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Superior Court

Young Teen Sexually Assaulted In New Milford By Elderly Man, Middle-Aged Companion:  Prosecutor Young Teen Sexually Assaulted In New Milford By Elderly Man, Middle-Aged Companion:  Prosecutor
Young Teen Sexually Assaulted In New Milford By Elderly Man, Middle-Aged Companion: Prosecutor An underage teen was sexually assaulted in New Milford by two men – one of them 67, the other 59 -- said authorities who reported finding one of them with a date rape drug. The older man, Eliezer Kopelowitz of Englewood, and Wayne Bambling of River Edge, were both arrested in New Milford late last week, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Monday, April 8. Kopelowitz was charged with second-degree sexual assault of the child, who the prosecutor said was between 13 and 17. He was also charged with child endangerment, criminal sexual contact and possession of both GHB and drug parap…
GUILTY: ‘Bling Bishop’ From Bergen Convicted Of Swindling NJ Parishioner's Mom, More GUILTY: ‘Bling Bishop’ From Bergen Convicted Of Swindling NJ Parishioner's Mom, More
Guilty: ‘Bling Bishop’ From Bergen Convicted Of Swindling NJ Parishioner's Mom, More 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A flashy Brooklyn bishop who lives in Bergen County – and was infamously robbed at gunpoint during a live-streamed church service – was convicted in lower Manhattan of swindling the elderly mom of a parishioner out of her life savings, among other counts. Lamor Whitehead, 45, promised to put the $90,000 toward buying her a home, federal prosecutors told jurors in the Southern U.S. District of New York who found him guilty of all charges after only three hours of deliberations on Monday, March 11. Instead, the infamous "Bling Bishop" blew the money on BMW payments and luxury purchase…
Manasquan's Bid To Overturn HS Basketball Playoff Loss Denied By NJ Education Dept. Manasquan's Bid To Overturn HS Basketball Playoff Loss Denied By NJ Education Dept.
Manasquan's Bid To Overturn HS Basketball Playoff Loss Denied By NJ Education Dept. A Jersey Shore high school boys basketball team appears to only have one desperation heave left after a referee error cost it a trip to a state championship game. The state Department of Education denied an appeal from the Manasquan School District to postpone the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Group 2 state championship game. The district's attorneys mentioned the decision in an emergency court filing on Friday, Mar. 8. The title game between Camden High School and Newark Arts High School is scheduled for noon on Saturday, Mar. 9. It'll be held at …
Jersey City Man Convicted Of Stabbing Woman To Death In Her Apartment Jersey City Man Convicted Of Stabbing Woman To Death In Her Apartment
Jersey City Man Convicted Of Stabbing Woman To Death In Her Apartment UPDATE: Jurors in Jersey City convicted a local man of stabbing a city woman dead in her apartment 5½ years ago. Ishmeal "Rico" Coleman, 46, of the Salem Lafayette Gardens housing complex was found guilty of murder and multiple weapons offenses in the Aug. 12, 2018 stabbing death of Takeela Wilson, 38, in her home in the 300 block of Forrest Street. People who knew both of them identified Coleman in a photo array, authorities said. Police sat on Wilson’s car, then grabbed Coleman when he approached it carrying the keys. Assistant Hudson County Prosecutor Najma Rana secured the guilty verd…
Hudson Ex-Con Delivering Flowers Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Woman On Bergen Street Hudson Ex-Con Delivering Flowers Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Woman On Bergen Street
Hudson Ex-Con Delivering Flowers Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Woman On Bergen Street A floral deliveryman with a criminal history was convicted of grabbing a woman on a Leonia street and trying to sexually assault her in Leonia after harassing her 20 minutes earlier in Fort Lee. Randy Gallman of Jersey City was on the clock when he harassed the woman the afternoon of Dec. 29, 2020, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. He caught up to her a short time later, dragged her into an alleyway and tried to sexually assault her, the prosecutor said on Friday, Dec. 16. The victim said she screamed and Gallman ran off as she dialed 911. Local police notified detectives with M…
