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US Secret Service

$2M NJ Scammer Who Claimed Dead People As Biz Partners Gets 3 Years, No Parole $2M NJ Scammer Who Claimed Dead People As Biz Partners Gets 3 Years, No Parole
$2M NJ Scammer Who Claimed Dead People As Biz Partners Gets 3 Years, No Parole UPDATE: A scammer from Sussex County who fraudulently collected more than $2 million in federal funds by identifying people who'd been dead for more than a decade as business partners must spend the next three years in federal prison. John Jhong, 54, of Sparta, actually submitted bogus applications for more than $15 million in federal pandemic aid earmarked to help struggling companies during COVID-19, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Jhong "turned these vital relief programs into his personal ATM," spending the more than $2 million he illegally collected on personal expenses, the U.…
BI-STATE BUST: Bergen Man, Westchester Woman Had 20 Pounds Of Fentanyl, 2½ Pounds Of Coke: Feds BI-STATE BUST: Bergen Man, Westchester Woman Had 20 Pounds Of Fentanyl, 2½ Pounds Of Coke: Feds
Bi-state Bust: Bergen Man, Westchester Woman Had 20 Pounds Of Fentanyl, 2½ Pounds Of Coke: Feds A Bergen County man and a woman from Westchester were busted with 20 pounds of deadly fentanyl and 2½ pounds of cocaine for sale, federal authorities said. Plinio Junior Pineda Lopez, 33, of Oakland and Lorendy Diaz Beltre De Inoa, 27, of Yonkers were arrested with 1.5 kilos of fentanyl in Wallington, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said Wednesday. Nearly eight more kilos of hidden fentanyl were found during a court-approved search on Tuesday, July 11, of Lopez’s Hillside Avenue home just off West Oakland Avenue and down the street from an entrance/exit for Route 287, inve…
Couple From PA Charged In Computer Repair Scam That Conned Victims In NJ, Elsewhere Couple From PA Charged In Computer Repair Scam That Conned Victims In NJ, Elsewhere
Couple From PA Charged In Computer Repair Scam That Conned Victims In NJ, Elsewhere A Pennsylvania man whose wife was charged with a computer scam that allowed her to siphon money out of unsuspecting victims’ accounts had a similar scheme going, Bergen County authorities announced. Kuleep Sethi, 66, was arrested by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office on theft, conspiracy and money laundering charges earlier this week -- five months after they busted his wife, Mona, for the same thing. The Furlong, PA couple scammed victims not only in New Jersey but throughout the world, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The thieves “created the belief that vic…
Another Montclair State Student Seized On Child Porn Charges Another Montclair State Student Seized On Child Porn Charges
Another Montclair State Student Seized On Child Porn Charges A second Montclair State University student was arrested on child porn charges, only this time by federal authorities. Sean Lynch, 21, of Summit, used an instant messaging app to share six dozen videos of children being sexually abused, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. The announcement of a federal arrest came less than a week after state authorities seized MSU junior Keyon Luff, also 21, of Edgewater Park. Luff "catfished" underage children online using a bogus identity, engaged them in sexually explicit chats – and even had some send him videos of them pleasuring themselves, Selli…
Major NJ-Based Fentanyl Ring Smashed: 20+ Pounds, 9,000 Doses Seized, Eight Men Out Major NJ-Based Fentanyl Ring Smashed: 20+ Pounds, 9,000 Doses Seized, Eight Men Out
Major Nj-based Fentanyl Ring Smashed: 20+ Pounds, 9,000 Doses Seized, Eight Men Out More than 20 pounds of fentanyl and an additional 9,000 doses of the deadly drug were seized with the arrests of eight members of a major trafficking ring that operated on both sides of the Hudson River, authorities said. Those charged in the federally-led offensive range in age from 37 to 60. They come from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania but operated primarily in and around Union County, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. The multi-pronged, eight-month operation relied on all levels of law enforcement, from federal agents to local police who watched and document…
