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Project Guardian

Gun-Running Jersey Shore Coke Dealer Nabbed In FBI Sting Gets 5 Years, No Parole Gun-Running Jersey Shore Coke Dealer Nabbed In FBI Sting Gets 5 Years, No Parole
Gun-Running Jersey Shore Coke Dealer Nabbed In FBI Sting Gets 5 Years, No Parole A confessed cocaine dealer from Freehold who sold smuggled guns to buyers working for the FBI was sentenced to a plea-bargained five years in federal prison. Enrique Quijada, 25, who was in the country illegally, must serve out the entire term because there's no parole in the federal prison system. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said Quijada – also known as “El Enano 13” and “Kike” -- worked for a crew that sold handguns and a semi-automatic rifle, among other weapons, to what turned out to be FBI operatives in and around Monmouth and Ocean counties. Rather than face trial, he took…
Feds: Defendant In Florida-to-Jersey Shore Gun Running Ring Takes Plea Feds: Defendant In Florida-to-Jersey Shore Gun Running Ring Takes Plea
Feds: Defendant In Florida-to-Jersey Shore Gun Running Ring Takes Plea A fourth defendant admitted Friday that he was part of a ring that sold guns trafficked from Florida to the Jersey Shore to buyers working for the FBI. Enrique Quijada, 24, of Freehold told a federal judge in Trenton via videoconference on Friday that he worked with ringleader Manuel “Chino” Espinosa-Ozoria of Bartow, FL his brother, Waldin “Manin” Espinosa-Ozoria of Freehold and two others. The crew sold handguns and a semi-automatic rifle, among other weapons, to what turned out to be FBI operatives in and around Monmouth and Ocean counties, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. De…
Feds: NJ Ex-Con Caught With 33 Guns, High-Capacity Mags, Silencer, Ammo Takes Plea Feds: NJ Ex-Con Caught With 33 Guns, High-Capacity Mags, Silencer, Ammo Takes Plea
Feds: NJ Ex-Con Caught With 33 Guns, High-Capacity Mags, Silencer, Ammo Takes Plea UPDATE: A South Jersey ex-con found with dozens of guns, high-capacity magazines and ammo admitted having others buy guns for him, federal authorities said. Darick Nollett, 32, who lives in Cumberland County near the Delaware Bay, caught the attention of law enforcement when he bought a “fuel filter” – a device commonly used to silence firearms -- from China, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. As a convicted felon, Nollett was prohibited from having weaponry, Honig said. So he got straw purchasers to buy guns for him, she said. A court-approved search of his Heislerville home in …
GUNS R US: Feds Charge NJ Men With Selling Homemade Pistols, Rifles, More GUNS R US: Feds Charge NJ Men With Selling Homemade Pistols, Rifles, More
Guns R US: Feds Charge NJ Men With Selling Homemade Pistols, Rifles, More A South Jersey man and his ex-con pal ran a black-market business selling guns and machine guns that he made at home, said federal authorities who took both into custody. David Bibler, 55, of Haddon Heights produced fully automatic pistols and rifles, as well as silencers while ex-con Francis Hillsee, 36, of Mount Laurel priced and sold them, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Hillsee also sold boxes of ammunition, she said. Bibler had eight firearms, including rifles and pistols, as well as firearm manufacturing equipment, explosive powder, and a large amount of ammunition when h…
NJ Feds: Ex-Con With 14-Year Prison History Admits Having Eight Guns, 400 Ammo Rounds NJ Feds: Ex-Con With 14-Year Prison History Admits Having Eight Guns, 400 Ammo Rounds
NJ Feds: Ex-Con With 14-Year Prison History Admits Having Eight Guns, 400 Ammo Rounds A Camden County man who’s already spent nearly 14 years behind bars will be headed to a federal penitentiary for another lengthy stretch after he admitted having eight guns and 400 rounds of ammunition in his car. Kareem McCargo, 38, was only 19 when jurors convicted him in 2001 of carjacking a female driver with a gun. He didn’t taste freedom again till he was in his 30s. That changed the night of Oct. 31, 2018, when Camden County police officers nabbed McCargo with the guns -- including three rifles, a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun and a 12-gauge shotgun – as well as the amm…
