Nyack Man Charged in $13,000 Theft of Unemployment Benefits

Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe today announced that Andrew Naclerio (DOB 08/30/62) of Nyack, New York has been charged with:

* One count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class “D” Felony

* One count of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a class “E” Felony

in a scheme to steal unemployment benefits.

Between October, 2010 and June, 2011, Naclerio allegedly applied for and received Unemployment Benefits from the New York State Department of Labor. Each week, the defendant would certify that he was unemployed and looking for work.

At the time, Naclerio was actively employed as a general contractor and a partner in a home improvement business.

According to the charges, the defendant collected benefits from the state’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) trust fund while earning a paycheck.

He is accused of illegally collecting nearly $13,000 in unemployment benefits.

The arrest of the defendant resulted from an investigation conducted by the Rockland County Special Investigations Unit and the New York State Department of Labor.

Naclerio was arraigned in the Village of Nyack Justice Court on June 14, 2011 by the Honorable Robert Lewis and was released after posting $1000 bail. He is due to return to court on September 22, 2011.

On July 20, 2011, the defendant was re-arrested after allegedly cashing two checks totaling $1500 at a local check-cashing establishment. It is alleged that Naclerio knew there were insufficient funds in the account to cover the checks.

The defendant was arraigned on the check-cashing incident in Clarkstown Justice Court by the Honorable Rolf Thorsen on July 20, 2011. He was released on his own recognizance.

He is due to return to the Spring Valley Justice Court on August 10, 2011.

The defendant faces up to seven years in state prison, if convicted.

Rep. Engel Calls on President Obama to Tighten Sanctions on Syria

Leads Bipartisan Group of 223 House Members 

Washington, DC—Today, Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D-NY-17), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, urged to President Barack Obama to respond to the repression in Syria by tightening sanctions against the regime.

“The Syrian regime of Bashar al Assad is murdering its own people.  Tanks and armed soldiers are attacking cities and civilians in this brutal campaign of repression.  The Administration’s actions taken so far against al-Assad, his family, and his associates have helped, but I believe it is time to significantly increase pressure by imposing penalties under the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Act of 2003 (Syria Accountability Act),” said Rep. Engel.

Rep. Engel was the author of the Syria Accountability Act, and is the lead Democratic sponsor of the Syria Freedom Support Act, along with Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL).  Along with Rep. Engel, the letter to President Obama (TEXT ATTACHED) is led by five other senior members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee:  Chairwoman Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member Howard Berman (D-CA), and Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Steve Chabot (R-OH), and Connie Mack (R-FL).

Rep. Engel – No More Delays on a Jobs Bill

Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) called on the House Republican Majority to use the promising July jobs numbers to finally fulfill its promise to the American people to have a “laser-like” focus on jobs.  The self-inflicted distraction of the debt ceiling debate has passed, so there is no excuse to continue avoiding any kind of jobs bill to help Americans get back to work.

The July report indicated that not only did the nation add a total of 117,000 jobs, but the U.S. Department of Labor also amended the May and June reports by showing an additional 56,000 jobs added for those months.  The private sector added 154,000 jobs in July, with the state and local governments suffering job losses to drop the total down to 117,000.  A portion of those lost government jobs stemmed from the Minnesota government shutdown. 

“With 13.9 million Americans still out of work, the path to employment is long, and full of roadblocks.  Unfortunately, the federal government has been placing some of those obstacles up themselves,” the 12-term congressman said. 

“Many economists believe that deep budget cuts are bad for the economy, and that the federal government needs to spend to stimulate recovery.  A balanced budget is nice in concept, and important for families to achieve, but for the federal government it leads to situations where disaster victims were told they must find an offset before FEMA is able to help them recover after their town was destroyed.

“After opposing every jobs bill introduced in 2010, no one can be shocked they have ignored the unemployment problem since taking the majority.  

“Instead of putting the resources of the federal government to help the recovery and put more people back to work, the Republican agenda has focused more on repealing the Affordable Care Act, and eliminating the thousands of jobs connected to it.  The Tea Party-led Republican Majority led the nation to the brink of default for no good reason other than to advance their anti-government agenda.  The answer is not more rhetoric on lowering corporate taxes; in fact, total federal tax revenue as a percentage of Gross National Product has averaged 14.9% since January 2009, the lowest in decades.  It is expected to drop even further in 2011.  That type of policy is what got us in this mess in the first place. 

“Let’s stop the ideological gamesmanship, work together, and produce a jobs bill which helps the unemployed and aids employers at the same time.”

Jaffee Bill to Stem Female Substance Abuse Signed in to Law

Albany, NY – In the growing fight against substance abuse, New York women are getting a new ally now that the Governor has signed in to law legislation (A1078) sponsored by Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee (D-Suffern) to provide medical professionals with tools to better diagnose those suffering from alcohol and drug addiction.

“With this legislation in action, women and their families will no longer have to worry about the stigma associated with seeking help for substance abuse”, said Jaffee. “Women deserve the peace of mind knowing their health care providers are equipped with the knowledge necessary for diagnosis and treatment.”

Jaffee’s legislation will require the Commissioner of the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of the Department of Health, to provide and publish educational materials for health care providers regarding the best practices for screening, assessment, and diagnosis of women for alcoholism and chemical dependency.

As chair of the Assembly Task Force on Women’s Issues, Jaffee has closely followed the rising number of women suffering from alcohol and substance abuse. According to a recent study, there has been a 50% increase in the number of women reporting alcohol abuse in recent years.  Furthermore, federal health researchers reported a staggering 84% of the annual average of the 6.3 million women aged 18 to 49 requiring treatment annually for substance abuse neither received treatment nor were perceived as needing it by medical professionals.  

These alarming trends indicate a dire need for increased and improved education regarding the growing problem of female substance abuse. In light of this, Jaffee led the push for the advancement of this care-strengthening legislation, garnering near-unanimous bi-partisan support in both houses.

“I am hopeful this legislation will not only help women obtain more timely diagnosis and treatment, but also shed light on this pressing health issue”, said Jaffee. “Alcoholism and substance abuse have long been considered a disproportionately male problem. Unfortunately, the statistics reveal that women are equally likely to use and abuse. This bill will certainly aid in breaking the silence.”