New Milford Resident Among Purported Trinitarios Members Seized In Massive NYC Drug Takedown New Milford Resident Among Purported Trinitarios Members Seized In Massive NYC Drug Takedown
New Milford Resident Among Purported Trinitarios Members Seized In Massive NYC Drug Takedown A New Milford resident was one of more than a dozen purported Triniarious gang members arrested in a lightning-strike series of raids on both sides of the Hudson River, authorities confirmed. Fentanyl and an unspecified amount of illegal proceeds were seized during the New Milford raid around 6 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25, a source close to the takedown told Daily Voice. Meanwhile, in New York City, 10 accused members of the Washington Heights faction of the Trinitarios were nabbed as part of the operation, led by members of ICE's Homeland Security Investigations New York office and including t…
Ex-Trump Stalker Gets 6 Years, No Parole, For Threatening Secret Service Agent, Vets Officer Ex-Trump Stalker Gets 6 Years, No Parole, For Threatening Secret Service Agent, Vets Officer
Ex-Trump Stalker Gets 6 Years, No Parole, For Threatening Secret Service Agent, Vets Officer UPDATE: A former longtime stalker of former President Trump must spend nearly six years in federal prison for threatening to assault a Secret Service agent and "shoot up" an officer at a VA hospital in New Jersey. Frank Monte, 52, of Passaic County, NJ, must serve out just about all of the sentence because there's no parole in the federal court system. Monte, of the Oak Ridge section of West Milford, "repeatedly called the emergency line of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Police at the VA Lyons hospital campus" in Somerset County, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said on Tuesd…
Pilot Violating Air Space Around President Biden Forced To Land In NJ Pilot Violating Air Space Around President Biden Forced To Land In NJ
Pilot Violating Air Space Around President Biden Forced To Land In NJ President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden were temporarily evacuated from their vacation house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware after a small private plane flew into restricted airspace, a White House official said. "Precautionary measures were taken. There was no threat to the President or his family," the official told the traveling press corps. The pilot mistakenly entered the area at about 1 p.m. Saturday, June 5 after he failed to download updated flight restrictions, said Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the US Secret Service. A fighter jet then made visual contact with the plane and…
Cyber-Footsie Scammers From NJ, MD, VA Swindle $7 Million From Mostly Elderly Victims, Feds Say Cyber-Footsie Scammers From NJ, MD, VA Swindle $7 Million From Mostly Elderly Victims, Feds Say
Cyber-Footsie Scammers From NJ, MD, VA Swindle $7 Million From Mostly Elderly Victims, Feds Say Mostly elderly victims across the United States were conned out of a whopping $7 million by a quartet of romance scammers from New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia – all of whom were arrested by the FBI, authorities said. The victims sent the money to the imposters thinking that they were helping out love interests, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. They lost a lot. Arrested this past week, Sellinger said, were: Nana Yaw Marfo, 37, of Virginia, who was accused of receiving at least $4.7 million; Chevon Braxton, 42, of Maryland, who was accused of collecting at least $1.3 million; Will…
CAPTURED! Lyndhurst Man Accused Of Gunning Down Paterson Woman, 25 CAPTURED! Lyndhurst Man Accused Of Gunning Down Paterson Woman, 25
Captured! Lyndhurst Man Accused Of Gunning Down Paterson Woman, 25 UPDATE: Federal authorities helped capture a Lyndhurst man who authorities said was involved in the shooting death of a 25-year-old Paterson woman late last year, authorities said. Kristian Gonzalez, also 25, “was one of the individuals responsible for the murder” of Jasmin Wel, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora said in a joint release on Friday, April 15. Wel, who studied business marketing at William Paterson University, worked as a sales account manager for a company that makes fragrances and skin care products, according to her social …
Accused Killer's Mom, Brother Charged, GF To Testify In Disposal Of Paterson Woman's Body Accused Killer's Mom, Brother Charged, GF To Testify In Disposal Of Paterson Woman's Body
