Latest news with #Kocsis
The Hill
17-06-2025
- The Hill
Indiana trooper accused of defrauding company over $800 soundbar
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. (WXIN) – An Indiana State trooper accused of theft attempted to defraud a company out of more than $800, investigators say. Andrew Kocsis, 39, is charged with felony counts of theft and obstruction of justice, along with a misdemeanor count of fraud. Kocsis has served as an ISP trooper for 17 years and was most recently assigned to the General Headquarters in Indianapolis. The charges surround a JBL-brand rally bar — a soundbar that can be attached to utility vehicles — that costs about $810. According to the probable cause affidavit, Kocsis ordered the rally bar from a Minnesota company in September 2024. When the package arrived at his home, he claimed the box contained landscaping paving bricks, according to court documents, implying that someone had stolen the rally bar and swapped it out with the pavers. He emailed the company photos of the package. An employee responded with a message stating that he would contact UPS and have the police investigate the matter, according to the documents. The employee added that he didn't see any damage to the box, which would indicate that it had been damaged or tampered with during shipping. He also noted that the paving stones would've destroyed the box if they'd been rattling around inside during shipping. A photo from UPS confirmed delivery of the package on Sept. 5, 2024. Kocsis called the business and informed the employee that he was a police officer, court documents said. He allegedly emailed the employee identification, including his driver's license and ISP ID card. The employee agreed to reimburse Kocsis for his purchase ($809.95 was the exact amount). According to court documents, something about the situation nagged at the employee, who wondered if the customer had scammed him or perhaps stolen Kocsis' identity, The employee contacted Indiana State Police on Oct. 18, 2024, more than a month after the disputed delivery. An ISP investigator interviewed the employee, who had packed the rally bar himself and believed the photos Kocsis sent were inconsistent with how the packing materials would have responded to being bombarded by paving bricks. The investigator saw 'no indication' of damage to the box or 'even scratches from the shifting bricks,' according to court documents. On Oct. 22, 2024, investigators talked to Kocsis about the rally bar. He said he received the package, which had three bricks duct-taped together inside instead of the soundbar. He considered the issue resolved with the refund and said he'd thrown away the box and the bricks. He also claimed a neighbor told him they'd seen a 'suspicious couple' who 'appeared to be potential burglars' around the time of the delivery. Investigators consulted a UPS security supervisor, who looked at the photos Kocsis had sent. She, like the company employee, was skeptical of Kocsis' claims. The bricks were not tightly packed inside the box, the supervisor said, and that meant they would have slipped around inside and done 'extensive damage' to the box and packing materials. The photo taken by the UPS driver who delivered the package showed no damage to the box. The supervisor believed it was 'nearly impossible' for an employee to switch out the contents and then walk away with the large rally bar without being seen. In her view, the bricks were likely swapped in after the package was delivered, the affidavit said. On Nov. 8, 2024, in the presence of his attorney, Kocsis talked to investigators again. He maintained he didn't receive the rally bar. He told the investigators he'd purchased a new rally bar from a different company in October and had also bought one during a 'private sale' in June. The one he bought in June didn't have a serial number. During an examination of Kocsis' phone, investigators found a text conversation between Kocsis and a friend. In the conversation, they discussed the installation of a rally bar. The timestamp showed the conversation happened a couple of hours after Kocsis called the company about his problematic delivery. The friend, a coworker, told police he'd helped Kocsis install a rally bar on a Kawasaki Mule on Sept. 6, 2024. The rally bar was out of its package but was in a shipping box with a shipping label. The mounting brackets and installation hardware were still sealed in bags, leading Kocsis' friend to believe the equipment was new, according to court documents. The friend said Kocsis never said he received a package filled with paving bricks. In fact, Kocsis texted him the day the package was delivered, saying he'd received the rally bar and asking for help installing it. On Nov. 18, 2024, investigators executed a search warrant a Kocsis' home and seized two rally bars. One of them—the rally bar Kocsis claimed he'd purchased in a private sale—had been 'dismantled, cut open and made completely inoperable.' Stickers for various parts had been removed from the internal components, leaving behind nothing investigators could use to identify the rally bar's point of origin. Further investigation found Kocsis allegedly attempted a similar deception with a $670 order for a horn kit, front floor mat set, pro sheet cover and storage cover for a Kawasaki Mule. According to court documents, he claimed he never received the items, which he had ordered on Sept. 5, 2024. UPS took a photo of the delivery on Sept. 7, 2024, confirming the package had arrived, so the company didn't refund Kocsis. The state trooper filed a charge dispute with Capital One. On Sept. 20, 2024, he filed a theft report in St. Joseph County claiming the items never arrived at his home. Again, Kocsis sent messages to his friend, according to court documents. On Sept. 8, 2024, he asked his friend to help him install a Kawasaki horn. The friend helped him with the installation on Sept. 9, 2024. Kocsis is due to appear for an initial court hearing on July 8. ISP confirmed Kocsis has been placed on administrative leave without pay while the investigation continues.