UPDATE: Lyft Driver Gets 7 Years For Fondling Pre-Teen Prospect Park Passenger Separate Times UPDATE: Lyft Driver Gets 7 Years For Fondling Pre-Teen Prospect Park Passenger Separate Times
Update: Lyft Driver Gets 7 Years For Fondling Pre-Teen Prospect Park Passenger Separate Times A former U.S. military member from Morris County who was convicted of sexually assaulting a Passaic County pre-teen while working as a Lyft driver was sentenced to seven years in state prison. Julio Mejia, 43, of Wharton also must register as a sex offender and remain under lifetime parole supervision, under the sentence handed down by Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Portelli in Paterson. Mejia rejected a plea deal after investigators said the underage Prospect Park girl told them he had sex with her after she took a Lyft ride in August 2019 and then again after several weeks of texting. He…
Montclair Native, Attorney Laura Marchini Dies, 37 Montclair Native, Attorney Laura Marchini Dies, 37
Montclair Native, Attorney Laura Marchini Dies, 37 Laura Marchini, an attorney with Montclair roots, died on Feb. 2, 2024 at 37 years old, her obituary on the Bizub Quinlan Funeral Home website reads. Laura graduated from Montclair High School and earned her JD at Rutgers School of Law, after completing her bachelor's degree at Montclair State University. According to her obituary, Laura worked as a submissions editor of the Women’s Rights Law Reporter while at Rutgers. She was also a Courtroom Advocates Project coordinator, co-chair of the Women’s Law Forum and founded the Take Back the Night Rally and March in Newark, her obitua…
NJ Judge 'Abused Power And Prestige' Of Office By Letting Secretary Work From Home, Panel Finds NJ Judge 'Abused Power And Prestige' Of Office By Letting Secretary Work From Home, Panel Finds
NJ Judge 'Abused Power And Prestige' Of Office By Letting Secretary Work From Home, Panel Finds A New Jersey judge "abused the power and prestige" of his office by allowing his secretary to work remotely for six months, a state ethics panel has charged. Superior Court Judge Douglas Hurd could be disciplined by the state Supreme Court if the justices support a complaint filed earlier this week by the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct. The unidentified secretary had moved out of state in late 2021 but was exempted from New Jersey's residency requirement, the committee noted. Hurd, in turn, knowingly violated state judiciary policy -- claiming that he believed it was his discretion…
Paterson Ex-Con Who Murdered Woman About To Have His Baby Sentenced To Life Paterson Ex-Con Who Murdered Woman About To Have His Baby Sentenced To Life
Paterson Ex-Con Who Murdered Woman About To Have His Baby Sentenced To Life UPDATE: A Paterson ex-con who shot and killed a woman who was two weeks away from delivering his baby was sentenced to life in prison. Donqua Thomas, 33, was convicted by a jury in Paterson this past summer of murder in the cold-blooded killing of Remy Lee, a 31-year-old mother of two. It was early afternoon on Oct. 29, 2020 when “Quay” Thomas parked a red Scion coupe in a rear lot at the Brooks-Sloate Terrace co-ops, prosecutors said. Lee, returning from a doctor's visit, pulled up an hour and a half later, got out of her car and headed to her apartment.Thomas then pointed a gun out his …
NJ Ex-Con Convicted Of Fatally Beating Gunman Who Shot His Friend NJ Ex-Con Convicted Of Fatally Beating Gunman Who Shot His Friend
NJ Ex-Con Convicted Of Fatally Beating Gunman Who Shot His Friend Jurors in Paterson convicted a 40-year-old ex-con from Hawthorne of beating a city man to death moments after the victim had shot a friend of his. “I f–ked him up,” authorities said Tyheem Jones told police after he and three companions chased down and jumped Nicolas Reyes, then kicked, punched and pistol-whipped him near the corner of Auburn Street and Godwin Avenue on Aug. 27, 2020. Reyes died of his injuries at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson the very next day. “Evidence of the assault was captured on surveillance camera which depicted the entirety of the incident, wh…
State Slammer For NJ Man Who Tortured GF's Cat, Cocked Gun At Different Victim State Slammer For NJ Man Who Tortured GF's Cat, Cocked Gun At Different Victim
