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NJ Man Admits Using Postal Workers, Students To Steal, Forge COVID Stimulus Checks NJ Man Admits Using Postal Workers, Students To Steal, Forge COVID Stimulus Checks
NJ Man Admits Using Postal Workers, Students To Steal, Forge COVID Stimulus Checks A Union County man admitted recruiting postal service employees to steal federal COVID stimulus checks and then paying high school students to help cash them, authorities said. Tashon Ragan, 21, of Hillside was among a group of thieves associated with a group called “The Members” who paid US Postal Service employees in cash to steal credit cards and blank checkbooks from the mail, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. They then “forged the signatures of the accountholders and negotiated the checks by making them payable to individuals,” Honig said. Some were New Jersey high school st…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
NJ Man Dies Trying To Light Fire Pit, Police Say NJ Man Dies Trying To Light Fire Pit, Police Say
NJ Man Dies Trying To Light Fire Pit, Police Say A 56-year-old Union County man died while trying to light a fire pit but instead sparked an explosion that may have killed him, local police said. Officers arriving at the home on Warwick Road in Hillside found the man with burns covering nearly 75 percent of his body just before 4 p.m. Monday, Hillside Police Det. Natalie Ogonowski said. The man likely added an unknown accelerant to light the fire pit, causing an explosion, Ogonowki said.

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Rodents Infest Neglected Caskets At Union County Cemetery, Report Says Rodents Infest Neglected Caskets At Union County Cemetery, Report Says
Rodents Infest Neglected Caskets At Union County Cemetery, Report Says Some neglected caskets at one Union County cemetery are crawling with rodents, according to a report by RLS Media. Local residents visiting gravesites at the Evergreen Cemetery in Hillside last Sunday spotted at least seven caskets stacked up with at least one of the coffins open -- rodents inside with the body, the report says. Union County | Union County Cemetery Caskets Left Stacked and Open to Rats, Report Says https://t.co/3WkfWCKJ0q — Murphy Wallace ll (@MWallacell) April 27, 2021 Cemetery officials reportedly declined comment to RLS Media. The NJ State Division of Consumer Affa…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
NJ: State Prison ‘Hit Squad’ Run By Latin King Targeted Inmates, Corrections Investigators NJ: State Prison ‘Hit Squad’ Run By Latin King Targeted Inmates, Corrections Investigators
NJ: State Prison ‘Hit Squad’ Run By Latin King Targeted Inmates, Corrections Investigators Members of a state prison hit squad assembled by a Latin Kings leader beat one fellow inmate and were about to attack another when corrections officials got wind of their plans, New Jersey's top law enforcement officer said Thursday. Working from the outside, Frank “Lafay” Blake, 33, of Hillside recruited eight inmates for his shank-armed crew at various correctional facilities, including Northern State Prison in Newark and New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. Blake, the reputed leader of the Elizabeth chapter of the Almighty Latin King and Queen…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
3 Dead In Possible Jamaican Restaurant Murder Suicide, Union County Prosecutor Says 3 Dead In Possible Jamaican Restaurant Murder Suicide, Union County Prosecutor Says
3 Dead In Possible Jamaican Restaurant Murder Suicide, Union County Prosecutor Says The co-owner of a Union County Jamaican restaurant is believed to have killed the mother of his children and her sister inside of the establishment before turning the gun on himself, authorities announced Wednesday. The three individuals were identified as Akanni A. Marin, 45, Karen A. Lemaitre, the mother of his children, and her sister, Wanita A. Joffer, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said. Union Township police officers approached a vehicle they noticed parked in the back of an Enterprise Rent-A-Car lot on Morris Avenue, where they found the body of 45-year-old Ma…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Feds: Multi-County Burglary Crew Broke Into 40 North Jersey Pharmacies Seeking Codeine Feds: Multi-County Burglary Crew Broke Into 40 North Jersey Pharmacies Seeking Codeine
Feds: Multi-County Burglary Crew Broke Into 40 North Jersey Pharmacies Seeking Codeine A gang of burglars used bricks and rocks to break into at least 40 pharmacies in Hudson, Bergen and several other counties, targeting specific prescription drugs that they could sell, federal authorities said. Ten men, all from Jersey City, were charged in the three-month spree following an investigation led by Secaucus police, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said Tuesday. Surveillance video captured images of the burglars breaking into some of the victimized pharmacies in North Bergen, Jersey City, Guttenberg, West New York, Secaucus, Lyndhurst, North Arlington, Linden, Iselin, Madis…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
NJ Insurance Broker Admits Building BBQ Restaurant With More Than $1M Swindled From Investors NJ Insurance Broker Admits Building BBQ Restaurant With More Than $1M Swindled From Investors
