Latest news with #Gendron
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ex-CPA admits to bank fraud conspiracy that cost lenders millions
SPRINGFIELD — A former accountant pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a conspiracy that prosecutors say obtained commercial mortgages for area properties using false information. Christine Gendron, 61, pleaded guilty before Judge Mark G. Mastroianni on Friday to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, according to U.S. Attorney's Office spokesperson Caroline Ferguson. Gendron's sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 30. Gendron — whose certified public accountant status expired in June 2023 — described herself as 'resident CPA' of JLL Realty Developers, according to a statement of facts attached to her plea agreement signed April 16. She was sister to one of the partners of the company, Jeannette Norman. Norman's federal case is still pending. Norman, court documents note, was a vice president at Goldman Sachs between 1998 and 2007. The other partner of JLL Realty Developers was Louis Masaschi, Gendron's brother in law. In April, he pleaded guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. His sentencing is set for July. Gendron, the statement of facts reads, helped submit false documents, such as rent rolls, and profit and loss statements, starting in May 2016, to obtain commercial loans for properties in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. The documents 'contained inflated monthly rental payments and lease expiration dates ... that bore the signatures of Masaschi or Norman, as well as the forged signatures of the tenants,' says the statement of facts. Prosecutors wrote in court documents that JLL Realty tried to obtain $60 million in commercial loans, although some financial institutions did not issue the money. 'After receiving these loans, Masachi, Norman, and their companies made some or no payments and ultimately defaulted on the loans, causing substantial loses to the commercial Lenders,' documents state. Altogether, the financial institutions lost $19.3 million. Among the affected financial institutions, Workers Credit Union loaned JLL Realty $11.5 million in 2018 after the group put up an East Longmeadow property as collateral. Ultimately, the Littleton-based financial institution lost $2 million, according to the statement of facts. In 2017, Springfield-based Freedom Credit Union lent the group $6.25 million based on the collateral of three properties in Springfield and ended up losing $5.37 million, according to court documents. A year later, JLL Realty tried to obtain a $400,000 loan from the credit union, but was unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Berkshire Bank denied JLL Realty's two applications for commercial loans in 2018, one for $11 million and another for $3 million, according to court records. The financial institutions did not immediately return requests for comments. Gendron, court documents state, did not personally guarantee the loan nor receive the proceeds of the loans. She only collected a salary at JLL Realty, which totaled about $393,000 between 2015 and 2022, court records say. Prosecutors in April sought the forfeiture of Gendron's full salary. Special agents with the FBI visited Gendron at her Feeding Hills home in May 2021, according to information filed with the court in April. 'Gendron falsely stated that she was unaware of any fraudulently obtained loans, and that it would surprise her that (her co-conspirators) would submit fraudulent documents to the bank,' prosecutors wrote. Gendron's attorney did not immediately return a request for comment. 'Clash of the Cans' mural contest transforms empty lot in Holyoke WMass shelter determined to make a difference — 14,000 cats and counting This WMass college is offering free course in AI essentials Westfield apartment fire claims life Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Attorneys argue social media not legally responsible for Tops shooting
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Attorneys representing social media companies argued in a Rochester courtroom Tuesday that the sites should not be held legally responsible for the racist mass shooting at Tops that killed 10 Black people on May 14, 2022. The argument was made to the New York Court of Appeals as they seek to dismiss the wrongful death lawsuit that was filed by some of the shooting victims' families who say social media is partly to blame for the deaths of their loved ones. Lawsuit targets social media sites, gun retailers for roles in Tops mass shooting The lawsuit argues that convicted gunman Payton Gendron was radicalized by white supremacist theories he found on social media and that addictive algorithms kept leading the shooter back to racist, antisemitic and violent information. The court also heard from attorneys representing the manufacturer of a gun magazine lock, which Gendron removed during his attack to use high-capacity magazines. John Elmore is one of the attorneys who is bringing this lawsuit against the companies. 'They are all, we believe, to be addictive products and they were dangerous products that could have been made in a safer way,' Elmore said. 'As a result of the way they were manufactured, they were dangerous and in society when corporations make a dangerous product and it's foreseeable people are going to be inured, then they're liable under the products liability theory under New York State law, so we're hoping the judge will see our argument and continue.' Attorneys for the social media companies argued they are not liable, with one of them stating a 'premediated, murderous rampage is not a foreseeable risk of having a social media service.' Arguments took more than three hours and wrapped up late Tuesday. The judges did not make a decision. If the judges deny the appeal, it will then proceed to the discovery phase. Attorneys representing the victims families said the judges were very knowledgeable and that they're hopeful the ruling will be in their favor. Marlee Tuskes is an award-winning anchor and reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2019. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Feeding Hills woman to plead guilty in commercial mortgage scheme