Budapest Times
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Kocsis: MPs won't hold vote on transparency law before the summer
Máté Kocsis, the Fidesz parliamentary group leader, said the transparency law will not be included on the legislative committee's agenda and MPs will not hold a vote on it before the summer. Kocsis told news portal Index on Wednesday that Fidesz was united behind making use of a law to protect sovereignty, but a debate was underway about what form the relevant legislation should take. A debate on the transparency law will be postponed until the autumn, and professional organisations will be consulted on its contents in the meantime, he added. Besides proposals from Fidesz MPs, the Hungarian Banking Association, the Hungarian Advertising Association, the presidential Sándor Palace, the Hungarian Bar Association and the Hungarian Newspaper Publishers Association have stated their views too, he added. Fidesz believes at the same time, that professional organisations such as organisations financed from abroad, 'pseudo-civil groups' and media actors that would fall under the scope of the law would not have a say in the drafting of the legislation, he said. They had generally sent 'ad hominem criticisms' rather than constructive suggestions, he said, and these 'cannot be taken into account in the legislative process'. Kocsis referred to the 'Ukrainian espionage case', saying it was 'a good example of why sovereignty must be protected'. He insisted that 'Ukrainian propaganda' was based on 'fake recordings' that had led to the false impression that Hungary was readying itself 'for military aggression against Ukraine'. Far from being the case, the case 'highlights that disinformation campaigns are indeed taking place' against Hungary, Kocsis added. Such disinformation, he added, did not just appear from abroad but in certain parts of the Hungarian press too. The Fidesz politician said that whereas protecting sovereignty was a decisive issue in the long term, it was important to clarify what means could be used to combat it. Disinformation campaigns related to the Russia-Ukraine war and other matters related to sovereignty protection would probably end up being handled separately, he said. Fidesz MP János Halász submitted the bill on the Transparency of Public Life to parliament in mid-May, and it would open up the possibility of blacklisting organisations financed from abroad that threaten Hungary's sovereignty.
Budapest Times
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Kocsis: We did not join NATO or the European Union to be a serf
'We did not join NATO or the European Union to be a serf but a member with full rights,' Máté Kocsis, the group leader of ruling Fidesz said. During The Bold Truth About Hungary podcast, Kocsis said the EU leadership was 'so committed to Ukraine's entry' that 'it no longer matters who is an ally or who is an enemy, or a neutral party … we are members of NATO and the EU … we are their allies, peers, their partners … even if we have a different position on some important issues.' 'Then there is Ukraine, which is not a member, nor an ally … no doubt, it has been attacked … but not by Europe,' Kocsis said. He said plans to fast-track Ukraine's European Union membership was 'the best decision in view of their own interests, since nine out of ten agricultural companies in Ukraine are in fact in US, or Western European … ownership.' The EU's direct agricultural subsidies would therefore 'transit Ukraine and land in Western Europe,' Kocsis said. Kocsis also said if Ukraine were to be a member of the EU, the country could send 70-75 deputies to the European Parliament, some 10 percent of the whole assembly. Those MEPs, he added, 'would be grateful to the incumbent, liberal Brussels elite' and 'would not join the Patriots group associated with (Hungarian PM) Viktor Orban.' Ukraine does not like that 'the Hungarian government wants to make a decision over their EU accession based on feedback from Hungarian voters,' Kocsis said. He said it was obvious that Ukraine was 'trying to discredit Hungary's referendum (on Ukraine's entry) and put Hungary in a situation in which we could be accused of making preparations for a military intervention, which could then prove Ukraine's position in the international arena'. 'I am certain it all is behind the games and considerations of the Ukrainian secret services,' Kocsis added. The Ukrainian leadership is trying to 'make Hungarians uncertain in their decision … should they oppose Ukraine's entry, Kocsis said, adding that some of the Hungarian media contributed to Ukraine's 'misinformation campaign'. He singled out news portal which he said had reported that the government's Voks2025 survey had been 'met with the public's total disinterest' whereas 1.2 million had returned the sheets to date. 'Ukraine appears to be manically trying to prove that Hungary is in fact pro-war rather than pro-peace,' Kocsis said, adding that the opposition Tisza Party was working to achieve the same end. He insisted that Ukraine was painting a picture of the people recently arrested on charges of espionage 'so that they could later accuse Hungary of plans to send tanks to Transcarpathia.'
