Even the Rockland County district attorney”™s family is not immune to crime.
Thomas Zugibe, who has been chief prosecutor since he took office in 2008, told guests last week at Palisades Institute”™s breakfast at the Rockland Country Club his own father was targeted by some sophisticated criminals.
Fred Zugibe was Rockland”™s first chief medical examiner and held the job for 20 years, retiring in 2003. When he received a letter with a check for $4,500 in it, he immediately asked his son if the check was legitimate.
“The check was, indeed, legitimate, and if my father had deposited it, it would have cleared,” Zugibe said. “The down side is the people who sent the check would have all my father”™s banking information, which they can easily sell to a third party, most of the times out of the country, who could tap into my father”™s account. … nobody is immune to a scam, and a legitimate check certainly opens a door for people that think they are getting ”˜easy money”™ and find out later they”™ve been wiped out.”
Cyber-crime and white collar crime have skyrocketed, Zugibe told the audience. “Yes, violent crime and homicides have seen a steady decline. That”™s because it”™s much easier to get money in other ways. Criminals have become more sophisticated, and law enforcement is dealing with crimes that were unheard of until the advent of the Internet.”
Vigilance and a series of checks and balances are needed in every business, he said. “How many times have you read in the paper about someone in a highly placed position in the company skimming funds? Â It is a lot easier to do now ”“ and much more popular ”“ because of the ability to transfer funds electronically.”
Zugibe also told business owners to be diligent with credit card and bank statements and to check them faithfully. In the age of magnetic scanners, a swipe of a debit or credit card can be easily picked up by someone with access to the machine. “The criminals immediately have all your information and can use it. Ditto with going through the drive-through at the bank. … a sophisticated criminal can have a camera attached to the ATM and see the numbers you are punching in to access your account. If you don”™t pay attention to your statements, you are going to be held liable for the money taken or goods purchased.”
He said many of the transactions are done from overseas, which makes prosecuting the criminals difficult, if impossible. “Cyber crime has made it much easier to steal and much more difficult to prosecute.”
In regard to domestic violence, Zugibe said a building was sought for victims and found behind Good Samaritan Hospital. The former storage building was gutted, re-roofed, repainted and completely renovated inside to create an examination room, interview rooms and accommodations for those involved in the case, all thanks to local contractors who donated the time, skills and materials. One artist donated the time and materials to paint murals on the walls of the children”™s waiting room.
“The cost was zero to the taxpayers,” said Zugibe, “and as a result, we have a warm, welcoming place for women and children to be examined and to talk to social services, the police and anyone else involved in the casework that is safe and quiet ”“ and also not harsh, as many women who are victimized are often treated like the criminal, rather than the victim. We are changing the way these victims are treated, and rightly so.”
Zugibe said Rockland plans to partner with Orange County to make the facility available to residents of that county as well.