” Walensky said. She said the policy continues to be under review. Unvaccinated people “remain at risk” of illness and death, Walensky said, and should remain masked and observe physical distancing.”

Source: CDC Says Fully Vaccinated People Can Stop Wearing Masks Indoors : NPR

Source: Fully-vaccinated Americans can return to life without masks, CDC says

Source: Fort Drum breaks ground on unmanned aircraft system project | Jefferson County | nny360.com

 “I’m excited to hear that 2CRSi, a manufacturer of high-performance, energy-efficient computer servers, has selected Rouses Point in Clinton County as the location for their U.S. campus and a green datacenter. The tech campus will provide customers with green housing and hosting services, and the company is currently working on a way to reuse the servers’ heat waste in a way that helps heat local homes and businesses. Additionally, the campus will partner with local universities and help create good-paying jobs in our communities.

“As the gateway to the Quebec-New York corridor, the North Country represents an important junction of international relations and communications. I’d like to extend my sincerest thanks to 2CRSi for their decision to expand into the North Country, which help create new jobs, promote eco-friendly energy and provide a boost to our local economy.”

Civilian Mechanics Found with Nearly $30,000 in Stolen Auto Parts, Tools and Supplies

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and New York State Police Acting Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen announced the arrests of former state police mechanics Jeffrey Rapasadi and David Relyea in the theft of nearly $30,000 in auto parts and supplies from the state. The thefts allegedly took place between April 2015 and October 2020.

“These men were entrusted to maintain and service essential New York State Police vehicles, but instead they allegedly used taxpayer money to fund their own their personal business and repairs,” DiNapoli said. “Thanks to our partnership with the New York State Police and the Madison County District Attorney’s Office, these individuals will now face justice.”

“Our investigation uncovered these illegal actions by our own employees, who used State Police resources for their personal benefit. We will not tolerate illegal activity by our employees – civilian or sworn – and we will hold them accountable for their actions,” said State Police Acting Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen. “We thank the Comptroller and the Madison County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance on this case.”

Rapasadi, 57, and Relyea, 64, both of Canasota, were non-sworn civilian employees responsible for maintaining police vehicles for the Troop D headquarters based in Oneida. They allegedly used a state police paid account to purchase auto parts and tools for their personal use, then falsified invoices to conceal the thefts.  When state police searched the defendants’ homes, they recovered more than $24,000 worth of state funded auto supplies, tools and parts at Rapasadi’s ’s home and more than $4,800 worth of police property at Relyea’s home.

During the investigation, a forensic analysis of thousands of invoices from the state police auto supply company determined that between April 2015 and October 2020, numerous auto parts were purchased that did not fit police vehicles, including parts for Mercedes-Benz vehicles, which the state police do not own. In addition, invoice descriptions were altered and did not match the actual parts purchased.

Relyea, who owns an auto repair business on the side, allegedly used the parts he stole from the police garage to subsidize his personal business. Investigators found invoices worth $4,173 for parts that did not fit on police vehicles with his name on them. Rasapadi’s name appeared on invoices for $1,342 in parts that also did not fit on police vehicles.

Relyea and Rapasadi are also each being charged with criminal possession of stolen property.

Rapasadi is charged with 28 felony counts including corrupting the government, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.  Relyea is charged with eight felony and three misdemeanor charges including corrupting the government, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property and official misconduct.  Rapasadi is also charged with falsifying his time and attendance records which resulted in him receiving more than $7,000 in unearned leave credits. Both Rapasadi and Relyea retired during the investigation and were not employed with the state police at the time of their arrests. Relyea retired from state service on October 31, 2020 and Rapasadi retired on November 12, 2020. They were both employed by the state police for at least 30 years.

They were arraigned today in Oneida Court and released on their own recognizance. They are due back in court on June 18.

The arrest was a result of a joint investigation between the State Comptroller’s Office, the New York State Police and Madison County District Attorney William Gabor.

More Than 67,000 Complaints to Federal Trade Commission, Up 85 Percent from Previous Year

Identity thefts in New York surged during the pandemic with more than 67,000 complaints filed statewide in 2020, which was 85 percent more than the previous year and more than four times the annual total from a decade earlier, according to a report released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

The New York City metropolitan area had the highest rate of identity theft reports to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) per capita at 403 reports per 100,000 people, followed by Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown (315) and Rochester (303) metropolitan areas.

“In the midst of the stresses caused by the pandemic, many New Yorkers also dealt with identity theft last year,” said DiNapoli. “Even when there’s no money stolen, resolving the consequences of stolen personal information is complicated and can take months of effort. Often the pain is really felt later, when victims have trouble getting a job, renting an apartment, or getting a loan because their identity was stolen. We should all take common-sense steps to keep personal information confidential, and companies must do more to protect consumers from identity theft.”

