CITY OF PEEKSKILL

Judge Fernandez Lawsuit Set for Trial in Spring of 2026

Peekskill City Court Judge Lissette Fernandez’s lawsuit against the City of Peekskill is headed to a federal jury trial, expected to begin in the spring of 2026.

On Sept. 9, U.S. Federal District Judge Kenneth Karas issued a scheduling order setting forth the dates for discovery and production of documents. However, according to his order, mediation talks are still underway in the case.

Judge Fernandez alleged in her federal lawsuit filed on May 27 that the Peekskill Common Council passed her over for a full-time position because Fernandez filed the complaint that led to the resignation of former City Court Judge Reginald Johnson.

“From the moment she was appointed to the part-time Peekskill City Court judge position, Plaintiff [Fernandez] was subjected to sexual harassment, sex discrimination, and a hostile work environment by her co-judge, Reginald J. Johnson,” the court papers allege. 

“The Peekskill City Common Council retaliated against Plaintiff for her complaint by failing to promote her to the full-time City Court judge position, instead appointing two much less-qualified individuals,” according to the allegations filed by her attorney Bruce Menken, of the Manhattan-based firm Menken Simpson & Rozger LLP. 

In court papers filed this July, attorneys with Keane & Beane, the law firm representing Peekskill in the case, denied the allegations made by Fernandez’s attorney. 

“Defendant City of Peekskill respectfully requests that the First Amended Complaint be dismissed in its entirety, together with such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper,” the Peekskill lawyers wrote.

– Jim Roberts

Griffin Began Serving Two-Year Sentence Sept. 11

While attorneys for Glenn Griffin continue their appeals for a new trial in his federal bribery case, the prominent Peekskill businessman awaits the outcome in a prison cell in Pennsylvania.

Griffin reported to the Federal Correctional Institution at Schuylkill, Pa., on Sept 11. On Sept. 18 a panel of three federal judges rejected his attorney’s request for bail while the case is out for appeal, which will be heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Manhattan.

Griffin, 56, of Cortlandt Manor, pled guilty on Aug. 26, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, each carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

He said then that he bribed town employee and co-defendant Robert Dyckman to let him dump construction debris and other material at the Cortlandt town facility at Arlo Lane during off-hours. 

Griffin and Dyckman were arrested on July 21, 2022, and the government charged Griffin with dumping several hundred truckloads of material from November 2018 to September 2019 during periods when the dump was closed.

Griffin then tried to withdraw his guilty plea, but his request was denied by U.S. Federal Judge Vincent Briccetti on March 13, 2025. Dyckman is serving his one year and one day sentence in a federal prison in Pennsylvania.

This June 11, after an hours-long hearing, Briccetti sentenced Griffin to two years in prison. He was facing a possible term of three to four years by the terms of his plea agreement with government prosecutors. 

Fitzpatrick Gets Three Years in Federal Prison

Peekskill resident Conor Fitzpatrick, 22, was resentenced on Sept. 16 to three years in prison for his creation and operation of BreachForums, a marketplace for cybercriminals to buy, sell, and trade hacked or stolen data and other contraband, and for possessing child sexual abuse material, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

“Conor Fitzpatrick personally profited from the sale of vast quantities of stolen information, ranging from private personal information to commercial data,” said Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District. “These crimes were so extensive that the damage is difficult to quantify, and the human cost of his collection of child sexual abuse material is incalculable. We will not allow criminals to hide in the darkest corners of the internet and will use all legal means to bring them to justice.”

Fitzpatrick will spend 36 months in prison with credit for time served. Fitzpatrick could have been sentenced up to 20 years for the child pornography charges alone. He will have a 20 year supervised release.

Fitzpatrick will serve his prison sentence at FCI Danbury Low, a low-security federal correctional institution with an adjacent minimum security satellite camp in Danbury, CT, and is enrolled in the skills program. He was placed on person recognizance bond until he surrenders for service of sentence.

Fitzpatrick’s resentencing came after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued an opinion on January 21, 2025, vacating Fitzpatrick’s prior sentence of time served (17 days) and remanded the case for resentencing.

“Today’s sentencing sends a message to everyone in the cybercriminal ecosystem — helping others profit from theft, fraud, and other cybercrimes will land you in federal prison,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “The FBI is working tirelessly to dismantle criminal marketplaces like BreachForums, and we are pursuing the full range of actors who run these platforms.”

