A doctor who practices in NJ with admitting privileges at New York Presbyterian Hospital. His 94-year-old mother. Her $832,453 savings. And a wall collapse in Upper Manhattan. In a case Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau called "a mini-Astor case," Dr. Robin Motz was accused of stealing his mother's savings since 2003. more ›

New Jersey police have arrested a number of members of the Lucchese crime family. In the process of breaking up a multi-billion dollar betting organization, cops discovered that the old school mafia family had also teamed up with the more street-level gang the Bloods. The two groups were working together to smuggle things like iPods, cell phones, and drugs into the East Jersey State Prison. The betting ring was fairly sophisticated, utilizing Internet sites, an 800 phone line, and personal interaction to process more than $2 billion in wagers annually. The smuggling ring was facilitated by a corrections officer who worked at the prison. more ›

David Lemus, who was convicted in the 1990 killing of Palladium bouncer Marcus Peterson in 1992, was found not guilty yesterday at the conclusion of his retrial. His mother screamed when the verdict was read and Lemus' lawyers reportedly appeared stunned. The jury took only two days to deliberate and the foreman of the jury from the 1992 trial was present during much of the retrial. Before his original conviction for the 14th St. club killing was overturned in 2005, Lemus spent almost 14 years in prison. more ›

Anthony Marshall, the only son of New York society legend Brooke Astor, pleaded not guilty to 18 counts of criminal activity related to the handling of his mother's finances. The 83-year-old former Marine spoke in court once (to utter "not guilty") and, after his bond was approved, left the courthouse using a cane. He also apparently cried. Among the accusations the Manhattan DA's office made against Marshall and his former lawyer Francis Morrissey (a PDF... more ›

Robert Chambers, whose privileged Upper East upbringing earned the tabloid nickname "The Preppy Killer" when he killed a woman in 1986, was charged with 14 counts of selling and possessing drugs. Since two of the counts are for first-degree sale, which the Daily News reports carries 15-30 years, Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau said, "I would expect he would spend the rest of his life in jail." more ›

Two men were arraigned for trying to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from billionaire Mayor Bloomberg. Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau outlined the two schemes: more ›

Ten people were indicted yesterday for taking part in a cash-for-grades scheme at Touro College. Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau explained that students - and even people who never even attended the school - would pay thousands of dollars to change their transcripts or to buy diplomas. The accused include a Touro admissions administrator, a Touro computer center head, and three city teachers who "bought" master's degrees. more ›

Can it be? The Sun reports that the Assembly "could pass a medical marijuana bill" this week, and the Senate will do the same. The lead sponsor of the Assembly's bill is Manhattan Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, who said, "There are thousands of New Yorkers who suffer from serious medical conditions who could have a better quality and longer life." more ›

The law can be very cruel, even to cancer-stricken 71-year-olds. The Daily News has a feature on Barbara Jackson, who was arrested last month after she bought some bags of pot in her Bronx neighborhood. Jackson was diagnosed with colorectal cancer eight years ago, and tells the News she's been smoking for the past seven to restore her appetite.

"The marijuana calmed me down and gave me back my appetite. My taste buds are gone, but the marijuana helps me get the food down." more ›

A man was arrested for stealing $3.6 million - and the money was from a city bank account! Unemployed social worker Tracy Ball used the money to buy jewelry from TV-and-online retailer Jewelry Television; then he'd pawn the jewelry for cash to pay bills - and some other luxury items. When he was arrested at his Brooklyn home, the AP reported that investigator found him with "two huge plasma televisions, $35,000 in cash, and several expensive sport utility vehicles." more ›

Remember the New York magazine cover story from July 2005 about the $2000/hour "escort"? Even though the escort, Natalia McLennan, was charged with money laundering, prostitution and money laundering and Jason Itzler, aka "The King of All Pimps," pleaded guilty to money laundering and attempting to promote prostitution from a Worth Street address, the story gets a second life. Former NJ prosecutor Paul Bergrin is being charged with promoting prostitution, money laundering, and conspiracy by the Manhattan DA's office. more ›

The Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau announced that the NYPD shut down a sport betting and numbers ring in the Bronx, indicting 11 people, 3 of whom have links to the Lucchese and Genovese crime families. NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly admited that "the size of this operation was not particularly significant" - it only generated $200,000 in yearly profits - but the gambling ring was run out of the Hunts Point market. And the ring was open to employees, customers "anyone who stopped by the Hunts Point Cooperative Market and the New York City Terminal Produce Cooperative Market in the Bronx," according to the NY Times. more ›

Iin yet another story of a con artist duping an elderly person, an 81 year old astronomer was bilked by a 31 year old scammer out of over $200,000. The fact that Joseph Gossner is a prominent city philanthropist lands him on the cover of the Daily News - he was taken in by Janet Costello, who told him she suffered from breast cancer and needed money to pay the bills, but actually used the money to buy a Hummer among other things. more ›

- Ask for a nude photograph, and if they wouldn't agree, he would threaten to "plaster the bikini or lingerie shots around their schools unless they complied"Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau said, "Students think that because they're on a secure Web site like Facebook that they're safe from online predators. They're not." We cannot wait for Dateline to do a "To Catch a Facebook Predator" show! more ›

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Holy white shoe: A tax attorney at Cravath, Swain and Moore is on the run from police who want him in New York to face various charges of paying a mother to have sex with her young teen daughters. James Colliton was caught at Niagara Falls, and the Ontario police were holding him - but somehow, he was released, much to the DA's office's dismay. The girls' mother is being held on $100,000 for promoting prostitution, and it's just heartbreaking to hear that she would make her daughters return to Colliton for sex. One daughter was 15 when her Colliton paid for her, and her sister was 13 when Colliton set his eyes on her last year. more ›

If you thought your cat was only good for adorable primping (and hairballs), meowing during scratches, and covering up litter box poop, think again - your cat could have a future in law enforcement. Because the Best Story Ever Ever Ever is how the Brooklyn DA's office deputized an eight month old cat from Animal Care and Control to help bust a fake vet! The case itself seems straightforward - Robert Reid was suspicious of the "treatment" Steven Vassall gave Reid's terrier Burt (Burt had an open wound, was bloody, and didn't need medication post operation) so he contacted the Brooklyn DA's office - but it has the cutest crop of characters ever. Assistant DA Carol Moran selected Fred the cat from Animal Care and Control for a sting operation, where Vassall agreed to neuter Fred for $135 and was promptly arrested. The media was putty in the paws of Fred and Burt - see the NY Times photo of Fred reeling from Burt's kiss; see AM New York's photo of Burt at the press conference - hell, AM New York put him on the cover! The Post titled its article Paw and Order, and the Daily News reporter Nancie L. Katz gets a subtle shoutout from the NY Times' staccato, noirish retelling of the animal tale:

The victim was stitched up. The hero wore a badge to meet the news media. His big green eyes looked past a dozen TV cameras. A dozen camera operators made kissy noises. more ›

Unlike the uncertain Democratic mayoral primary, the other races were more decisive. In three big races, the incumbents prevailed, with Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau (top left), Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum (top middle), and Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes (top right) winning their respective Democratic primaries. Morgenthau had his first real challenger in years with Judge Leslie Crocker Snyder, but managed to hold her off. Gotbaum won very decisively against challengers like the Norman Siegel and Andrew Raisiej. Hynes' race was much closer, with State Senator earning 37% of the vote to Hynes' 41%. All three are expected to win the general election this fall. And since C. Virginia Fields has to leave the Manhattan Borough Presidency because of term limits, the Manhattan Borough President's race was a hotbed of candidates, with Upper West Side state Assemblyman Scott Stringer (right) winning with 26% of the vote in a race that does not have a 40% rule for runoff; most people also expect Stringer to win the general election. The NY Times has a good article about the Manhattan BEEP's role "largely ceremonial" but can wield power with real estate developers in land deals. more ›

- A woman and her 8 year-old son seem to have been killed by her boyfriend, who used a machete. News reports wonder if the boyfriend should have even been on the streets. more ›

The Whitney Museum claims they are in fine financial health, but it is CRAZY that no one spotted almost a million missing. Crazy and hilarious - what fools and double crossing. Gothamist feels a Law & Order episode coming on... more ›