ThisIsRochester.com: Crime

Woman's body found in Orchard Street garage

May 26, 2019 -- Rochester Police canvassed the area around a small garage on Orchard Street near Lyell Avenue after a 30-year-old woman was found dead inside around 6 a.m.

Police said the victim had trauma to her upper body.

"Whether or not that trauma is criminal in nature or accidental we don't know yet," said Lt. Naser Zenelovic with the Major Crimes Unit. "It's up to the medical examiner."

City police make arrest in fatal hit-and-run

May 25, 2019 -- Rochester police arrested Tiffany Rutledge, 30, of Rochester in connection to a fatal hit-and-run .

Police charged her with leaving the scene of an accident that caused the death of another, a felony. Police said Rutledge was driving her car on South Avenue on May 20 when she struck and killed Rochester resident Tommy Jones as he was crossing the street.

Rutledge pleaded not guilty in City Court on Saturday and was remanded to the Monroe County Jail in lieu of $1,500 cash bail or $3,000 bond.

Robert Morgan indicted in federal court

May 22, 2019 -- Morgan Management CEO Robert Morgan has been indicted on a plethora of charges in federal court. The 114-count superseding indictment accuses the commercial developer of entering into a conspiracy to use false information to obtain financing for various apartment units in the Rochester area.

If convicted, Morgan and other defendents could face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and multi-million dollar fines.

Morgan and Michael Tremiti entered not guilty pleas to conspiracy and wire fraud. It is alleged Robert and Kevin Morgan, as well as Tremiti, falsified financial data to meet debt service coverage ratios of lending agencies.

Robert Morgan is also accused of trying to defraud insurance companies by using false information to inflate damages, including losses at 34 locations from the windstorm of March 2017.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is also investigating the Morgan Management holdings.

Police investigating fatal hit-and-run accident

May 20, 2019 -- A Rochester man has died after being struck by a vehicle on South Avenue in the city just before 10 p.m.

Rochester police identified the victim as Tommy Jones, 60. Jones was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Man found dead of stab wounds in car

May 19, 2019 -- Police are investigating a fatal stabbing on Wilkins Street in Rochester after responding to a report of a person bleeding around 5:40 p.m. Durron Williams, 38, of Rochester was found unconscious in the driver's seat of a car, a police spokesperson said.

Williams had been stabbed at least once in the upper body and was not responsive. He was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead, making him the city's 11th homicide victim this year,

Investigators said the stabbing took place on nearby Friederich Park.

Homicide suspected in man's death on Renwood Street

May 15, 2019 -- Rochester police are investigating the death of a city man after Eric Lofton, 50, was found dead on Renwood Street around 9:30 p.m.

A police spokesperson said RPD were investigating the death as a homicide but did not release a cause of death. They believe he was injured somewhere other than where he was found.

Robert Morgan implicated during court plea

May 13, 2019 -- The former COO of Morgan Management pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, implicating real estate developer Robert Morgan in the alleged scheme that may have cost insurers nearly $3 million.

Scott Cresswell, 52, said in federal court in Buffalo that Morgan directed him and others to be part of a conspiracy that inflated insurance costs for damages to Morgan Management properties.

The plea stems from an expanding investigation into the dealings of Morgan, a major player in downtown Rochester development. Investigators say some of Morgan's vast holdings sit on a foundation of $500 million in loans and other benefits obtained on fraudulent information.

Cresswell led a buyout of the firm's management arm last year and is now president and CEO of Grand Atlas Residential Realty Trust. He has agreed to cooperate with authorities in their investigation of Morgan Management. Sentencing guidelines recommend a prison sentence of 27 to 33 months for Cresswell, a term that prosecutors may seek to reduce.

Wire fraud charges against Cresswell stem from alleged insurance scams between March 2017 and April 2018, in New York, Indiana and Pennsylvania. Authorities suspect Morgan entities skimmed money from payouts meant to repair roof damage to Rochester-area properties after the March 2017 wind storm.

Case against 5Linx founders winds down with sentencing

May 9, 2019 -- The last of the three 5Linx founders who defrauded investors and filed false tax returns was sentenced to seven months in prison and 160 hours of community service by a U.S. District Court judge.