13 STRIKES: Feds Seize Repeat South Jersey Felon After Gun, Ammo Arrest 13 STRIKES: Feds Seize Repeat South Jersey Felon After Gun, Ammo Arrest
13 Strikes: Feds Seize Repeat South Jersey Felon After Gun, Ammo Arrest A 13-time convicted felon from South Jersey was in federal custody after he dropped a loaded handgun while trying to flee local police on a bicycle, authorities said. Officers responding to a 911 shooting call on March 7 spotted Sharif Hallman, 38, of Carneys Point, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. As they grabbed Hallman, a pistol fell to the ground, she said. The gun had a round in the chamber and an extended magazine with 22 more, Honig said. Hallman has an adult criminal history spanning nearly his entire adult life, federal authorities said. These include convictions for …
Masked Ex-Con Who Held Gun To Boy's Head In Camden Barbershop Robbery Gets 12 Years In Fed Pen Masked Ex-Con Who Held Gun To Boy's Head In Camden Barbershop Robbery Gets 12 Years In Fed Pen
Masked Ex-Con Who Held Gun To Boy's Head In Camden Barbershop Robbery Gets 12 Years In Fed Pen UPDATE: An ex-con who held a gun to a young boy's head while robbing a Camden barbershop was sentenced to nearly 12 years in federal prison. Benjamin Daye, 34, had been out of state prison barely a month when he put a gun to the child’s head and forced employees and customers to empty cash and belongings into a bag in November 2019. Rather than go to trial, he accepted a deal from the government. Daye was wearing a mask when he entered the Federal Street shop, put the boy in a headlock and threatened to harm him “unless everyone got on the floor,” a complaint on file in U.S. District Court…
Feds: Armed Fugitive In 7-Hour Hudson Hotel Standoff Was ‘Prepared For War,’ ‘Ready To Die’ Feds: Armed Fugitive In 7-Hour Hudson Hotel Standoff Was ‘Prepared For War,’ ‘Ready To Die’
Feds: Armed Fugitive In 7-Hour Hudson Hotel Standoff Was ‘Prepared For War,’ ‘Ready To Die’ UPDATE: A heavily-armed fugitive who held tactical officers at bay for nearly seven hours at a Secaucus hotel told police that he was “prepared for war” and “ready to die,” the U.S. attorney for New Jersey said Monday. ATF agents charged Rahim Harris, 42, of Maplewood, with being a convicted felon in possession of weapons and ammo, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced. His wife, Haneefha White, 39, of Pottsville, PA, who was with him, is charged with aiding and abetting the possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon. Authorities said they found eight loaded wea…
Hudson Ex-Con Caught With Modern-Day Saturday Night Special Gets 3 Years In Fed Pen Hudson Ex-Con Caught With Modern-Day Saturday Night Special Gets 3 Years In Fed Pen
Hudson Ex-Con Caught With Modern-Day Saturday Night Special Gets 3 Years In Fed Pen It's a cheaply-made revolver similar to the one that John Hinckley used in 1981 to try and kill President Reagan, and it's sending a Jersey City ex-con to federal prison for a mandatory three years. Benorce Duncan, 32, of Jersey City, spent more than four years behind state bars for robbery and aggravated assault before being released in September 2013, records show. As a convicted felon, he was prohibited by state and federal law from having a firearm or ammunition. Duncan was caught with a .22-caliber Röhm RG10 -- the modern-day equivalent of the "Saturday Night Special" -- loaded with s…
Fugitive NJ Ex-Con Captured After Weapons Seizure Faces Federal Charges Fugitive NJ Ex-Con Captured After Weapons Seizure Faces Federal Charges
