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July 23, 2022

Business owner and former Cortlandt official are accused of fraud

A previous town of Cortlandt employee and the owner of a landscaping organization have been arrested Thursday and indicted on general public corruption and fraud fees in relationship with an unlawful dumping plan on a town-owned lot.

Robert Dyckman, 51 of Verplanck, a previous assistant basic foreman with the town of Cortlandt, and Glenn Griffin, 53, of Cortlandt Manor, the proprietor, president and principal of Griffin’s Landscaping Company, have been arrested and indicted, in accordance to Damian Williams, the U.S. Lawyer for the Southern District of New York.

Griffin also was indicted in relationship with a independent bid-rigging plan in the village of Croton-on-Hudson and the hamlet of Verplanck.

The scenarios were being investigated by the FBI and the Westchester County Police Department, with guidance from the Westchester County District Attorney’s place of work and the New York Town Section of Investigation.

A snowplow blade marks the entrance to Arlo Lane in Cortlandt Manor, on the way to the Town of Cortlandt Highway Division Environmental Services site, where the alleged illegal dumping took place.

The indictments allege that from 2018 right up until February of 2020, Dyckman gave Griffin and his staff members unauthorized accessibility to the Arlo Lane internet site, wherever they dumped hundreds of truckloads of unauthorized content these kinds of as thick concrete, cement with rebar, large rocks and soil.

The town estimated it would have to invest involving $600,000 and $1.5 million to take away the materials.

Williams stated in exchange for obtain to the Arlo Lane web site, Griffin gave Dyckman hard cash bribes, firewood, flowers and gardening supplies, and created substantial improvements to Dyckman’s residence at no price. He also gave Dyckman a backdated, fake invoice to give to his coverage organization to assist a wrong insurance plan declare.

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Dyckman organized for a subordinate town personnel to work additional time when Griffin was dumping, commonly on Saturdays or just after doing the job hrs, but falsely documented the time as remaining labored through typical working several hours.

Dyckman, who worked for Cortlandt for 28 a long time, was fired following he allegedly was caught on videotape offering Griffin entry to the internet site in 2019.

Meanwhile, in between 2015 and 2018, Griffin allegedly defrauded the village of Croton-on-Hudson for function on its educational institutions and the hamlet of Verplanck for work on its fire division.

Williams said Griffin allegedly designed sham, non-competitive and inflated bids on behalf of entities that he did not operate for or have authorization to submit bids on behalf of, so that he would be the small bidder in a pool of purportedly aggressive bids and receive general public cash for function on the tasks.

June 13, 2022

Interior design student helps plant shop owner grow new business | WMU News

Contact: Erin Flynn
June 10, 2022

A portrait of Matt Collins in the MJ Home store.

Matt Collins, an interior design student from Mendon, Michigan, was lead designer for the new MJ Home store in downtown Kalamazoo.

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—A new business has sprouted up in downtown Kalamazoo, and a Western Michigan University student helped to cultivate its aesthetic.

“We want people to come in and feel peaceful and take a moment to breathe and relax, and to just really… feel warm and cozy,” says Dianna Nance, owner of the new boutique home store MJ Home—sister store to Mason Jar Plant Shop. She tapped Matt Collins, a first-year interior design student, to help her make that vision a reality.

The seeds of the partnership were planted on social media. Collins worked in a restaurant next door to the plant shop and would often wander over on his breaks.

Collins designed displays to make shoppers feel at home.

“It was my little escape to go in there and be surrounded by all the plants,” he says. One day he bought a plant and posted a picture of it on Instagram. “Dianna noticed it and said, ‘I really like your living space, your style, how you stage things. I’m looking to open up a furniture and home decor shop, and I noticed you’re an interior design student. I was wondering if you could help me design a concept for it.'”

Collins cracked open his textbooks and got to work, inspired by bohemian style. He also tapped into some of his connections from class and contacted two designers in Sweden to go over his ideas. Everything from color schemes to customer circulation and customer movement played a part in his design.

“He’s brought a lot to the store,” says Nance. “He’s been great to work with, and he actually helped from the beginning with installing flooring and painting, all of that.”

Collins had the chance to see his work pay off at the shop’s grand opening June 1.

“When I see the reactions and how people interact with the space, something I created and helped create as a team, I love that. I feed off of that.”

