Seneca County Roads Ordered Closed at 5pm

The Seneca County Sheriff has announced that all roads in Seneca County will be closed except for emergency travel at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday until further notice.

Beware of New Tax Season Scams

New York State officials are alerting consumers to new tax season scams from individuals posing as Treasury representatives.

Over the past several weeks, taxpayers, as well as tax preparers, have received calls from scammers claiming to be from the U.S. and New York State Treasury Departments. The scams target taxpayers, as well as tax preparers. Consumers should be wary of three new scams emerging early in the tax season:

1. Scammers posing as NYS or U.S. Treasury representatives – Callers posing as NYS Treasury agents encourage victims to turn over their bank account information along with $250 in return for a larger sum of cash to come at a later date. To make themselves appear more convincing, the scammers provide the victim with a phone number, address, and confirmation code specific to the transaction. New Yorkers have also received calls from individuals posing as U.S. Treasury agents.

2. Pocketing Affordable Care Act penalties – Uninsured New Yorkers may face another tax scam involving penalties under the Affordable Care Act. In some cases, untrustworthy tax preparers tell clients to pay the penalties directly to them, and they keep the money. Taxpayers should never make a tax payment directly to an individual or tax preparer. Payments should be made only with a tax return or in response to a letter from the IRS.

3. Tax preparers become the targets – Tax preparers also need to remain vigilant. Recent scams are targeting the preparers via phone calls demanding client information. In these cases, scammers pretend to be from the IRS in hopes of gaining usernames and passwords to taxpayer accounts.

If you believe that you’ve been contacted by someone attempting a scam, have been the victim of fraud or identity theft, or suspect a tax preparer is engaging in illegal activities, visit the State’s new fraud webpage to learn how to report it.

New York “Fair Trial/Free Press” Conference

Sponsored by the New York Fair Trial/Free Press Conference, the Committee on Media Law, and the New York State Bar Association, this conference will be held Friday, March 10, 2017 from 12:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Featuring a distinguished panel of federal and state judges, prosecutors, print and broadcast journalists, and defense and media counsel, the program will explore the interplay of First Amendment rights to attend and report on criminal trials and the Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial.

Attendees can learn about the use of video recordings on smartphones, the use of social media as evidence and media and the law.

The event is free for NYSBA Members and Members of the Press.

For more information, click here.

New York State's Top Ten Frauds Of 2016: Beware Of Scammers

Marking the start of National Consumer Protection Week, New York State Officials have released a list of the top ten consumer fraud complaints received by the Attorney General's office in 2016:

1. Internet (internet services & service providers; data privacy & security; consumer frauds)
2. Automobile (buying, leasing, repair, service contracts, rentals)
3. Consumer-Related Services (security systems; restaurant/catering services; tech repairs)
4. Landlord/Tenant Disputes (Security deposit releases, tenant-harassment)
5. Utilities (Wireless and Residential Phones; Energy Servicers & Suppliers; Cable and Satellite)
6. Credit (debt collection; credit card billing; debt settlement; payday loans; credit repair; credit reporting agencies; identity theft)
7. Retail Sales (any sale of goods: food, clothing, rent-to-own)
8. Home Repair/Construction (home improvement services not delivered or done poorly)
9. Mortgage (mortgage modifications; mortgage and loan broker fraud; foreclosures)
10. Mail Order (purchases made online or from a catalog)

In addition, the attorney general's office has offered a variety of tips on how to avoid scams in the future.

For more on these scams, and how to avoid them, click here.

Airbnb and Schuyler County Reach Tax Collection Agreement

Schuyler County and Airbnb have announced an agreement to allow the world’s largest home sharing platform to collect and remit county hotel occupancy taxes on behalf of thousands of guests who visit the county every year.

The agreement, which goes into effect Wednesday (March 1), is expected to grow the county’s tax base and allow the Airbnb community to contribute its fair share of taxes.

Airbnb collaborated with Schuyler County officials, including County Treasurer Harriett Vickio, County Attorney Steven Getman and County Administrator Tim O’Hearn to design and carry out the agreement.

For more information, click here.

Forensics Conference at NY Law School

On February 28, the New York State Bar Association will host “Forensics and the Law VI: Shifting Paradigms” at New York Law School Auditorium, 185 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013. The event runs from 10:00 am to 2:45 pm.

The topics are:

• The Flaws in Microscopic Hair Comparison Evidence
• Challenging Science in the Criminal Justice System
• Forensic Pathology Perspectives on Questioned Diagnoses
• Panel Discussion: Flawed Forensics, Shifting Paradigms

For more information, click here.

Let's talk Medicare

New York may have your money, here’s how to get it back

The State of New York may have some of your unclaimed funds.

The New York State Comptroller's Outreach Program seeks to increase public awareness about the Office of Unclaimed Funds (OUF). To achieve this goal, the Comptroller’s Outreach Program participates in a variety of public events across the State.

In addition, people can search the OUF database to see if they have any unclaimed funds and learn how to file a claim.

For more information, visit this website.

Karlsen case: Seneca County murder conviction upheld on appeal

The People of the State of New York, respondent, v Karl Karlsen, Defendant-Appellant. Memorandum and Order:

An appeal from a judgment of the Seneca County Court, rendered December 16, 2013. The judgment convicted defendant, upon his plea of guilty, of murder in the second degree.

Karlsen’s conviction, for murdering his own son, was unanimously affirmed by the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department.

The defendant was represented on appeal by D.J. & J.A. Cirando, Esqs., Syracuse (John A. Cirando Of Counsel). The People were represented by Seneca County District Attorney Barry Porsch.

February 28: Public Defense Lobby Day in New York State

New York State defense attorney groups are organizing a Tuesday, February 28, 2017 Lobby Day to advocate for increased funding for public defense, including the Justice Equality Act requiring a state fiscal takeover of public defense expenses.

On December 31, Governor Cuomo vetoed the Justice Equality Act. The bill has been reintroduced in the Assembly and groups are pressing the Senate to do the same.

Previously known as the Public Defense Mandate Relief Act, the bill requires the state to assume the cost of public defense in a 7 year phase in, while also requiring the state to fund significant quality improvements and caseload reduction.

To advocate for increased indigent defense funding, CDANY, NYSDA and NYSACDL are organizing a Lobby Day on Tuesday, February 28th to promote the:

* Justice Equality Act (A.1903);
* New York State Defenders Association's 2017-2018 budget request; and
* Indigent Legal Services Office's 2017-2018 budget request.

The groups plan to travel to Albany and meet with up to six legislators to advocate for increased public defense funding. The Lobby Day will be from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.