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Burlington County Prosecutor's Office

Tennis Coach Wrote Poems, Showed Nude Photos To Teen During Lesson In South Jersey: Cops Tennis Coach Wrote Poems, Showed Nude Photos To Teen During Lesson In South Jersey: Cops
Tennis Coach Wrote Poems, Showed Nude Photos To Teen During Lesson In South Jersey: Cops A 60-year-old tennis coach has been arrested after authorities said he showed naked photo of himself to a teen girl during lessons and placed poems and cards in her bag for nearly two years, police in South Jersey said. Ovidiu V. Dragos, 60, of Moorestown, showed the 15-year-old girl a nude photo of himself on his cell phone twice during group tennis lessons at the Cherry Hill Health and Racquet Club, Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay and Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said. Dragos also placed numerous letters, cards, poems, and gifts in the victim’s tennis ba…
PREDATOR STING: PA Man Expected Sex With Girl, 12, At NJ Hotel, Homeland Security Says PREDATOR STING: PA Man Expected Sex With Girl, 12, At NJ Hotel, Homeland Security Says
Predator Sting: PA Man Expected Sex With Girl, 12, At NJ Hotel, Homeland Security Says A Pennsylvania man who arranged what he thought was sex with a pre-teen in a New Jersey hotel was instead seized by federal agents when he showed up, authorities said Wednesday. Louis Goldenberg, 41 of Philadelphia, "began interacting on a messaging application with an undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent, who was posing as a middle-aged woman with a 12-year-old niece" last month, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said on Sept. 20. Goldenberg messaged the purported aunt, "continuously expressing interest in having sexual contact," the U.S. att…
School IT Coordinator Tried Arranging Sex With Student, 15: Burlington Prosecutor School IT Coordinator Tried Arranging Sex With Student, 15: Burlington Prosecutor
School IT Coordinator Tried Arranging Sex With Student, 15: Burlington Prosecutor A 34-year-old New Jersey school employee has been charged with trying to arrange sex with a 15-year-old student, authorities said. Christopher J. Perry, who worked as an information technology coordinator within the Pemberton Township School District, has been charged with attempted sexual assault, enticing a minor, and related offenses, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said. The female student's parents notified school officials after Perry contacted her through Snapchat, authorities said. A Burlington County Prosecutor's Office investigator continued texting Perry, who…
LOTTERY LOSERS: South Jersey Scammer Admits Laundering $4M From Innocent Victims LOTTERY LOSERS: South Jersey Scammer Admits Laundering $4M From Innocent Victims
Lottery Losers: South Jersey Scammer Admits Laundering $4M From Innocent Victims A South Jersey man admitted laundering more than $4 million from victims who were tricked into thinking they'd won the lottery. Pablo Estrada, 26, of Florence, received the proceeds through various scams over the course of 2½ years, including one in which victims received an unexpected notification that they'd won a large sum in a lottery, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. They were required to pay fees and expenses, however, before their winnings could be released, the U.S. attorney for New Jersey said. Many fell for the scheme, Sellinger said. Estrada dumped the money into va…
South Jersey Ex-Con Gets 25 Years Without Parole For Drug, Weapons Convictions: Feds South Jersey Ex-Con Gets 25 Years Without Parole For Drug, Weapons Convictions: Feds
South Jersey Ex-Con Gets 25 Years Without Parole For Drug, Weapons Convictions: Feds A Trenton-area ex-con who served time for drug and weapons convictions is headed to federal prison for 25 years. Timothy “Young Money” Wimbush, 33, will have to serve out just about all of the sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Wimbush rejected a plea offer from the government after he was caught armed and dealing during a gun war in Trenton. Taking his chances with a jury, he was convicted in October 2021 of selling and conspiring to sell heroin and possessing a firearm and ammo as a convicted felon. That led to a 300-month prison sentence handed down by…
