New England Sun-Times

QUEENS (WABC) -- A 24-year-old Queens man is accused of using bogus credit cards while working at an Apple Store, and then using them to buy legitimate Apple gift cards totaling nearly $1.0 million. The District Attorney's office says Ruben Profit worked both as a salesperson and tech support at the Apple Store in the Queens Center Mall. Profit is charged with second-degree grand larceny, first-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and third-degree criminal possession of stolen property. Authorities say Profit purchased $997,700 in Apple gift cards using fraudulent gift, debit or pre-paid cards between August 2, 2015, and October 15, 2015. Earlier this month, Apple began getting notifications of charge-backs on the Apple gift cards that Profit purchased. Charge-backs are purchases made on credit or debit cards that are not paid by the credit or debit card companies because they are deemed to be fraudulent. At the time of his arrest, Profit was allegedly in possession...

NEW BRUNSWICK (WABC)  A fire is currently burning through a synagogue in New Brunswick. Flames broke out around 4:30 Friday afternoon at Congregation Poile Zedek Synogogue on 145 Neilson Street. The flames were so intense that they began shooting out of the window. Crews are on the scene. There is no word of any injuries. Stay with ABC7NY for the latest on this breaking story.

WEYMOUTH – A Weymouth man was given a suspended sentence of two years in jail for fraudulently collecting more than $40,000 in unemployment benefits while in jail. Colin Glynn, 45, pleaded guilty Thursday to 64 counts of unemployment fraud and one count of larceny over $250. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Peter Krupp suspended the sentence for a three year probationary term and ordered Glynn to pay $28,496 in restitution and complete 200 hours of community service. Prosecutors said that Glynn applied for and began receiving unemployment benefits after losing a job in December 2010. While in jail from May 2011 to September 2012, Glynn conspired to steal tens of thousands of dollars in unemployment benefits. During his incarceration, Glynn, or someone acting on his behalf, falsely certified his unemployment claims by notifying the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development’s Department of Unemployment Assistance that he was not working and available for work. The matter ...

(CNN) Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee ended his long-shot bid for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, he announced Friday. "As you know, I have been campaigning on a platform of Prosperity Through Peace," Chafee said at the DNC's annual Women's Leadership Forum in Washington. "But after much thought I have decided to end my campaign for president today. I would like to take this opportunity one last time to advocate for a chance be given to peace." The Democrat declared his presidential campaign in June, shortly after announcing that he had formed an exploratory committee. One of the reasons Chafee decided to drop out now: Hillary Clinton had "a good week," he said, one where former  Virginia Sen. Jim Webb dropped out  of the race, Vice President Joe Biden declined to run and she withstood hours of testimony on Capitol Hill. "Obviously it was a good week for Secretary Clinton," Chafee told reporters after ...

Police are searching for two shoplifting suspects in Cranston. Around 6:30 p.m., employees of REI in the Chapel View Plaza reported that two individuals entered the store and left with 14 winter coats, valued at $4,200. The two suspects, described as black females, were seen running out to an older model black Volvo XC-90 SUV. Witnesses say the suspects covered the rear license plates on the vehicle and took off in an unknown direction. Anyone with information about their identities is asked to call the Cranston Police Department at 401-942-2211.

LEOMINSTER (CBS) — Police are looking for two masked men who allegedly tussled with a volunteer and robbed them during a busy bingo night in Leominster on Thursday. Officers were called to Knights of Columbus on Lancaster Street at 6:14 p.m. Investigators say the men knew where the cash box was located, and they took it out of the volunteer’s hands before running off. Admission cards and about $1,400 in cash was stolen, and it’s the first time something like this has happened in more than four decades, according to the Knights of Columbus. The men were only in the building briefly, police say, and they don’t have a detailed description of them. The suspects were seen wearing black gloves, and they drove off in a pickup truck. No one was hurt during the incident. Investigators are trying to find surveillance cameras in the area. One of the ways the Knights of Columbus raises money for its scholarship fund is through bingo games. Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella is asking pe...

