Career Criminal Pulls of Bank Crimes

Professional criminal from Richmond reportedly helped steals millions of dollars from a bank in Brooklyn, NY. Afrim Kupa, 37, left blood at the scene of the crime.

Kupa and a team of burglars used a blowtorch to cut through the roof of the Astoria Federal Savings bank in February last year. They made off with 64 safety deposit boxes and more than $250,000 in cash. The total value stolen is unknown because safe deposit box owners rarely tell authorities how much cash they are storing in them.

Kupa has been involved in break-ins at banks and jewelery stores since the 1990s.

Kupa is being held without bail in the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

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Marijuana Meatballs

New York Police officer Anthony Chiofalo was terminated after appeal for failing a drug test.

Chiofalo, a 22-year-veteran detective on the NYPD force claimed his wife spiked his meatball with marijuana, causing him to fail the test. However, judges agreed that the levels of marijuana in Chiofalo's system were inconsistent with accidental exposure.

Chiofalo's wife, Catherine, claims she smokes marijuana for back pain and told investigators she laced her husband's meatballs in hopes that he would be fired before getting killed on the job.

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Shoplifters Want to Clean Up

Shoplifters in Buffalo, New York have a new opportunity to clean up their record. They can now participate in a special rehabilitation program, The Stop Shoplifting Education Program.

Completing the 3 hour class, in conjunction with 25 hours of community service can walk away with no record of their conviction. According to in-house analysis backed up by researchers from the University at Buffalo, those who complete the course are 50 percent less likely to commit another criminal act than those who do not.

In a survey by Retail Industry Leaders Association, 61% of retail business owners reported an increase in shoplifting since the beginning of this year, and a huge 725 have seen an increase in "organized retail crime" — people who steal larger amounts of goods or larger-ticket items to sell for cash.

The economy is a good excuse, people with far less money and jobs available to them are taking matters into their owns hands. Sometimes even getting back at the business they feel are responsible. However, shoplifting is not a victimless crime, something the program emphasizes.

Shoplifting raises the cost of goods substantially, perpetuating the problem further.

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NY State Law Hides Criminal Records from Potential Employees

Convicted felons in New York now have the right to conceal their criminal records from potential employees, including school districts, day-care centers and nursing homes. Eligible convictions include drug sale and possession charges, as well as burglary and grand larceny charges.

Young offenders in the state of New York already have protection by being able to apply for the youthful offender status to have their records sealed. Many employers are upset that the new law hides even more criminal information from them.

Superintendent Michael Shea said he had not heard of the provision,"it seems there was very little, if any, public discussion about this."

Sen. James L. Seward, R-Oneonta, and Sen. John Bonacic, R-Mount Hope, are co-sponsoring legislation to repeal the provision, which Bonacic dubs the "Drug Dealers Protection Act" in a media release.

"This change defies all common sense because it would effectively wipe the slate clean for drug dealers who undergo criminal background checks when seeking employment in certain positions," Seward said last week. "This means convicted drug dealers could be taking care of children at a day-care center or as a nanny, teaching at a school, or working at a nursing home or some other position of trust."


Gov. David Paterson, a Democrat, has defended the provision, as has Democratic Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver. Democrats have also controlled the Senate this year, but a vote Monday switched the Senate to GOP control through a coalition with two New York City Democrats.

Lopez, Seward and Bonacic said the measure is a result of a state budget process held behind closed doors.

"The changes to New York's drug laws were rushed through as part of the state's secret budget process," Bonacic said in the release. "The New York City Democrats who controlled the budget process claimed to be thrilled with these changes, and now we see the results. Secret negotiations combined with a soft-on-crime attitude have left New York with a dangerous public policy we must stop."


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Even Top Government Executives Should Be Screened

One of the many roles of the Chief of Staff is to act as the COO of an organization. After it was discovered that his chief of staff did not have a background check, New York Governor David Patterson ordered background checks on all his executive chamber employees.
Chief of Staff David O'Byrne was found to owe $300,000 in taxes. The debt has been repaid with interest and penalties, however the discovery was cause for alarm in Patterson’s eyes.
Patterson said he just learned that “over 60% of executive chamber employees never had completed background checks.”
Background checks are not required by law for these officials, but a policy of checks had been created by Patterson’s predecessor, Eliot Spitzer.
Taking a person’s resume at face value and trusting your instincts when hiring top executives just isn’t feasible in our changing world. It is best to make sure the person you hire has no conflicts of interest for such a high level job, and a thorough background investigation can help ease your mind that you truly are making the best decision possible.
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