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Police & Fire
Saga Of Bergen-Hudson Scrap Metal Company That Conned Customers Out Of Millions Closes Saga Of Bergen-Hudson Scrap Metal Company That Conned Customers Out Of Millions Closes
Saga Of Bergen-Hudson Scrap Metal Company That Conned Customers Out Of Millions Closes After two years, four guilty pleas and several years worth of combined sentences, a massive federal case ended quietly Wednesday against a North Jersey scrap metal company that conned customers of several million dollars over nearly two decades. David Bartek, 55, of Wood Ridge, became the only convict to not get any federal prison time when he was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Newark to eight months home confinement and five years of supervised release. The government’s case against Cinelli Iron & Metal Co. (CIMCO) publicly began when with Bartek, the company’s former CF…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Jersey City Fugitive Sentenced To 7 Years For Huge Shipping Scam Jersey City Fugitive Sentenced To 7 Years For Huge Shipping Scam
Jersey City Fugitive Sentenced To 7 Years For Huge Shipping Scam A 62-year-old Jersey City man who disappeared after he was indicted for massive fraud eight years ago and came back to the United States was sentenced to seven years in prison, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said in a statement.  Rajendra Patel, who was indicted in 2011 for defrauding five freight brokers out of a combined $2.6 million, was also ordered to make full restitution. He pleaded guilty in August.  The brokers, who serve as intermediaries between shippers and freight carriers, typically extend credit to shippers. Patel took advantage of this practice by building up a …

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by Paul Milo
Police & Fire
Teaneck Vending Machine, Jukebox Company Owner Admits Stealing $368,783 From Pension Fund Teaneck Vending Machine, Jukebox Company Owner Admits Stealing $368,783 From Pension Fund
Teaneck Vending Machine, Jukebox Company Owner Admits Stealing $368,783 From Pension Fund A well-known Teaneck businessman whose vending machine and jukebox company paid five figures last year to settle a copyright infringement suit admitted Wednesday in federal court in Newark that he embezzled $368,783 from the business' employee pension fund. Howard Preschel, 63,  founded and served as the trustee for the pension fund established by CMG Vending Inc., which operated, leased, and rented vending machines throughout New Jersey and New York, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. He began skimming the money from the fund as early as November 2010, and by April 201…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
VIDEO: Boy Who Flattened Mahwah Family's Inflatable Easter Duck Apologizes, Agrees To Pay VIDEO: Boy Who Flattened Mahwah Family's Inflatable Easter Duck Apologizes, Agrees To Pay
Video: Boy Who Flattened Mahwah Family's Inflatable Easter Duck Apologizes, Agrees To Pay In an era of home surveillance cameras and social media, a boy knocking over an inflatable Easter duck on a Mahwah homeowner’s lawn in broad daylight was bound to end in a conviction. Jonathan Marcus posted a video of the boy who broke away from the group he was with, rushed the duck and flattened it around 6:15 p.m. Thursday. At least one of the boys was wearing a Don Bosco jacket, said Marcus, who lives at the corner of Forest Road and Brook Court – across from Wilkes Deli in the township’s Fardale section – and decorates his property for several holidays each year. “The one who destroy…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Husband, Wife From E. Orange Sentenced In Large Bank Fraud Husband, Wife From E. Orange Sentenced In Large Bank Fraud
Husband, Wife From E. Orange Sentenced In Large Bank Fraud A married couple from East Orange have both been sentenced for stealing tens of thousands of dollars from customers of the bank where the wife worked, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced.  Seconey Brown, 26,  and Antoinette Mitchell-Brown, 42, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Brown has been sentenced to 27 months in prison and Micthell-Brown received a sentence of 366 days, the U.S. Attorney said Wednesday.  For a few months beginning in September 2016, Mitchell-Brown stole account information from clients of the bank where…

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by Paul Milo
Police & Fire
Payroll Clerk Gets 18 Months For Helping Con Clifton Trucking Company Out Of $920,000 Payroll Clerk Gets 18 Months For Helping Con Clifton Trucking Company Out Of $920,000
Payroll Clerk Gets 18 Months For Helping Con Clifton Trucking Company Out Of $920,000 A now-former payroll clerk was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison on Monday for helping con a Clifton trucking company out of $920,380. Lisa Popewiny, 56, also of Clifton, admitted her guilt last September, joining three brothers who also accepted deal from the government rather than face a jury in U.S. District Court in Newark. Like Popewiny, Miguel Vidal, Angel D. Vidal, and Angel Gabriel Vidal previously pleaded guilty to similar charges for their roles in the scheme -- and, in doing so, agreed to testify against her if she took the case to trial. The brothers admitted they allowe…

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by Jerry DeMarco