DUI Driver Sentenced For Crash That Killed Popular NJ Restaurant Owner DUI Driver Sentenced For Crash That Killed Popular NJ Restaurant Owner
DUI Driver Sentenced For Crash That Killed Popular NJ Restaurant Owner A repeat drunk-driving offender was sentenced to 12 years in New Jersey State Prison for a crash that killed a popular restaurant owner last September. Desmond Newberry, 45, of Marlton, was sentenced on Monday, June 19  for causing the death of Mount Laurel's Glenn Keen in the parking lot of Cucina Carini, the restaurant he owned, according to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw. Newberry pleaded guilty earlier this year to aggravated manslaughter. The investigation began on Sept. 3, 2022, when officers from the Mount Laurel Police Department were dispatched to t…
Girl, 7, Succumbs To Injuries Suffered In NJ Apartment Fire That Killed Brother Girl, 7, Succumbs To Injuries Suffered In NJ Apartment Fire That Killed Brother
Girl, 7, Succumbs To Injuries Suffered In NJ Apartment Fire That Killed Brother A 7-year-old girl has died nearly two weeks after an apartment fire that also claimed the life of her 12-year-old brother, authorities said. Hope Marles had been critically injured in the May 7 blaze at the Fox Meadow apartments that left her brother AJ dead, according to a GoFundMe page launched for the family. The siblings' 35-year-old mother remains in an area hospital and is in stable condition, Maple Shade police said. The children’s organs and tissues were donated to the “Gift of Life” donor program, police said, "giving others the opportunity to live." The fire broke out …
NEW CHARGES: Out-Of-State Woman Held Captive For Year By NJ Man Was Raped, Grand Jury Finds NEW CHARGES: Out-Of-State Woman Held Captive For Year By NJ Man Was Raped, Grand Jury Finds
NEW Charges: Out-Of-State Woman Held Captive For Year By NJ Man Was Raped, Grand Jury Finds UPDATE: A South Jersey man repeatedly raped a woman he'd kidnapped and held hostage during a nearly year-long cross-country trip, state authorities said an ongoing investigation has found. James W. Parrillo Jr., 57, was captured and has remained jailed ever since the woman escaped from a residence in Bass Township and fled to safety at a nearby gas station three months ago, ending a terrifying year in captivity. Parillo originally was charged with first-degree kidnapping, criminal restraint, aggravated assault and strangulation, as well as hindering apprehension, obstruction and refusing to…
11-Year-Old Who Died By Suicide In School Bathroom Recorded Chilling Voice Note Years Before 11-Year-Old Who Died By Suicide In School Bathroom Recorded Chilling Voice Note Years Before
11-Year-Old Who Died By Suicide In School Bathroom Recorded Chilling Voice Note Years Before An 11-year-old New Jersey middle school student who died by suicide in her school bathroom — just days after losing her dad, an NJ Transit police detective, to cancer — recorded a chilling voice note years before her death. "Unless you're me, well you're listening to this from the future," Felicia LoAlbo-Melendez can be heard saying in the 2021 voice note, shared by her mom Elaina LoAlbo, to Facebook.  "Say hello to future mom, future dad... future everyone. Never, never never be bad, never give up on your friends, never, ever... be a bully." Since her daughter's death, LoAlbo has been vo…
Woman, 74, Killed In South Jersey House Fire Woman, 74, Killed In South Jersey House Fire
Woman, 74, Killed In South Jersey House Fire A 74-year-old woman was killed in a house fire early Wednesday, March 8 in Burlington County, authorities said. The fire broke out at about 5:54 a.m. on the second floor of a home at 2 Whitlow Drive, Westampton Police Chief Stephen Ent said.  Maria Green died in the fire, the chief said. The incident is being investigated by the Westampton Twp. Fire Marshal's Office, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and the Westampton Twp. Police Department.  The fire is not suspicious at this time, Ent said. Once on location, firefighters were able to extinguish the fire in&…
Man Ran Into His Abuser At South Jersey Walmart: Report Man Ran Into His Abuser At South Jersey Walmart: Report