Accused Killer's Mom, Brother Charged, GF To Testify In Disposal Of Paterson Woman's Body UPDATE: The killing of a woman whose body was found battered, bloodied and stuffed into the trunk of a car parked on a Paterson, NJ street took some new turns, including an instant guilty plea from the primary witness and two more arrests. Passaic County prosecutors dropped murder and conspiracy charges against Joelle Martucci, 24, as part of deal that will keep her out of prison. In return, Martucci agreed to testify against her fiancé, Justin Fisher, who is now the lone defendant charged with murder in last month’s death and dumping of 38-year-old single mom Stephanie DeJesus of Paterson…
Feds: Counterfeiter Who Made Phony $100 Bills With Bleached Singles Gets 5 Years Without Parole Feds: Counterfeiter Who Made Phony $100 Bills With Bleached Singles Gets 5 Years Without Parole
Feds: Counterfeiter Who Made Phony $100 Bills With Bleached Singles Gets 5 Years Without Parole A convicted counterfeiter from Philadelphia must spend the next five years in federal prison for printing $235,000 worth of fake $100 bills that he and a crew circulated in Virginia, authorities said. Hollis Forteau, 38, formerly of Willingboro, NJ, already had an extensive criminal history when federal investigators arrested him for printing Benjamin Franklin and other $100 images onto bleached dollar bills that he distributed to at least six associates. The crew members used the funny money to buy items at retail stores in Virginia, then returned the goods to other stores in the same chai…
Defendant In Murder Of Paterson Woman Found Stuffed In Car Trunk Points To BF, His Dad Defendant In Murder Of Paterson Woman Found Stuffed In Car Trunk Points To BF, His Dad
Defendant In Murder Of Paterson Woman Found Stuffed In Car Trunk Points To BF, His Dad UPDATE: One of three people charged with the brutal murder of a Paterson woman told detectives that she saw her live-in boyfriend and his father carry a large box from their Totowa home to the victim's car the night she was believed killed, authorities said. The victim, Stephanie DeJesus, 38, had driven to the Gordon Avenue home where Justin Fisher and Joelle Martucci lived with their young son the night of Feb. 23, documents say security video shows. She'd driven there from a nearby pharmacy, according to an affidavit filed in Superior Court in Paterson. Martucci, 24, pulled up afterward…
NJ ID Thief Gets 6½ Years In Federal Prison For $450K New York State PUA Scam NJ ID Thief Gets 6½ Years In Federal Prison For $450K New York State PUA Scam
NJ ID Thief Gets 6½ Years In Federal Prison For $450K New York State PUA Scam A Union County ID thief is headed to federal prison for 6½ years for illegally collecting $450,000 in pandemic unemployment insurance benefits from New York State. Maurice Mills, 30, of Union Township must serve just about all of the sentence because there's no parole in the federal court system. Mills submitted bogus applications for the benefits, funded by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, "using the names of other individuals," U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Mills took a deal from the government rather than face trial, pleading guilty to wi…
Totowa Trio Charged With Killing Paterson Woman Found Stuffed In Car Trunk Totowa Trio Charged With Killing Paterson Woman Found Stuffed In Car Trunk
Totowa Trio Charged With Killing Paterson Woman Found Stuffed In Car Trunk UPDATE: One of three people charged with the brutal murder of a Paterson woman told detectives that she saw her live-in boyfriend and his father carry a large box from their Totowa home to the victim's car the night she was believed killed, authorities said. The victim, Stephanie DeJesus, 38, had driven to the Gordon Avenue home where Justin Fisher and Joelle Martucci lived with their young son the night of Feb. 23, documents say security video shows. She'd driven there from a nearby pharmacy, according to an affidavit filed in Superior Court in Paterson. Martucci, 24, pulled up afterward…
GOT EM! Totowa Trio Charged With Killing Paterson Woman Found Stuffed In Car Trunk GOT EM! Totowa Trio Charged With Killing Paterson Woman Found Stuffed In Car Trunk
