Month: September 2021

#Fairfield CT– A Lancelot Drive resident reported to police that a $325,000 fraudulent check cleared his bank account on Wednesday. Police are investigating.

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Yesterday, Detective Heanue obtained an arrest warrant for Eric Ayala (DOB: 12/4/98 of 2 William Place, Bridgeport) in connection to the March 13, 2021 homicide of Gregory Ingram. Ayala is currently incarcerated on unrelated charges. He is expected to be brought to court in Bridgeport tomorrow where he will be charged with Murder, Conspiracy to Commit Murder, Criminal Possession of a Firearm, and Carrying a Pistol Without a Permit. His bond has been set at $1,000,000.

The evidence in this case indicates that Ingram was not the intended target. The fatal shots were fired through the door of his apartment and are believed to have been intended for a prior resident, but unbeknownst to the perpetrators, the target had moved out and Ingram had recently rented it. 

Washington, DC— Today, Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04) and Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced the Portable Retirement and Investment Account (PRIA) Act of 2021. The PRIA Act will create universal, portable retirement and investment accounts that will be accessible to all Americans throughout their lives and move our retirement system into the 21^st century.

“The current retirement system isn’t working for all Americans,” said Himes. “The options to which American workers have access can differ significantly based on their area of employment and the systems can be needlessly confusing. In addition, many Americans lose access to retirement savings vehicles if they lose their jobs, and gig, contract, and part-time workers are often ineligible. PRIA changes all of this.”

“Americans are more likely to change jobs and be engaged in non-traditional forms of work than they were a generation ago, but our policies haven’t kept up with these shifts,” Warner said. “As more and more Americans hold multiple jobs across a career, a year, and even a day, PRIA will provide more workers with access to flexible, portable benefits such as retirement savings that will carry with them from employer to employer and gig to gig.”

Congress needs to act to bring more people into the system and make it easier for Americans to save:

• Approximately half of American households do not have access to a 401k retirement account.
• The Federal Reserve calculates that half of Americans have not saved enough to retire at their current standard of living.
• While 80% of full-time workers have access to retirement savings accounts, only 40% of part-time workers have access.
• According to the 2020 Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households by the Federal Reserve, around 35% of Americans work outside of traditional full-time jobs, in the gig economy.

Every American will receive a PRIA at the same time they receive a Social Security Number. PRIAs will be administered by an independent board and managed by selected financial institutions. After the creation of the initial account, account holders will have the option to choose investment options from a qualified financial institution. Employers can contribute to their employee’s PRIA just like legacy plans like 401ks, but employees who separate from their employer will still have the ability to contribute to the same PRIA plan as before.

Americans who want to keep their 401ks, IRAs, and other savings plans with which they are familiar will still have those options. PRIAs are designed to supplement the existing system and provide a simple, portable option for those who want it.

“PRIA is going to bring people in from the cold,” Himes continued. “Instead of seeing themselves fall further and further behind in their retirement savings, millions of Americans in non-traditional employment arrangements will have another tool in their retirement toolbox.”

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2021-09-22@11:11pm–#Fairfield CT– Police called for an individual seen checking car doors on Jackman Avenue area.

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2021-09-20 #Fairfield

Theft from a vehicle overnight, a wallet was stolen in the 200 block of Greenfield Street .

Theft from a motor vehicle overnight in the 200 block of Berkeley Road.

Vehicle entered and rummaged through. Nothing taken on Pickwick Street.

A Milwaukee pipe threader was stolen from behind the theater on Sanford/Post Road.

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2021-09-22-@6:20pm–#Stratford CT– #cttraffic– A multi-car crash with injuries in multiple lanes I-95 northbound just before the Moses Wheeler Bridge. Expect delays.

2021-09-22 @ 5:29pm–#Fairfield CT– Shoprite on the Black Rock Turnpike was evacuated for a short time due to an odor of gas inside. By 5:50 firefighters reported on the radio they located the source.

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Between July 6, 2021, and July 7, 2021, Westport Police officers took two separate
reports of tires and rims being stolen off vehicles. The first incident occurred at the Saugatuck
Train Station on July 6 at approximately 3:00 p.m. The second tire/rim theft occurred at the
parking garage located at 21 Wilton Road on July 7 between 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

As a result of informational sharing with area police departments that experienced
similar crimes Shawn Oliphant was developed as a suspect. Evidence linking Mr. Oliphant to
the two larcenies was reportedly obtained by the detective assigned to this case.
Based upon the investigation, a warrant for Mr. Oliphant’s arrest was completed and
signed by a Superior Court Judge.

