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New Jersey Attorney General

Bergen Financial Advisor Who Sold $3.65M Deal To Elderly Clients Has License Revoked: AG Bergen Financial Advisor Who Sold $3.65M Deal To Elderly Clients Has License Revoked: AG
Bergen Financial Advisor Who Sold $3.65M Deal To Elderly Clients Has License Revoked: AG State officials have revoked the licese of a Bergen County financial advisor and broker after it came to light that he sold a pair of elderly clients a total of $3.65 million in a move that New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said was not in the best interest of the clients. Carlos Leston, who also goes by Jose Carlos Leston, of Maywood, made the sale in securities in a New York Lending company without disclosing that the CEO of the corporation was a friend of his who had been barred from the securities industry, Platkin said. Leston also failed to disclose that he had a r…
New Charges Filed Against Former NJ Mayoral Candidate Accused Of Election Fraud: AG New Charges Filed Against Former NJ Mayoral Candidate Accused Of Election Fraud: AG
New Charges Filed Against Former NJ Mayoral Candidate Accused Of Election Fraud: AG A 70-year-old former mayoral candidate town previously accused of election fraud is facing new charges, New Jersey authorities announced Friday, Aug. 23. An indictment returned against Plainfield's former mayoral candidate Dr. Henrilynn Ibezim charges him with tampering with witnesses and informants and trafficking in personal identifying information pertaining to another person, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Ibezim had previously been accused of trying to submit hundreds of bogus voter registration applications to Union County's election officials, and th…
Family Of Woman Killed By Police In Fort Lee Say She Was Clutching Water Bottle — Not Knife Family Of Woman Killed By Police In Fort Lee Say She Was Clutching Water Bottle — Not Knife
Family Of Woman Killed By Police In Fort Lee Say She Was Clutching Water Bottle — Not Knife The family of the Fort Lee woman shot and killed by police last month in the midst of a mental health crisis is speaking out. In a statement issued Friday, Aug. 9, the family of Victoria Lee says Fort Lee officers misunderstood the events that left the 25-year-old Ridgewood native dead at The Pinnacle apartments on Sunday, July 28, could have handled it differently. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin previously said that Lee's brother called 9-1-1 saying she was experiencing a mental health crisis and needed to go to the hospital. Lee's brother also said his sister was holding a kn…
Illegal Botox, Lip Injections: Clifton Spa Owner Fined $10K, Banned From Biz, AG Says Illegal Botox, Lip Injections: Clifton Spa Owner Fined $10K, Banned From Biz, AG Says
Illegal Botox, Lip Injections: Clifton Spa Owner Fined $10K, Banned From Biz, AG Says The owner of a Passaic County skincare spa has agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and accepted a 10-year ban in operating a similar business in New Jersey following allegations he provided invasive aesthetic treatments that she was not licensed to perform, officials said. Prompted by a tip from the public, an investigation found that Rasha Abdul N. Basuf, the former owner of the now-defunct Skyn Spa on Lakeview Avenue Clifton, unlawfully provided cosmetic services without the requisite professional licenses, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs sa…
Man Killed After Wounding Two Officers In NJ Banquet Hall Shootout Came Out Firing, AG Says Man Killed After Wounding Two Officers In NJ Banquet Hall Shootout Came Out Firing, AG Says
Man Killed After Wounding Two Officers In NJ Banquet Hall Shootout Came Out Firing, AG Says UPDATE: A man wanted for questioning in a New York City shooting pulled out a gun in the lobby of a Woodbridge hotel and was killed in a shootout with police, authorities said. A Woodbridge police officer and a New York City homicide detective were wounded in the exchange, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. The township officer was shot in the back and the city detective in the foot, the NYPD said. Both have already been released from the hospital following treatment, the attorney general said on Friday, June 14. Karl Gregory, 46, was pronounced dead at the scene of the ea…