State Slammer For NJ Man Who Tortured GF's Cat, Cocked Gun At Different Victim A 30-year-old New Jersey man will be spending several years in state prison for beating a cat so badly the animal had to be euthanized and for holding a gun to a person's head and cocking it when he tried walking away. Michael Ciarla, of Galloway Township, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Bernard E. DeLury Jr., to one year in state prison without parole for aggravated assault, and a consecutive term of three years for animal cruelty via torture, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said. In August, Ciarla pleaded guilty to fourth degree aggravated assault by pointing a fir…
PEDO FILE: Senior Who Repeatedly Sexually Assaulted Teen In Clifton Gets Seven Years PEDO FILE: Senior Who Repeatedly Sexually Assaulted Teen In Clifton Gets Seven Years
Pedo File: Senior Who Repeatedly Sexually Assaulted Teen In Clifton Gets Seven Years UPDATE: A 65-year-old Clifton man was sentenced in Superior Court in Paterson to seven years in state prison for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old juvenile in his care. Wilfredo Guardia was arrested on May 12, 2022, following an investigation by members of the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit along with Clifton police and the county sheriff’s office, that determined the assaults occurred multiple times at a Clifton home. Rather than risk the possible outcome of a trial, Guardia took a deal from prosecutors, pleading guilty to a single count of child endange…
Irvington Man Thought Detective Was A 13-Year-Old Girl In Online Chat: Evesham PD Irvington Man Thought Detective Was A 13-Year-Old Girl In Online Chat: Evesham PD
Irvington Man Thought Detective Was A 13-Year-Old Girl In Online Chat: Evesham PD A 33-year-old man from Essex County was arrested after trying to arrange a sexual encounter with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl, authorities said. Jonti Pizarro, of Irvington, was charged on Sept. 12 with attempted sexual assault, enticing a minor, child endangerment and attempted criminal sexual contact, according to Eveham police. Pizarro was being held in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly pending a first appearance in Superior Court. The investigation began several months ago after Pizarro allegedly contacted a detective in an online chat room, police said. During …
ONLY IN JERSEY: Convicted Paterson Mayor Joey Torres Indicted For Trying To Run Again ONLY IN JERSEY: Convicted Paterson Mayor Joey Torres Indicted For Trying To Run Again
Only IN Jersey: Convicted Paterson Mayor Joey Torres Indicted For Trying To Run Again A court order banned ex-Paterson Mayor Joey Torres from ever running for public office again after being convicted of corruption. But he did it, anyway. Now he's in another familiar position: under indictment. A grand jury in Trenton returned an indictment on Tuesday, Sept. 26, charging Jose "Joey" Torres, 64, with criminal contempt. “It takes remarkable brashness to flout a state court order and then attempt to strong-arm the city clerk, via civil litigation, into allowing an impermissible campaign to proceed,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. “That is bold," the attorn…
Firearms, Ammo Seized From 18-Year-Old Man Charged With Attempted Murder In NJ Shooting Spree Firearms, Ammo Seized From 18-Year-Old Man Charged With Attempted Murder In NJ Shooting Spree
Firearms, Ammo Seized From 18-Year-Old Man Charged With Attempted Murder In NJ Shooting Spree Numerous firearms and ammunition were seized from the home of an 18-year-old man who police say fired shots into three Somerset County homes in early-September. Ryan Vandermeer, 18, of Hillsborough, is being held in the Somerset County Jail on charges of attempted murder and various weapons offenses in connection with the incidents on Sept. 3 and Sept. 5, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. Vandermeer is believed to have fired shots into the rear sliding glass door of a Robin Road home on Sunday, Sept. 3, between 10:15 p.m. and 10:45 p.m., McDonald said alongside local po…
Teen Busted For Threatening Others At FDU With Knife Teen Busted For Threatening Others At FDU With Knife