Man Ran Into His Abuser At South Jersey Walmart: Report A New Jersey man who was sexually assaulted as a young boy in the 1980s went to police in 2017 after he came across his alleged abuser at a Walmart in Camden County, NJ Advance Media reports. Katherine Clements, now 61, of Medford Township, pleaded guilty on Friday, Jan. 20 to sexual assault and faces up to 10 years in prison when she’s sentenced in May, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office. The victim, now 43, filed a civil lawsuit against Clements in 2019 alleging the woman molested him when he was between the ages of four and 12, the outlet said. The abuse included gro…
‘War Ready’: Armed NJ Heroin Dealer Sentenced To 19 Years Without Parole ‘War Ready’: Armed NJ Heroin Dealer Sentenced To 19 Years Without Parole
‘War Ready’: Armed NJ Heroin Dealer Sentenced To 19 Years Without Parole UPDATE: A New Jersey drug dealer who once served state prison time is headed to a federal penitentiary for a plea-bargained 19 years without parole. Jakir “Jak” Taylor, 32, was a key figure in an alliance of two violent rival gangs who once dominated the heroin trade on Trenton’s north and west side neighborhoods, authorities said. He's also the last of 26 defendants swept up in a joint law enforcement operation that smashed that operation. Taylor and conspirator Jerome Roberts collected heroin bricks by the hundreds from David “Papi” Antonio that were sold in individual bags, authorities …
$400G GoFundMe Scam: NJ Woman Serving Federal Time Gets 3-Year State Sentence $400G GoFundMe Scam: NJ Woman Serving Federal Time Gets 3-Year State Sentence
$400G GoFundMe Scam: NJ Woman Serving Federal Time Gets 3-Year State Sentence UPDATE: A woman who helped pull a notorious scam that conned 14,000 GoFundMe donors nationwide was nearly 150 miles away when a judge in South Jersey sentenced her to a plea-bargained three years in state prison on Friday, Jan. 6. Katelyn McClure, 32, of Bordentown will be released in July after completing a federal sentence at a low-security prison in Danbury, CT, for scamming well-meaning donors out of $400,000 to purportedly help a homeless veteran. At that point, the year and a day federal sentence will be deducted from her state term and a determination will be made whether she shoul…
Recovering Skinhead Talks Life As Former White Supremacist In NJ Recovering Skinhead Talks Life As Former White Supremacist In NJ
Recovering Skinhead Talks Life As Former White Supremacist In NJ A former white supremacist is coming to Burlington County to speak against hate crimes, authorities said. Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw invites the public to attend the forum on Friday, Dec. 9, where the BCPO will unveil a new initiative aimed at reducing bias and hate crimes in Burlington County. The event – dubbed “Responding to Hate with Hope” – will feature former skinhead gang member Frank Meeink as the keynote speaker, as well as Congressman Andy Kim of New Jersey’s 3rd District.  Meeink's memoir, "Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead," details his transformation,…
NJ Megan's Law Offender Held By Feds In Sex Trafficking Of Missing PA Child, Others NJ Megan's Law Offender Held By Feds In Sex Trafficking Of Missing PA Child, Others
NJ Megan's Law Offender Held By Feds In Sex Trafficking Of Missing PA Child, Others UPDATE: A federal judge ordered the continued detention of a registered South Jersey sex offender who authorities said was caught trafficking a trio of children for sex, including a missing Pennsylvania youngster. Semaj A. Gilmore, 32, of Camden, has been in custody since April 2021. That's when authorities learned that "a missing juvenile from Pennsylvania was being advertised for sexually illicit activities on a website that is often used to advertise acts of prostitution," U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. An undercover agent contacted a phone number associated with the ad and end…
Accused NJ Motel Strangler Was Registered Sex Offender: Report Accused NJ Motel Strangler Was Registered Sex Offender: Report