Attorney General, Wildwood Police At Odds Over Memorial Day Weekend Preparedness Attorney General, Wildwood Police At Odds Over Memorial Day Weekend Preparedness
Attorney General, Wildwood Police At Odds Over Memorial Day Weekend Preparedness The New Jersey Attorney General and Wildwood Police Department appear to be at odds over emergency preparedness following a chaotic Memorial Day Weekend. In a statement released on Saturday, June 1, the Wildwood Police Department said NJ Attorney General Matthew Platkin blamed the police department for the series of incidents that unfolded Memorial Day Weekend, in which rowdy teens prompted the closing of area boardwalks, according to various media outlets including NBC10 and the Press of Atlantic City. Platkin alleged that Wildwood had insufficient police staffing on its "world-famous…
Chainsaw-Wielding Man Shot By Police In Keansburg Chainsaw-Wielding Man Shot By Police In Keansburg
Chainsaw-Wielding Man Shot By Police In Keansburg A man wielding a chainsaw was shot and critically wounded by police sent to his Keansburg home on a welfare check, authorities said. Borough officers who went to the Seabreeze Way home shortly after 1 p.m. on Memorial Day "encountered an adult male civilian who possessed numerous weapons and a running chainsaw," New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. "As the male approached officers with the running chainsaw, one officer deployed a [Taser] and another officer fired his service weapon, striking the individual," the attorney general said. on Friday, May 31. Unconfirmed reports wer…
Deputy Marshals Justified Shooting Machete-Wielding Murder Fugitive In Jersey City: Grand Jury Deputy Marshals Justified Shooting Machete-Wielding Murder Fugitive In Jersey City: Grand Jury
Deputy Marshals Justified Shooting Machete-Wielding Murder Fugitive In Jersey City: Grand Jury 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Two deputy U.S. Marshals were justified in shooting a fugitive murderer from Florida who came at them with a hatchet when they tracked him down in Jersey City, a New Jersey grand jury has ruled. Esteban DeJesus, Jr., 56, of Orlando was wanted for shooting and killing his 67-year-old next-door neighbor and wounding her husband the day before the deputy marshals found him. New Jersey law requires a grand jury review of all deaths that occur during or after encounters with law enforcement. State investigators had a clear-cut case involving DeJesus, who police in Orlando said attacked …
NJ Police Chief Admits Coverup of Sex Affair With Subordinate NJ Police Chief Admits Coverup of Sex Affair With Subordinate
NJ Police Chief Admits Coverup of Sex Affair With Subordinate A retired New Jersey police chief admitted trying to cover up a sexual affair with a subordinate, authorities said. Andrew Kudrick, 50, will be banned for life from public employment and will receive probation instead of prison time in exchange, state Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Kudrick, of Farmingdale, lied to Howell Township officials about the affair and “threatened to launch an improper internal affairs investigation” of a captain who called him on it, the attorney general said. A confrontation between the chief’s wife and his alleged mistress during a 2021 retirement party …
Groundwater Contamination Case In Bergen County Settled For $14M: State AG Groundwater Contamination Case In Bergen County Settled For $14M: State AG
Groundwater Contamination Case In Bergen County Settled For $14M: State AG 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Two companies have agreed to pay the state of New Jersey $14 million to resolve groundwater contamination charges in Bergen County, authorities announced. The settlement with Cycle Chem, Inc. -- formerly known as Perk Chemical Co. -- and Handy & Harman resolves a 2019 lawsuit over the discharge of a degreasing solvent and other hazardous substances at an etching and surfacing facility on Craig Road in Montvale. The solvent, trichloroethylene (TCE), has been linked to cancer, in the liver and kidneys, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. It was used at the site from…
Fugitive Hunters Bear No Responsibility For Accused Killer's Suicide In Newark Park: Grand Jury Fugitive Hunters Bear No Responsibility For Accused Killer's Suicide In Newark Park: Grand Jury