Teen Busted For Threatening Others At FDU With Knife An FDU student was arrested for threatening others at the school with a knife, authorities said. Lebron Eddie White, 19, of West Orange had fled the scene when officers responding to the call arrived at the Fairleigh Dickinson University campus on Thursday, Sept. 7, Teaneck Police Chief Andrew R. McGurr said. The purported victims "reported that [White] had threatened them with a folding pocket knife during a verbal dispute," the chief said. Police found White and arrested him on Friday. They charged him with making terroristic threats, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and il…
Lab Tech Charged With Assaulting Pre-Teen: Bergen Prosecutor Lab Tech Charged With Assaulting Pre-Teen: Bergen Prosecutor
Lab Tech Charged With Assaulting Pre-Teen: Bergen Prosecutor An accused child abuser from Saddle Brook had just been booked into the Bergen County Jail when a judge in Hackensack released him, records show. Victor Morales, a 32-year-old lab tech, “physically assaulted a child under the age of 13 years old who was in his care,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Saddle Brook police alerted his Special Victims Unit detectives to the child abuse report on Tuesday, Aug. 22, the prosecutor said. They took Morales into custody, then charged him with aggravated assault and child endangerment, Musella said. Morales was booked into the county jail …
Love Triangle: NYC Man Again Convicted Of Murdering Popular Teaneck Software Engineer Love Triangle: NYC Man Again Convicted Of Murdering Popular Teaneck Software Engineer
Love Triangle: NYC Man Again Convicted Of Murdering Popular Teaneck Software Engineer Jurors in Hackensack convicted a Manhattan man for a second time of brutally murdering a popular software engineer in his Teaneck home. Sui Kam "Tony" Tung was found guilty of all counts in the horrific killing of Robert Cantor, who authorities said was his estranged wife's lover, over a decade ago. Superior Court Judge Christopher Kazlau scheduled sentencing for Sept. 8. Tung faces a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of life, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Tung was found guilty of the same crimes in 2016, but a state appeals court overturned the convictions and sent the case…
Clifton Teen Already Jailed In One Passaic Shooting Charged With Another Clifton Teen Already Jailed In One Passaic Shooting Charged With Another
Clifton Teen Already Jailed In One Passaic Shooting Charged With Another Four days after authorities said he fired a gun at a sedan full of rivals in Passaic, a Clifton teen squeezed off 10 shots at another vehicle on the other side of the city, authorities said. Emmanuel Bernard, 18, was seized late last month in connection with a shootout on Brinkerhoff Place near Van Winkle Avenue shortly before 6 a.m. June 18. Bernard fired a handgun at a passing Honda Accord, then ducked when three men emerged from a Jeep Cherokee and began shooting at him, authorities said at the time. No injuries were reported. The others were rounded up quickly. Bernard was arrested th…
PUNITIVE DAMAGE: Bergen Judge Made Misogynist TikTok Videos In Chambers, In Bed: Complaint PUNITIVE DAMAGE: Bergen Judge Made Misogynist TikTok Videos In Chambers, In Bed: Complaint
Punitive Damage: Bergen Judge Made Misogynist TikTok Videos In Chambers, In Bed: Complaint A New Jersey criminal judge is accused of creating offensive videos in his chambers at the Bergen County courthouse in Hackensack, as well as partly undressed in his bed. Using a pseudonym," Superior Court Judge Gary N. Wilcox created 40 public TikTok videos, some containing profanity and graphic sexual terms for body parts, others with violent, misogynist and racist terms, a complaint against him alleges. In one video, Wilcox wears a “Beavis and Butt-Head” T-shirt while walking through the county courthouse to the sound of the Nas song "Get Down," which concerns a courtroom shooting and t…
Hackensack Ex-Con Charged With ½ Pound Of Coke, $12G Sketchy Cash In Illegally Parked Corvette Hackensack Ex-Con Charged With ½ Pound Of Coke, $12G Sketchy Cash In Illegally Parked Corvette