SPRINGFIELD — A woman from the Feeding Hills section of Agawam has agreed to plead guilty in connection with what prosecutors describe as a scheme to defraud commercial lenders. Christine Gendron, 59, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, the United States Attorney's office said in a statement. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the court. Gendron was a certified public accountant who worked as the financial manager for JLL Realty Developers, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Gendron was charged in connection with her sister, Jeannette Norman, and brother-in-law Louis R. Masaschi whose real estate holdings once included the historic Clock Tower Building at 113 State Street in downtown Springfield, prosecutors said. Norman's case is still pending. Masaschi pleaded guilty on April 22 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud. Prosecutors said the three defendants provided materially false, fictitious and fraudulent financial information — including false rent rolls and forged lease agreements for properties in Springfield, East Longmeadow and Enfield, Connecticut — to obtain loans for their companies. After receiving the loans, the companies of the defendants allegedly made some or no payments and ultimately defaulted on the loans, causing substantial losses to the financial institutions and commercial lenders, prosecutors said. Between May 2016 and November 2018, Masaschi, and allegedly Norman, fraudulently obtained or sought to obtain approximately $60 million in loans and caused a total loss of $19 million, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The city of Springfield eventually wrested ownership of the Clock Tower Building and other properties away in order to start redevelopment in the neighborhood. Monarch Place cleaners fear job loss SNAP benefit system will be down Saturday night, Sunday morning Longmeadow man pleads guilty in $19M loan scheme Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge rejects motion to dismiss death penalty in Tops mass shooting case
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A federal judge rejected a motion to dismiss the government's notice of intent to seek the death penalty in the Buffalo mass shooting case, according to a district court filing Tuesday. The rejection comes after the defense team for admitted gunman Payton Gendron argued last November that it should be unconstitutional for him to receive the death penalty because he was 18 years old at the time of the racially targeted attack, where he killed 10 Black people and injured three others in the Tops on Jefferson Avenue. Gendron's defense based its motion around the 'alleged abuse of the grand jury,' the decision said. The allegations of abuse include the government using the grand jury process to 'compel irrelevant evidence,' by its questions 'having no relationship to the charges under consideration,' according to the filing. Other reasons cited by the defense for the attempted dismissal of the death penalty were 'improper' questioning, including whether Gendron had different disabilities or whether he 'seemed to be racist,' which was said by the defense to be 'impermissibly obtained information.' The government responded, in part, that whether Gendron 'exhibited racial animus' was 'plainly relevant' to the case's hate crime charges. In 2023, Gendron received 11 life sentences on state charges. Only the federal case carries the possibility of the death penalty. According to Tuesday's decision from U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Vilardo, the court said to allow for the death penalty's dismissal, Gendron would have had to show that the alleged abuse influenced the attorney general's decision to authorize the death penalty, which was not found by the judge. The defense's request to stop the government from using 'any of this information at trial for any purpose' was also denied. Gendron is still able to challenge the admissibility of the grand jury's testimony by filing a pretrial motion, the decision said. In the post month, Gendron's defense has also filed motions to delay the federal trial and change the trial's venue. You can view Judge Vilardo's decision and order below. Katie Skoog joined the News 4 team in April 2024. She is a graduate from the University at Buffalo. You can view more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBC
12-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Whitehorse retailer stuck with Buffalo Sabres merch after trade sends Dylan Cozens to Ottawa
Social Sharing Diehard Buffalo Sabres fans in Yukon take note, there may be a bargain to be had. The NHL team apparel is no longer the hot commodity it once was in the territory — in fact, it's quite the opposite. That's because Yukon hockey star Dylan Cozens has been traded away. At the Sports Experts retail store in Whitehorse, Sabres jerseys are on sale and hats are adorned with red "sale" stickers. Last month, Cozens — "the workhorse from Whitehorse" — was sent from Buffalo to Ottawa in a blockbuster deal at the trade deadline. And with that move came a shift in allegiance among those in Cozens's hometown who are more keen on cheering for the player than the team. "If anyone wants a good deal on Buffalo gear, we can definitely have a discussion," said Jason Gendron, general manager at Sports Experts, which sells professional sports merchandise. If anyone wants a good deal on Buffalo gear... - Jason Gendron, general manager at Sports Experts in Whitehorse Gendron says while Sabres gear is now collecting dust in his store, it's the opposite with Ottawa Senators gear. "We have seen an uptick since the trade happened," said Gendron. "We're responding accordingly, trying to get some [Senators] gear in." As it stands now, the store doesn't have any Senators merchandise. Gendron says it wasn't a priority until Cozens joined that team. Demand has grown even more since Ottawa clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2017. "Now that they've made the playoffs we have some jerseys, t-shirts and hats ordered," Gendron said. "I know there's a big fever to get Cozens jerseys but they can't just be ordered on the spot. We do have some blank jerseys coming up." 'Stuff still has value' for proud dad Someone not looking to get rid of Sabres gear is Mike Cozens, Dylan's dad. He estimates he's accumulated about 10 hats and several jerseys. "I'm keeping it," said Mike. "There's people that just got Sabres gear at Christmas, I'm not sure what they're going to do." Cozens says the Sabres gear has a special place in his heart. Dylan made history in 2019 when he became the first Yukoner to ever be selected in the first round of the National Hockey League draft. "The Sabres stuff, you know that was the team that drafted him," said Mike. "It was an exciting time while he was there and that stuff still has a value." Mike is holding on to the Sabres gear for another reason. He says he'd ultimately like to see some of it on display alongside gear from other Yukon star athletes. "It would be great to have a place to show off all our great athletes, our skiers, our swimmers," said Mike. "So that people can go in and see the ski poles from so-and-so. If the city ever decides to do that, I'll have a jersey for them." As for Senators gear being available in time for the playoffs, Gendron is optimistic. "I'm trying to get it flown up as we speak," he said.