GOT EM! Totowa Trio Charged With Killing Paterson Woman Found Stuffed In Car Trunk UPDATE: One of three people charged with the brutal murder of a Paterson woman told detectives that she saw her live-in boyfriend and his father carry a large box from their Totowa home to the victim's car the night she was believed killed, authorities said. The victim, Stephanie DeJesus, 38, had driven to the Gordon Avenue home where Justin Fisher and Joelle Martucci lived with their young son the night of Feb. 23, documents say security video shows. She'd driven there from a nearby pharmacy, according to an affidavit filed in Superior Court in Paterson. Martucci, 24, pulled up afterward…
Where Did This NJ Town Get A Maserati To Auction Off? Answer: From A Federal Convict Where Did This NJ Town Get A Maserati To Auction Off? Answer: From A Federal Convict
Where Did This NJ Town Get A Maserati To Auction Off? Answer: From A Federal Convict A Maserati that’s being auctioned off by a small Bergen County town was seized from a confessed ID thief from Hackensack who's now serving federal prison time for swiping $2 million from various victims, Daily Voice has learned. She was a he at the time. Closter police confiscated the flash ride during a 2018 investigation that produced the arrest of Ralph Taylor -- who according to the U.S. Attorney's Office has become Alexis Taylor while behind bars. Working with others, Taylor bought a “significant amount of stolen personal identifying information via the dark web, includ…
PA Man Charged With Murder, Kidnapping In Brutal NJ Attack: Prosecutor PA Man Charged With Murder, Kidnapping In Brutal NJ Attack: Prosecutor
PA Man Charged With Murder, Kidnapping In Brutal NJ Attack: Prosecutor A Pennsylvania man has officially been charged with murder following the late November attack at a New Jersey home that left an 84-year-old woman dead and her son critically injured. Kyle Kaspereen, 24, is accused of carrying out the Nov. 30 attack at 122 Wayne Street in Washington Borough, causing the death of Elaine Trachin and severely injuring her 53-year-old son, Bart, who was found taped to his wheelchair with a garbage over his head, Warren County Prosecutor James L. Pfeiffer said. Kaspereen was first identified as a person of interest when investigators found that he had formerly li…
Union County Woman Admits Destroying Evidence In $400,000 COVID Unemployment Scam Union County Woman Admits Destroying Evidence In $400,000 COVID Unemployment Scam
Union County Woman Admits Destroying Evidence In $400,000 COVID Unemployment Scam A Union County woman admitted in federal court that she was shredding bogus credit and debit cards -- obtained by a man who fraudulently collected $400,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits from the state of New York -- when investigators came busting in. Detectives armed with a search warrant found Latoyia McCollum, 46, of Hillside in the kitchen of an undisclosed location "placing what appeared to be a credit/debit card into the shredder" while face-timing on a cellphone in October 2020, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. McCollum told them she was on the phone with Maurice Mills…
Thief Who Swiped 94,000 Credit Card Numbers At Michaels Stores In NJ, NY, CT, PA Sentenced Thief Who Swiped 94,000 Credit Card Numbers At Michaels Stores In NJ, NY, CT, PA Sentenced
Thief Who Swiped 94,000 Credit Card Numbers At Michaels Stores In NJ, NY, CT, PA Sentenced UPDATE: A member of an ID theft ring that stole more than $600,000 from customers at Michaels stores in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and elsewhere was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison on Thursday. Jose “Tito” Salazar, 45, of Riverside, CA was part of a crew that replaced card-reading terminals at the arts and crafts retailer with wireless imitations that they used to capture customers' bank account numbers and PINs, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. They then created copycat cards that were then used to withdraw more than $500,000 from hun…
Secret Service Helps Capture 3 Charged In Execution Of Paterson Man Near School At Dismissal Secret Service Helps Capture 3 Charged In Execution Of Paterson Man Near School At Dismissal