Hackensack Ex-Con Charged With ½ Pound Of Coke, $12G Sketchy Cash In Illegally Parked Corvette A hardcore ex-con was charged with having nearly a half-pound of cocaine and $12,000 in suspect cash in a stolen car that he left idling in a fire lane outside a shopping mall in Hackensack. Jarrett Bruce, 39, was initially released at the Shops at Riverside just off westbound Route 4 after Lt. Sean Briggs ran a computer check, found a mismatched VIN and impounded the 2022 Chevy Corvette in early April, Hackensack Police Capt. Michael Antista said. Discovering that the ‘vette had been reported stolen, police had grounds to seek -- and obtain -- a search warrant. They found the drugs and cas…
NJ Hotel Worker Brilliantly Foils FL Bus Driver's Plan To Have Sex With Teen: Prosecutor NJ Hotel Worker Brilliantly Foils FL Bus Driver's Plan To Have Sex With Teen: Prosecutor
NJ Hotel Worker Brilliantly Foils FL Bus Driver's Plan To Have Sex With Teen: Prosecutor A New Jersey hotel employee helped arrest a Florida bus driver who confided in them that he was hoping to have sex with a boy or girl while in the area for work, authorities said. Gregory P. Tibbetts, 59, of Ocoee, was under the impression that he was texting with a teen girl, but in reality, he was communicating with detectives who were aware of his intentions, Burlington County Prosecutor Lachia L. Bradshaw and Westampton Township Police Chief Stephen Ent said. The investigation began on June 5 when Tibbets, who was traveling through the area as part of his employment responsibilitie…
NJ Couple Ran Heroin, Cocaine Production Facility: Authorities NJ Couple Ran Heroin, Cocaine Production Facility: Authorities
NJ Couple Ran Heroin, Cocaine Production Facility: Authorities A couple were arrested and charged with making and distributing heroin and cocaine on Wednesday, May 31, Linden police said. Cornelius and Relona Crews, both 46, were arrested following a three-month investigation after police said they executed a search warrant at their home on the 900 block of Walnut Street The Crews' are charged with first-degree operating a controlled dangerous substance production facility, along with additional charges related to the possession and distribution of heroin and cocaine, police said.  The duo were also charged with an illegal weapons possession…
Arrest Made In Sayreville Councilwoman's Murder Arrest Made In Sayreville Councilwoman's Murder
Arrest Made In Sayreville Councilwoman's Murder A 28-year-old Virginia man has been arrested in connection with the Feb. 1 fatal shooting of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour outside her townhouse, authorities said. Rashid Ali Bynum, 28, of Portsmouth, VA, was arrested on Tuesday, May 30 at 10:45 a.m., according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office. Bynum was taken into custody outside a residence in Chesapeake City, VA, without incident, Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said at a news conference. Bynum was charged with first-degree murder and weapons offenses, she said. Prosecutors did not say what the motive was in the killing…
INFANT OVERDOSE: Judge Frees Bergen Woman Charged With Endangerment After Baby Ingests Opioid INFANT OVERDOSE: Judge Frees Bergen Woman Charged With Endangerment After Baby Ingests Opioid
Infant Overdose: Judge Frees Bergen Woman Charged With Endangerment After Baby Ingests Opioid A 23-year-old Bergen County woman was arrested after a 6-month-old child ingested and overdosed on an opioid, authorities said. Alia Elsafy of North Arlington was initially jailed, but a Superior Court judge in Hackensack almost immediately ordered her release on Friday, May 26, under New Jersey's bail reform law, records show. She’s charged with one count of child endangerment. The infant survived the May 19 overdose, which Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said was immediately reported to members of his Special Victims Unit by the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency. W…
Women Convicted Of Locking Boy, 8, In Room In 'Abhorrent' Conditions: Ocean Prosecutor Women Convicted Of Locking Boy, 8, In Room In 'Abhorrent' Conditions: Ocean Prosecutor
Women Convicted Of Locking Boy, 8, In Room In 'Abhorrent' Conditions: Ocean Prosecutor Two women were found guilty of child endangerment charges stemming from an incident in which an 8-year-old boy was found locked in a room in "abhorrent" conditions, authorities in Ocean County said. After a week-long jury trial before the Superior Court Judge Lisa A. Puglisi, the jury concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that Donna Jung, 57, of Lehigh Acres, Florida and Helecia Morris, 41, of Brick Township, abused and neglected a minor in their care, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. An investigation found that the boy, who was Morris' biological son, was loc…