Nance even gave Collins space around the shop to show off his design sketches during Art Hop, a monthly event where downtown businesses display local artwork.

Nance displayed some of Collins’ sketches throughout the shop.

“I think (Western’s program) is amazing, and I’m hopeful that this really is beneficial to not only him but the whole organization,” Nance says. “I was in health care for 25 years, and I would hire people and say, ‘I want you to build your resume here. I want you to do what it’s going to take to get you to that next level. I hope that this is something that helps him along that journey and maybe will help others as well.”

DESIGNING A FULFILLING FUTURE

Collins is a creative at heart.

“Growing up, interior design is something I was always involved in. In high school I would doodle in my notebook floor plans for my dream house, and I didn’t know at the time that was a schematic design and part of the design process,” he says. “My brother and my dad are very hands-on, mechanically and building. I was always in the background observing.”

He wasn’t sure how that passion might translate into a career, however, and initially enrolled at Western as an education major. It was a logical fit—Collins had done some substitute teaching—but as he took classes, he still felt something was missing. A conversation with Dr. Suzan Smith-Ayers, chair of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, illuminated a new path forward.

“We were talking about commitments in class, and it didn’t seem fair to my future students that I’m not 100{6d6906d986cb38e604952ede6d65f3d49470e23f1a526661621333fa74363c48} into it,” Collins says. Smith-Ayers mentioned the interior design program, which was also part of her department. “I always had that ‘what if.’ What if I never pursued (this passion)? And I decided to take a leap of faith, saying, ‘I’ve got to do this.’ And I have not looked back since. It never feels like a chore to study or anything. I would do it all day long if I could. I just love it.”

The opportunity to design for MJ Home has only solidified his chosen path.

“To be in my first year in a design program and then have this project, it really did open my eyes. These are real experiences, real opportunities that are going to have a tremendous impact when it comes time to find career options,” says Collins.

“I’m so appreciative of my professors—Mary Beth Janssen, Kim Buchholz, Dr. Ayers—for being extremely supportive, as well as some of the talented students in the design program who I’ve gotten to know. They all add to this journey of growth with my career path and education. And I’m especially appreciative of Dianna for allowing me to do this, because it really feels like I can feel, think and see clearly what’s ahead.”

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.

Matt Collins talks with a customer in the MJ Home store.
A downtown business owner checks out MJ Home.
Matt Collins served as lead designer for MJ Home. “We want people to come in and feel peaceful and take a moment to breathe and relax,” says owner Dianna Nance.
Matt Collins served as lead designer for MJ Home. “We want people to come in and feel peaceful and take a moment to breathe and relax,” says owner Dianna Nance.
Matt Collins served as lead designer for MJ Home. “We want people to come in and feel peaceful and take a moment to breathe and relax,” says owner Dianna Nance.
Matt Collins served as lead designer for MJ Home. “We want people to come in and feel peaceful and take a moment to breathe and relax,” says owner Dianna Nance.
Matt Collins served as lead designer for MJ Home. “We want people to come in and feel peaceful and take a moment to breathe and relax,” says owner Dianna Nance.
Matt Collins served as lead designer for MJ Home. “We want people to come in and feel peaceful and take a moment to breathe and relax,” says owner Dianna Nance.
Matt Collins served as lead designer for MJ Home. “We want people to come in and feel peaceful and take a moment to breathe and relax,” says owner Dianna Nance.
Matt Collins served as lead designer for MJ Home. “We want people to come in and feel peaceful and take a moment to breathe and relax,” says owner Dianna Nance.
Matt Collins served as lead designer for MJ Home. “We want people to come in and feel peaceful and take a moment to breathe and relax,” says owner Dianna Nance.

December 19, 2021

Houston ISD’s former COO Brian Busby and landscaping business owner Anthony Hutchison indicted

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Houston ISD’s former chief working officer and a landscaping company operator who contracted with the district have been federally indicted on public corruption rates as component of an alleged kickback that totaled about $6 million about a seven-calendar year span.

The FBI’s Houston business office introduced the arrests Thursday of Brian Busby, the former district govt, and Anthony Hutchison, who feds determined as an HISD agreement seller.

Both gentlemen built their initially appearances in advance of a U.S. magistrate choose Thursday afternoon, and they have been unveiled from custody, with Eyewitness Information cameras capturing them strolling out from the courthouse in the early evening.