Secret Service Helps Capture 3 Charged In Execution Of Paterson Man Near School At Dismissal UPDATE: Federal agents helped capture three Paterson men charged in the death of 27-year-old city man who was gunned down up the street from a public school at dismissal time, authorities announced. Jaylen Jacobs, 19, fired several times, fatally wounding Khalid Lisbon shortly before 3 p.m. Thursday in the 300 block of Hamilton Avenue, a few doors down from Bragg Funeral Home on Rosa Parks Boulevard and a block from Sen. Frank Lautenberg School No. 6, they said. Lisbon was taken to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about two hours later, Passaic County Pros…
BAIL REFORM: Freed On Double Gun Rap, Young Paterson Man Shoots, Kills Another, Authorities Say BAIL REFORM: Freed On Double Gun Rap, Young Paterson Man Shoots, Kills Another, Authorities Say
Bail Reform: Freed On Double Gun Rap, Young Paterson Man Shoots, Kills Another, Authorities Say UPDATE: A 19-year-old Paterson man who’d been released under bail reform after police said they found him and two companions carrying a pair of guns during a traffic stop was charged in the subsequent murder of a 20-year-old city resident. Rasheed Thomas was with two other men when city detectives stopped them for running a stop sign in May and found two 9mm handguns in the vehicle, authorities said at the time. Thomas initially resisted but was eventually subdued and taken into custody, they said. Police sent him to the Passaic County Jail before a judge ordered Thomas's release soon …
Confessed NJ ID Thief Admits Stealing $450,000 In Pandemic Unemployment Benefits From NY State Confessed NJ ID Thief Admits Stealing $450,000 In Pandemic Unemployment Benefits From NY State
Confessed NJ ID Thief Admits Stealing $450,000 In Pandemic Unemployment Benefits From NY State A Union County man admitted Monday that he stole $450,000 in pandemic unemployment insurance benefits from New York State by using other people's identities. Maurice Mills, 29, of Union Township took a deal from the government rather than face trial, pleading guilty to wire fraud during a video conference with a federal judge in Newark. Mills admitted that he submitted the bogus applications last year for the benefits, funded by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, "using the names of other individuals," Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. U.S. Di…
Feds: NJ Scammer, Accomplice Submit $1.2M In Bogus COVID-19 Unemployment Claims Feds: NJ Scammer, Accomplice Submit $1.2M In Bogus COVID-19 Unemployment Claims
Feds: NJ Scammer, Accomplice Submit $1.2M In Bogus Covid-19 Unemployment Claims A Paterson man and an accomplice filed nearly $1.2 million in bogus COVID-related unemployment claims over the course of three months, federal authorities in Massachusetts charged. Omar Thompson, 39, and his unidentified female partner submitted more than 100 fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims, sometimes recruiting people from other states in the scheme and pocketing kickbacks, they said. Roughly half of the claims were submitted on behalf of people with out-of-state driver’s licenses and mailing addresses, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts. In anoth…
Elizabeth Man Admits Bribing Postal Carriers To Steal Checkbooks, Credit Cards From Mail Elizabeth Man Admits Bribing Postal Carriers To Steal Checkbooks, Credit Cards From Mail
Elizabeth Man Admits Bribing Postal Carriers To Steal Checkbooks, Credit Cards From Mail A Union County man admitted Wednesday that he offered bribes to postal workers to steal check books and credit cards from the mail, federal authorities said. U.S. Postal Inspection Service agents watched as Jabre “Jab” Beauvoir, 22, of Elizabeth met with a carrier in a mail van in Secaucus and collected a package that they’d planted, a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Newark says. Beauvoir – using the handle “Neck Tat” -- believed he was getting a stolen iPhone 6 Plus, it says. The carrier told them that Beauvoir had offered $20O for every stolen check book and a split of the proc…
Canada Boy, 15, Charged In Princeton University Bomb Threats Canada Boy, 15, Charged In Princeton University Bomb Threats
Canada Boy, 15, Charged In Princeton University Bomb Threats A teen from Canada accused of making bomb threats that evacuated Princeton University was arrested in Louisiana. The 15-year-old, whose name is not being released due to age, was being held in a juvenile facility pending a hearing for extradition to New Jersey, The Advocate reports. The teen is accused of placing the Sept. 19 phone call that evacuated the Ivy League school's chapel, main library, art museum and 265-year-old Nassau Hall -- a historic landmark.  University police had signed a petition for the boy's arrest, Mercer County officials said. He was retrieved from a…
