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US Department of Homeland Security

NJ Mental Health Clinics Founded By Late Liberian Defendant Agree To Forfeit $6.4M, More NJ Mental Health Clinics Founded By Late Liberian Defendant Agree To Forfeit $6.4M, More
NJ Mental Health Clinics Founded By Late Liberian Defendant Agree To Forfeit $6.4M, More UPDATE: New Jersey authorities have legally seized $6.4 million and other assets from a chain of mental health clinics founded by a recently deceased Liberian presidential candidate for billing Medicaid for more than 10,000 bogus claims. Daniel E. Cassell, formerly of Perkasie, PA was under a 17-count state indictment when he died of an apparent heart attack at 56 years old on Christmas Day 2022. The West African-born Cassell -- who was a psychologist, business consultant and politician and founding member of Liberia's People Liberation Party -- was the president and chief executive officer…
Woodbine Man Found With Child Pornography: Prosecutors Woodbine Man Found With Child Pornography: Prosecutors
Woodbine Man Found With Child Pornography: Prosecutors A Cape May County man was arrested after he was found with child pornography, authorities said. Charles Chapman, 31, of Woodbine, is charged with third-degree possession of child pornography, Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland announced on Friday, Feb. 2.  The investigation began after an online tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said that Chapman had pictures of child sexual abuse on his cloud account. Investigators from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, state police, and the county prosecutor's office executed a search warrant at Chapm…
PA Man Who Filmed Sexual Abuse Of Toddler, Tweens Held On $20M Bond: DA PA Man Who Filmed Sexual Abuse Of Toddler, Tweens Held On $20M Bond: DA
PA Man Who Filmed Sexual Abuse Of Toddler, Tweens Held On $20M Bond: DA A Pennsylvania resident accused of sexually abusing multiple children and filming the acts is being held on a $20 million bond, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office announced Tuesday, Nov. 28. Brian Nathaniel Harris, of Bristol Borough, faces more than 160 criminal charges — most of them felonies — related to sexual assault and child pornography dissemination, according to prosecutors.  Harris first came under investigation on Oct. 31 when Bucks detectives received an online tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, authorities said.  …
Career North Jersey Law Enforcer Patents Safety Device To Better Protect Kids In School Career North Jersey Law Enforcer Patents Safety Device To Better Protect Kids In School
Career North Jersey Law Enforcer Patents Safety Device To Better Protect Kids In School As challenges to school safety grow, so do the ideas to address them. Career law enforcer Robert Licamara has produced one that he hopes will make schools in North Jersey and beyond safer. The father of two from Wayne -- who became director of security for Fair Lawn's schools after more than two distinguished decades of police work -- has developed an electronically locked dropbox to replace open plastic bins that are often left in front of schools for parents and others to bring by students' items. Licamara, who spent much of his law enforcement career as an undercover detective, retired …
Social Media Stoked Fear Over Misinterpreted Blackboard Message, Schools Chief In NJ Town Says Social Media Stoked Fear Over Misinterpreted Blackboard Message, Schools Chief In NJ Town Says
Social Media Stoked Fear Over Misinterpreted Blackboard Message, Schools Chief In NJ Town Says UPDATE: Translators from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security who are fluent in Arabic found that a message written by a student to her brother on a classroom blackboard at Cresskill High School was misinterpreted and harmless, officials said. "The writing contained no threat or criminal intent," and an alleged translation that circulated via social media was "inaccurate and misinterpreted," Cresskill Schools Supt. Dr. Peter Hughes said in a letter to the community. Hughes didn't share what the message actually said. However, a source with direct knowledge of the incident told Daily Vo…
12th-Grader's Allegedly Hateful Blackboard Message Draws Attention Of NJ Law Enforcement 12th-Grader's Allegedly Hateful Blackboard Message Draws Attention Of NJ Law Enforcement
12th-Grader's Allegedly Hateful Blackboard Message Draws Attention Of NJ Law Enforcement UPDATE: Translators from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security who are fluent in Arabic found that a message written by a student to her brother on a classroom blackboard at Cresskill High School was misinterpreted and harmless, officials said. "The writing contained no threat or criminal intent," and an alleged translation that circulated via social media was "inaccurate and misinterpreted," Cresskill Schools Supt. Dr. Peter Hughes said in a letter to the community. Hughes didn't share what the message actually said. However, a source with direct knowledge of the incident told Daily Vo…
NJ Restaurant Owner In $90,000 Wire Transfer Scam Flees To Brazil, Returned To US NJ Restaurant Owner In $90,000 Wire Transfer Scam Flees To Brazil, Returned To US
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 …
