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Scam ALERT: NJ Homeowner Loses $27,400 As Home Repair Con Men Prep For Spring
A roof repair scam cost a Glen Rock resident $27,400, prompting the borough police chief to warn citizens against con men who come to the door.
Two visiting scammers who claimed to be from Nassau County, on Long Island, offered to repair a partially damaged section of one victim’s roof for $3,400, Glen Rock Police Chief Dean Ackermann said.
No sooner had they begun their work than they suddenly “discovered” that the damage was “more extensive than originally thought,” the chief said.
They asked for an additional $24,000 and the resident subsequently wired them the money, he said.
The…
Elderly NJ Couple's Personal Assistant Stole $2.9M From Them, Feds Charge
An elderly Bergen County couple had $2.9 million stolen by a now-former Ridgewood Public Library tech administrator whom they'd hired to be a part-time assistant at their home, federal authorities said following his arrest.
Charles Gallo, 34, of Hawthorne, was responsible for managing the victims’ monthly bills, handling their banking and helping them with email and other issues involving technology after being hired in 2018, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
The couple trusted Gallo with their personal bank accounts, credit card accounts, online retail accounts and email, the U.S. at…
Trenton Lead Inspectors Admit Inflating Overtime Pay: Feds
Two Trenton lead inspectors admitted that they received nearly $55,000 in illegal overtime pay from the city for hours they did not work, federal authorities said.
Michael Ingram, 71, of Trenton, and William Kreiss, 40, of Yardley, PA, pleaded guilty in Trenton federal court to conspiracy to embezzle, steal, and obtain by fraud from the city of Trenton, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Trenton’s Department of Health and Human Services was required to provide services to identify lead sources in homes in Trenton where children had tested positive for elevated levels of lead in their …
10 Vintage Cars, 1.7 Pounds Of Coke, $332K Seized From Jobless NJ Drug Dealer: Prosecutor
An unemployed Nutley man bought 10 vintage cars with the money he made selling cocaine, authorities charged.
Authorities seized the “exotic” vehicles along with nearly $332,000 in cash that Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Omar Rios, 44, squirreled away in his apartment and a stash house.
They also grabbed 1.7 pounds of cocaine, cutting agents, packaging material and a hydraulic press used to compress cocaine for packaging, the prosecutor said.
Rios was seized during coordinated raids at his apartment in the Franklin Commons building on Franklin Avenue in Nutley, at a mixed-used …
NJ Restaurant Owner In $90,000 Wire Transfer Scam Flees To Brazil, Returned To US
A Fairview restaurant owner who claimed to be sending wire transfers for customers to Brazil pocketed at least $90,000 before fleeing the country, authorities said.
Joanistel Ramos, 59, who owns Brasil and Brazil restaurant on Anderson Avenue, stiffed at least 15 local victims out of $40,000 in wire transfers that were never sent, Fairvew Police Capt. Michael Martic said.
"She basically printed out a bogus generic receipt and put the money in her pocket," the captain said.
Ramos, of Cliffside Park, also defrauded a money transfer company in Newark called Lyons Express out of an additional …
South Jersey Woman Practiced Law Without A License: Police
A South Jersey woman is accused of defrauding clients by practicing law without a license, authorities said.
In September 2022, Evesham police commenced an investigation into the alleged fraud. Additionally, this suspect was allegedly stealing money from her employer, in excess of $100,000, police said.
The suspect was identified as Rebecca Cronin, 34, of Southampton, police said. Cronin was practicing law, without a license, under the name of Rebecca Shugars, they said.
Cronin is not licensed in the State of New Jersey or any other state as a lawyer, nor has she attend…
NJ ‘Bling’ Bishop Seized By FBI, Charged With Swindling Retiree Out Of $90,000
A flashy Brooklyn bishop who lives in Bergen County – and was infamously robbed at gunpoint during a live-streamed church service earlier this year – swindled one of his parishioners out of $90,000 in retirement money that he used for himself, federal authorities charged.
Lamor Whitehead, a 44-year-old Paramus resident known for his Rolls Royce, Gucci suits and bling, was arrested by federal agents on Monday, Dec. 19, on an indictment that charges him wire fraud, extortion and lying to the FBI.
The indictment returned by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Manhattan accuses Whitehead of …
South Jersey Pair Bilked Victim Out Of $600K, Laundered Money: Prosecutor
A pair of South Jersey residents has been indicted on money laundering and theft charges, authorities said.
Wei Song, 59, and Botao Liu, 52, both of Egg Harbor Township were indicted on Thursday, Nov. 17 for charges stemming from a multi-year social engineering scheme that resulted in financial losses of over $600,000 from one victim, millions of dollars in bad checks, and identity theft damages, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.
Song was indicted for money laundering – a first-degree offense; theft by deception – a second-degree offense; identity the…
Construction Company Co-Owner Sentenced In South Jersey Tax Evasion, Theft Case
A 67-year-old Atlantic County man was sentenced to five years probation in connection with theft and tax evasion at a family-owned construction company.
Pat L. Christopher, of Hammonton, was a former co-owner of the Christopher Construction Company, LLC.
The victims, Dennis and Robert Christopher, were also co-owners of the business and the defendant’s brothers. They still maintain possession and control of Christopher Construction Company, LLC.
An investigation conducted by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, Financial Crimes Unit, specifically by Detective Kimberly McColligan, revea…