Budapest Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
National Security Service identifies more Ukrainian spies
Máté Kocsis, ruling Fidesz's parliamentary group leader, said the National Security Service have identified more Ukrainian spies, including Roland Tseber as an 'illegal' officer of the Ukrainian intelligence service, and István Holló, who is under investigation by the National Office of Investigation on suspicion of espionage activities. After a meeting of the national security committee on Tuesday, Kocsis told a press conference that Tseber, as an 'illegal' officer, had probably been actively building relations with members of the Hungarian opposition for a long time. Kocsis added that Tseber had met several leading politicians and senior officials of parliamentary parties as part of his activities in Hungary. In the meantime, Holló's activities in Hungary involved active intelligence activities to learn about Hungary's army and energy systems in cooperation with Ukrainian military intelligence, Kocsis said. He added that Tseber was earlier a dual Ukrainian-Hungarian citizen, but he returned his Hungarian citizenship in 2017. He has built a political career in Ukraine, including as a representative of the Transcarpathian County Council, Kocsis said. Tseber had been on the radar of the Hungarian national security authorities for years, and he was banned from entering and staying in Hungary due to his intensifying activities in 2024, he added. Holló, who had also been on the radar of Hungarian counterintelligence for a long time, is a Ukrainian citizen who had never held Hungarian citizenship, Kocsis said. He has been involved in activities to influence Hungary's international reputation in a negative way and aimed to make the Hungarian government change its position concerning Ukraine with the help of external pressure, he added. In response to a question about the transparency law, Kocsis said the aim was to prevent, for instance, the disinformation campaigns that are currently underway from Ukraine, and to protect the Hungarian public space from foreign secret services and foreign state interests.
The Star
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Hungarian author launches photo book offering intimate portrait of China
BUDAPEST, May 21 (Xinhua) -- A new photo album showcasing contemporary China through the eyes of a Hungarian author was unveiled in Budapest on Wednesday. Titled "China with a Hundred Faces," the book by writer and publisher Andras Sandor Kocsis was launched at a ceremony attended by prominent cultural and political figures, who hailed it as a valuable contribution to fostering mutual understanding between Hungary and China. The event drew guests including former Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy and renowned literary translator Yu Zemin. Kocsis, head of Kas Publishing, has long championed Chinese culture in Hungary. His publishing house has released nearly 40 China-related titles, including works by Nobel laureate Mo Yan and acclaimed author Su Tong. In recognition of his contributions, Kocsis received the Special Book Award of China in 2019. At the launch, Kocsis shared that his connection to Chinese culture began in childhood. He said the book aims to give Hungarian readers an authentic and nuanced view of China. "This book aims to be a bridge of mutual recognition and respect between cultures," he noted. He also recounted personal stories from his travels in China -- moments of kindness from strangers that left a lasting impact. Yu, who has translated over 30 Hungarian literary works into Chinese, described China with a Hundred Faces as "more than a travelogue." "This book is not just about sights, it's about the author's perspective and understanding," he said. "For readers curious about China, this work opens a window -- even a telescope -- to contemporary Chinese society." Yu recalled traveling with Kocsis to Cuandixia, an ancient village near Beijing, and to Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius. He emphasized that the book not only highlights China's cultural heritage but also reflects deeply personal narratives. "Kocsis gives us a lens through which we can view China -- and that lens is shaped by his own character and depth," he said. Medgyessy underscored the role of cultural diplomacy. "Culture connects people, ways of thinking, and values," he said. "Books like this help Hungarians understand China better. We must not fear China -- we must know it. And through knowledge, cooperation becomes possible." He also reflected on the strengthening of Hungary-China relations since his 2003 visit, which he called an "ice-breaking" moment in bilateral ties. "Regardless of political leadership, there has been a shared belief in the value of close China-Hungary ties," Medgyessy said.
