8 DECEMBER 15, 2016 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM Four men shot inside a Bushwick storefront BY EMILIE RUSCOE BUSHWICK DAILY EDITORIAL@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM Four men were treated in area hospitals on Sunday night aft er gunfi re erupted inside a storefront on Knickerbocker Avenue, police and witnesses said. Police responded to reports of gun shots at 192 Knickerbocker Ave. at Jefferson Street at 6:19 p.m. on Dec. 11. Inside the storefront, four men were wounded by gunfi re, according to the offi cials. The storefront is a former deli, which currently has phone shop signage, and law enforcement offi cials referred to it as to a social club. A 65-year-old man who was shot in the buttocks and a 26-year-old man who was shot in the leg were transported to Elmhurst hospital from the scene. A 32-year-old man who was shot in the arm was transported to Kings County Hospital—and a fourth victim of the incident, another 26-year-old man whose leg had been grazed by a bullet, later walked into Kings County hospital for treatment. All four men were in stable condition on Monday morning. According to police, the gunfi re was the result of a dispute, which broke out at the social club, and it was possibly gang related. No arrests have been made, and an investigation is ongoing. Magdalena Waz contributed reporting. The article fi rst appeared on Bushwick Daily, www.bushwickdaily.com. Photo by Magdalena Waz/BUSHWICK DAILY The exterior of 192 Knickerbocker Avenue, where four men were injured by gunfi re on Sunday evening. Fire and Police Department personnel in Queens arrested on insurance fraud charges BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI SMONTEVERDI@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM @SMONT76 Ten city fi rst responders — including six from Queens — surrendered on the morning of Dec. 13 to charges that they allegedly collected thousand of dollars through insurance fraud scams, according to the Department of Investigation (DOI). Marc Mastros, 37, a former FDNY EMT who is charged with defrauding AFLAC of approximately $118,630, and Devon Graham, 46, employed as a FDNY EMT since May 2005 and charged with defrauding AFLAC of approximately $71,310, were arraigned in court and face grand larceny charges in the second degree. A number of the suspects turned themselves in on Dec. 13 at the 112th Precinct‘s stationhouse in Forest Hills. Queens residents Juan Mastros, 28, Susan James, 58, Caleb Laues, 41, and Mourad Touati, 48, face grand larceny charges in the third degree for stolen property exceeding $3,000. The investigation began with a tip to the DOI from an individual who claims to have seen an AFLAC disability claim form left on top of a photo copy machine by a city EMS employee with what appeared to be a fake signature. According to records obtained in the investigations, some of the defendants are alleged to have been working and collecting their city salary and overtime pay while illegally collecting supplemental disability insurance. One of six city workers arrested on insurance fraud charges at the 112th Precinct in Forest Hills on the morning of Dec. 13. Each defendant was suspended upon his or her arrest. As a result of this investigation, the DOI has requested the FDNY and NYPD audit the prior disability claims of the individuals charged in the indictment. “Public employees are entrusted to adhere to the highest code of conduct,” Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said. “Yet these defendants undermined the public trust in government and the integrity of our insurance system by perpetrating this alleged scheme. Cracking down on public corruption is a top priority for my offi ce, and we will continue our relentless work with our partners in law enforcement to root out fraud and waste wherever we fi nd it.” “Today’s arrests result from a lengthy DOI investigation into dozens of city workers, including Fire Photos by RHS NEWS and Police Department employees,” DOI commissioner Mark G. Peters said. “We depend on honesty and integrity from all our public servants and these workers failed us. Our independent investigation will continue to root out this corrupt behavior with more arrests expected to follow.” Arrests of additional city employees are expected, according to the DOI.
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