Morning News Briefing

A Batavia man is in trouble with the law after investigators say he tried to steal $17,000 from a relative. 65-year-old Thomas Ditzel is charged with attempted grand larceny. He was arrested as a result of an investigation into the misappropriation of funds as a Power of Attorney in 2018. Ditzel allegedly attempted to take funds by closing an investment account of a family member and have the check sent to an address where he allegedly planned to retrieve it. However, another family member intercepted the check. Court action is pending.

The Batavia Board of Education will be asked to accept two resignations and approve four leaves of absence when it meets Monday night. The resignations involve a teacher aide and a data processing clerk. The Board will also be asked to approve the appointment of a probationary Deputy School District Treasurer. The meeting is Monday night at 6:30 p.m. in the high school library.

Genesee County ends the week with four new cases of COVID-19. Those newly infected live in Batavia and Pembroke. Their ages span from under 20 to over 60. Orleans County is also reporting four new cases. Four new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states. Three new cases have been confirmed in Wyoming County.

A Batavia woman faces multiple felony counts after a social services investigation. 41-year-old Ifrah Armstrong of Bank Street is charged with third-degree grand larceny and four counts of offering a false instrument for filing, all Class E felonies. Armstrong was arrested after allegedly not reporting income that she was earning and also filing an application that is used to determine eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits without including the income. As a result, it is alleged Armstrong received $5,200 in SNAP benefits that she was not entitled to.

The U.S. Marshals are alerting the public of several imposter scams involving individuals claiming to be U.S. Marshals. In the past few weeks, there have been several reported scam calls to Rochester citizens. Law Enforcement is urging people to report the calls right away. During these calls, scammers have attempted to gain banking information and credit card numbers. Telling the victims that their social security number has been used in a criminal act and this information is needed within an hour or they will be arrested. On Wednesday, a report was made to the U.S. Marshals office in Rochester. The victim reported that a caller told him there was a warrant for his arrest. The victim was told to transfer funds and if he did not comply, he was threatened with arrest and seizing of his property.

Genesee County deputies say they’ve arrested 27-year-old Ana Uribe of Batavia. She has been charged with felony counts of grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing. It is alleged that at the time of her application for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, she did not report income she was earning, which is used to determine eligibility.