Jason Guck, 43, faced a prison term of nearly five years under federal sentencing recommendations, but Judge David Larimer said he thought the guidelines were excessive and that Guck had not been as significantly involved in 5Linx as two co-defendants handed 14-month sentences.

Guck must pay the government almost $780,000 as a result of falsified tax returns.

Guck, Craig Jerabeck, and Jeb Tyler admitted last year to stealing $2.3 million from 5Linx's investors.

Man shot to death on Maryland Street in city

May 5, 2019 -- Rochester's second fatal shooting of the weekend is being investigated as a possible act of revenge. Police said Rayquan Jones, 18, was shot in his car on Maryland Street around 7:45 p.m. He was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 24 hours after Jalen Everett, 24, was fatally shot while inside a car on nearby Magee Avenue.

Rochester Police Chief La'Ron Singletary had warned against retaliation for the Everett shooting at a news conference at the Public Safety Building.

Man acquitted in 2015 triple homicide slain

May 4, 2019 -- Jalen Everett, acquitted of murder in a triple homicide at the Boys & Girls Clubs on Genesee Street in 2015 was shot and killed in the city.

Everett, 24, was shot in a car in the Maplewood neighborhood shortly before 8 p.m., according to the Rochester Police Department Lt. Naser Zenelovic of the Major Crimes Unit. Police found Everett shot in a vehicle on Dewey and Electric avenues.

Everett was pronounced dead at Strong Memorial Hospital.

Everett was accused of being one of three people in a car that drove past the Boys & Girls Clubs in the city in August 2015 and sprayed a crowd of people with gunfire. Jonah Barley, Raekwon Manigault and Johnny Johnson died of gunshot wounds.

Everett was originally convicted of three counts of second-degree murder but the verdict was set aside by Monroe County Court Judge Douglas Randall after allegations of juror misconduct. One of the jurors alleged that a fellow juror had exhibited racial bias during deliberation. Everett was acquitted at his retrial in January 2017.

Johnny Blackshell Jr. was convicted in the triple homidcide and Michael Mathis was also acquitted.