Fugitive NJ Ex-Con Captured After Weapons Seizure Faces Federal Charges Cedric Lewis had been out of state prison all of two months when detectives who’d been watching him moved in and found several weapons – including a rifle loaded with 30 rounds of ammo – along with crack and heroin that they said belonged to him. With the heat on, the Bloomfield ex-con headed south but was captured by U.S. marshals in Atlanta three months later. Lewis, 29, will be headed to federal prison for a much longer stretch than before depending on the outcome of a grand jury indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Newark that charges him with being a convicted felon in possess…
STRIKE 3: Two-Time Gun Convict From Middlesex Admits Having Firearm In Secaucus Hotel Lot STRIKE 3: Two-Time Gun Convict From Middlesex Admits Having Firearm In Secaucus Hotel Lot
Strike 3: Two-Time Gun Convict From Middlesex Admits Having Firearm In Secaucus Hotel Lot A Middlesex County ex-con caught with a stolen handgun and dozens of rounds of ammo in the parking lot of a Secaucus hotel took a guilty plea Monday rather than go to trial, federal authorities announced Monday. With two former gun convictions, Sharome Neals, 27, of Carteret is looking at an extended prison term when he’s sentenced on May 25 in U.S. District Court in Newark. He’ll have to serve nearly all of it because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Police who stopped Neals's Ford Taurus for tinted windows in the Red Roof Inn parking lot on Meadowlands Parkway this past De…
Outgoing U.S. Attorney For NJ Praises Work Of Newark Public Safety Director Outgoing U.S. Attorney For NJ Praises Work Of Newark Public Safety Director
Outgoing U.S. Attorney For NJ Praises Work Of Newark Public Safety Director On his final day as the top federal law enforcer in New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito took time to praise Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose, calling him a "national treasure." Carpenito cited Ambrose's "exceptional contributions to cooperative law enforcement" in New Jersey. “Through his leadership, we have benefited from an unprecedented level of cooperation and proactive participation in our efforts to suppress crime in the great city of Newark," the U.S. attorney said from his office in Newark. Over the past five years, he said, Ambrose has "transformed the Newark…
Feds: Wanted Asbury Park Ex-Con Bloods Member Nabbed With Loaded Gun Feds: Wanted Asbury Park Ex-Con Bloods Member Nabbed With Loaded Gun
Feds: Wanted Asbury Park Ex-Con Bloods Member Nabbed With Loaded Gun A gang member from Asbury Park who was paroled earlier this year after spending more than four years in state prison was carrying a loaded gun when police grabbed him on an outstanding warrant, authorities said. Detectives from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office were watching along with local police when Lashawn Alford, 27, emerged from his Neptune City apartment and got into the back seat of a car that drove out of the complex, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Units moved in quickly and took Alford, a member of the Queen Street II Bloods, into custody, Carpenito said. On the floor…
Jersey Shore Ex-Con Chased Down By Police Admits Tossing Machine Gun Jersey Shore Ex-Con Chased Down By Police Admits Tossing Machine Gun
Jersey Shore Ex-Con Chased Down By Police Admits Tossing Machine Gun A Monmouth County ex-con admitted in federal court that he tossed a loaded machine gun while being chased by police. Davon Harley, 30, of Neptune City, was arguing with a group in the yard of a local apartment complex this past February when city police arrived, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Harley ran when he saw them, he said. Asbury Park and Neptune Township police joined a foot chase that ended when officers captured Harley and found a gun and magazine that he’d discarded, Carpenito said. The weapon “had been altered to fire exclusively in fully automatic mode,” the U.S. attorne…
Ex-Con Admits Illegally Packing Revolver At Jersey Shore Hotel Ex-Con Admits Illegally Packing Revolver At Jersey Shore Hotel