UPDATE: Little Ferry Boy, 14, Buddy, 15, Charged With Attempted Murder In Moonachie Shooting UPDATE: Little Ferry Boy, 14, Buddy, 15, Charged With Attempted Murder In Moonachie Shooting
Update: Little Ferry Boy, 14, Buddy, 15, Charged With Attempted Murder In Moonachie Shooting Two youths – one 14, the other 15 – were charged with attempted murder after the younger one fired a gunshot at three teens in Moonachie, authorities said. The Little Ferry boy was on a bicycle with the older borough teen when he fired at the trio near the corner of Edstan Drive and Rooney Place shortly before 7:30 p.m. late last week, Moonachie Chief Richard Behrens said. Sgt. Victor Migliorino heard the shot and raced to the scene, where a vehicle had been struck and a shell casing was recovered, the chief said. An investigation into the May 25 incident led to both boys, Behrens said. P…
Soccer Player From Poland Charged With Vicious Attack On Wallington Bar Patron Soccer Player From Poland Charged With Vicious Attack On Wallington Bar Patron
Soccer Player From Poland Charged With Vicious Attack On Wallington Bar Patron A soccer player from Poland pummeled a man with his fists and feet outside a Wallington bar, sending the victim to the hospital with four broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a facial fracture, authorities said. Detectives who reviewed surveillance video identified the assailant as Oskar Potoczny, a 21-year-old Polish national who apparently quit playing football in his homeland last year. They arrested Potoczny on aggravated assault charges only to have a Superior Court judge in Hackensack release him the very next day. Potoczny played soccer in Poland most recently for Swit Szczecin la…
Brutal Murderer Of Bergen County Woman Sent To Prison For 55 Years Brutal Murderer Of Bergen County Woman Sent To Prison For 55 Years
Brutal Murderer Of Bergen County Woman Sent To Prison For 55 Years UPDATE:  An East Rutherford man was sentenced to 55 years in state prison for brutally kidnapping, stabbing and strangling a female neighbor. Francis "Frank" Tattoli, 30, won't be eligible for parole for nearly 48 years for the Christmastime 2016 slaying of Mone’t Thomas, 25, in the Summer Street apartment building where both lived. Thomas, who was born in Teaneck, worked as a manager of group sales for the Holiday Inn in Secaucus. She lived in the building with her boyfriend and bulldog. She'd just taken the dog for a walk when she was attacked in the hallway. Surveillance…
Oakland PD Busts NY Man With Stolen Credit Card, Driver's License, Meth, More: Police Oakland PD Busts NY Man With Stolen Credit Card, Driver's License, Meth, More: Police
Oakland PD Busts NY Man With Stolen Credit Card, Driver's License, Meth, More: Police A New York State man who tried using a stolen credit card at a lumber store in Oakland also had a driver’s license in someone else’s name, crystal meth and hypodermic needles in his vehicle, authorities said. Frank Anunziata, 37, was charged with theft, credit card theft, forgery and possession of false documents, drugs and paraphernalia after an employee called police, Capt. Timothy Keenan said. Anunziata was also wanted on warrants of out Lawrence Township, NJ, and Stamford, CT, records show. He was sent to the Bergen County Jail only to be released the next day by a Superior Court judge…
GUILTY: Paterson Man, 40, Sexually Assaulted Children, Seven And 11, Jury Finds GUILTY: Paterson Man, 40, Sexually Assaulted Children, Seven And 11, Jury Finds
Guilty: Paterson Man, 40, Sexually Assaulted Children, Seven And 11, Jury Finds Jurors in Paterson convicted a 40-year-old city man of sexually assaulting two children – one seven, the other 11. Antwan Campbell was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault along with two counts each of sexual assault and child endangerment on Thursday, March 23, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. At the very least, Campbell faces a minimum of 25 years in state prison under New Jersey’s guidelines when he is sentenced by Superior Court Judge Sohail Mohammed on July 13. He’ll also remain on lifetime parole supervision and be required to register as a sex offender under Meg…