Fitzpatrick pled guilty to access device conspiracy, access device solicitation, and possession of child sexual abuse material. As part of the plea agreement, Fitzpatrick also agreed to forfeit over one hundred domain names used in the operation of BreachForums, more than a dozen electronic devices used to execute the scheme, and cryptocurrency that represented proceeds of the scheme. 

BreachForums maintained and offered access to at least 888 datasets of stolen information containing over 14 billion individual records of PII. Some of the stolen datasets contained sensitive information of customers at telecommunication, social media, investment, health care services, and internet service providers. 

For instance, one database contained the names and contact information for approximately 200 million users of a major U.S.-based social networking site. Another database listed the details of 87,760 members of InfraGard, a partnership between the FBI and private sector companies focused on the protection of critical infrastructure.

Robert Scott Returning to Local Courts After Ordered to Grand Jury

Robert Scott, the Peekskill Common Council member sent to a grand jury over charges of filing false documents more than a year ago, is returning to local courts on Sept. 26.

Scott was charged with filing false documents in April 2024. He was issued a desk appearance ticket at that time and charged with filing designating petitions containing forged signatures for a seat on the Westchester County Board of Legislators in the June 2023 Democratic primary election.

In a published report in 2023, Scott denied forging signatures on his petitions and said that he was stunned to learn that his petition included the names of people who had not signed, including three names who were deceased.

At a hearing in White Plains City Court on July 8, Scott’s attorney Mayo Bartlett and Westchester County Assistant District Attorney Sheila Horgan agreed to waive the case off the local calendar and move to a grand jury, where jurors would decide if there was enough evidence to bring an indictment.

Scott was set to return to the White Plains City Court on Sept. 19, but the case was adjourned to  Sept. 26 due to Scott’s attorney, Bartlett, going through personal matters.

A spokesperson for the county district attorney’s office said he was unable to provide comment on grand jury proceedings due to them being secret by law.

Scott did not respond for comment as of press time.

– Eric Harvey

Peekskill Man Injured in Putnam Valley

A City of Peekskill man was seriously injured in Putnam Valley in a motor vehicle accident on Sept. 1.

The man allegedly sped off after observing a Putnam County Sheriff’s patrol car in Putnam Valley, reportedly crashing and suffering life-threatening injuries. The sheriff’s office identified the man as 21-year-old Kevin Crespo.

The Mid Hudson News reported that a sheriff said a deputy observed the vehicle stopped at a traffic light at Peekskill Hollow Road and Mill Street when the vehicle suddenly accelerated at a high rate of speed on Peekskill Hollow Road.

The vehicle spun out of control, according to the deputy, and struck an object on the right side of the road, crossing over to the left side before crashing into a wooded area.

The deputy requested an immediate EMS response, and members of the Putnam Valley Fire Department responded to the scene along with the Putnam Valley Volunteer Ambulance Corps and an Empress paramedic.

In a social media post, the Putnam Valley Volunteer Fire Department said that upon arrival, fire fighters found the vehicle had struck a utility pole and continued into the woods before coming to rest against a tree. The driver was trapped inside the vehicle and required extrication by fire personnel.

Once freed, the driver was transported by the Putnam Valley Volunteer Ambulance Corps to a nearby landing zone, where a medical helicopter was waiting. The patient was then airlifted to a local hospital for further treatment.

According to the sheriff, the deputy did not attempt to stop the vehicle, and it was unknown why the driver took off at a high rate of speed.

Dr. McGurty’s House, a Peekskill Landmark, Listed for Sale

The historic St. Joseph’s House at 1 St. Mary’s Convent, one of the most iconic properties in Westchester County, is listed for sale. The property sits on a 4.7-acre estate with rolling hills, walking trails, and unparalleled views of Peekskill Bay and the Hudson River. Dr. John McGurty Jr. and Kathy McGurty raised their family of three daughters there. Dr. McGurty and Kathy are relocating south to be with their family but will keep a presence in Peekskill.