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	A summary of noteworthy crime news in Greater Rochester
	More from early 2019 Woman's body found in Orchard Street garage May 26, 2019 -- Rochester Police canvassed the area around a small garage on Orchard Street near Lyell Avenue after a 30-year-old woman was found dead inside around 6 a.m. Police said the victim had trauma to her upper body. "Whether or not that trauma is criminal in nature or accidental we don't know yet," said Lt. Naser Zenelovic with the Major Crimes Unit. "It's up to the medical examiner." City police make arrest in fatal hit-and-run May 25, 2019 -- Rochester police arrested Tiffany Rutledge, 30, of Rochester in connection to a fatal hit-and-run . Police charged her with leaving the scene of an accident that caused the death of another, a felony. Police said Rutledge was driving her car on South Avenue on May 20 when she struck and killed Rochester resident Tommy Jones as he was crossing the street. Rutledge pleaded not guilty in City Court on Saturday and was remanded to the Monroe County Jail in lieu of $1,500 cash bail or $3,000 bond. Robert Morgan indicted in federal court May 22, 2019 -- Morgan Management CEO Robert Morgan has been indicted on a plethora of charges in federal court. The 114-count superseding indictment accuses the commercial developer of entering into a conspiracy to use false information to obtain financing for various apartment units in the Rochester area. If convicted, Morgan and other defendents could face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and multi-million dollar fines. Morgan and Michael Tremiti entered not guilty pleas to conspiracy and wire fraud. It is alleged Robert and Kevin Morgan, as well as Tremiti, falsified financial data to meet debt service coverage ratios of lending agencies. Robert Morgan is also accused of trying to defraud insurance companies by using false information to inflate damages, including losses at 34 locations from the windstorm of March 2017. The Securities and Exchange Commission is also investigating the Morgan Management holdings. Police investigating fatal hit-and-run accident May 20, 2019 -- A Rochester man has died after being struck by a vehicle on South Avenue in the city just before 10 p.m. Rochester police identified the victim as Tommy Jones, 60. Jones was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Man found dead of stab wounds in car May 19, 2019 -- Police are investigating a fatal stabbing on Wilkins Street in Rochester after responding to a report of a person bleeding around 5:40 p.m. Durron Williams, 38, of Rochester was found unconscious in the driver's seat of a car, a police spokesperson said. Williams had been stabbed at least once in the upper body and was not responsive. He was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead, making him the city's 11th homicide victim this year, Investigators said the stabbing took place on nearby Friederich Park. Homicide suspected in man's death on Renwood Street May 15, 2019 -- Rochester police are investigating the death of a city man after Eric Lofton, 50, was found dead on Renwood Street around 9:30 p.m. A police spokesperson said RPD were investigating the death as a homicide but did not release a cause of death. They believe he was injured somewhere other than where he was found. Robert Morgan implicated during court plea May 13, 2019 -- The former COO of Morgan Management pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, implicating real estate developer Robert Morgan in the alleged scheme that may have cost insurers nearly $3 million. Scott Cresswell, 52, said in federal court in Buffalo that Morgan directed him and others to be part of a conspiracy that inflated insurance costs for damages to Morgan Management properties. The plea stems from an expanding investigation into the dealings of Morgan, a major player in downtown Rochester development. Investigators say some of Morgan's vast holdings sit on a foundation of $500 million in loans and other benefits obtained on fraudulent information. Cresswell led a buyout of the firm's management arm last year and is now president and CEO of Grand Atlas Residential Realty Trust. He has agreed to cooperate with authorities in their investigation of Morgan Management. Sentencing guidelines recommend a prison sentence of 27 to 33 months for Cresswell, a term that prosecutors may seek to reduce. Wire fraud charges against Cresswell stem from alleged insurance scams between March 2017 and April 2018, in New York, Indiana and Pennsylvania. Authorities suspect Morgan entities skimmed money from payouts meant to repair roof damage to Rochester-area properties after the March 2017 wind storm. Case against 5Linx founders winds down with sentencing May 9, 2019 -- The last of the three 5Linx founders who defrauded investors and filed false tax returns was sentenced to seven months in prison and 160 hours of community service by a U.S. District Court judge. Jason Guck, 43, faced a prison term of nearly five years under federal sentencing recommendations, but Judge David Larimer said he thought the guidelines were excessive and that Guck had not been as significantly involved in 5Linx as two co-defendants handed 14-month sentences. Guck must pay the government almost $780,000 as a result of falsified tax returns. Guck, Craig Jerabeck, and Jeb Tyler admitted last year to stealing $2.3 million from 5Linx's investors. Man shot to death on Maryland Street in city May 5, 2019 -- Rochester's second fatal shooting of the weekend is being investigated as a possible act of revenge. Police said Rayquan Jones, 18, was shot in his car on Maryland Street around 7:45 p.m. He was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 24 hours after Jalen Everett, 24, was fatally shot while inside a car on nearby Magee Avenue. Rochester Police Chief La'Ron Singletary had warned against retaliation for the Everett shooting at a news conference at the Public Safety Building. Man acquitted in 2015 triple homicide slain May 4, 2019 -- Jalen Everett, acquitted of murder in a triple homicide at the Boys & Girls Clubs on Genesee Street in 2015 was shot and killed in the city. Everett, 24, was shot in a car in the Maplewood neighborhood shortly before 8 p.m., according to the Rochester Police Department Lt. Naser Zenelovic of the Major Crimes Unit. Police found Everett shot in a vehicle on Dewey and Electric avenues. Everett was pronounced dead at Strong Memorial Hospital. Everett was accused of being one of three people in a car that drove past the Boys & Girls Clubs in the city in August 2015 and sprayed a crowd of people with gunfire. Jonah Barley, Raekwon Manigault and Johnny Johnson died of gunshot wounds. Everett was originally convicted of three counts of second-degree murder but the verdict was set aside by Monroe County Court Judge Douglas Randall after allegations of juror misconduct. One of the jurors alleged that a fellow juror had exhibited racial bias during deliberation. Everett was acquitted at his retrial in January 2017. Johnny Blackshell Jr. was convicted in the triple homidcide and Michael Mathis was also acquitted. [ LOOK BACK AT OLDER STORIES ]