Latest news with #NewHaven-based
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Two people rescued from small plane crash in Long Island Sound
June 1 (UPI) -- Crews rescued two people aboard a small plane that crashed into Long Island Sound Sunday near a Connecticut airport, according to the FAA and U.S. Coast Guard. The Piper PA-32 plane went down about 10:30 a.m. south of the Tweed New Haven Airport in New Haven, a statement from the FAA said. "The two persons onboard the aircraft were rescued and in stable condition," the Coast Guard said in a statement, according to ABC News. The Coast Guard dispatched a 45-foot New Haven-based rescue boat to the scene after the Sector Long Island Sound Command Center received notification of the incident from the air traffic control tower that the plane had gone down near the Thimble Islands close to Branford, Ct. The rescued passengers were taken to the Stony Creek Pier in Branford, the Coast Guard said. The FAA is investigating the incident.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Owner of multiple CT businesses admits to defrauding COVID relief program out of over $2.3M
A Woodbridge man has pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a scheme to defraud a COVID-19 pandemic relief program out of more than $2.3 million. Yasir G. Hamed, 60, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty during a hearing last Friday in federal court in Bridgeport, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut. He pleaded guilty to bank fraud and engaging in illegal monetary transactions. The charges expose Hamed to a combined 40 years in prison. Sentencing has been scheduled for Aug. 8. According to federal officials, the fraud occurred between June 2020 and September 2021 when Hamed submitted fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications on behalf of multiple companies with which he had an affiliation. Authorities said the fraud involved overstating employee numbers and average monthly payroll, and making other phony representations. As part of the applications, he submitted false tax filings that had never been filed with the IRS, according to officials. Hamed had an ownership interest or representative relationship with several New Haven-based businesses including Access Consulting and Professional Services Inc., Connecticut Medical Transportation Inc., Arabic Language Learning Program Inc., Institute for Global Educational Exchange Inc., Access Medical Transport Inc., Ikea Car & Limo Inc., Center of the World Tours, North America LLC and Sudanese American Friendship Association Inc., officials said. Hamed, an accountant, also reportedly submitted PPP loan applications on behalf of companies owned by his clients. In at least one instance, officials said Hamed convinced the owner of a business that was not active and had no employees to seek PPP funding. Hamed prepared the paperwork for the application and then took a 'significant portion' of the loan proceeds, authorities said. According to federal authorities, Hamed obtained more than $2.3 million in PPP loans for his businesses and for his clients. His cut reportedly totaled more than $1 million 'for himself and his family, and significant kickbacks from his clients,' the U.S. Attorney's Office wrote in a statement. Hamed reportedly used the money for personal expenses, including education expenses for a family member, and for a down payment on an $880,000 house in Woodbridge that he purchased in October 2020. As part of the plea deal, he agreed to pay a little more than $2.3 million in restitution. Hamed was arrested in November 2024 and is free on a $500,000 bond while he awaits sentencing.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Woodbridge man pleads guilty to COVID fraud scheme
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (WTNH) — A Woodbridge man last week pleaded guilty to offenses connected to a scheme to defraud a COVID-19 pandemic relief program of more than $2.3 million, according to the office of Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut Marc Silverman. Yasir Hamed, 60, waived his right to be indicted on May 9 in front of a judge in Bridgeport. He pleaded guilty to bank fraud and engaging in illegal monetary transactions. Woodbridge Animal Control searching for information on abandoned dogs He faces up to 30 years in prison for the first charge and 10 years for the second. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 8. Information from court shows as an accountant, Hamed had an ownership interest or representative relationship with several New Haven-based businesses. From June 2020 to September 2021, he's accused of submitting false PPP loan applications on behalf of the companies, overstating employee numbers and average monthly payroll, and making other fraudulent representations. Throughout the scheme, Silverman's office says Hamed gained $2.3 million in PPP loans for his businesses and his clients. He used some of the funds for personal expenses, including education expenses for a family member and a down payment on a $880,000 house in Woodbridge he bought in 2020. According to Silverman's office, Hamed agreed to pay $2,384,772 in restitution. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Forbes