Credit card fraud was the most common type of identity theft reported to the FTC in 2020, with nearly 25,000 New Yorkers reporting someone misused their information on an existing credit card account or to open a new account. More than 3,600 identity theft reports related to COVID-19 were reported in the state, with two-thirds connected to unemployment benefits or other government programs, according to the FTC.

Identity thieves also stole individuals’ personal information to get prescription drugs, obtain medical services or medical insurance coverage and for a variety of other purposes.

Identity thefts have surged in New York over the past decade, but reported arrests and convictions have changed little from year to year. The 543 arrests by state and local authorities in state Fiscal Year 2019-20, as reported by the state’s Division of Criminal Justice Services, were the fewest of the last decade. Among counties, arrests and convictions were most frequent in those with the largest population. Albany County led New York State in arrests and convictions per 100,000 residents in SFY 2019-20.

Nationwide, reported losses from identity theft totaled $15.1 billion in 2018. The U.S. Department of Justice’s data does not breakdown losses to identity theft by state, but losses by New York residents would be more than $800 million if they are similar to its share of identity theft reports to the FTC that year (about 5 percent).

COVID-19 Identity Theft

The COVID-19 era has been marked by new varieties of financial fraud, including new identity theft scams. Although the full impact of the pandemic on the problem is not yet known, New Yorkers should be aware of potential scams and guard against them.

The FTC has compiled identity theft complaints related to COVID-19 for 2020 through mid-March 2021, reporting 3,617 in New York. Of the state’s identity theft reports, about two-thirds (2,375) were related to information misused to try and get a government document or benefits such as economic relief checks or unemployment insurance.

According to the FTC, imposters are filing claims for unemployment benefits using the names and personal information of people who have not filed claims. People learn about the fraud when they get a notice from the state unemployment benefits office or their employer about their supposed application for benefits. As of late April 2021, the state Department of Labor (DOL) said it had identified over 1.1 million fraudulent unemployment benefit claims during the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing more than $12.3 billion in stolen benefits.

DiNapoli’s office began an audit of the DOL in February. His office first conducted an assessment of the risk of potential identity theft fraud since the beginning of the pandemic, which included looking at complaints, large increases in payments, new programs and criteria, and changes to the internet technology. This assessment found numerous red flags that led DiNapoli’s office to launch a full audit.

Identity thieves have also attempted to leverage news of government COVID-related stimulus payments by posing as someone from an official organization and asking for personal or financial information. They have also tried to exploit pandemic fears by asking victims to pay out of pocket to get a COVID-19 vaccine or to put their name on a vaccine waiting list and, in the process, take their Social Security, bank account or credit card information.

Private businesses that collect and maintain personal information must redouble their efforts to safeguard such data, DiNapoli said. He called on social media companies to promote best practices and proactively educate users about ways to keep private information confidential.

DiNapoli recommends the following actions, among others, to help prevent becoming a victim of identity theft:

• Carry only the credit and bank cards you need.
• Use two-factor authentication for online security where possible.
• Use a password manager or strong passwords, including a mixture of capital letters, numbers, and symbols, and change passwords frequently.
• Check bank or credit statements regularly.
• When online shopping, look for indications that the site is secure, such as a secure URL that begins with “https” (rather than “http”) and a lock icon near your browser’s location field.

Report

The Increasing Threat of Identity Theft

Source: How to get up to $9,000 in federal assistance for Covid-related funeral expenses – syracuse.com

Source: Cuomo briefing: More vaccine freebies, plus 100% beach capacity by July 4? – syracuse.com

“Voters across New York State will have the chance to fundamentally expand voting access this fall when two state constitutional amendments appear on the ballot: one would establish same-day voter registration and the other would allow for no-excuse absentee ballots.”

Source: New York Poised To Expand Voting Rights As Other States Suppress Them – Gothamist

Source: President of Key Teachers’ Union Shares Plea: ‘Schools Must Be Open’ in Fall – The New York Times

Source: Price Chopper-Market 32 launches SNAP benefits via Instacart program

Source: Burlington Jazz Festival is less than one month away and the lineup is ready to go

“But lawmakers right now plan to tackle the two contaminants — both linked to cancer — in significantly different ways. In one instance — radon — legislators contemplate requiring tests in all schools and asking districts to pick up the tab. In another — PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls — lawmakers are making money available for testing but leaving it up to schools whether to test or not.”

Source: Was Burlington High the tip of the iceberg? Vermont may soon find out – VTDigger

Source: Vaccine myths debunked by local doctors | Sun Community News PLATTSBURGH | The North Country Chamber of Commerce partnered up with Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce to host a COVID-19 Vaccine Safety panel discussion on May 11.

Source: N.Y. extends, expands moratorium on utility disconnections | Sun Community News PLATTSBURGH | New York has extended the moratorium that prevents utility companies from disconnecting services to households and small businesses struggling to pay bills during