Attorney General James Announces Sentencing Of Cortland County Farmer Following Death Of 14-Year-Old Employee

CORTLAND COUNTY – Attorney General Letitia James today announced the sentencing of Luke Park, owner of the Park Family Farm, for child labor violations related to the death of a 14-year-old boy in July 2015. Park was sentenced today in Cortland County Court before Justice Julie A. Campbell to 60 days in jail, 3 years of probation, and restitution of $10,500, after his convictions for Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Willful Failure to Pay a Contribution to the Unemployment Insurance Fund, and the Prohibited Employment of a Minor.

“It is unconscionable that any individual would knowingly put a child in harm’s way,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “This incident is a tragic reminder that child labor laws exist for a reason. My office will continue to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law employers who unlawfully put children in danger.”

The Attorney General indicted Park in November 2016, stemming from the July 2015 incident at the Park Family Farm, located at 3036 East River Road in Homer, New York. On September 20, 2018, Park pled guilty to the above three charges.  During his plea allocution, Park admitted that Alex Smith, a 14-year-old boy, was killed while working on Park’s dairy farm. The boy was operating a New Holland LS170 Skidloader with a hydraulic lift and fork attachment, which is explicitly prohibited by child labor laws, in an attempt to prepare bales of hay for cow feed. Park admitted that he found the boy’s body pinned underneath the hydraulic lift and bale of hay, with the engine of the Skidloader still running. The medical examiner’s autopsy concluded that the boy’s chest and abdomen were crushed, resulting in his death by mechanical asphyxiation.

Park, who paid the majority of his employees off-the-books, underpaid required employer contributions to the State’s unemployment insurance fund in the amount of $10,500.

New York’s Child Labor Law sets forth some of the strictest guidelines in the country on the employment of minors. The law sets forth safety guidelines with certain absolute prohibitions, including the operation of hydraulic lift machinery. The law also seeks to ensure that burdensome working hours do not interfere with a child’s education. For example, minors that are 16- and 17-years old are limited to working no more than 28 hours in any week when school is in session, and 48 hours per week when on vacation or over the summer. The law also requires that minors obtain an employment certificate (working papers) in order to be employed. There are exceptions for jobs such as babysitting and newspaper carriers.

The case was investigated by Attorney General Investigators Andrea Buttenschon, Mark Rudd, and Deputy Chief Investigator Jonathan Wood. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Mark Sweeney, Peter DeLucia, and James Shoemaker of the Binghamton Regional Office, with the assistance of Labor Bureau Criminal Section Chief Richard Balletta and Assistant Attorney General Jeremy Pfetsch. The interim appeal of the indictment by the defendant was litigated by Assistant Attorney General Matthew B. Keller and Nikki Kowalski, Chief of Criminal Appeals & Federal Habeas Corpus. Stephanie Swenton, Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau Chief, and Gary Brown, Acting Executive Deputy Attorney General for Regional Affairs, oversaw the prosecution. The case is being supervised by ReNika Moore, Labor Bureau Chief, Matthew Colangelo, and Jennifer Levy, the Chief Deputy Attorney General for Social Justice. 

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Internet loses it over Trump’s $199 fragrance line: ‘New frontiers of grifting’



President Donald Trump took the opportunity Monday evening to hawk his line of fragrances — and earned swift reaction from critics Monday evening, many of whom were astounded by the eye-popping price.

Trump has a long history of pushing fragrances, dating back to at least 2004, when he launched "Donald Trump, The Fragrance" in partnership with Estée Lauder.

In 2015, Trump released the fragrance, "Empire by Trump." And last year, Trump introduced the "Victory 47" cologne and perfume as part of his merchandise line, available for pre-order beginning in June, as well as a new fragrance line called "Fight, Fight, Fight," which included both men's and women's scents.

On Monday, the president took to his Truth Social platform to push his new fragrances.

"Trump Fragrances are here. They’re called 'Victory 45-47' because they’re all about Winning, Strength, and Success — For men and women. Get yourself a bottle, and don’t forget to get one for your loved ones too. Enjoy, have fun, and keep winning!"

The internet immediately weighed in on the announcement.

X user Burt Macklin joked on X, "Just spent my entire life saving on his new phone service. Going to take out a few payday loans to get this new fragrance."

Fellow X commenter Drew Logan jabbed potential buyers, writing: "You are a complete f---ing loser if you buy this."

Fred Wellman, host of the On Democracy podcast, repeated a familiar Trump refrain in resharing the president's post: "Thank you for your attention."

Journalist Aaron Rupar wrote on X, "new frontiers of grifting."

Former MSNBC host and Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan questioned on X, "How is this legal?"

X user Kate from Kharkiv simply reacted, "Wtf? Lol"

CNN's Kristen Holmes homed in on the eyebrow-raising price.

"President Trump is launching his own fragrance line called 'Victory 45-47'. $199 a bottle," she noted.

And fellow X user Jeff Fleischmann remarked, "Trump launching fragrance line called 'Victory 45-47'. $199 a bottle. => Rumored to be made from 'essence' of his 'precious bodily fluids.' Appropriate warnings may or may not be listed on label. Use with extreme caution and ideally in the presence of a medical professional."