04-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Two Yale Juniors Just Raised $3.1 Million For Their Social Network
Series founders Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow New Haven-based start-up Series is a social network founded by two students at one of the US's most prestigious colleges. But if that makes you think of another well-known social network launched in similar fashion some 20 years ago, co-founders Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow are keen to put you right. This isn't another Facebook. 'Series tells a new story of how people connect online,' Johnson explains. Investors like the sound of that. Series in its current form is just a few months old but is today announcing that is has raised $3.1 million of pre-seed funding to turn its founders' vision into reality. That investment came in over the space of just two weeks after a trailer that Johnson posted on another social network, LinkedIn, went viral, attracting interest from venture capital funds and business angel. Johnson and Hargrow are both juniors at Yale, where both joined the university's society for would-be entrepreneurs. 'One thing we quickly realised from meeting successful entrepreneurs and business founders was that they had engineered their own luck,' Johnson says. 'They didn't just trust that fate would connect them to the people they needed to meet.' That prompted the duo to think again about the social networks that have come to dominate our lives. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and others have attracted huge user numbers but still rely on what Hargrow describes as a 'spray and pray' approach. 'As a user, you're putting your content out there to everyone who follows you and hoping that someone will take notice,' he says. 'The narrative is that online metrics such as likes, followers and reposts equate to real-life value.' Series takes a different approach. Users joining the network are able to make requests for support from other network users – perhaps they're entrepreneurs writing a business plan, say, and looking for someone to help, or app developers in need of a coder. The request is made to an artificial intelligence-powered agent – Series calls the agent your 'AI friend' – which then scours the network to introduce the user to other members who might be able to help. 'Your AI friend makes warm introductions,' explains Johnson. 'It matches you with people who have effectively invited you into their lives by joining Series.' The most relevant person might not even be a Series user, he adds – your AI friend might introduce you to another member of Series, but they could end up recommending someone outside of the network. The idea is to make connections between people offering mutual value – rather than building a network where users strive to attract as many followers or positive affirmations of their content as possible. The concept developed out of a podcast series that Johnson and Hargrow developed, featuring interviews with Yale entrepreneurs. They subsequently launched a web-based chatbot to facilitate curated introductions. Series, launched earlier this year, builds on that. In the first instance, the founders see the network targeting specific communities, consisting of members who are well-placed and disposed to help one another. Series is starting by targeting student entrepreneurs, who will use the platform to reach out to each other and to relevant supporters and advisers. Over time, the founders see potential to target segments such as dating, education and health. 'Our long-term vision is to become the go-to operating system for warm intros across life, not just work,' Johnson adds. The company's new found financial firepower will help move Series forward, funding new hires at the business as well as a nationwide tour of universities aimed at drumming up more student entrepreneur members across the US. There is also the potential to monetise the business through premium memberships, perhaps for corporate members. Today's $3.1 million round is led by Parable, the venture firm led by former a16z investor Anne Lee Skates, with participation from Pear VC, 47th Street, Radicle Impact and Uncommon Projects. Series has also attracted business angel investment, including from Steve Huffman, the CEO of Redditt, and Edward Tian, a founder at GPTZero.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sally's Apizza opens in Westfarms Mall
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Sally's Apizza has moved north. The New Haven-based pizza joint opened a new location at the Westfarms Mall Thursday. The new space is on the ground floor inside of Jordan's Furniture. It features an 80 foot wide, high resolution LED screen and an extended menu of appetizers, salads and entrees. Sally's Apizza to open additional Connecticut location 'It's a magical team-up, I think Jordan's is about entertaining their customers, and Sally's was a natural fit,' Christian Bonaventura, brand advisor to Sally's Apizza said. 'Everything we do is about joy and fun and sharing experience, and that's what they're about, too.' You can make a reservation at the Westfarms Sally's location online. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