The five-bedroom, five-and-half bath home was originally part of the property owned by the Order of the Episcopal Sisters of Saint Mary (the first Anglican/Episcopalian Order in the United States), who had overseen a convent and a school there from 1872 until 2003. The Sisters had acquired 30 acres of land crowning a 300-acre mountaintop granted in 1685 to the Dutch Patroon Stephanus Van Cortlandt renamed Mount Saint Gabriel.  

Designed by renowned architect Henry Martin Congdon in 1902 as the pastor’s residence, the home is an example of Congdon’s highly respected Gothic Revival style. He was called upon to build churches across the United States and was a leader in twentieth-century design, having been both vice president of the Brooklyn Academy of Arts and Sciences and secretary of the American Institute of Architects.  

In 1985, Kathy and John McGurty, a Peekskill native, Navy combat veteran, and prominent local physician, had a once-in-a-lifetime real estate moment. 

While meeting the order’s Mother Superior Mother Mary Basil for a house call in their infirmary in 1985, Dr. McGurty was asked if he knew anyone who was interested in buying a home; the rest is history. “We immediately initiated the architectural plan with an extensive interior renovation process over a two-year period prior to moving in, the property’s first non-religious-ordained or professed occupants,” Dr. McGurty said. 

The McGurtys have meticulously and lovingly upgraded and maintained the home for the last four decades. They spent years continually upgrading and renovating the building’s interior and exterior for their family of five, preserving the stonework, intricate wood carvings and original chapel, with its untouched cathedral ceiling of 1906 vintage, while upgrading the infrastructure. 

They introduced the conveniences of a modern kitchen and bathrooms with radiant heating, full-level primary bedroom suite, in-ground, heated swimming pool with majestic views, outdoor shower, and much more.  In addition, the property includes extensive landscaping around the home and across the two additional building lots that the McGurty’s acquired from the order over the years.  

McGurty’s family has deep roots in the community; Dr. McGurty’s father was also a doctor in Peekskill. The McGurty family has hosted many fundraising events over the years for a range of causes, from fighting AIDS and cancer to the regional paramedic program — developed by Dr. McGurty 27 years ago. 

“Our home provided three little girls an upbringing with rich and lifelong memories,” Dr. McGurty told the Herald. “We look forward to its future family also being overwhelmed by its glory each and every day.”

The luxury property now includes a private gated entrance, the original chapel preserved within the home, several scenic balconies and entertainment areas, a three-car garage (with potential for an upstairs apartment conversion), and the inground pool with sweeping and unrestricted views of the Hudson River. 

For further information about 1 St. Mary’s Convent, contact Andrew Rogovic with Christie’s International Real Estate Group at (914) 263-2743. The listing price is $3.349 million.

Police Department Hires New Animal Control Officer

The City of Peekskill Police Department announced the hiring of a new animal control officer on Tuesday, Sept. 16.

Patrick Wisker, a communications dispatcher for the department for the past eight years, will be taking on the role and performing a number of services related to pets and people.

In a social media post, the department wrote that Wisker has consistently demonstrated excellence in service and also has strong ties to the local community, which brings about a strong sense of comfort.

“He will be an asset, enforcing animal laws, and will be relied upon as the animal expert in our community,” the department said. “Please join us in congratulating [Animal Control Officer] Whisker and wish[ing] him all the best in his new role.”

Field Library Introduces Redesigned Website

The Field Library announced the launch of its redesigned website, as well as a new logo on Sept. 16.

The library stated, “The new site offers a modern design, improved navigation, and a wealth of enhanced features, making it easier than ever for patrons to access the library’s resources and services.”

The update, the library said, is part of its commitment to providing an accessible, engaging, and inclusive online experience for the Peekskill and Town of Cortlandt communities.

Key improvements include a streamlined design, making it simpler for visitors to find materials, events, and services, a mobile-friendly interface, an enhanced catalog and search functions, and integrated events and programs.

The library says it will provide ongoing updates and welcome feedback from users as it continues to expand its online offerings.

TOWN OF CORTLANDT

State Police Sergeant Killed in Motorcycle Crash in East Fishkill

New York State Police Sergeant and Station Commander Nigel K. Barnett, 49, of Poughkeepsie, was killed in a motorcycle crash on Tuesday, Sept. 16.

A press release from state police said that at about 6:31 a.m., members of the state police assigned to the Stormville barracks responded to a report of a single-vehicle motorcycle collision near mile marker 36.1 southbound on the Taconic State Parkway in the Town of East Fishkill.