Accused NJ Motel Strangler Was Registered Sex Offender: Report A man accused of strangling and stabbing a woman in a Burlington County motel room appears to be a registered sex offender, NJ Advance Media reports. Alexander Rivera, 26, of Merchantville and Philadelphia, was taken into custody without incident on Friday Nov. 4 by the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, on a murder charge and weapons offenses in the Bel-Air Motor Lodge killing of Michelle L. Johnson, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.  Rivera apparently served a prison sentence on child pornography distribution and ch…
South Jersey Woman Charged In DWI Crash That Killed Teenager: Prosecutor South Jersey Woman Charged In DWI Crash That Killed Teenager: Prosecutor
South Jersey Woman Charged In DWI Crash That Killed Teenager: Prosecutor A 58-year-old woman from Shamong has been charged with driving while impaired and causing the death of a high school senior, authorities said. Theresa McElvarr was charged with vehicular homicide and four counts of assault by auto in the head-on-collision, according to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw and Medford Lakes Police Chief Robert Dugan Jr. An investigation began June 13 just after midnight when officers from the Medford Lakes Police Department were called to Stokes Road and Pawnee Trail for a report of a two-vehicle collision. The investigation revealed th…
He Thought Gun Was Unloaded — Then He Killed His Friend: Burlington Prosecutor He Thought Gun Was Unloaded — Then He Killed His Friend: Burlington Prosecutor
He Thought Gun Was Unloaded — Then He Killed His Friend: Burlington Prosecutor An 18-year-old man playing with a gun accidentally shot his friend in South Jersey, authorities said. Jah-son Jones, of Pemberton, was at 19-year-old Nasiah Carson's home on South Coles Avenue in Maple Shade, when the two were playing with a handgun that they thought was unloaded, and Jones pointed it at Carson squeezed the trigger around 3:45 a.m. Friday, Sept. 15, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said. Carson was taken to Cooper University Medical Center in Camden by others in the home after the shooting occurred, and was pronounced dead just after arriving. A cartrid…
Owner Of Popular South Jersey Restaurant Killed In Crash: Prosecutor Owner Of Popular South Jersey Restaurant Killed In Crash: Prosecutor
Owner Of Popular South Jersey Restaurant Killed In Crash: Prosecutor The owner of an Italian restaurant in Mount Laurel was killed in a crash outside his popular eatery, authorities said. Glenn Keen, 52, was leaving the parking lot of Cucina Carini Italian Restaurant on Hainesport-Mount Laurel Road at around 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3 when his vehicle was broadsided by another vehicle, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office. Keen was flown to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, where he died of his injuries, while the driver of the other car was taken to an area hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, the prosecutor sai…
BF Of NJ Murder Victim Found Dead In PA: Police BF Of NJ Murder Victim Found Dead In PA: Police
BF Of NJ Murder Victim Found Dead In PA: Police The last person to see a New Jersey woman before she was beaten to death in her home was found dead in Pennsylvania, authorities said. Peter Lestician, 53 — a teacher at South Brunswick High School an area softball coach — had been a person of interest in the death of his girlfriend, Sheila Maguire, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said. Lestician's body was found Friday, Sept. 2 in the front seat of a locked car near an abandoned barn near an ATV trail in Cooper Township in Clearfield County, by two men riding four-wheelers in the area, said Bradshaw alongside …
Police ID Body Found In South Jersey, Cause Of Death Being Withheld Police ID Body Found In South Jersey, Cause Of Death Being Withheld
Police ID Body Found In South Jersey, Cause Of Death Being Withheld The death of a Florence woman whose body was found inside her home earlier this week has been ruled a homicide, authorities said. Police found Sheila Maguire, 54, late Monday afternoon after family members requested a wellness check at her residence in the 200 block of Birch Hollow Drive because they had been unable to reach her for a few days, according to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw and Florence Township Police Chief Brian Boldizar. An autopsy was performed Tuesday, Aug. 30 by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood. The exact cause of her death was being …