NJ Man, 68, Gets 6½ Years For Child Porn That Included Dog Fellatio, Infant Penetration NJ Man, 68, Gets 6½ Years For Child Porn That Included Dog Fellatio, Infant Penetration
NJ Man, 68, Gets 6½ Years For Child Porn That Included Dog Fellatio, Infant Penetration A South Jersey man who was caught with more than 27,000 mostly horrific images of child porn -- including a toddler “engaged in fellatio” with a dog and penetration of months-old babies -- must spend the next 6½ years in federal prison. Bruce Makley, 68, of Voorhees, must serve out just about all of the plea-bargained sentence because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Makley’s wife and stepson were home when U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents raided their Dutchtown Road home in August 2020, according to a complaint. Agen…
Atlantic City International Airport Could Become Shelter For NYC Migrants: Reports Atlantic City International Airport Could Become Shelter For NYC Migrants: Reports
Atlantic City International Airport Could Become Shelter For NYC Migrants: Reports Atlantic City International Airport is among 11 federally-owned facilities proposed by the Biden Administration as a shelter for immigrants arriving in New York City, according to news reports. The Egg Harbor Township-based airport, located 10 miles outside Atlantic City, was listed by the US Department of Homeland Security in a letter to New York City Mayor Eric Adams as temporary housing for some of the 60,000 migrants who recently arrived in the city, Bloomberg reported. Egg Harbor Township Mayor Laura Pfrommer strongly opposed the plan, saying in part: “An airbase and technical cen…
NJ Computer Counterfeiters Admit Selling Cisco Networking Knockoffs NJ Computer Counterfeiters Admit Selling Cisco Networking Knockoffs
NJ Computer Counterfeiters Admit Selling Cisco Networking Knockoffs Three North Jersey business owners admitted importing and selling cheap knockoffs of Cisco Systems networking equipment after federal agents seized an unprecedented $14 million worth of the devices from their warehouse in Passaic County. Musa Karaman, 35, of North Arlington, was the last of the trio to take a deal from the government, pleading guilty to trafficking counterfeit goods in U.S. District Court in Newark on Thursday, Aug. 24. Accomplices Sadri Ozturan, 37, of Hawthorne, and Israfil "David" Demir, 38, of Secaucus both pleaded guilty to the same charges on Aug. 8, U.S. Attorney for…
Hudsonite Who Got Mail-Order Fentanyl From Mexico Gets Two Years, No Parole, In Federal Prison Hudsonite Who Got Mail-Order Fentanyl From Mexico Gets Two Years, No Parole, In Federal Prison
Hudsonite Who Got Mail-Order Fentanyl From Mexico Gets Two Years, No Parole, In Federal Prison A Hudson County man who had mail-order fentanyl from Mexico shipped to his home was sentenced Thursday to a month short of two years in federal prison. Miguel Polanco, 31, must serve out just about all of the 23-month plea-bargained sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Polanco became the focus of an investigation after U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted the package from Mexico City on its way to his Union City apartment, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger previously said. Polanco had watched a how-to video sent to him by a conspirator on h…
Feds: It's 30 Years With No Parole For NJ Dad, 62, Who Made, Shared Child Rape Streams, Videos Feds: It's 30 Years With No Parole For NJ Dad, 62, Who Made, Shared Child Rape Streams, Videos
Feds: It's 30 Years With No Parole For NJ Dad, 62, Who Made, Shared Child Rape Streams, Videos UPDATE: A 62-year-old New Jersey father of three must spend the next 30 years in a federal penitentiary with no opportunity for parole for producing and sharing live streams and videos of children being sexually assaulted – some of them by him. Antonio Del Prado of Millburn must serve out the entire plea-bargained sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton also sentenced him to 10 years of supervised release. Del Prado theoretically would have to live into his 90s to ever breathe free air again -- and into his 100s before the gove…
SWAT Team Seizes 1,000 Child Porn Images, Videos From Lower Township Man: Prosecutor SWAT Team Seizes 1,000 Child Porn Images, Videos From Lower Township Man: Prosecutor
SWAT Team Seizes 1,000 Child Porn Images, Videos From Lower Township Man: Prosecutor A search involving a county SWAT team and the the U.S. Department of Homeland Security turned up more than 1,000 images and videos of child porn in a South Jersey man's home, authorities said. Jason Brown, of the Villas section of Lower Township, became the center of an investigation thanks to a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (N.C.M.E.C.), Cape May County Prosecutor, Jeffrey H. Sutherland and Lower Township Police Chief Kevin Lewis said. The tip said Brown had downloaded, possessed, and distributed videos/images of Child Sexual Abuse Material …
Specialized Police Unit Cranks Up Chainsaws After NJ Pickup Crash Specialized Police Unit Cranks Up Chainsaws After NJ Pickup Crash
Specialized Police Unit Cranks Up Chainsaws After NJ Pickup Crash Members of the Paramus Police Emergency Services Unit got to work after a pickup truck toppled a pole at the Oradell border on Thursday. The 22-year-old Mosquito Squad driver from Basking Ridge apparently looked down at his GPS and looked up too late to avoid hitting the curb, uprooting a fire hydrant and toppling the guy-wire pole on Oradell Avenue at Terrace Drive at 10:20 a.m. May 25, Paramus Police Sgt. Todd Colaianni said. The driver refused medical treatment, Colaianni said, but Bergen Brookside Auto Body & Towing had to remove his pickup on a flatbed. The cross-trained membe…