Fugitive Admits Swiping 94,000 Credit Card Numbers At Michaels Stores In 19 States Fugitive Admits Swiping 94,000 Credit Card Numbers At Michaels Stores In 19 States
Fugitive Admits Swiping 94,000 Credit Card Numbers At Michaels Stores In 19 States A fugitive who was captured in Mexico admitted his role in stealing information from 94,000 credit and debit cards used by customers at Michaels stores in 19 states, including New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Jose “Tito” Salazar, 44, of Riverside, CA was part of a crew that replaced card-reading terminals at the arts and crafts retailer with wireless imitations that they used to capture customers' bank account numbers and PINs, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. They then created copycat cards that were then used to withdraw more than $500,000 from…
Feds: Sussex Scammer Used Dead People’s Names To Collect $1.9M In COVID Relief Feds: Sussex Scammer Used Dead People’s Names To Collect $1.9M In COVID Relief
Feds: Sussex Scammer Used Dead People’s Names To Collect $1.9M In COVID Relief A Sussex County scammer identified people who’d been dead for years as business partners to help collect $1.9 million from the federal fund established to help struggling companies during COVID-19, authorities charged. John Jhong, 51, of Sparta, also submitted phony IRS documents with bogus Paycheck Protection Program applications to the lenders on behalf of 10 purported businesses, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Jhong converted a portion of the money intended for distressed businesses into a cashier’s check “that was used to fund a business account,” Honig said. Congress a ye…
Confessed Hackensack Schemer Who Stole $2M From Victims' Bank Accounts Gets 5+ Years In Fed Pen Confessed Hackensack Schemer Who Stole $2M From Victims' Bank Accounts Gets 5+ Years In Fed Pen
Confessed Hackensack Schemer Who Stole $2M From Victims' Bank Accounts Gets 5+ Years In Fed Pen A Hackensack woman who stole $2 million from various victims’ bank accounts through an elaborate scheme that included going to their homes is headed to federal prison for more than five years, authorities said Tuesday. Working with others, Alexis Taylor, 32, bought a “significant amount of stolen personal identifying information via the dark web, including bank account information and online security question answers,” Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachel A. Honig said. She then used the information to access victim accounts in New Jersey, New York and elsewhere, Honig said. Taylor a…
Feds: ID Thief From NJ Filed $1M In Unemployment Claims In NY Feds: ID Thief From NJ Filed $1M In Unemployment Claims In NY
Feds: ID Thief From NJ Filed $1M In Unemployment Claims In NY A North Jersey ID thief used personal information stolen from 20 people to file $1 million worth of unemployment claims to New York State, federal authorities said. Federal agents tracked all of the claims for benefits to a single IP address and telephone number belonging to Maurice Mills, 28, of Union Township, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Surveillance cameras also caught Mills using an unemployment insurance benefits debit card to make an ATM withdrawal, he said. “Many of these claims were in the names of individuals located in Texas and directed the benefits to be sent to locatio…
Clifton Man Gets 5 Years In Fed Pen For Multi-Million-Dollar Email Scheme Clifton Man Gets 5 Years In Fed Pen For Multi-Million-Dollar Email Scheme
Clifton Man Gets 5 Years In Fed Pen For Multi-Million-Dollar Email Scheme UPDATE: A Clifton man must spend the next five years in federal prison for a massive emailing scheme that conned businesses and individuals out of more than $1 million. In addition to the prison term, a federal judge in Trenton sentenced Lawrence Espaillat, 42, to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $1.7 million and forfeit $12,000. Espaillat must serve the entire term for his guilty plea to conspiracy to commit wire fraud because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Espaillat previously admitted working with co-conspirators Corry Pringley and…