NJ Insurance Broker Admits Building BBQ Restaurant With More Than $1M Swindled From Investors An insurance broker from Union County admitted in federal court Tuesday that he swindled unwitting investors out of more than $1 million that he sunk, instead, into a BBQ joint. Ivan Ramos, 39, of Hillside was working for New York Life when he sought out inexperienced investors from among customers who bought life insurance from him or people he met at company marketing events or through mutual acquaintances, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachel Honig said. He “led his victims to believe, through misrepresentations and omissions, that two entities that he controlled, Invexperts LLC and Wealth Seeds…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Morris, Union County Used Car Dealer Pays $105,000 To Settle 'Lemon Law' Violations, State Says Morris, Union County Used Car Dealer Pays $105,000 To Settle 'Lemon Law' Violations, State Says
Morris, Union County Used Car Dealer Pays $105,000 To Settle 'Lemon Law' Violations, State Says A used car dealer with locations in Morris and Union counties is paying $105,000 to resolve alleged violations of state consumer protection laws, authorities said. State Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said Auto Holding Inc. was cited for: misrepresenting the condition of its used motor vehicles, telling at least one customer that vehicles were serviced and/or inspected prior to sale, when that was not the case; failing to disclose prior damage and rental history when such information was known or should have been known by the dealership; misrepresenting the prior history and use of its …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Feds: NJ Crew Used Postal Workers, High School Students To Steal, Forge COVID Stimulus Checks Feds: NJ Crew Used Postal Workers, High School Students To Steal, Forge COVID Stimulus Checks
Feds: NJ Crew Used Postal Workers, High School Students To Steal, Forge COVID Stimulus Checks A group of criminals recruited New Jersey postal service employees to steal federal COVID-19 stimulus checks and paid high school students to help cash them, authorities said. The defendants -- who were associates of a group calling itself “the Members” -- recruited U.S. Postal Service employees to steal checks, checkbooks, debit cards, and credit cards from the mail in exchange for cash, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. They then forged the signatures of the account holders and made the checks payable to high school students and others who’d given them access to their accounts, also in …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Feds Charge Former Local Party Committee Chairman With Lying On Tax Returns, Student Aid Apps Feds Charge Former Local Party Committee Chairman With Lying On Tax Returns, Student Aid Apps
Feds Charge Former Local Party Committee Chairman With Lying On Tax Returns, Student Aid Apps A public relations specialist and former local Democratic chairman from Union County lied both on his tax returns and on requests for student aid for one of his children, a federal grand jury indictment returned Tuesday alleges. The IRS originally charged Anthony Salters, 58, of Hillside earlier this year with filing a false federal income tax return in 2013 by stating that his business, Media Allies LLC, had no income. In fact, the IRS said, Salters and Media Allies had “substantial gross receipts” in 2013, including $104,411 worth of checks from, among others, the City of Orange the Pate…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
'Where's The Compassion?' NJ Boy With Autism Kicked Out Of Church During Sister's Baptism 'Where's The Compassion?' NJ Boy With Autism Kicked Out Of Church During Sister's Baptism
'Where's The Compassion?' NJ Boy With Autism Kicked Out Of Church During Sister's Baptism A Union County mom says her son who has autism was kicked out of church by the priest during her daughter's baptism. Nicky, 7, was playing with a ball during his sister Sofia's baptism at Christ the King Church Saturday in Hillside, Julia Vicidomini said on Facebook. The service was private, for family only, which Vicidomini said made her feel more comfortable as Nicky -- who is non-verbal -- doesn't do well during long mass services. "Yes, he was playing with a toy where he should not have been, however, the way the priest kicked him out of the church was completely rude and disrespectful…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
10 Charged In NJ Mortgage Fraud Scheme That Swindled Low Income Buyers Out Of Thousands 10 Charged In NJ Mortgage Fraud Scheme That Swindled Low Income Buyers Out Of Thousands
10 Charged In NJ Mortgage Fraud Scheme That Swindled Low Income Buyers Out Of Thousands Ten people including two at large have been charged in a mortgage fraud scheme that included racketeering, theft, tampering with records and money laundering across Essex County, authorities said. Between 2016 and 2019, the individuals recruited unsuspecting buyers for investment properties in Newark, East Orange, and Irvington, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II said Friday.  With little to no down payment and questionable financial stability, the buyers were led to entrust the entire mortgage application process to Darnell Alford, of Toms River, and Travis Glover…

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by Jon Craig