Tag:

Forgery

Two Franklin Lakes Men Took $350K From Jersey City Church: Prosecutor Two Franklin Lakes Men Took $350K From Jersey City Church: Prosecutor
Two Franklin Lakes Men Took $350K From Jersey City Church: Prosecutor Two Franklin Lake residents were arrested this week and charged with theft and forgery related to construction work at a Jersey City church, authorities said. In 2021, Centurion Companies, a construction business owned by Christopher Poppe, 35, and Glen Poppe, 65, was hired by St. George and St. Shenouda Coptic Church in Jersey City to perform construction work, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarz said. An investigation found the church issued Centurion Companies payments in excess for $350,000 to pay third-party contractors for additional services, Suarez said. Falsified r…
Bergen County Man Submits False Bank Statements In NY Court: DA Says Bergen County Man Submits False Bank Statements In NY Court: DA Says
Bergen County Man Submits False Bank Statements In NY Court: DA Says A New Jersey man has been charged after presenting falsified bank statements in a Hudson Valley court and testifying they were real, authorities said. James Wolff, 50, of Teaneck, NJ, was arraigned on Monday, Sept. 30, Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Walsh II announced on Thursday, Oct. 3. According to the district attorney, in June, an investigation found that Wolff knowingly possessed and submitted falsified bank statements to the Rockland County Surrogate’s Court and testified, under oath, to their validity.  The documents filed by the Wolff with the Ro…
NJ Apartment Association Bookkeeper Who Stole $357K Learns Prison Sentence NJ Apartment Association Bookkeeper Who Stole $357K Learns Prison Sentence
NJ Apartment Association Bookkeeper Who Stole $357K Learns Prison Sentence A former bookkeeper for the New Jersey Apartment Association has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay restitution for stealing $357,250 from the organization, authorities said. Karly Simon-Sapp, 50, of Plumsted Township, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Kenneth T. Palmer to five years New Jersey State Prison and ordered to pay $357,520 in restitution, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. She previously had pleaded guilty to theft. Between January 2016 and January 2022, Simon-Sapp, in her capacity as a bookkeeper for the New Jersey Apartment Association, forged the …
Bergen County Man Tricked 8 Victims Into Investing In Property For 'Redevelopment:' Prosecutor Bergen County Man Tricked 8 Victims Into Investing In Property For 'Redevelopment:' Prosecutor
Bergen County Man Tricked 8 Victims Into Investing In Property For 'Redevelopment:' Prosecutor A Bergen County man is facing charges after authorities say he tricked eight victims into paying thousands of dollars for Newark investment properties, which authorities said had not actually been designated for redevelopment. An investigation was launched into Jason S. McNeill, 48, of Wyckoff, last April, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musell said.  McNeill allegedly presented the eight victims with forged documents and solicited approximately $420,000 in total from them. McNeill told the victims that the money would go toward the purchase of investment properties, namely vacant lots f…
Contractor Behind Leaky, Moldy Jersey City Buildings Busted For Phony Insurance: Prosecutor Contractor Behind Leaky, Moldy Jersey City Buildings Busted For Phony Insurance: Prosecutor
Contractor Behind Leaky, Moldy Jersey City Buildings Busted For Phony Insurance: Prosecutor A 37-year-old North Jersey resident was arrested on Thursday, Sept. 12 and charged with theft and forgery on accusations he submitted a fake insurance certificate, authorities said. Prince Narang's company, Artisan Design and Construction, was hired to perform contract work on a residential building in Jersey City, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.  Narang, of Glen Ridge, submitted a bogus insurance certificate to the property owner and bank to obtain a construction contract, Suarez said.  The owner tried to file an insurance claim for property damag…
