“Arsen Canaj went to great lengths to take advantage of business owners by stealing approximately $438,000 worth of diamonds, precious gems, and jewelry with forged checks. He now faces time in state prison for his conduct,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Those who defraud New York’s businesses will be held accountable. We will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to help Manhattan’s businesses thrive.”

“As alleged, Yakik Rumley went to great lengths to fraudulently collect his deceased mother’s pension benefits, including impersonating her voice on multiple calls to NYCERS,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Our city’s employees work hard and deserve to know their savings are safeguarded. I thank Commissioner Shihata and the Department of Investigation for their commitment to protecting the integrity of our city’s pension system.”

“Richard Marini, Valor Security’s Training Director and the final defendant charged with operating this sham safety school, will serve time in state prison for jeopardizing the lives of thousands and recklessly endangering the life of Ivan Frias,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Workers trusted Richard Marini to train them on how to work safely at construction sites, and that trust was broken. Unsafe work conditions will not be tolerated in New York.”

“Valor Security is facing accountability for operating a sham safety training school, imperiling the workers in one of New York’s most dangerous industries. Valor’s President, Alexander Shaporov, also pleaded guilty to recklessly endangering Ivan Frias, who tragically died when he fell from a construction site without proper training,” said District Attorney Bragg. “We will continue to root out fraud with our partners at DOI and DOB. If you are a victim of dangerous work conditions, please call our Worker Protection Unit at (646) 712-0298.”

“As alleged, these defendants conspired to use Coin Dispute Network to defraud dozens of people desperate to retrieve their cryptocurrency, and used lies and deception to steal from nine New Yorkers,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Our Investigation Division and its Cyber Crime Bureau follow the money, whether that means cold hard cash or the rapidly evolving world of cryptocurrency. If you have additional information about this alleged scheme or similar crypto scams, please call us at 212-335-9600.”