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ICE Puts Hold On Contractor Charged With Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teens In Hackensack, Westwood ICE Puts Hold On Contractor Charged With Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teens In Hackensack, Westwood
ICE Puts Hold On Contractor Charged With Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teens In Hackensack, Westwood A married contractor was charged with sexually assaulting two pre-teens in Hackensack and Westwood nearly five years ago. Francisco Barrera-Capistran, 36, who now lives in Homasassa, FL, was arrested in Westwood on Monday, Feb. 14, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. He remained held in the Bergen County Jail after ICE placed a detainer on him Tuesday amid questions about his immigration status. Jail records list him as a Mexican national. If a local judge orders his release for some reason -- say, bail reform -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has requested 48-hour …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
ICE Puts Hold On Guatemalan National Accused Of Fondling New Milford Girl, 14 ICE Puts Hold On Guatemalan National Accused Of Fondling New Milford Girl, 14
ICE Puts Hold On Guatemalan National Accused Of Fondling New Milford Girl, 14 ICE has issued a detainer on a Guatemalan national whom authorities charged with fondling and assaulting a 14-year-old New Milford girl. Maximo Itzep, 21, touched the victim's breasts and pushed her into a wall while restraining her arms, Detective Lt. Kevin Van Saders said. The girl's father called borough police shortly before noon Sunday, Van Saders said. Itzep later surrendered and was sent to the Bergen County Jail, where he remained Tuesday, charged with criminal sexual contact, criminal restraint and simple assault. ICE places detainers on immigrants believed to be illegally livi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Wayne Couple Goes To Fed Pen For Buying $4.5M Worth Of Food Stamps At Their Paterson Grocery Wayne Couple Goes To Fed Pen For Buying $4.5M Worth Of Food Stamps At Their Paterson Grocery
Wayne Couple Goes To Fed Pen For Buying $4.5M Worth Of Food Stamps At Their Paterson Grocery A Wayne couple was sentenced to federal prison Tuesday for buying $4.5 million worth of food stamps from customers at a grocery store they managed in Paterson. Ibrahim Zughbi, 67, got 3½ years in a federal penitentiary while his wife, Miriam Zughbi, 63, also of Wayne, was sentenced to two years, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Ibrahim Zughbi previously participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) when he was the owner of Neighborhood Supermarket, a medium-sized grocery store, Honig said. Administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, SNAP benefits –…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Sheriff's Officers, Anti-ICE Protestors Clash Outside Bergen Jail Sheriff's Officers, Anti-ICE Protestors Clash Outside Bergen Jail
Sheriff's Officers, Anti-ice Protestors Clash Outside Bergen Jail Escalating tensions erupted Saturday night when a few protestors pepper-sprayed and threw bricks at sheriff's officers outside the Bergen County Jail, witnesses said. EMS units were summoned to treat at two injured sheriff's officers, a ranking officer with direct knowledge of the incident said. Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton confirmed the report on Sunday. The sheriff said that he agrees with the anti-ICE protestors but emphasized that "inciting chaos for the sake of chaos will not be tolerated." SEE: Bergen Sheriff: Eight Of 9 ICE Protestors Arrested Are From NY, Officers Pepper-…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Protestor Taken Into Custody In Brief Clash Outside Bergen County Jail Protestor Taken Into Custody In Brief Clash Outside Bergen County Jail
Protestor Taken Into Custody In Brief Clash Outside Bergen County Jail Bergen County sheriff's officers took a protestor from Teaneck into custody during a brief flareup outside the county jail on Friday. A video posted on Instagram begins with Niko Sanabria-John, 25, straddling a barricade shortly after 3 p.m. An officer and then another grab his arm and try to pull Sanabria-John onto their side as a group grabs their fellow protestor and pull him back. A struggle ensues, the Instagram video shows. "He was told to come down off the barricade," Sheriff Anthony Cureton said. "He refused after numerous instructions." ****** ALSO SEE: Surveillance video show…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Vandals Paint Graffiti At Home Of Bergen Sheriff Amid ICE Protests Vandals Paint Graffiti At Home Of Bergen Sheriff Amid ICE Protests
Vandals Paint Graffiti At Home Of Bergen Sheriff Amid ICE Protests Support for a group of ICE detainees participating in a hunger strike at the Bergen County Jail got personal when someone spray-painted graffiti at Sheriff Anthony Cureton’s home. “FREE THEM ALL.” was written in block letters below which spatters of red paint ran down a garage door, on an outdoor trash can and along part of the driveway of the sheriff's home in Englewood. The vandals struck sometime after 9 p.m. Tuesday, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said, while seeking the public's help finding those responsible. The attack follows protests the past week at the county jail run by …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