Federal Convict Who Hatched $400,000 GoFundMe Scam Gets NJ Prison Time, Too Federal Convict Who Hatched $400,000 GoFundMe Scam Gets NJ Prison Time, Too
Federal Convict Who Hatched $400,000 GoFundMe Scam Gets NJ Prison Time, Too UPDATE: A New Jersey man already serving federal prison time for a GoFundMe scheme that conned 14,000 donors across the country out of $400,000 to purportedly benefit a homeless veteran got a state prison sentence, as well. The plea-bargained five-year term approved by a Superior Court judge in Mount Holly on Friday will run at the same time as the 27-month federal sentence that Mark D'Amico of Trenton received in April. The difference is that there's no parole in the federal prison system, which keeps D'Amico in the medium-security United States Penitentiary in Lewisburg, PA for more than…
NJ Woman Who Pulled $400,000 GoFundMe Scam With Homeless Vet, Ex-BF Gets Federal Prison Time NJ Woman Who Pulled $400,000 GoFundMe Scam With Homeless Vet, Ex-BF Gets Federal Prison Time
NJ Woman Who Pulled $400,000 GoFundMe Scam With Homeless Vet, Ex-BF Gets Federal Prison Time UPDATE: A New Jersey woman who helped pull a scam that conned 14,000 GoFundMe donors across the country out of $400,000 to purportedly benefit a homeless veteran is headed to federal prison. Katelyn McClure, 32, of Bordentown got a far lighter sentence under the terms of her plea deal with the government than did her former boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, who concocted the cruel scheme. McClure was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Camden on Thursday to a plea-bargained year and a day in a federal penitentiary. D’Amico, the "mastermind," earlier this year got 27 months in a fed pen in exchange …
South Jersey Man Admits 3 Killings, Faces 60 Years State Prison: Prosecutor South Jersey Man Admits 3 Killings, Faces 60 Years State Prison: Prosecutor
South Jersey Man Admits 3 Killings, Faces 60 Years State Prison: Prosecutor A Burlington County man admitted to killing three people in 2019, authorities said. Terrance J. Matthews, 26, of Willingboro pleaded guilty on Tuesday, June 7 to the murders in two separate incidents, according to Burlington County Acting Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw. The murder victims included Matthews' ex-girlfriend’s grandmother and brother and a.man sitting inside a parked car on a residential street, Bradshaw said. Under a plea agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office, Matthews will be sentenced to 60 years in New Jersey state prison for each homicide, to run concurrently. …
South Jersey Man, 50, Charged In DUI Crash That Killed State Police Telecommunicator South Jersey Man, 50, Charged In DUI Crash That Killed State Police Telecommunicator
South Jersey Man, 50, Charged In DUI Crash That Killed State Police Telecommunicator A Camden County man has been charged in connection with a fatal crash that killed a State Police public safety telecommunicator in Burlington County, authorities said. New Jersey State Police have charged Regis A. Vitale Jr., 50, of Waterford Works, for vehicular homicide as the result of a fatal head-on crash involving Daryl ‘Skip’ Akers Jr., 62, of Bridgeton, the State Police employee. On March 11, troopers from Troop “C” Red Lion Station responded to the report of a serious motor vehicle crash on Route 206 in Southampton Township, Burlington County. Upon their arrival, they began life-s…
Cocaine Dealer Caused 29-Year-Old Victim's Overdose Death: Prosecutor Cocaine Dealer Caused 29-Year-Old Victim's Overdose Death: Prosecutor
Cocaine Dealer Caused 29-Year-Old Victim's Overdose Death: Prosecutor A 57-year-old man from Burlington County has been indicted in connection with the drug overdose death of an Ocean County man, authorities said. The 29-year-old victim overdosed on cocaine laced with fentanyl, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.  On May 4, William Anderson, of Browns Mills, was indicted by a Grand Jury on charges of strict liability drug-induced death and other drug offenses, Billhimer said. On Feb. 28, 2019, Toms River police were summoned to the Pelican Inn for a report of an unresponsive male. Police Officers found a 29-year-old…
