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Gunman Gets 8 Years, No Parole, For $35,000 Secaucus Bank Robbery
An out-of-state man who admitted robbing a bank in Secaucus of $35,000 in cash at gunpoint was sentenced to nearly eight years in federal prison, authorities said.
Jose Luis Martinez, 33, of Iowa, must serve all of the plea-bargained 94-month sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system.
Martinez was wearing glasses, an Everlast hoodie and two wool caps when he entered the Bank of America branch on Park Plaza Drive on Jan. 5, 2017, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said.
He pointed a long-barreled gun at a teller and said he'd “shoot her and other customer…
3rd Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, Cops Plea
UPDATE: A third member of a burglary ring that targeted Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware has pleaded guilty, authorities confirmed.
Kevin Jackson, 57, of Rahway, was part of a second-story crew that the FBI said worked from a hit list of dozens of homes in four states based on “stereotype and opportunity."
One of Jackson's associates told detectives that Asians were targeted “because it was believed that the victims kept large sums of currency and jewelry in their residences,” an FBI complaint says.
Notes found in the defendants’ cars …
Crime Fighters From NJ Work Case Of Baby, 1, Killed By Fentanyl At NYC Day Care Center
The owner of a Bronx daycare center where a 1-year-old boy died from fentanyl exposure was seized by federal authorities on Tuesday along with her husband’s cousin.
Grei Mendez De Ventura, 36, the owner of Divino Niño Daycare, and her alleged accomplice, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, 41, were charged by the federal government on Sept. 19 with possession with the intent and conspiracy to distribute drugs resulting in death.
Meanwhile, a manhunt continued for De Ventura’s fugitive husband, who was identified as the leader of the drug operation.
Children who napped where the defendants were cuttin…
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Cops Plea
UPDATE: A burglar from a crew that targeted Asian and Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware took a deal from the government rather than risk the outcome of a trial, federal authorities said.
James Hurt, 47, of New York, was part of a second-story outfit that the FBI said worked from a hit list of dozens of homes in four states based on “stereotype and opportunity."
One of Hurt's associates told detectives that Asians were targeted “because it was believed that the victims kept large sums of currency and jewelry in their residences,” an FBI c…
Diamond District Operators From NJ, Long Island Busted In $673M Money Laundering Scheme: Feds
Four businessmen from New Jersey and one from Long Island laundered millions of dollars a day in cash through fronts they set up in New York City’s Diamond District, federal authorities charged.
Federal agents tied the quintet to $673 million in dirty money laundered through the illicit operations over the past four years, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said.
In exchange, Raj Vaidya, 26; Rakesh Vaidya, 51; Shrey Vaidya, 23; and Neel Patel, 26, all of Edison; and Youssef Janfar, aka “Joe Rodeo,” 57, of Great Neck, NY collected sizable fees, he said.
The three Vaidyas and P…
Burglar With Hit List Of Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Gets 50 Months In Federal Prison
UPDATE: A member of a second-story crew who targeted Asian and Asian-American homeowners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware for burglaries was sentenced to a plea-bargained four years and two months in federal prison, authorities said.
Randi Barr, 42, of Union County, NJ, was part of a group that worked from a hit list of dozens of homes based on “stereotype and opportunity,” federal authorities said.
Local, state and federal law enforcement authorities who teamed up to smash the ring found notes in the defendants’ cars that had the home addresses of individuals of Asian des…
Federal Jury Convicts NYC Man In $200,000 Shakedown Of Jersey Shore Dad
Federal jurors in Trenton convicted a Brooklyn man for his role in a plot to strong-arm a Jersey Shore resident into giving him and his accomplices $200,000, authorities said.
Endrit Kllogjeri, 27, and his cohorts were tripped up by an undercover detective posing as the Monmouth County victim, federal authorities said.
Francis Garzon, 31, took a deal from the government rather than risk the consequences of guaranteed prison time if he was convicted at a trial, pleading guilty last month to his role in the plot.
Kllogjeri rolled the dice and lost, however.
He, Garzon and an unidentified co…