House Republicans holding a field hearing Monday in downtown Manhattan on crime in New York City are expected to wade into the debate over bail and criminal justice reform measures at the state level that some in law enforcement say are making the job of policing the city harder instead of easier.

After President Trump was indicted last month by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, the House Judiciary Committee announced that it would hold the hearing to examine Mr. Braggs track record in keeping criminals off the streets as he targets Mr. Trump. The committee is headed by an Ohio Republican, James Comer, who is one of Mr. Trumps most vociferous supporters on Capitol Hill.

In an appearance on MSNBCs The Sunday Show, the New York police commissioner, Keechant Sewell, said that violent crime is actually down in the city, but the perception remains that it is less safe now than it was only a couple years ago. He said bail reform measures that make it harder to keep people incarcerated championed by Democrats in New Yorks capital, Albany, are complicating the job of policing the city.

There are a limited number of people in this city that continue to commit a disproportionate number of crimes, Ms. Sewell said. I have said over and over again that judges should have the ability to determine whether someone is a public safety threat, when they determine whether they should remand, set bail, or release.

I think those [bail] reforms were well-meaning, but there are people taking advantage of those reforms, and its causing detriment to our city, the commissioner added.

Ms. Sewells comments come the same day that the New York Times reported that a substantial number of shoplifting arrests in the city in 2022 involved a small number of repeat offenders. A study by the police department found that only 327 people were responsible for nearly a third of all shoplifting arrests last year. Collectively, those 327 people were arrested more than 6,000 times during the year and released to reoffend almost immediately.

Despite the decline in violent crime, petty theft rates in New York have been skyrocketing in recent years. Complaints have nearly doubled over the past five years, peaking at 64,000 last year. Only about 34 percent resulted in arrests, about half of the rate of arrests only five years ago. Under New York law, shoplifting less than $1,000 of merchandise is considered a misdemeanor.

Criminal justice reform advocates argue that shoplifting is a victimless crime borne out of necessity by people either struggling financially or trying to feed an addiction. Police, though, say the crime increasingly is being carried out by organized criminal gangs and repeat offenders, most of whom escape jail time under new bail laws in the state.

The Times reported that these smash and grab gangs that often break windows and grab expensive items in display windows disproportionately targeted specific stores last year. Seven chain pharmacies and 18 department stores accounted for about 20 percent of all shoplifting complaints.

Small retailers in the city are also scared, the Times reports, and are often powerless to stop the shoplifting. One of the witnesses expected to testify at Mondays judiciary committee hearing is bodega owner Jose Alba, who was charged by Mr. Bragg with murder after he stabbed an assailant who assaulted him in his store last year.

Mr. Alba spend several days at New Yorks infamous Rikers Island jail when he was unable to come up with the $250,000 bail demanded by Mr. Braggs office. Following public pressure in the case, the charges were dropped.

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House Republicans Target Bragg, NYC 'Crime Wave' in Field Trip to ... - The New York Sun

For any law that prohibits or inhibits previously accepted or allowed behavior to be effective, it must be logical, proportional, enforceable and actually enforced.

If it meets those criteria, it has a good chance of being accepted by most of the populace. If it fails to meet one or more of those criteria, it will prove to be ineffective.

But the political forces behind the ineffective laws will congratulate themselves and eventually try again without learning the lessons of past failures. The history of gun control laws in the United States pretty much demonstrates that fact.

The only certain way to eliminate these crimes is to totally prohibit private ownership of guns and we know that is unachievable in our country.

If much stricter gun control laws would drastically reduce the tragedy of individual and mass shootings in the United States, I would most certainly support them.

But they will not, because the real problems that result in death resulting from firearms are deeply rooted in our culture.

While were looking for all things like systemic racism, we might want to notice the systemic anger and hatred permeating our fellow men and women.

Pour into this all the recent societal disruption of abortion, national elections, COVID-19, woke, gender versus sexual identity and others, and some measure of chaos is unavoidable.