Fugitive Hunters Bear No Responsibility For Accused Killer's Suicide In Newark Park: Grand Jury UPDATE: A team of fugitive hunters bear no responsibility for the death of a Newark man who shot himself rather than be captured, a grand jury has found. Don Jones, 50, was wanted for a homicide in Union County when members of the U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and city police chased him into West Side Park last Aug. 29, 2023. Jones pulled a handgun from his waistband, dashed to an open field and was surrounded by police, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said on Wednesday, May 15. He then dropped to his knees, pointed the firearm at his head and p…
NJSP Trooper Dies During Training: Officials NJSP Trooper Dies During Training: Officials
Njsp Trooper Dies During Training: Officials A New Jersey State Police trooper has died suddenly, the department said. Trooper II Marcellus E. Bethea, who worked in Troop D at the Moorestown station, died during training, Colonel Patrick J. Callahan said. Bethea was an eight-year NJSP veteran and was a member of the 156th State Police Class.  According to New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, Bethea had been training to join the TEAMS Unit, an emergency response unit "prepared to handle extra ordinary police emergencies," the NJSP website says. Gov. Phil Murphy said he died at headquarters in Ewing.&nb…
Motorcyclist Killed In Crash With State Trooper Guitarist For Hackensack Band Motorcyclist Killed In Crash With State Trooper Guitarist For Hackensack Band
Motorcyclist Killed In Crash With State Trooper Guitarist For Hackensack Band They called him Frankie Fender. Frank Lando, that is: The 65-year-old Toms River motorcyclist, guitarist, and father killed in an April 9 crash in Southampton with a New Jersey state trooper. On Friday, April 19, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin released Lando's identity, as well as that of the trooper involved: Anthony Fernandes. Fernandes was conducting routine patrol duties along Route 70 around 11:35 a.m. in Southampton that day, when his marked patrol car collided with Lando's motorcycle near Burrs Mill Road, Platkin said. Lando was taken to Virtua Mount Holly …
'Reprehensible': Crimefighters Unite To Pursue Rutgers' Islamic Center Attackers (UPDATE) 'Reprehensible': Crimefighters Unite To Pursue Rutgers' Islamic Center Attackers (UPDATE)
'Reprehensible': Crimefighters Unite To Pursue Rutgers' Islamic Center Attackers (Update) The overnight trashing Wednesday of the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University in New Brunswick -- which coincides with the end of the holy month of Ramadan -- is being treated as a bias crime, authorities said. Someone forced their way in sometimes before 4:30 a.m. April 10, broke glass and destroyed artwork and various other possessions, Rutgers Police Chief Kenneth Cop said. The attack came on Eid al-Fitr, the Islamic holiday commemorating the end of sunrise-to-dusk fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. "Today we witnessed art pieces with Quranic verses, shattered window…
100 Animals Rescued, Ex-Con Druglord Charged With Leading Notorious NJ Dogfighting Ring 100 Animals Rescued, Ex-Con Druglord Charged With Leading Notorious NJ Dogfighting Ring
100 Animals Rescued, Ex-Con Druglord Charged With Leading Notorious NJ Dogfighting Ring More than 100 abused canines were rescued and several people seized in a raid on what authorities said was a large-scale nationally-known dogfighting enterprise run by a convicted South Jersey druglord. Two dogs reportedly were found dead in a pit in a rural Maurice River Township homestead that investigators said was the site of a massive operation run by widely-recognized dogfighting breeder, ex-con Bruce "Hollywood" Low Jr., 45. Others arrested include his mother and alleged business partner, Terri Low, 67, and son, dog handler Bryce Low, 20. “Profiting from dogfighting is callous, brut…
Authorities ID Gunman Killed In Shootout That Wounded NJ Officer During Domestic Call Authorities ID Gunman Killed In Shootout That Wounded NJ Officer During Domestic Call