Bergen County Councilwoman Arrested In CT Bergen County Councilwoman Arrested In CT
Bergen County Councilwoman Arrested In CT A New Jersey elected official has been charged with larceny and forgery in Connecticut, police said. Abby Lundy, age 60, a Hillsdale councilwoman whose term is up on Dec. 31, 2024, was arrested in New Canaan on Thursday, Aug. 22, for crimes allegedly committed on Tuesday, July 9, court records show. Since-deleted social media posts show Lundy had worked for First Candle, an organization dedicated to eradicating Sudden Infant Death Syndrom (SIDS) and other "sleep-related infant deaths." A First Candle spokesperson declined to comment on her case, but confirmed that she'd been terminated…
Former 'Professional Of The Year' Arrested For Theft In NJ Town, Prosecutors Say Former 'Professional Of The Year' Arrested For Theft In NJ Town, Prosecutors Say
Former 'Professional Of The Year' Arrested For Theft In NJ Town, Prosecutors Say Brick Township's recreation director has been arrested on accusations he charged private organizations to use the township's fields and then kept the money for himself, prosecutors said. Daniel Santaniello, 46, of Brick Township, was charged with theft and uttering a forged instrument relative to his position as the township's recreation director, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Brick Township Police Chief David Forrester said. He was arrested Wednesday, July 17. In 2016, Santaniello won Professional of the Year Award from the New Jersey Recreation & Park…
GOTCHA! Fleeing Check Forger Nabbed By Lyndhurst Patrol, Detectives: PD GOTCHA! Fleeing Check Forger Nabbed By Lyndhurst Patrol, Detectives: PD
Gotcha! Fleeing Check Forger Nabbed By Lyndhurst Patrol, Detectives: PD He showed the bank teller a driver's license with his photo on it. The name on the DL matched that on a $3,400 check he was trying to cash. But something didn't smell quite right. Lyndhurst police who responded to a call from the bank arrested Russel Fastnacht, 52, of Newark moments later. Officer Michael D’Alessandro was joined at the Citizen's Bank on Ridge Road by Detectives Tom McSweeney and Steve Batista shortly before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 11, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. "They were advised at that time that the suspect had fled the bank after being challenged by a bank…
Tenafly Bank Personnel, Police Aren't Fooled By ID Thief: Authorities Tenafly Bank Personnel, Police Aren't Fooled By ID Thief: Authorities
Tenafly Bank Personnel, Police Aren't Fooled By ID Thief: Authorities A 60-year-old Bronx man who tried to pull a fast one at a Tenafly bank pretended to be someone else when police caught up to him, authorities said. Andre Evans went to one bank and tried depositing $3,800 that wasn't his into an account, then went to another branch and tried to withdraw it using a New Jersey driver's license that also didn't belong to him, Tenafly Police Capt. Michael deMoncada said. Employees refused to process the withdrawal, then called police when Evans left, the captain said. Officers found him a short distance away, deMoncada said. Even gave them the identification …
Wanted Driver Crashes Off Route 17, Subdued After Grabbing Mahwah Officer's Gun Wanted Driver Crashes Off Route 17, Subdued After Grabbing Mahwah Officer's Gun
Wanted Driver Crashes Off Route 17, Subdued After Grabbing Mahwah Officer's Gun A fugitive who'd just crashed a car off Route 17 shouted at pursuing Mahwah police to shoot him, then grabbed at an officer's gun and bit him while being handcuffed Thursday morning, authorities said. Officer Christopher Lupo tried to stop Miles Harris, 32, of Newark for several violations on the southbound highway around 10:45 a.m. March 28, Lt. Michael Blondin said. Officer Nick Williams joined Lupo as the sedan exited the highway and fled onto Myrtle Avenue in Ramsey, the lieutenant said. It slammed into a tree moments later. Harris bailed out and ran behind some area businesses, Blond…
Bayonne Detectives Sting Staten Island Man Selling Stolen Cars On Facebook Marketplace: Police Bayonne Detectives Sting Staten Island Man Selling Stolen Cars On Facebook Marketplace: Police