Ex-BF Who Killed Woman At South Jersey Car Wash Nabbed In Texas: Prosecutor Ex-BF Who Killed Woman At South Jersey Car Wash Nabbed In Texas: Prosecutor
Ex-BF Who Killed Woman At South Jersey Car Wash Nabbed In Texas: Prosecutor The man accused of gunning down his 28-year-old ex-girlfriend at a self-service car wash last week in Burlington County was tracked down in Texas, authorities said. Antonio Burke, 32, has been charged with murder in the death of Cinnaminson's Alicia Stilley in the parking lot of the car wash in the first block of Filmore Street in Palmyra, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Palmyra Police Chief Meghan Campbell. Burke, of Palmyra, was arrested Monday, April 25 during a traffic stop in Dallas, Texas, where he will face a court appearance Tuesday. An in…
Musician Slain In 'Sickening' NJ Shooting That Left Roomie Critical Had Big Instagram Presence Musician Slain In 'Sickening' NJ Shooting That Left Roomie Critical Had Big Instagram Presence
Musician Slain In 'Sickening' NJ Shooting That Left Roomie Critical Had Big Instagram Presence Shock and sadness spread on Friday, April 15 following a double shooting that left a beloved 27-year-old musician dead. Maurice Kobassic —who went by Millah Mack as an artist — posted videos of himself partying to his Instagram story in the hours before he was shot and killed near the entrance of the Fox Meadow Apartment Complex off Route 73 in Maple Shade with a gunshot wound around 3:30 a.m.  Kobassic was pronounced dead at the scene while his 26-year-old roommate was hospitalized in critical condition, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said. An autopsy will be performed by Bur…
NJ Man Who Pulled $400,000 GoFundMe Scam With Homeless Vet Gets 27 Months, No Parole NJ Man Who Pulled $400,000 GoFundMe Scam With Homeless Vet Gets 27 Months, No Parole
NJ Man Who Pulled $400,000 GoFundMe Scam With Homeless Vet Gets 27 Months, No Parole UPDATE: A South Jersey man who concocted a GoFundMe scheme with his then-girlfriend that conned 14,000 donors across the country out of $400,000 to purportedly benefit a homeless veteran is headed to federal prison. Mark D’Amico, 42, formerly of Bordentown, must serve just about all of his plea-bargained 27-month sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. He also must pay restitution and undergo gambling, drug and mental-health counseling under the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman in Camden on Friday, April 1. Three years of supervision will als…
US Marshals Nab Baltimore Gunman In New Jersey: Police US Marshals Nab Baltimore Gunman In New Jersey: Police
US Marshals Nab Baltimore Gunman In New Jersey: Police Members of the US Marshals Service arrested a Maryland man wanted in a Baltimore shooting in New Jersey, authorities said. Luel F. Mekonnen, 22, of Silver Spring, was located on Friday, March 18 at the Red Roof Inn in Westampton, NJ, a spokesman for the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said. Officers responded to a local hospital for reports that someone was brought there after being shot in the 1300 block of Colbury Road around 5 a.m. on Thursday, March 17, police said. Police were able to identify Mekonnen as a suspect and arrested him on Monday. Mekonnen has been charged as a fugit…
NJ Woman Hoarding 44 Dog Carcasses Admits To Killing 6, Gets Prison Time: Prosecutor NJ Woman Hoarding 44 Dog Carcasses Admits To Killing 6, Gets Prison Time: Prosecutor
NJ Woman Hoarding 44 Dog Carcasses Admits To Killing 6, Gets Prison Time: Prosecutor A woman originally linked to dozens of dead dogs reached a plea-bargained agreement admitting to killing six dogs, authorities said. Donna Roberts' guilty plea calls for 90 days in Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly, according to  Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina. Roberts, 68, of Shamong, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty for causing the death of six dogs that were being kept at her property by failing to provide them with proper care, Coffina said. Additionally, Roberts must serve five years of probation, during which time she cannot own, raise, or otherwise care for any …