Authorities ID Gunman Killed In Shootout That Wounded NJ Officer During Domestic Call 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A man who wounded a Hamilton Township police officer and was killed in a shootout earlier this month was formally identified by state authorities on Wednesday. Vincent Correa, 44, of Hamilton fired a rifle at Officers Derek Fiabane and Paul Piromalli as they responded to a 911 domestic call on Orchard Avenue shortly after 10 p.m. March 8, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. "The officers returned fire, fatally wounding Correa," the attorney general said on March 20. The father of two -- who Platkin said was also carrying a handgun -- was pronounced dead at the sc…
Grand Jury Backs Elizabeth Officer Who Stopped Knife-Wielding Man Attempting To Stab Woman Grand Jury Backs Elizabeth Officer Who Stopped Knife-Wielding Man Attempting To Stab Woman
Grand Jury Backs Elizabeth Officer Who Stopped Knife-Wielding Man Attempting To Stab Woman 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: An Elizabeth police officer was fully justified in neutralizing an enraged man who went after a woman with a long-bladed knife last summer, a state grand jury has found. New Jersey law requires grand jury reviews of all fatal police shootings even when police bodycam video is clear -- as in this case -- and there's no mistaking the series of events (ditto). This one was literally over in seconds. Officer Steven Lazo and his partner had just responded to a 911 call of an unwanted person involved in a dispute on Amity Street shortly after 8 a.m. July 29, when the incident occurred. …
Sharp-Shooting Officer Justified In Stopping Rifle-Wielding NJ Madman, Grand Jury Rules Sharp-Shooting Officer Justified In Stopping Rifle-Wielding NJ Madman, Grand Jury Rules
Sharp-Shooting Officer Justified In Stopping Rifle-Wielding NJ Madman, Grand Jury Rules UPDATE: A steely-nerved local New Jersey police officer acted appropriately when he fired the single shot that took down an irate man with a rifle who was threatening to kill a female homeowner, a state grand jury has found. Daniel Nevius, 55, of Sicklerville had raised his rifle and pointed it at police when Deptford Police Officer Luke Ivey stopped him, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. State law and Platkin's own guidelines require his Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) to investigate the circumstances behind police-involved deaths. The guidelines guara…
Grand Jury Backs Officer In Crash With Jersey Shore Armed Burglar That Killed Passenger Grand Jury Backs Officer In Crash With Jersey Shore Armed Burglar That Killed Passenger
Grand Jury Backs Officer In Crash With Jersey Shore Armed Burglar That Killed Passenger UPDATE: A Long Branch police officer bears no responsibility for a crash during a pursuit that killed the suspect’s passenger, a state grand jury has found. Officer Lucas Brito did nothing wrong in pursuing ex-con Altonia Williams -- who was believed to be armed – while responding to a call of a home invasion shortly before 4 a.m. last Aug. 14, the panel found. A subsequent collision killed Tracee Blount, 38, of Long Branch, who was with Williams. State law mandated the grand jury review because a death occurred in an encounter with law enforcement. The reviews are conducted no matter what…
Fleeing Duo In 'Demolition Derby' Crashes With NJ Troopers Near GWB Were Juveniles: State AG Fleeing Duo In 'Demolition Derby' Crashes With NJ Troopers Near GWB Were Juveniles: State AG
Fleeing Duo In 'Demolition Derby' Crashes With NJ Troopers Near GWB Were Juveniles: State AG 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A driver and passenger involved in a New Jersey State Police pursuit that ended in what one motorist called a "demolition derby" on the NJ Turnpike approach to the George Washington Bridge last week were both juveniles, authorities announced on Monday, Feb. 12. Video shot by motorists showed the driver desperately trying to escape undercover detectives by ramming several police and commuter vehicles with a Range Rover during the morning rush last Wednesday, Feb. 7.The pair were eventually taken into custody, said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin. The attorney general didn…
UPDATE: NJ Attorney General IDs Cyclist, 56, Veteran Trooper Who Struck And Killed Him UPDATE: NJ Attorney General IDs Cyclist, 56, Veteran Trooper Who Struck And Killed Him