The following statistics are from different years, but they are close enough for effective comparison. In 2020, gun deaths totaled 45,222; 54% were suicides and 47% were murders. The remaining 3% were the result of law enforcement actions or undetermined.

The real headline getter is now mass shootings. Im not saying they shouldnt be reported, but they shouldnt be goryfied or glorified to the point that another disturbed individual decides he, she, him or her wants their name in lights with a higher body count.

Drugs play their own part in gun deaths.

We seek to convince ourselves that illegal drugs are victimless crimes that should not be prosecuted; besides, those laws are difficult to enforce.

Deaths from drug overdoses are now close to 100,000 per year an estimated 1 million have died from drug overdoses since 1999.

It doesnt seem to matter to us that much of the illegal drug trade involves child labor, coercion of native populations, political and law enforcement corruption that puts Al Capone to shame, turf wars that kill more Blacks than any other races and perhaps as many innocent bystanders as guilty drug runners and dealers.

Meanwhile, from the fentanyl labs in China, to the poppy fields of Afghanistan, and on to the coca plantations of South America, and within our own harmless marijuana fields and farms the producers produce and peddle their mind-altering wares, adding other dangerous substances to get you higher and higher before you spin, crash and burn in an ash heap of another wasted human life!

Is this the freedom you aspire to live?

The grand prize for death will always go to abortion! In the United States alone in 2019, 630,000 children were aborted. They are not something less than human, they are real human beings.

I will never stop writing and speaking about the evils of abortion simply because it is truly evil.

After Satan enticed Eve to take a bite of the apple and she convinced Adam to do the same, radical feminist philosophers have moved way beyond that to convince others that their body matters more than any other on the face of the planet even more than the child growing within her that will leave a part of himself or herself inside her until death.

What is it inside of us that convinces most of us that we are somehow better, more righteous, more worthy, more deserving, more anything than any other person on the planet?

These feelings of superiority lead to discrimination, racism, anger, hatred, envy and other forms of pure evil.

Show me the politicians, political parties or anyone in power who is actually working to change the culture to eliminate these evils.

Seems like the few who are trying to help are drowned out in the cacophony of resistance from all those who profit from evil.

Thats the way I see it.

Echo Journal Columnist / Pete Abler

Continue reading here:

As I See It: Guns, drugs and death in America - Pine and Lakes Echo Journal

We seem to be fascinated by fraudsters, and recent documentaries prove this. The documentary landscape is populated with many fraud-centered stories, such as The Tinder Swindler, Fyre, The Con, Fake Heiress, The Inventor, and many others. Some have even been made into series, such as the story of Elisabeth Holmes in The Dropout, and the story of Anna Delvey in Inventing Anna. We just cant get enough of it, and who can blame us? These stories are fascinating, entertaining, and engaging. We want to know how these fraudsters achieved their deceptive goals, and how they managed to fool so many people. And whilst part of this fascination may be down to consuming knowledge and wanting to know what to avoid, should such situations happen to us, there are parts that are deeply worrying. Some fraudsters have started to get our admiration and sympathy, while their victims received the blame for the victimization.

I recently watched Inventing Anna, a Netflix series about the frauds committed by Anna Sorokin, also known as Anna Delvey, who stole large sums of money from various people and establishments. Whilst it is debatable to what degree Netflix followed and depicted the actual events, what alarmed me was their depiction of one of Annas victims, who is currently suing Netflix for this very reason. The series glamourized Annas fraudulent endeavors and depicted her as clever, interesting, and mysterious; someone who we wanted to figure out and understand. At the same time, one of the victims was painted as greedy, and blamed for selling their story and profiting from the experience.