Bayonne Detectives Sting Staten Island Man Selling Stolen Cars On Facebook Marketplace: Police A Staten Island man was off to the races selling stolen cars on Facebook Marketplace when Bayonne detectives put the brakes on the operation, authorities said. Using bogus identification, Devonte A. Thomas, 23, recently raked in $26,650 that police know about as “Alazim Olasupo Odu, selling a 2013 Infiniti and two Hondas from 2019 and 2020, Bayonne Police Capt. Eric R. Amato said. One of the victims called police after crossing paths with Thomas while looking for another car, the captain said. After quickly confirming that the car Thomas was selling had been stolen out of Newark, detective…
Two Paterson Inspectors Took Bribes For Permits: NJ Attorney General Two Paterson Inspectors Took Bribes For Permits: NJ Attorney General
Two Paterson Inspectors Took Bribes For Permits: NJ Attorney General Two Paterson housing and zoning inspectors were indicted on Tuesday, Feb. 20 for accepting bribes in exchange for issuing illegitimate building permits, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Jose Fermin, a 50-year-old Prospect Park resident and Jose Juan Guerrero-Cruz, a 44-year-old Florida resident carried out their scheme between Dec. 2020 and Feb. 2022,  producing bogus documents that including imitation signatures purportedly written by Paterson’s Planning and Zoning Director, Platkin said.  Guerrero-Cruz and Fermin would accept money in exchange for Fermin producing the…
NJ Woman Using Counterfeit $100 Bills Busted At Florida Business: Police NJ Woman Using Counterfeit $100 Bills Busted At Florida Business: Police
NJ Woman Using Counterfeit $100 Bills Busted At Florida Business: Police A 33-year-old New Jersey woman was arrested and charged in Florida with using multiple $100 bills, authorities said. Police in Brevard County were initially notified by two businesses about the phony money, the Cocoa Beach Police Department said on Facebook.  After an investigation, police arrested Brenda Stefan Silvera Klembert and discovered additional victims, officers said.  Klembert was charged with uttering forged instruments and theft, police said. Police did not say where in the Garden State, Klembert was from. Police didn't say where Klembert is from but online rec…
Clark Township Mayor Charged With Forging Signatures In 24 Towns To Benefit Landscaping Biz: AG Clark Township Mayor Charged With Forging Signatures In 24 Towns To Benefit Landscaping Biz: AG
Clark Township Mayor Charged With Forging Signatures In 24 Towns To Benefit Landscaping Biz: AG Clark Township Mayor Salvatore Bonaccorso was charged Monday, Nov. 20 with forging paperwork to nearly 24 New Jersey towns to allow his landscaping company to remove underground tanks, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Bonaccorso, 63, used township employees to help him run his private business, Bonaccorso and Son LLC, along with township devices like computers and fax machines, Platkin said following an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability Corruption Bureau. While running his business, Bonaccorso posed as an engineer, using his name, license num…
NJ Woman, 72, Indicted For Using Dead Caregiver's Info To Keep Collecting Insurance Payments NJ Woman, 72, Indicted For Using Dead Caregiver's Info To Keep Collecting Insurance Payments
NJ Woman, 72, Indicted For Using Dead Caregiver's Info To Keep Collecting Insurance Payments A 72-year-old New Jersey woman used phony timesheets and a bogus bank account from a dead caregiver to fraudulently collect insurance payments for long-term care from him, state authorities charged. Leoncia Hutchinson of Metuchen deposited the payments from the Continental Casualty Company into a dedicated account, then slid the funds back into her own, an indictment returned by a grand jury in Trenton alleges. For six months, Hutchinson treated the man’s death as “a moneymaking opportunity,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said in announcing the indictment on Wednesday, Nov.…