Update: NJ Attorney General IDs Cyclist, 56, Veteran Trooper Who Struck And Killed Him A bicyclist who was struck and killed last week by a New Jersey State Police car driven by a department veteran with a deep history of social work was identified by authorities as 59-year-old Raul L. Diaz of Long Valley. Diaz was struck on Willow Grove Street (Route 604) outside the Hackettstown Senior Housing Development off Brook Hollow Drive in Warren County an hour before sunrise on Monday, Feb. 5. NJSP Sgt. First Class Kesene Grier was driving the unmarked black Ford Explorer that hit him shortly after 6 a.m., New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Diaz was rushed up t…
UPDATE: AG's Office Reviews Death Of Cyclist Hit By Unmarked State Police SUV In Northwest NJ UPDATE: AG's Office Reviews Death Of Cyclist Hit By Unmarked State Police SUV In Northwest NJ
Update: AG's Office Reviews Death Of Cyclist Hit By Unmarked State Police SUV In Northwest NJ New Jersey authorities are conducting a mandatory review of a fatal crash involving a State Police trooper and a bicyclist in Warren County earlier this week. The bicycle was seen on its side on the road's shoulder behind the unmarked black Ford Explorer that hit it on Willow Grove Street (Route 604) outside the Hackettstown Senior Housing Development off Brook Hollow Drive an hour before sunrise on Monday, Feb. 5. The adult cyclist was rushed up the street to Hackettstown Medical Center shortly after 6 a.m., New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. He was pronounced dead at 7:17 …
Barricaded Man In NJ Motel Wounds 2 NJ State Troopers With Airsoft Gun Barricaded Man In NJ Motel Wounds 2 NJ State Troopers With Airsoft Gun
Barricaded Man In NJ Motel Wounds 2 NJ State Troopers With Airsoft Gun An armed man who wounded two New Jersey State Police troopers with an airsoft gun during a lengthy standoff at a Sussex County motel was eventually taken alive, authorities said. Troopers were conducting a welfare check at the Cobmin Ridge Motel on Route 206 in Branchville, 10 or so miles from the Pennsylvania border, around 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30, they said. Nicolas R. Martinez, 27, refused to leave a room he was staying in, according to a joint release from New Jersey State Police, the state Department of Law & Public Safety and the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office. Negotiations la…
Philly Ex-Con Forced Captive Girls Into Prostitution At NJ Hotels: Indictment Philly Ex-Con Forced Captive Girls Into Prostitution At NJ Hotels: Indictment
Philly Ex-Con Forced Captive Girls Into Prostitution At NJ Hotels: Indictment An ex-con who was captured after a 15-year-old victim escaped from a South Jersey hotel room was indicted on a host of charges that include human trafficking, promoting prostitution and sexually assaulting minors, authorities announced on Thursday. Nieem Johnson, 40, whose last known address was in Philadelphia, was arrested in Atlantic City last Aug. 31 following a months-long state investigation, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. A second victim was rescued during the arrest, Platkin said in a Jan. 18 release. “The allegations in the indictment – holding two victims in a…
Video Shows Bloodied, Naked, Knife-Wielding Man Shot By Police At Fort Lee Condo Video Shows Bloodied, Naked, Knife-Wielding Man Shot By Police At Fort Lee Condo
Video Shows Bloodied, Naked, Knife-Wielding Man Shot By Police At Fort Lee Condo In what looks like a slasher film, a naked and bloodied man wielding a knife on the debris-strewn terrace of a condominium in Fort Lee is shot and killed by police. Two tactical officers are standing on chairs and a third on a table on a neighboring balcony when Mohamed Bounaouar, 42, of Las Vegas emerges from inside a townhouse at the Cedar Court complex shortly before 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 4, 2023, police bodycam images released by state authorities on Jan. 12 show. Bounaouar's raised left hand grips a large knife. His mouth and other parts of his body are bloodied. He shouts several words in…
Gunman Killed In Confrontation With Manchester Township Police Gunman Killed In Confrontation With Manchester Township Police
Gunman Killed In Confrontation With Manchester Township Police An armed man was shot and killed by police Tuesday night in Manchester Township, authorities confirmed. The officers had responded to a 911 call on Elizabeth Avenue in the Ocean County township shortly before 8:30 p.m. Nov. 6, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Two of them fired their service weapons, fatally wounding, the gunman after finding him nearly 45 minutes later, the attorney general said Wednesday. "A firearm was recovered near the subject," Platkin added. The man's name was being withheld, at least for the time being. State law and his own guidelines require Pla…