Victims of fraud already suffer unfair treatment by the society and the authorities. They are often seen as gullible, stupid, and greedy. This paints fraud, which is a terrible and often cunning crime, as a victimless crime. Since there are no visible injuries, people assume that the victim emerges unscathed, but this is wrong. Fraud victims experience a lot of pain and anguish, often suffering long-term consequences as well. Apart from the financial loss, which can cause terrible financial troubles for the victim, e.g., financial hardship, homelessness, bad credit etc., there are unseen, psychological consequences caused by deception. These include self-blame, long-lasting anger, disappointment, and loss of trust in society and fellow humans. Deception erodes innocence and trust and lowers ones empathy towards people. Once you are scammed, you will never see the world the same way. Victims suffer from hypervigilance, cynicism, and mistrust, avoiding certain activities they associate with victimization and closing themselves off as a way of protection. And on top of that, they have to deal with being seen as gullible or greedy by society. Whilst victims of other crimes have our sympathy, this is a luxury many fraud victims dont get. Therefore, many fraud victims keep the victimization a secret.

What people dont understand is that deception fraudsters use is extremely harmful. Anna created a persona to prime her victims for fraud. This was also the Tinder Swindlers modus operandi. Money taken from people is used to create a wealthy and generous persona, so that the con can continue, and victims dont suspect anything when they are asked for money. Essentially, this is akin to a pyramid scheme, only the money is invested in building a persona.

Generosity extended to potential victims during fraud is not generosity or friendship, it is a type of grooming. And moreover, it is grooming with money gained by defrauding other people. In this grooming stage, fraudsters do favors for their victims or buy them elaborate gifts. But make no mistake, rather than being generous, they are using a specific persuasion technique to gain power over the victim. This not only builds trust, but also establishes expectations.

The false generosity and unsolicited gifts are how fraudsters slowly groom the intended victim to feel obliged to return the favor at some point. This is why we often feel uncomfortable when someone gives us something for free. Reciprocity is a social norm which is ingrained in us. Subconsciously we know that we need to reciprocate favors, because this is what decent people do. Those that dont are seen as selfish and self-centered, and most people will reciprocate even when they dont want to, in order to avoid cognitive dissonance, e.g., being seen as selfish.

Scammers know this and use this persuasive psychological technique all the time, with much success. Typically, the longer they groom the victim and more money they invest in grooming and creating a persona, e.g., expensive clothes, expensive vehicles, expensive things etc., the bigger the payout is. But many people dont understand that this is not true generosity, it is an elaborate scamming technique.

Thus, blaming the victim for accepting fraudsters generosity is wrong. The victim was sold a believable lie. That is their only weakness. The gifts, and the false generosity are a part of a grooming stage. People that defraud others are not friends, they are criminals who use psychological manipulation. We can be fascinated by their techniques, even learn to avoid them, but fraudsters should not get our sympathy at the expense of their victims.

Despite suffering psychological and financial consequences, fraud victims get little justice or attention after reporting the crime. Many are passed between agencies. Almost all crimes can be reported to police, but in most cases, fraud isnt one of them. Finding the right avenue to report specific fraud to can be frustrating and confusing. Often, reporting fraud is handled by specific reporting agencies, such as Action Fraud in the UK, and State Consumer Protection Office or the Federal Trade Commission in the U.S. After making the report, many fraud victims reach a dead end. There are usually no updates on the case, no information on whether any investigation will take place, no dedicated detective you can reach to find out how the case is going. Nothing but silence. This can be disheartening, especially as reporting is already low due to feelings of shame. Additionally, some of these agencies have received bad reputations for their unfair and cruel treatment of fraud victims.

Fraud is also rarely prosecuted. Only about 3% of all U.S. federal prosecutions are for white collar crimes. And when it is prosecuted, fraudsters typically get paltry sentences. For example, Anna Delvey was sentenced to 4 to 12 years in prison but was released after two years. This must be especially hurtful to the victims and businesses she defrauded, because she showed little remorse or guilt for her actions. In fact, Anna even stated that she doesnt see anything wrong with what she has done; she doesnt see it as a crime. Similarly, Tinder Swindlers 15 month sentence was already lenient, but he ended up serving only 5 months for allegedly defrauding many women, totaling as much as $10 million.