On the morning of September 16, 2021, Mr. Oliphant was arrested by a Westport Police
detective. Per the warrant, he was charged with Larceny in the Third Degree and Larceny in the
Fourth Degree. Mr. Oliphant was held on a $50,000 bond and arraigned later that same day at
Stamford Superior Court.

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2021-09-22@3:54pm–#Bridgeport CT– First responders on scene of an assault on Carrol Avenue. No further details because, well Joe….

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[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – During today’s Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights hearing titled “Big Data, Big Problems: Implications for Competition and Consumers,” U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) questioned Facebook and Google witnesses about the companies’ support for the Open App Markets Act. The bipartisan legislation, introduced by Blumenthal and U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) last month, and cosponsored by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), would set fair, clear, and enforceable rules to protect competition and strengthen consumer protections within the app market.

“Two companies, Google and Apple, have gatekeeper control over the dominant app stores that allow them to dictate terms for everyone,” said Blumenthal. “Their duopoly allows them to set the terms, and they do. If app developers don’t like the terms there is nowhere for them to go. That is what we call a broken market.”
Blumenthal emphasized that Facebook has also been affected, saying “Big as Facebook is, powerful as it is, it is not immune,” noting that Apple has blocked Facebook’s gaming app from the App Store several times and forced Facebook to remove a notice informing its users about the 30 percent rent fee Apple extracts from digital goods and services.

Blumenthal asked Facebook Vice President of Privacy and Public Policy Steve Satterfield if the company would support the bill, saying: “would Facebook support Congress setting fair, clear, enforceable rules on app stores that would prevent Apple and Google from using their gatekeeper power to extract excessive rents and block competition like what happened to you and your app Facebook gaming?” Satterfield said Facebook is “looking at the bill and we’re providing feedback.”
Blumenthal questioned Google Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy Markham Erickson on whether the company’s Android operating system is safe despite allowing side loading and better developing access. Blumenthal noted that Apple “claimed that if we allow consumers to make their own decisions, all sorts of really horrible or terrible things are going to happen.” Erickson affirmed that Android phones are secure, stating: “we do believe we provide a very safe and secure ecosystem for app developers to reach a global audience of billions of users in 190 countries and that is not undermined by allowing consumers to be able to download applications outside of the app store or to side load those applications.” Erickson confirmed Google is “taking a look at your legislation.”

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT): I want to shift to the issue Senator Blackburn also raised, our bipartisan bill, the Open App Markets Act, which would set robust rules to promote competition and strengthen consumer protection. I am proud that this bill is bipartisan. I want to thank my colleague Senator Klobuchar for her leading role in this area. And she is a cosponsor of the bill. It’s received wide support as was mentioned earlier from consumer groups, antitrust experts, and app developers. Ms. Slaiman I especially appreciate your reference to it and the support that Public Knowledge has provided for the bill. Two companies, Google and Apple, have gatekeeper control over the dominant app stores that allow them to dictate terms for everyone. Their duopoly allows them to set the terms, and they do. If app developers don’t like the terms there is nowhere for them to go. That is what we call a broken market. Not even Facebook is immune to Google and Apple’s gatekeeper control. Big as Facebook is, powerful as it is, it is not immune. Apple has blocked the Facebook gaming app from the app store at least five times and it has prohibited other cloud gaming services from becoming available on the app store. Apple has also forced Facebook to remove a notice informing consumers about the so-called Apple tax. That is the infamous 30 percent rent fee they extract from digital goods and services.

But the little guy is as much a victim as the big guys like Facebook. And the Open App Markets Act would protect developers’ ability to offer competitive prices, tell consumers about lower prices, and give consumers the right to make their own decisions about the apps they install. That is what is called competition and a free market. Or at least freer than it is now. It would mean that Facebook and others don’t have to pass the Apple tax on to consumers and small businesses. It would mean that iPhone users could side load Facebook gaming directly on to their phones if Apple continues to block the app. These are basically pro-consumer and pro-competition rules. Mr. Satterfield, would Facebook support Congress setting fair, clear, enforceable rules on app stores that would prevent Apple and Google from using their gatekeeper power to extract excessive rents and block competition like what happened to you and your app Facebook gaming?

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