Thelma & Louise? Out-Of-State Pair With Phony Plate, Stolen IDs, Disguises Nabbed By Oakland PD Thelma & Louise? Out-Of-State Pair With Phony Plate, Stolen IDs, Disguises Nabbed By Oakland PD
Thelma & Louise? Out-Of-State Pair With Phony Plate, Stolen IDs, Disguises Nabbed By Oakland PD Two out-of-state ID thieves with a cardboard license plate sped off from Oakland police down the wrong side of the road but were tracked down a short time later, authorities said. Sgt. Michael Griffin spotted the pair in a 2023 Nissan Maxima entering an exit and pulling up to a drive-through window at a TD Bank on Ramapo Valley Road around 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18, Capt. Timothy Keenan said. The Maxima had tinted windows and an unreadable rear license plate apparently printed on a piece of cardboard, the captain said. Seeing the police, the driver backed out of the drive-through and sped …
Violent Garfield Ex-Con Charged With Englewood Shooting Violent Garfield Ex-Con Charged With Englewood Shooting
Violent Garfield Ex-Con Charged With Englewood Shooting A Garfield ex-con with a violent criminal history was charged with firing a gunshot at another man in Englewood earlier this year. Michael Dashawn Lockett, 31, apparently had some kind of beef with the victim when he squeezed off a shot on an otherwise quiet Green Street near Argonne Park in broad daylight this past Feb. 15, authorities said. No one was struck, they said. Englewood detectives and members of the US Marshals Service captured Lockett in Hackensack on Tuesday, Oct. 3. He was charged with aggravated assault and weapons possession and sent him to the Bergen County Jail, where h…
Bergen County Insurance Agent Teamed Up With MSU Police Officer To Defraud Victim: Prosecutor Bergen County Insurance Agent Teamed Up With MSU Police Officer To Defraud Victim: Prosecutor
Bergen County Insurance Agent Teamed Up With MSU Police Officer To Defraud Victim: Prosecutor A Bergen County insurance agent created false documents to help a Long Valley business owner defraud a client at his painting business, authorities in Morris County said. Michael McFadden, a 54-year-old New Milford resident and insurance agent at Insuranze Associates in Hasbrouck Heights, created false documents claiming Long Valley's Christopher Angst had a workman's compensation coverage policy, Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll and Morris County Chief of Detectives Robert McNally said. Angst, 48, is the owner of C&E Professional Painting in Long Valley, and a …
NJ Woman Embezzled $1.2 Million From Employer, DA Says NJ Woman Embezzled $1.2 Million From Employer, DA Says
NJ Woman Embezzled $1.2 Million From Employer, DA Says A high-ranking employee at a Pennsylvania furniture business is accused of embezzling more than $1 million from the company, authorities say.  Linda Mansi, 53, of Tuckerton, New Jersey, is charged with multiple felonies from Arnold Office Furniture and Sunline Supply in Bridgeport, said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele's Office in a release Friday, July 28.  Jay and Jordan Berkowitz, the owners of the stores, approached police in February about a "significant theft" from the company's coffers, the DA said.  The Berkowitzes claimed Mansi — an employee sin…
SMH: Released Burglar Returns To Cliffside For His Stuff, Gets Busted For Gun, Drugs SMH: Released Burglar Returns To Cliffside For His Stuff, Gets Busted For Gun, Drugs
SMH: Released Burglar Returns To Cliffside For His Stuff, Gets Busted For Gun, Drugs Only under New Jersey’s bail reform law can an ex-con charged with a string of burglaries be released by a judge before police even have a chance to search his car. And maybe only in New Jersey will the just-released defendant go to police headquarters to retrieve his things and immediately be arrested. That’s because while ex-con Ralph Lloyd Wilson was passing through the revolving door of justice, Cliffside Park detectives were finding a gun and drugs in the rented vehicle. It began with Wilson’s arrest last week by police in neighboring Fort Lee. He'd burglarized a row of businesse…
Accused $550,000 Mortgage Fraud Schemer From Bergen Already Had A History, Records Show Accused $550,000 Mortgage Fraud Schemer From Bergen Already Had A History, Records Show