Fraud can be difficult and complex to prosecute. It often crosses borders, so jurisdiction can be difficult to establish. For example, fraudsters commit fraud in several countries or from another country, which adds to the complexity of the crime. But low prosecution rates are also down to the fact that as a society, we see fraud as a victimless crime, especially when it happens to private individuals. But it is not. Many research studies, mine included (Dove 2018, Button, Lewis, and Tapley, 2014, Button, and Cross, 2017), outlined harmful effects of fraud, some of which included suicide, financial ruin, and severe psychological consequences, including impact to self-esteem. These consequences can be harder to recover from, than physical injuries, especially when victims are made to feel shame and are criticized when they speak up.

Speaking about fraud victimization is vital. It helps to warn people of fraudulent schemes and manipulations and gives fraud victims that speak up about their experience a voice, and a little bit of their power back. But how we speak about fraud victimization matters. Glamourizing clever fraudsters normalizes fraud and makes it appear somewhat acceptable; criticizing victims does too. Fraud is a crime. But despite being found guilty of a serious crime, Annas lawyer said she is seen as a role model by many people, and he is probably right. But should we praise and look up to people who deceive and defraud others, and falsify documents to procure loans and overdrafts. After all, this hurts us all in the end. As a result, procedures become more arduous and complicated, people become more cynical and bitter, affecting how we trust and cooperate with each other. This may affect and limit future opportunities and growth.

When we sympathize with fraudsters, we are saying that some types of crimes are acceptable as long as the criminal is charismatic, well dressed, or smart. When we criticize fraud victims for falling for a scam or for speaking out, we are saying that some people deserve to be defrauded and that they should accept their fate. But ask yourself why do you feel this way? If a charming and mysterious fraudster stole your parents life savings, would you still feel they deserved it for not being more vigilant or more careful? What about if the same fraudster befriended them, gave them gifts, took them out for dinners and then stole their pension? Would that make it OK? Would you blame your parents for accepting gifts and friendship or would you see them as victims of a conman that was good at deception and manipulation? Sometimes, fraud needs to strike close to home for us to realize that it is a dirty game, full of tricks and psychological manipulations.

The way we think about fraud and the way we punish fraud matters. An insensitive society, and paltry prison sentences ensures that fraud is seen as relatively risk-free and less morally wrong than other types of crimes, helping it flourish. Fraud is not a victimless crime. Its also not a crime that affects only direct victims. We all pay for fraud through higher interest and insurance rates, or higher prices for goods and services. Therefore, instead of blaming victims of fraud and focusing on their behavior, we should be shaming fraudsters.

Editors Note:The opinions expressed in this guest author article are solely those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect those of Tripwire, Inc.

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Glamourizing fraudsters hurts victims of fraud, and society - tripwire.com

Irish identities are being stolen and sold online for 25, the Irish Daily Mail can reveal.

Major data breaches have resulted in a significant number of Irish customers bank login details, passwords, PPS numbers and addresses being packaged together and the information sold on the dark web.

The package, which is referred to as a fullz in criminal slang, contains a persons real name, address, and form of ID. Credit card numbers, copies of passports and drivers licences are also on sale.

Niamh Davenport, from the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland (BPFI), said: You can buy credit card details on there for something like 10 pounds or euro. Now, that card might not work but some people think its worth the risk. Theres a cost-of-living crisis. Someone might be using that card for relatively small amounts, maybe something like going to going to Tesco and putting food on the table.

People think this is a victimless crime and that the person whose money you are taking will get it back from the bank but that is not always the case.

The availability of data on the dark web is really brazen. Weve seen all sorts but people dont really know who theyre giving that money to.

Ms Davenport also explained that the use of money mules people who allow their accounts to be used to move illegally obtained money between bank accounts has also become a huge problem.

She said: Younger people especially dont really see the problem with it. They think its a few bob in their pockets. But they can be helping drug dealers or even human traffickers.

Sources told the Irish Daily Mail that officers attached to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) are aware of the trade in identities and are actively investigating.

However, probes into these crimes can prove difficult. Often many people do not make an official statement to garda if they have been scammed following their data being used and others dont even know they had been targeted.