Ex-Con Admits Illegally Packing Revolver At Jersey Shore Hotel A Monmouth County ex-con admitted in federal court Monday that he was illegally carrying a gun when local police stopped him outside an Eatontown hotel. Rashon Alexander, 42, of Long Branch took a plea deal from prosecutors in exchange for leniency at sentencing. Acting on a tip, Eatontown police stopped Alexander this past January as he and another man approached a hotel where he was staying, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. They searched Alexander after he admitted having pot and found a .22-caliber RG Industries revolver in his pants pocket, Carpenito said. As a convicted felon, Ale…
Masked NJ Barbershop Robber Who Held Gun To Boy's Head Takes Plea Masked NJ Barbershop Robber Who Held Gun To Boy's Head Takes Plea
Masked NJ Barbershop Robber Who Held Gun To Boy's Head Takes Plea A convicted armed robber had been out of state prison barely a month when he grabbed a boy at a Camden barbershop last year, put a gun to his head and forced employees and customers to empty cash and belongings into a bag. Benjamin Daye, 34, pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges in exchange for what he hopes will be leniency at sentencing, admitting that he grabbed the child in a headlock, forced everyone to the floor and fled with $754 and a customer’s wallet. Daye was wearing a mask when he entered the Federal Street shop in the middle of the afternoon on Nov. 23, 2019, put the gun …
FBI Smashes Jersey Shore Gun-Running Ring: Fugitive Brothers Still At Large FBI Smashes Jersey Shore Gun-Running Ring: Fugitive Brothers Still At Large
FBI Smashes Jersey Shore Gun-Running Ring: Fugitive Brothers Still At Large A Monmouth County man and his brother were being sought by federal authorities who charged them and three other people with running guns from Florida to the Jersey Shore. Fugitives Waldin “Manin” Espinosa-Ozoria, 31, of Freehold and Manuel “Chino” Espinosa-Ozoria, 30, of Bartow, FL are charged with conspiring to illegally sell firearms, including handguns and a semi-automatic rifle, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Arrested on similar charges were Enrique “El Enano 13” Quijada, 23, also of Freehold, Javier “Broly” Rodriguez-Valpais, 31, of Morganville, and Jacquelyn Dejesus, 41, also of …
Fed Pen Awaits Newark Ex-Con With Weapons History Who Had Different Guns In Separate Incidents Fed Pen Awaits Newark Ex-Con With Weapons History Who Had Different Guns In Separate Incidents
Fed Pen Awaits Newark Ex-Con With Weapons History Who Had Different Guns In Separate Incidents An ex-con from Newark who was carrying three different guns on three separate days – one of which he was seen firing at another man -- is headed to federal prison for an extended stretch. Samaad “Spud” Kelly, 33, already was a convicted felon when Essex County sheriff’s officers stopped his 2002 BMW wagon for having tinted windows on April 24, 2019 and found a Taurus semi-automatic 9 millimeter handgun in the glove box, authorities said. Kelly remained jailed all of eight days before a judge ordered him released on May 2 under New Jersey’s 2017 bail reform law, records show. Three days lat…
Feds: Newark Ex-Con Drug Dealer Found With Loaded Gun, Heroin, Crack Feds: Newark Ex-Con Drug Dealer Found With Loaded Gun, Heroin, Crack
Feds: Newark Ex-Con Drug Dealer Found With Loaded Gun, Heroin, Crack A federal judge ordered a Newark ex-con accused of running a neighborhood drug ring held pending trial after authorities said they caught him 194 crack vials, 64 heroin folds and a loaded handgun. Investigators seized Ibraaheem “Ish” Islam, 32, following warranted searches of his home and two vehicles, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Federal agents said they watched as Islam sold drugs “on a regular basis” on Chadwick Avenue before moving in on him on Saturday. Seized with the drugs was a FN Herstal model “FN Five-SeveN” pistol loaded with 17 rounds, a complaint on file in U.S. Distric…