Accused $550,000 Mortgage Fraud Schemer From Bergen Already Had A History, Records Show Gerrmaioud Chape was no stranger to police and prosecutors in Bergen County. So it wasn’t surprising to some when county prosecutors charged him with stealing $525,000 from unwitting investors through mortgage fraud. Chape, 43, already had a petty criminal history that included arrests for speeding, shoplifting and drugs when Bogota police charged him in 2015 with pocketing $40,000 that a Colombian brother and sister saved to come to America. The money was supposed to be a down payment on a mortgage for the siblings’ new home, authorities said at the time, but Chape used it instead on pers…
Teaneck Swindler Whose Family Helped Fleece Investors Of $4.7M Gets 8 Years In State Slammer Teaneck Swindler Whose Family Helped Fleece Investors Of $4.7M Gets 8 Years In State Slammer
Teaneck Swindler Whose Family Helped Fleece Investors Of $4.7M Gets 8 Years In State Slammer UPDATE: A Teaneck con man who was captured after trying to flee the country must spend the next three years in state prison for running a Ponzi scheme with family and friends that fleeced dozens of unwitting investors out of $4.7 million. Chander Singh, 46, reshaped a failed company into an unscrupulous criminal venture by soliciting loans from investors to buy distressed properties, authorities said. Singh promised double-digit returns from what would be renovations of the ratholes, which he found with the help of his parents and brother, all of whom worked as real estate agents, they said…
Out-Of-Town ID Thieves Caught Bank Hopping In Rochelle Park: Police Out-Of-Town ID Thieves Caught Bank Hopping In Rochelle Park: Police
Out-Of-Town ID Thieves Caught Bank Hopping In Rochelle Park: Police Three ID thieves who'd already victimized no fewer than 19 people didn't realize a pair of Rochelle Park detectives were watching as they hopped from bank to bank, authorities said. Detectives Brian Cobb and Brian Gallina began following their white Honda Accord with New York plates after seeing it being driven erratically near West Passaic Street and Paramus Road, Capt. James DePreta said. "At times, they entered and then ran from banks into the waiting vehicle," he said on Friday, May 12. The suspects tore up what appeared to be a check and tossed it out the window as the detectives pull…
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…
NO PAROLE: Ex-NJ Trooper Gets 5 Years For Using ID To Skate From Traffic Stops While Suspended NO PAROLE: Ex-NJ Trooper Gets 5 Years For Using ID To Skate From Traffic Stops While Suspended
NO Parole: Ex-NJ Trooper Gets 5 Years For Using ID To Skate From Traffic Stops While Suspended UPDATE: A disgraced former New Jersey State Police sergeant was sentenced to five years in prison without parole after a jury convicted him of using an ID card to get out of a string of Jersey Shore traffic stops while he was suspended from the force. Ex-NJSP Sgt. Marc Dennis, 51, of Waretown, also must forfeit his pension and cannot be publicly employed in New Jersey ever again, state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. Dennis shouldn’t have had the identification card in his possession after being relieved of his authority during the suspension, Platkin said. The 17-year department…
Thief Convicted Of Stealing Home, $110K+ From Victim Causing Her To Lose NJ Home Thief Convicted Of Stealing Home, $110K+ From Victim Causing Her To Lose NJ Home
Thief Convicted Of Stealing Home, $110K+ From Victim Causing Her To Lose NJ Home A 36-year-old Newark man has been convicted of theft and forgery that caused a woman to lose her home, authorities said. The thefts also caused the woman with a mental health condition to lose more than $110,000, according to Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens. ,After a four-day trial, the jury found  Obadiah Salters guilty on all 24 counts of theft and forgery charges, Stephens said on Friday, March 17. In December 2016, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit initiated an investigation into alleged acts of forgery and theft by Salters against…