Those advertising the details for sale are charging relatively small sums of money for the information. However, this is due to risk and rewards factors associated with the illegal sale of documents and details such as credit cards.

A security source with knowledge of the investigative practices explained why people place these details online instead of using them for their own personal gain.

He said: Most people posting credit card details online are not just taking one persons details and putting them online.

The vast majority of people have a massive amount of information that has been scraped from data breaches. So, while you can put something up for 25, this seller will be advertising hundreds if not thousands of these. They also minimise the risk of not being caught as they deal solely in cryptocurrency which is notoriously difficult to track.

The National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI) liaises with the GNECB and regularly sends bulletins regarding people who they suspect are involved in some form of fraud.

Many of the scammers are also hard to nail down as they use cryptocurrency for their transactions. The more organised crime gangs also hire money mules to move their illicit cash.

In recent weeks, large volumes of information were posted following a data breach at the Munster Technical University. It is believed that the breach allowed the fraudsters to access financial details and medical records.

It is not known if personal data from that breach is among that being sold on the dark web. Other ways in which information gets stolen is through traditional phishing emails and smishing (fraudulent text messages).

A huge Facebook hack in 2021 resulted in more than 500 million people having their details stolen and placed online for sale.

A source with knowledge of the investigation into these scammers told the Irish Daily Mail: Its the case that data from any hack in the last few years will end up online. Someone has a site on the dark web where you can search the data via name, address and phone number.

There is also a lot of data harvested via phishing and smishing. It costs around 50 to send 10,000 text messages.

If you get 100 people to bite, the original scammer might use 10 full sets of personal information and sell the rest.

A BOI spokesman said: Monitoring of the dark web is a standard fraud detection and prevention measure undertaken by the bank.

Original post:

Stolen Irish Identities On Sale For 25 On The Dark Web - Extra.ie

Arif Patel and 23 members of his criminal empirehave been convicted of fraud worth some 150 million.

Patel, 55, used the proceeds to buy property across Preston and London including a five-storey terrace on Pilgrims Lane in Hampstead.

The property once belonged to Edwardian painter Sir William Nicholson and has a blue plaque signifying that he lived therebetween 1904 and 1906.

The neighbourhood is one of the most exclusive in the entire country, with Harry Styles and Benedict Cumberbatch living nearby.

Former residents of Pilgrims Lane also include ex-Labour leader Michael Foot and cellist Jaqueline du Pr.

Patel and his gang tried to steal 97 million through VAT repayment claims on false exports of textiles and mobile phones.

They also imported and sold fake designer clothes that would have been worth at least 50 million if they were genuine.

On April 11 Patel was found guilty of false accounting, conspiracy to cheat the public revenue, the onward sale of counterfeit clothing and money laundering.

He was convicted in his absence as he remained in Dubai throughout his trial, after he travelled there in July 2011 and never returned.

Mohamed Jaffar Ali, 58, from Dubai, was also found guilty of conspiracy to cheat the Revenue and money laundering.

HMRC has recovered more than 78 million of the gangs UK assets and signalled their intention to recover more proceeds of their crimes.

Richard Las, director of the Fraud Investigation Service atHMRC, said: These guilty verdicts close a significant chapter in one of the biggest tax fraud cases ever investigated by HMRC.

For more than a decade HMRC and our partners have worked tirelessly and together to bring this gang to justice.

Arif Patel lived a lavish lifestyle at the expense of the law-abiding majority. Tax crime is not victimless and fraudsters like this pair steal the money that funds the NHS and other vital public services we all rely on.

Our work doesnt stop here. We have more than 78 million of the gangs UK assets restrained and have begun the process to recover all those proceeds of crime.

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Designer clothing fraudster bought historic Hampstead house - This is Local London

DURING Ramadan the gates of heaven are opened and that of hell closed, with the devils chained for added measure, goes an ahadith. That reflects Allahs generosity. It is also a soothing balm for believers who have lost their loved ones during this holy month. To me however, that prophetic wisdom encapsulates the essence of Ramadan a season for charity, forgiveness, and generosity.