Bergen Ex-Con Tried Boarding Newark Flight With AR-15, Taser, Fake US Marshal Creds, More: Feds Bergen Ex-Con Tried Boarding Newark Flight With AR-15, Taser, Fake US Marshal Creds, More: Feds
Bergen Ex-Con Tried Boarding Newark Flight With AR-15, Taser, Fake US Marshal Creds, More: Feds A convicted felon from Bergen County was seized while trying to bring two rifles, a handgun, a Taser, a switchblade and bogus U.S. Marshals credentials onto a flight from Newark to Fort Lauderdale, federal authorities said. Seretse Clouden, 42, of Wallington had a .308-caliber DPMS Panther Arms rifle, a 5.56-caliber AR-15 rifle, a .40-caliber Glock 22 handgun and the phony creds -- which bore his name, photograph and a U.S. Marshal badge -- in his checked baggage, the FBI charged in a complaint. His bags also contained a ballistic vest that said "Deputy Marshal," two magazines containing 15…
Convicted Jersey Shore Sex Offender Who Collected 1,000 Child Porn Images Admits Grooming Girl Convicted Jersey Shore Sex Offender Who Collected 1,000 Child Porn Images Admits Grooming Girl
Convicted Jersey Shore Sex Offender Who Collected 1,000 Child Porn Images Admits Grooming Girl A convicted sex offender living in Ocean County who collected more than 1,000 child porn videos -- after convincing more than two dozen underage girls to record some of them – took a guilty plea in federal court on Wednesday, authorities said. Samuel Schwinger, a 37-year-old British national living in Lakewood, was on 10-year probation for similar offenses out of Brooklyn when he posed as an 11-year-old girl to groom another pre-teen in Oklahoma in 2019, a federal complaint says. "I'll send you a vid of what I'm wearing now and then u send me of u and then my turn again k?" Schwinger texted…
Feds: Hudsonite Nabbed Accepting Mail-Order Fentanyl From Mexico Pleads Out Feds: Hudsonite Nabbed Accepting Mail-Order Fentanyl From Mexico Pleads Out
Feds: Hudsonite Nabbed Accepting Mail-Order Fentanyl From Mexico Pleads Out A Hudson County man admitted accepting mail-order fentanyl destined for New Jersey’s streets that shipped to his home from Mexico, federal authorities said. Miguel Polanco, 31, even watched a how-to video on how to handle the shipment, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said following a plea hearing in Newark on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Polanco became the focus of an investigation after U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted the package from Mexico City on its way to his Union City apartment, Sellinger said. He had previously received a video from a conspirator “exp…
NJ Army Vet Who Supported Syrian Terrorist Lover Gets 3 Plea-Bargained Years In Federal Prison NJ Army Vet Who Supported Syrian Terrorist Lover Gets 3 Plea-Bargained Years In Federal Prison
NJ Army Vet Who Supported Syrian Terrorist Lover Gets 3 Plea-Bargained Years In Federal Prison A U.S. Army veteran from Sussex County must spend more than three years in federal prison for deliberately concealing money and guidance she gave to a Syrian terrorist she'd fallen in love with. Because there's no parole in the federal prison system, Maria Bell, 55, must serve out just about all of the plea-bargained 36-month sentence approved by a federal judge in Newark on Tuesday, Jan. 24, Bell, of Hopatcong, offered not only money and military intelligence but the benefit of her experience in specialized weapons training to Syria-based factions fighting the Assad regime, a complaint on…
Feds: NJ Grammar School Teacher Indicted On Child Porn Trafficking Charges Feds: NJ Grammar School Teacher Indicted On Child Porn Trafficking Charges
Feds: NJ Grammar School Teacher Indicted On Child Porn Trafficking Charges A longtime Hudson County grammar school teacher from Morris County shared child porn images with undercover investigators who found hundreds more on his cellphone, federal authorities charged. Anselmo Girimonte, 52, of Wharton, has remained in federal custody since being arrested by special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security HSI's New Jersey Division last March. A grand jury in U.S. District Court in Newark subsequently returned an indictment that contains more specifics, authorities revealed on Saturday, Jan. 14. Over the course of three weeks beginning in late 2021, Girim…
International Probe Leads To South Jersey Man's Arrest On Child Pornography Charges: Report International Probe Leads To South Jersey Man's Arrest On Child Pornography Charges: Report
International Probe Leads To South Jersey Man's Arrest On Child Pornography Charges: Report An investigation by Australian Federal Police led to the arrest of a South Jersey man on child porn charges, NJ Advance Media reports. Carlos A. Castro Jr., 37, of Vineland, allegedly shared sexually explicit images of a child on social media, the outlet said. An investigation involving the US Department of Homeland Security showed Castro uploaded photos of the victim to a group chat on instant messaging app Kik, the outlet said. Click here for the complete story by NJ Advance Media. 