As aspect of their bond conditions, Busby and Hutchison ended up purchased not to have call with recent or previous HISD workers or any other witnesses in the situation. Prosecutors allege the two have experimented with to intimidate witnesses into lying to investigators.

Very last year, 13 Investigates claimed on FBI look for warrants executed at Busby’s house and at HISD headquarters right after allegations emerged of mismanagement.

Court documents later on mentioned that Hutchison, allegedly in conjunction with Busby, overbilled the district for get the job done it was contracted to conduct but in no way concluded.

“Busby allegedly helped award HISD development and grounds maintenance contracts to Hutchison in return for hard cash bribes and hundreds of hundreds of dollars in residence remodeling,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office environment for the Southern District of Texas explained Thursday.

Busby’s lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, has denied the claims.

Previous calendar year, the district made a decision not to renew Busby’s contract in the midst of the allegations.

Numerous other previous HISD officers have admitted guilt in the case, in accordance to the FBI.
SEE More ON THE HISD INVESTIGATION:

Former HISD Board of Education president Rhonda Skillern-Jones, previously entered a plea arrangement related to the conspiracy demand and could deal with up to five years in prison. Other previous HISD officers, such as Derrick Sanders, 50 Alfred Hoskins, 58 Gerron Corridor, 47 and Luis Tovar, 39, also entered a plea agreement for the conspiracy demand and also experience up to 5 a long time in prison.

“Present day arrests and relevant costs are the end result of a prolonged, multifaceted FBI Houston investigation,” Performing Special Agent in Cost Richard A. Collodi claimed in a information release. “Houston taxpayers and the thousands of HISD college students, together with their lecturers and workers, are the likely victims of this alleged multimillion-greenback community corruption plan. The FBI will continue on to operate to keep accountable community officials who are unsuccessful the citizens of their community by accepting bribes, and people who shell out bribes.”

Busby begun doing the job at HISD in the late 1990s as a custodian. As he sophisticated in just the ranks, he was later on appointed COO in December 2016. He was accountable for overseeing extra than 7,000 workers and an annual running finances of additional than $250 million.

In a warrant unsealed in May well, federal officers allege Busby was engaged in a kickback plan with multiple sellers, which includes Southwest Wholesale and Just Development, which afterwards altered its name to Just Associates Design.

Hutchison owns both of those of those organizations.

Southwest Wholesale begun supplying confined gardening and landscaping services to HISD in 2010.
In 2016, the enterprise was awarded a agreement for grounds routine maintenance, landscaping, tree pruning, and removal and irrigation techniques for sure schools in the district. The contract was valued at $26.8 million and was predicted to be prolonged to January 2021, in accordance to courtroom filings.

“Busby and his colleagues instructed HISD’s grounds servicing workforce to conduct the get the job done that experienced been contracted to Southwest Wholesale, in result giving Southwest Wholesale with HISD labor,” the lookup warrant states. “Meanwhile, Busby, through his immediate experiences, directed his administrators to authorize and approve time beyond regulation pay to incentivize HISD grounds servicing workers to perform the work.”

One particular of the 1st examples of Southwest Wholesale not completing operate took place in March 2018 when Sharpstown Middle School’s enjoying fields were being contracted to get $984,000 in renovations. That volume was compensated in comprehensive regardless of not all of the perform being finished, court documents allege.

The HISD athletic director expressed “concerns about the significant price tag,” but went Busby by means of with offering the deal to Southwest Wholesale, according to court documents.

The athletic director afterwards found work, these as ramp installations, striping of the fields, and new trees planted, was not executed.

The FBI also found that Southwest Wholesale billed for mowing do the job at other colleges, regardless of the work not being accomplished.

In a statement, HISD said it is cooperating with the federal investigation into allegations that took spot in between 2011 and 2020.

“From the time that HISD grew to become conscious of the federal investigation in February 2020, HISD furnished data as requested by legislation enforcement with respect to the investigation. As that prison investigation progressed, HISD also applied extra internal methods to safeguard in opposition to the kind of conduct alleged in the fees announced right now. No individual billed in link with the indictments introduced nowadays is presently used by HISD,” the district states. “HISD fully respects the legal justice approach, and HISD are unable to remark more with respect to the fundamental details of the investigation or the charges declared nowadays pending resolution of those people rates.”

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