Pedestrian Struck, Killed By Police Vehicle In South Jersey ID'd Pedestrian Struck, Killed By Police Vehicle In South Jersey ID'd
Pedestrian Struck, Killed By Police Vehicle In South Jersey ID'd Authorities identified a man who was struck and killed by a police car in South Jersey before dawn on Thanksgiving as a 44-year-old resident of Berlin. Christofe “Christopher” Wita was hit on the White Horse Pike (Route 30) near Whispering Pine Drive in the Atco section of Camden County's Waterford Township at 2:19 a.m. Nov. 23, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.  Wita was pronounced dead at the scene, Platkin said. Driving was Sgt. Richard Sbarra of the Waterford Township Police Department, who was on duty, he said.  State law and his own guidelines req…
Man Struck, Killed By Police Car On South Jersey Highway: NJ AG Man Struck, Killed By Police Car On South Jersey Highway: NJ AG
Man Struck, Killed By Police Car On South Jersey Highway: NJ AG A man was struck and killed by a police car in South Jersey before dawn on Thanksgiving, authorities said. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin's office initially withheld the names of the victim and of the officer driving the vehicle following the crash on the White Horse Pike (Route 30) near Whispering Pine Drive in the Atco section of Camden County's Waterford Township at 2:19 a.m. Nov. 23. State law and his own guidelines require the attorney general to review any and all deaths that occur “during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capac…
Paterson Detective Justified In Shooting Armed Carjacker, Grand Jury Rules Paterson Detective Justified In Shooting Armed Carjacker, Grand Jury Rules
Paterson Detective Justified In Shooting Armed Carjacker, Grand Jury Rules UPDATE: A plainclothes Paterson police detective was justified in shooting a man who’d just crashed his car into two others, then tried to carjack multiple drivers, a state grand jury has found. Hui Zhang, 33, of Pensacola, FL, was seen in area surveillance video crashing his car into two others that were stopped at the corner of Straight and Van Houten streets late on the afternoon of Oct. 10, 2022. Zhang fled the scene, leaving his car behind, then threatened a group of people who were sitting in a car parked around the corner with what looked like a gun. Zhang fired the weapon, then tri…
Family Ran Multimillion-Dollar Cathouse At Sayreville Strip Club, New Indictment Alleges Family Ran Multimillion-Dollar Cathouse At Sayreville Strip Club, New Indictment Alleges
Family Ran Multimillion-Dollar Cathouse At Sayreville Strip Club, New Indictment Alleges UPDATE: A fierce battle between a Middlesex County family and authorities who've charged them with operating a wildly lucrative whorehouse masquerading as a strip club intensified with a new round of charges. The owners of Club XXXV on Route 35 in Sayreville used “various illegal means to turn their club into a multimillion-dollar racket (that) doubled as a house of prostitution,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said a superseding indictment returned by a grand jury in Trenton alleges. More than $10 million in proceeds from the business “moved through numerous bank accounts c…
Corrections Officer Accused Of Smuggling Cold Cuts, Espresso Into NJ Prison For Inmate Indicted Corrections Officer Accused Of Smuggling Cold Cuts, Espresso Into NJ Prison For Inmate Indicted
Corrections Officer Accused Of Smuggling Cold Cuts, Espresso Into NJ Prison For Inmate Indicted UPDATE: A corrections officer who was charged with collecting up to $500 a month in bribes to smuggle cold cuts, espresso, jewelry and cologne into a New Jersey prison for a convict known as “Tommy Two Times” is now under indictment. Werner Gramajo, a 46-year-old senior correctional officer at Northern State Prison in Newark, admitted only to delivering the pressed meats -- and not any of the other items -- after he was caught, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. Gramajo, of Newark, also claimed that he wasn’t paid for it, Platkin said in announcing the indictment on Wednes…