@ICEgov Twitter Account Vanishes @ICEgov Twitter Account Vanishes
@ICEgov Twitter Account Vanishes UPDATED: Without explanation, the Twitter account of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) went dark on Thursday. @ICEgov had recently posted a news item about a major sex trafficking bust, prompting some Twitter followers to assume a connection.  About 4 p.m., ICE officials announced that a "technical glitch" had temporarily disabled its social media account. “No hackers, no rogue employees. We had a technical glitch and we appreciate the Twitter team’s help in bringing us back online. Stay tuned here for more great news about the work that the men and women of ICE do every …

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Paterson Man Caught By State Police With $123,255 In Drug Money Gets 3 Years In Fed Pen Paterson Man Caught By State Police With $123,255 In Drug Money Gets 3 Years In Fed Pen
Paterson Man Caught By State Police With $123,255 In Drug Money Gets 3 Years In Fed Pen A Paterson man caught by State Police troopers delivering $123,255 in drug cash will spend the next three years in federal prison before he can be released for his role in a major North Jersey ring. U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton sentenced Jhensel Jimenez-Taveras, 27, on Thursday to a plea-bargained 37 months, followed by three years of supervised release. He must serve the entire term because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Jiminez-Taveras also must forfeit the cash found in his vehicle when NJSP troopers stopped him in April 2019 following a drug deal in Berkeley H…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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ICE Detainee In Bergen County Jail Tests Positive For Coronavirus ICE Detainee In Bergen County Jail Tests Positive For Coronavirus
ICE Detainee In Bergen County Jail Tests Positive For Coronavirus A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainee being held in the Bergen County Jail tested positive for coronavirus, authorities said. The 31-year-old Mexican national was quarantined and receiving care, ICE officials said in a release Tuesday. "Consistent with CDC guidelines, those who have come in contact with the individual have been cohorted and are being monitored for symptoms," the release said.  "ICE is suspending intake at the facility until further information is available." The New Jersey Supreme Court on Sunday ordered the release of low-risk inmates serving sen…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Driver Admits Impersonating FBI Agent During Paramus Traffic Stop Driver Admits Impersonating FBI Agent During Paramus Traffic Stop
Driver Admits Impersonating FBI Agent During Paramus Traffic Stop A driver from Queens admitted in federal court Thursday that he showed Paramus police who pulled him over this summer a fake badge, creds and security access card while claiming to be an FBI agent. Tornike Lubyk, 28, could face a federal prison sentence and a fine for impersonating a federal agent, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Lubyk pleaded guilty to the charge before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler in Newark, admitting that he “falsely advised Paramus officers that he was with the FBI’s C-22 organized crime squad based in the Manhattan field office” during a July traffic stop…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
ICE: Accused WNY Gunman In Cliffside Park Shooting May Be In US Illegally ICE: Accused WNY Gunman In Cliffside Park Shooting May Be In US Illegally
ICE: Accused WNY Gunman In Cliffside Park Shooting May Be In US Illegally Federal authorities slapped a detainer on a West New York resident accused of shooting a man in the back in Cliffside Park two weeks ago. Josue Orellana, 18, was brought Thursday to the Bergen County Jail following extradition proceedings in Pennsylvania, where he was captured on Sept. 11 by a strike force led by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. The Salvadoran national is charged with attempted murder and a pair of weapons counts. The day after his arrest, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)  placed a detainer on Orellana, which asks that he remain in cust…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Handyman From Morristown Charged With Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teen In Demarest Handyman From Morristown Charged With Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teen In Demarest
Handyman From Morristown Charged With Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teen In Demarest Federal immigration authorities placed a detainer on a self-employed handyman living in Morristown who investigators said sexually assaulted a pre-teen while working at a Demarest home. Alejandro Velasquez Martinez, a 44-year-old Colombian national, was arrested in Demarest after police received a report of a sexual assault, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Thursday. Following a detention hearing on Wednesday, a judge ordered that he remain held in the Bergen County Jail on charges of aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault and child endangerment. He will remain there until his…

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by Jerry DeMarco