LEDE:  House leaders are hosting a "hackathon" on Capitol Hill intended to find ways for technology to help congressional staffers with their jobs. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) are hosting the event Friday, which follows a similar gathering in late 2011 that was summarized in an  18-page report . Tech company employees are scheduled to meet with congressional staff and other open government advocates to "brainstorm" ideas to modernize hearings, as well as ease legislative workflow, constituent services and outreach. The Open Government Foundation  recently estimated  about 12 percent of the government's budget goes to tech spending, including IT staff, technical support, maintenance and software. Still many have criticized Congress, and the government in general, for being far behind the private sector in adopting new technology.  CBC MEMBER CALLS FCC VOTE 'FIRST' STEP:  Rep. Marcia ...

Bush's advisers, under pressure from their donors and from falling and stagnant poll numbers, came to the conclusion that a course correction was essential. Jeb Bush , once a front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, is slashing pay across the board for his struggling campaign as he attempts to regain traction just 100 days before the party’s first nominating contest. The campaign is removing some senior staff from the payroll, parting ways with some consultants, and downsizing its Miami headquarters to save more than $1 million per month and cut payroll by 40 percent this week, according to Bush campaign officials who requested anonymity to speak about internal changes. Senior leadership positions remain unchanged. The campaign is also cutting back 45 percent of its budget, except for dollars earmarked for TV advertising and spending for voter contacts, such as phone calls and mailers. Some senior-level staff and consultants will continue to work with th...

PUISSEGUIN, France – A truck and a bus carrying retirees collided Friday in southwest France’s wine region, igniting an inferno that authorities said killed 43 people and badly injuring four others. It was France’s deadliest road accident in more than 30 years. Images on French television showed the carcass of the bus – a collapsing, charred frame engulfed by smoke near the village of Puisseguin, 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of Bordeaux. The seats were nothing but empty metal frames. Aerial views showed the mangled remains of both vehicles on a narrow, curving road surrounded by trees. Emergency services personnel attend to an injured person at the site of a collision on October 23, 2015 in Puisseguin, near Libourne, southwestern France. At least 42 people, most of them elderly, were killed when a coach collided with a lorry and caught fire in southwest France. Jean-Pierre Muller/AFP/Getty Images Eight people, including the driver, escaped after the drive...

Officer David Hansford cleared in shooting of Remis Andrews Liam Martin/WCVB BOSTON — Prosecutors have determined that a Boston police officer who shot and killed a man while responding to a domestic violence call will not face criminal charges.    Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley said Friday that Officer David Hansford opened fire on Remis Andrews on April 5, 2014 after Andrews lunged at him with two large knives and a carving fork.    Conley said Hansford was "confronted with an armed and aggressive individual in extremely close quarters and responded to an immediate threat of death or great bodily injury to himself, his fellow officers and five other people."    Conley's report was released after he met with Andrews' family.    The report said Andrews did not comply with requests to place his hands behind his back to be handcuffed and requests to drop the knives.

FALL RIVER, Mass. — A closed-door hearing has concluded for an anonymous tipster who raised questions about the integrity of one of the jurors who convicted former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez of murder. Hernandez was allowed to attend Friday's hearing, but the public was not. Outside court, prosecutors and Hernandez's lawyers said they couldn't comment, citing a gag order. The tipster and the juror haven't been publicly identified. A lawyer for Hernandez says the tipster called him after Hernandez was convicted in June of the 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd. The tipster told him the juror knew about a double murder in Boston that Hernandez is charged with. Mention of that case was barred at trial. Prosecutors question the tipster's credibility. They say she wrote sexually explicit letters to Hernandez in jail.

RANDOLPH, Mass. — Randolph police are warning residents to be on alert after a report that a suspicious man tried to grab an 11-year-old girl. Police said the incident happened Thursday at about 3:10 p.m. in the area of Lantern Lane and South Street. The girl told police that she noticed an "elderly" man on the corner when she got off the school bus. She said the man followed her, caught up to her and grabbed her arm and turned her towards him saying he wanted to talk to her. The girl said she broke free, and the man ran away on South Street.  She was not hurt. The man had white or grey hair, stood approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall and had a small build, police said. He was wearing a navy baseball cap with the letters "B" and "R" on the front, a red Boston Red Sox hooded sweatshirt, denim style jeans and brown flip flops. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Randolph Police Department at 781-963-1212. Tipsters who want to remain anon...