Trio With Stolen Checks, IDs Flees Carlstadt Bank, Nabbed By Hasbrouck Heights PD: Police Trio With Stolen Checks, IDs Flees Carlstadt Bank, Nabbed By Hasbrouck Heights PD: Police
Trio With Stolen Checks, IDs Flees Carlstadt Bank, Nabbed By Hasbrouck Heights PD: Police A trio of thieves who’d been burglarizing vehicles parked outside New Jersey gyms had paper and tape covering their license plate when they tried to cash a stolen check at a Carlstadt bank, authorities said. Were they ever in for a surprise. The trio was still at the drive-up window when the manager of Lakeland Bank called police, Acting Police Chief Thomas Cox said. Discovering the holder’s account frozen, the teller refused to cash the $1,300 check and the trio drove off, the chief said. Borough police issued a Be on the Lookout (BOLO) for their blue Altima, which Hasbrouck Heights Poli…
NJ Couple Charged With Running Five-Finger Discount Ring NJ Couple Charged With Running Five-Finger Discount Ring
NJ Couple Charged With Running Five-Finger Discount Ring A Passaic County couple ran a retail theft ring that paid thieves to shoplift specific items from a list that they provided, authorities charged. Ali Soto, 42, and Vickiana Colon, 36, both of North Haledon, were both charged with being leaders of an organized theft operation, among other offenses. The arrests were made on Dec. 14, 2022 but weren’t announced until Wednesday, Jan. 4, in a joint release issued by Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, West Milford Township Police Chief James Devore and North Haledon Police Chief Todd Darby. They didn’t say why. Wednesday's release…
NJ Apartment Complex Manager Was Renting Some Units On Her Own, Pocketing Cash: Prosecutor NJ Apartment Complex Manager Was Renting Some Units On Her Own, Pocketing Cash: Prosecutor
NJ Apartment Complex Manager Was Renting Some Units On Her Own, Pocketing Cash: Prosecutor A Somerset County property manager was renting out apartments without her boss's knowledge and pocketing the "rent" for herself, authorities claim.  Yessica Gonzalez, 44, of Ewing, is held at the county lockup on multiple charges of theft and forgery related to the scam that Prosecutor John P. McDonald says she ran for years.  From 2019 to 2022, investigators say Gonzalez was "leasing" units at the Montgomery Township property where she worked without actually informing her employer about the new tenants.  Prosecutors say she forged the property owner's name on the leasing d…
Five Chinese Nationals Seized At Bergen Porsche Dealership In ID Theft, Forgery Case Five Chinese Nationals Seized At Bergen Porsche Dealership In ID Theft, Forgery Case
Five Chinese Nationals Seized At Bergen Porsche Dealership In ID Theft, Forgery Case Five Chinese nationals remained held in the Bergen County Jail on ID theft and forgery charges, among other offenses, after one of them tried to lease a Porsche with a stolen New York driver's license, authorities said. Four men accompanied Yuxian Li, 32, as she tried to lease the vehicle at Porsche Englewood on Grand Avenue, records show. Police were called and took all five into custody after reportedly finding various pieces of evidence of ID and credit card theft, among other offenses. The men were identified as Jhong Chen, 23; Kai Wang, 25; Wulin Zhang, 29, and Weifa Huang, 47. All f…
Fleeing ShopRite Shoplifter Brawls With Paramus Police Fleeing ShopRite Shoplifter Brawls With Paramus Police
Fleeing ShopRite Shoplifter Brawls With Paramus Police A fleeing ShopRite shoplifter from out of state had to be pepper-sprayed when she fought with Paramus police, authorities said. A security guard grabbed Lillian T. Baker, 30, of Brooklyn after she collected $228 worth of merchandise on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 25, Deputy Police Chief Robert M. Guidetti said. She broke free and was grabbed by Officer Nicholas Perna as she bolted out the front door, the deputy chief said. Baker fought with Perna and Officer Ben Fox before a blast of capsaicin subdued her, he said. She was first brought to Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus for medic…