It is no surprise that many Muslim countries grant clemency to their prisoners during Ramadan. Iran, as in past years, pardoned thousands, a magnanimity worthy of an Islamic state. The late Shah Pahlavi imprisoned and tortured many, especially his opponents during Ramadan, mocking its sanctity. The Saudis, already with the highest per capita execution rates, also have a similar forgiveness programme during Ramadan. That aside, they created an uproar recently when in an unprecedented action executed a prisoner during this holy month.

Self-professed Islamic Malaysia has yet to demonstrate such magnanimity. The best she could muster was in 2009, when the Yang di-Pertuan Agong deferred the caning of one Kartika Shukarno till after Ramadan. Her crime? Drinking beer in public!

Caning is cruel, inhuman, and degrading, an affront to human dignity. Kartika was sentenced in a shariah court, not a criminal hence very Islamic, as Malaysia defines it. The outcry (locally and abroad) was not that she was to be caned (thousands of Malaysians have endured that) rather that she was a young mother, and it was to be done publicly during Ramadan.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has a splendid opportunity to imprint an Islamic face to Malaysia this Ramadan, his first as a prime minister. Institutionalise this spirit of generosity and forgiveness by initiating a formal clemency tradition. Commute the sentences of at least 99 prisoners, hence opening their gates to heaven (restoring their cherished freedom) and closing their hellish past. That number has special significance for Muslims, as with the 99 names of Allah. I cannot think of any other gesture worthy of Islam Madani, and what a legacy that would be for Anwar!

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi went through five Ramadans as prime minister, yet this proponent of Islam Hadhari did not see fit to grant a single pardon, not on Hari Raya Aidilfitri or Merdeka Day. Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad dismissed with undisguised contempt by the Islamists, released a few political prisoners during Ramadan, most notably Kassim Ahmad and Syed Hussin Ali. Never mind that Dr Mahathir had jailed them without trial in the first place, a very un-Islamic practice.

A Ramadan pardon would have a tremendous positive impact on the prisoners, prison system, and society. It gives them hope, a sparse and precious commodity in a prison. Even the slimmest hope would motivate them to behave, easing the wardens job. At another level, those prisoners would now have another reason to look forward to Ramadan.

Canada, a secular society, goes further. Apart from the governor-generals pardon powers, those convicted could, after they have served their sentence, apply to have their criminal record expunged after a specified period of being law abiding, thus giving them a fresh slate. That is a powerful incentive for them to remain on the straight path, as our Quran puts it. Indeed the recidivism rates of those pardoned is only 4%, compared to the historical 20. An important provision with Canadas programme is that victims of those criminals would have a major voice at the pardon hearing. For those who committed victimless crimes, their approval would be statutorily routine.

Former prime miniister Najib Razak was jailed for corruption pilfering public funds. That is not a victimless crime. Millions, especially the poor, suffer as a consequence. As such his pardon should not be decided by the Agong alone. Najibs victims should and must have a major say.

I am reminded of the story of Caliph Omar on one of his famous late night anonymous walkabout management. He spotted an amorous unmarried couple and barged in, pronouncing them guilty of adultery, punishable by stoning to death, at least for the lady. Unperturbed, her male companion wagged his finger at the Caliph. Yes Sir, I have sinned against Allah, but you have wronged us by breaching our privacy. A Merciful Allah may forgive you, but we will not! At which point the Caliph, the great leader that he was, apologised and withdrew. Caliph Omar implicitly acknowledged that certain inherent and inalienable rights of citizens (in this case to privacy) trumped over their sins against Allah, or the Caliphs presumed knowledge of His dictates.

Canadas pardon programme reflects generosity and forgiveness, as well as the trust leaders have in their followers, even those who have initially stumbled. Those are also the values cherished in our Quran. April 13, 2023.

* M. Bakri Musa reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.

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Releasing prisoners to honour Ramadan - The Malaysian Insight