The preliminary investigation determined that a 2025 Ducati motorcycle was traveling southbound when the operator lost control. The operator, identified as Barnett, was ejected from the motorcycle and struck the guardrail on the western shoulder.

Despite immediate life-saving measures, Barnett was pronounced deceased at the scene, police say.

Barnett was a 19-year veteran of the New York State Police, serving most recently as the Station Commander at State Police Cortlandt, Troop K.

The collision remains under investigation.

New York State Police wrote, “His commitment to public safety, his leadership, and his steady presence will be deeply missed by the members of our division and the communities he served. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Sergeant Barnett’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.”

Condolences were also given by several officials, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, Troopers’ Police Benevolent Association president Charles Murphy, Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace, and U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler.

“A 19-year veteran, Sergeant Barnett devoted his career to protecting others and serving his community with selfless dedication,” Hochul said in a statement. “I extend my deepest condolences to his loved ones and colleagues and join them in honoring his life and service during this time of profound loss.”

A GoFundMe to support Barnett’s family has raised over $4,300 out of a $5,500 goal (as of this writing) and can be accessed here.

WESTCHESTER COUNTY

County Executive Ken Jenkins Opposes Reopening of Indian Point Plant

“A reboot of the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant is not welcome in Westchester County,” said County Executive Ken Jenkins in a press release Sept. 16.

Jenkins requested the Westchester County Board of Legislators adopt an act declaring the county’s strong opposition to the reopening of the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant in Buchanan.

“Opening this plant again is a hard no,” Jenkins said. “New York State has access to low-cost, environmentally conscious energy alternatives including solar, wind, geothermal, and hydropower — we don’t need or want Indian Point back. The health and safety of millions in the Hudson Valley is worth more than any power plant.”

The statement was preceded by comment fromHoltec International, the company tasked with decommissioning the nuclear plant, in which president Kelly Trice answered a question saying it was possible to restart Indian Point. 

A spokesperson for Holtec told the Mid-Hudson News that such a reboot would cost $10 billion, require state and federal funding and that Holtec is not actively seeking to restart the plant.

Several Republican state senators have backed a bill seeking to reopen the plant. The bill was reintroduced in January and is currently in the Senate Committee on Energy and Telecommunications.

A release from Jenkins’ office said that Holtec agreed not to propose the siting of new nuclear reactors at the site without the explicit support of local government entities, including Westchester County, and the state.

“Even years after its closure, inspections have identified radiological substances in the Hudson River and cesium isotopes in surface soil, highlighting the ongoing environmental hazards of this site,” Jenkins said. “We have been through this once and we are still feeling the impacts, and we are not doing it again.”

Several residents and environmental groups plan on attending the upcoming Indian Point Decommissioning Oversight Board meeting on Sept. 25 to oppose a reboot and a proposed data center at the plant.

– Eric Harvey

County Holding 2025 Budget Public Input Sessions 

Westchester County will be hosting two 2025 county budget public input sessions before the 2026 county budget is finalized. Residents are encouraged to attend and share their priorities for county programs and services.

The first meeting will be held on Monday, Sept. 29, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Yonkers Public Library at 1 Larkin Center. 

The second meeting will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 7, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Mount Kisco Public Library at 100 E Main Street.

Those who wish to submit written comments may do so by emailing [email protected].

NATIONAL

Bill Introduced to Transform Polluted Sites into Economic Opportunity

U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler introduced the Brownfield Revitalization and Remediation Act on Sept. 18, legislation to restore and expand tax incentives for the cleanup of contaminated sites, known as brownfields, and encourage their redevelopment for community use.

In a press release, Lawler said the act gives local governments, businesses, and developers the tools they need to clean up brownfield sites, protect public health, and create new opportunities for growth.

“This is about turning liabilities into opportunities, restoring polluted land, creating jobs, and revitalizing neighborhoods,” Lawler said. “Every cleaned-up brownfield site is a win for the environment, for public health, and for our economy.”

The legislation seeks to restore the tax deduction for environmental remediation expenditures that expired in 2011, expand eligible expenses to include site assessment, investigation, and monitoring, clarify that brownfield sites qualify for full expensing of remediation costs, and ensure pollutants and contaminants are treated as hazardous substances under the tax code.