Identical triplets Trip, Finn and Ollie Hewitt were conceived without fertility drugs. (CNN) When Kristen and Thomas Hewitt of Baltimore were expecting their first child this year, they went in for a sonogram. The technician looked at the screen and got very quiet. "So to break the silence, I jokingly said, 'So, is there more than one in there?' " Tom Hewitt said. "The technician then said, 'Yes,' and then I asked, 'Is there more than two?' and again she said, 'Yes, actually, there are three.' "Kristen and I then looked at each other with pure joy and shock." On October 6, the Hewitts welcomed rare identical triplets at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. Born first was Thomas III, a.k.a. Trip, who weighed in at 4 pounds, 3 ounces. He was followed by Finnegan "Finn" James (3 pounds, 6 ounces) and then Oliver "Ollie" Dean (3 pounds, 12 ounces). Kristen and Thomas Hewitt had identical ...

The strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere is hours from striking near Mexico's biggest port and a popular holiday resort, threatening catastrophic damage to property and posing danger to the lives of anyone caught in its path. The Category 5 Hurricane Patricia strengthened into one of the most powerful storms in history as it headed toward Mexico's Pacific Coast. The World Meteorological Organisation has compared the storm to 2013's Typhoon Haiyan, which killed thousands in the Philippines. Mexico's Pacific coast braces for the onslaught of Hurricane Patricia, potentially the strongest storm to ever hit the Western Hemisphere. Patricia was expected to make landfall on Friday afternoon or early evening local time (Saturday lunchtime NZT), the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said. Tourists watch as waves hit the shore in Acapulco. REUTERS/Claudio Vargas The "extremely dangerous" Patricia would hit Mexico with life-threatening ...

The Staples founder passes away from cancer at age 66. Tom Stemberg, the founder and former CEO of Staples Inc.   , passed away earlier this morning after a long battle with cancer. He was 66 years-old. He most recently had been leading the Highland Consumer Fund, a venture capital and growth equity group focused on consumer companies. Investments included Pinkberry and Lululemon. In a conversation with  Fortune  a couple of months back, he had expressed interest in raising a new fund. At last check, Stemberg was serving on the boards of directors at Lululemon, CarMax, Inc., DAVIDsTEA, Guitar Center, Indochino, J.McLaughlin and Pharmaca. Stemberg most recently made headlines in 2012 as a speaker at the Republican National Convention, in support of Mitt Romney, who had been an early Staples investor while with Bain Capital. In a statement to  The Boston Globe , Romney said: “Tom is one of the great business leaders of our state and our nation. He was ...

Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., will chair the panel, Boehner announced Friday.   REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR On Friday, House Speaker John Boehner announced the Republican lineup for the House panel charged with investigating allegations of wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood. Of the eight Republicans who will serve on the panel, four are women, including chairwoman Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. Among the eight Republicans who will serve on the panel is Representative Diane Black of Tennessee, who authored the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015. The bill would deprive Planned Parenthood of federal funding if it or any of its affiliates is found to have performed abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or medical necessity. All eight Republicans on the panel co-sponsored the bill. "Recent videos exposing the abortion-for-baby parts business have shocked the nation, and demanded action. At my request, three House committees have been investigating the abort...

BOSTON  -- The victim of a stabbing at Jackson Square station Thursday has died and prosecutors said the suspect confessed on video. Officials say the 17-year-old victim, Mason Raymond, from Hyde Park, was walking into the Jackson Square station in Jamaica Plain, while the suspect was waiting on a bench inside. Prosecutors said the two got into a fistfight. The suspect, 16-year-old Ronaldo Cepeda from Dorchester, walked away, and then allegedly pulled out a knife and put it behind his back. He then went back inside the station and stabbed the victim just once, puncturing his heart, said prosecutors. The teen collapsed on the sidewalk right outside the train station and the suspect ran home.  Transit Police Chief Kenneth Green said there is surveillance video of the fight and the teen taking out a knife. The station was closed for about two hours after the stabbing and the MBTA was forced to bus passengers out of the station. ...