Feds Bust North Jersey Man On Child Porn Charges Feds Bust North Jersey Man On Child Porn Charges
Feds Bust North Jersey Man On Child Porn Charges A Morris County man was arrested by federal agents Monday on child porn trafficking charges, authorities said. Igor Michael Terrero, 49, of Succasunna, shared more than 85 media files -- including "images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children" -- from Aug. 30, 2021, through April 20, 2022, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen allowed Terrero's release on a $100,000 unsecured bond with home detention and electronic monitoring during a first appearance via video conference, Sellinger said. Terrero is charged with one count of distributing…
Feds: EPA Inspector From NJ Watched Child Porn At Home On Work Computer Feds: EPA Inspector From NJ Watched Child Porn At Home On Work Computer
Feds: EPA Inspector From NJ Watched Child Porn At Home On Work Computer A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency employee from Fair Lawn watched child porn on his government-issued computer, authorities charged. John Struble, 63, was released by a U.S. magistrate judge in Newark, with conditions, after a brief video-conferenced appearance on Wednesday, March 29, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Struble, who works as a tank system inspector for the EPA’s office in downtown Manhattan, is charged with possession of child pornography. “The EPA alerted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Homeland Security Investigations that it discovered …
Feds: Ponzi Schemer Funded House, Car, More With $6.8M From Investors In NJ, Elsewhere Feds: Ponzi Schemer Funded House, Car, More With $6.8M From Investors In NJ, Elsewhere
Feds: Ponzi Schemer Funded House, Car, More With $6.8M From Investors In NJ, Elsewhere New Jersey residents were among more than two dozen victims who lost a combined $6.8 million to a North Carolina con man running a Ponzi scheme, federal authorities charged. David Schamens, 64, of Greensboro, NC, promised annual return rates of 12% to 30% when he began soliciting investments in 2014 in Secaucus-based TradeStream Analytics LTD, as well as in other entities with names such as TD Trading LLC, TFG Trading LLC, and Tradedesk Financial Group Inc., U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. He then launched Tradestream Algo Fund, an algorithm-based trading pool that he clai…
Feds: NJ Grammar School Teacher Charged With Trafficking Child Porn Feds: NJ Grammar School Teacher Charged With Trafficking Child Porn
Feds: NJ Grammar School Teacher Charged With Trafficking Child Porn A Hudson County grammar school teacher from Morris County was arrested by federal agents who caught him trafficking child porn, authorities said. A federal magistrate judge in Newark ordered Anselmo Girimonte, 51, of Wharton detained following his arrest by members of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations on Friday, March 4, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Girimonte, previously of Madison and Bloomfield, has taught Italian in grades 3 through 8 in the Kearny School District since 2006, according to his LinkedIn profile. Sellinger said Girimonte…
GOTCHA! NJ Fugitive Wanted For Sex Trafficking Captured At Newark Airport GOTCHA! NJ Fugitive Wanted For Sex Trafficking Captured At Newark Airport
Gotcha! NJ Fugitive Wanted For Sex Trafficking Captured At Newark Airport A fugitive from Bergen County wanted for running a massive sex-trafficking ring in North Jersey, Rockland and New York City was captured trying to re-enter the United States from Colombia, authorities confirmed. Birmania “Nancy” Rincon, 62, a Colombian national living in Teaneck, was among the ringleaders of a crew that forced dozens of women into prostitution, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. She was in the wind, however, when authorities seized 21 defendants during a series of early-morning raids at 19 homes and other locations in Bergen and Hudson counties exactly two weeks ag…