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U.S. District Court in Trenton

Jersey Shore Bizman Sentenced For IRS Tax Dodge: 2½ Years In Prison, $11.2 Million Restitution Jersey Shore Bizman Sentenced For IRS Tax Dodge: 2½ Years In Prison, $11.2 Million Restitution
Jersey Shore Bizman Sentenced For IRS Tax Dodge: 2½ Years In Prison, $11.2 Million Restitution UPDATE: An Ocean County businessman who stiffed the IRS out of more than $10 million in payroll taxes is headed to federal prison for a plea-bargained 2½ years. Josef Neuman, 37, of Lakewood, also must pay $11.2 million, including interest, that he still owes the government. Neuman was CEO of the Lakewood-based Concord Healthcare Group, which provided services to nursing homes and other healthcare operations -- including 20 or so that he also co-owned, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Despite being responsible for collecting, accounting for and paying the payroll taxe…
Feds: NJ Man, 45, Sent Out-Of-State Girl Sex Toys, Costumes To Make Videos For Him Feds: NJ Man, 45, Sent Out-Of-State Girl Sex Toys, Costumes To Make Videos For Him
Feds: NJ Man, 45, Sent Out-Of-State Girl Sex Toys, Costumes To Make Videos For Him A 45-year-old New Jersey man sent costumes and sex toys to a 16-year-old girl who lives out of state so she could make explicit videos and other images for him, federal authorities charged. Jeremy Greenwald, 45, of South Amboy, paid the youngster to create and sent him the images of her engaging in sexually explicit conduct," U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Greenwald "directed the victim to perform certain sexual activities, even using items Greenwald had purchased and sent the victim to use during the videos, including sex toys and costume," the U.S. attorney said. Members of the …
Pistol-Packing Ex-Con Busted At Jersey Shore ER Said He Was DEA: Indictment Pistol-Packing Ex-Con Busted At Jersey Shore ER Said He Was DEA: Indictment
Pistol-Packing Ex-Con Busted At Jersey Shore ER Said He Was DEA: Indictment An ex-con who authorities said showed up at a Jersey Shore emergency room packing a loaded gun and claiming he was a DEA agent was indicted by a federal grand jury. Wesley Rucker, 36, of Tinton Falls has had more than two years to consider a deal with the government rather than proceed with the case. He hasn’t taken one, however, and now he’s under indictment. Staff members at Hackensack Meridian Health Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank spotted Rucker carrying the handgun in his waistband, the ATF said. “Rucker showed the security officer two identification cards in a leather bifold wa…
Ex-Jersey Shore Man Gets 20 Years, No Parole For Serial Threats Against Police, Judges, Others Ex-Jersey Shore Man Gets 20 Years, No Parole For Serial Threats Against Police, Judges, Others
Ex-Jersey Shore Man Gets 20 Years, No Parole For Serial Threats Against Police, Judges, Others A former New Jersey resident with a cockamamie political history must spend the next 20 years in federal prison for threatening to kill police officers, lawyers and judges, among others, in and around Monmouth County. Eric G. Hafner, 32, formerly of Fair Haven, also made calls and sent messages to state officials while phoning in bogus bomb threats to local and state government offices, a police department, two law firms and the Monmouth Park Racetrack during a two-year terror campaign, federal authorities in Trenton said. Hafner told newspaper reporters in 2018 that he was on the lam for d…
Jersey Shore Ex-Con Sentenced For Multi-Pounds Of Heroin, Fentanyl, Coke, Gun Jersey Shore Ex-Con Sentenced For Multi-Pounds Of Heroin, Fentanyl, Coke, Gun
Jersey Shore Ex-Con Sentenced For Multi-Pounds Of Heroin, Fentanyl, Coke, Gun An ex-con caught with several pounds of heroin, cocaine and fentanyl —not to mention a loaded gun — in his Ocean County apartment has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Dyshawn Moss, 43, of Manchester, was found guilty of drug and weapons offenses, including being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, in U.S. District Court in Trenton last year. U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp sentenced Moss on Wednesday, Nov. 29.  In addition to having an informant buy drugs from Moss, DEA agents used "physical surveillance, court-authorized location information, controlled pu…
Ex-Jersey Shore Construction Company Owner From Long Island Admits Ducking $500G In Taxes Ex-Jersey Shore Construction Company Owner From Long Island Admits Ducking $500G In Taxes
Ex-Jersey Shore Construction Company Owner From Long Island Admits Ducking $500G In Taxes A Long Island man admitted defrauding the government out of more than $500,000 in taxes by using check-cashing businesses to launder income from his former Jersey Shore construction company. The unidentified company that Khuram Raja, 37, owned and operated while living in Manalapan received unreported cash and proceeds from patronizing local check-cashing facilities, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Raja, currently of Locust Valley, NY, also deducted personal expenses from the company’s returns without reporting it, Sellinger said. Raja failed to file business tax ret…
Ex-Hudson Sheriff's Officer Admits $98,000 Short-Sale Mortgage Scheme For Jersey Shore Home Ex-Hudson Sheriff's Officer Admits $98,000 Short-Sale Mortgage Scheme For Jersey Shore Home
Ex-Hudson Sheriff's Officer Admits $98,000 Short-Sale Mortgage Scheme For Jersey Shore Home A former Hudson County sheriff’s officer admitted defrauding a bank to duck $98,000 in mortgage payments on a Jersey Shore home, federal authorities said. Osbado Hernandez, 54, of Avenel, conspired with others to lie about a bogus short sale of his house in Keansburg so that the unidentified bank would discharge what was left on his mortgage, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Hernandez bought the property for $239,900 in 2006, financing it through a mortgage loan from the victimized bank, a complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Trenton says. He ended up behind on the payments,…
Convicted Jersey Shore Sex Offender Who Collected 1,000 Child Porn Images Admits Grooming Girl Convicted Jersey Shore Sex Offender Who Collected 1,000 Child Porn Images Admits Grooming Girl
Convicted Jersey Shore Sex Offender Who Collected 1,000 Child Porn Images Admits Grooming Girl A convicted sex offender living in Ocean County who collected more than 1,000 child porn videos -- after convincing more than two dozen underage girls to record some of them – took a guilty plea in federal court on Wednesday, authorities said. Samuel Schwinger, a 37-year-old British national living in Lakewood, was on 10-year probation for similar offenses out of Brooklyn when he posed as an 11-year-old girl to groom another pre-teen in Oklahoma in 2019, a federal complaint says. "I'll send you a vid of what I'm wearing now and then u send me of u and then my turn again k?" Schwinger texted…
‘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 …
FRAGRANT OFFENSE: Five 'Scent-enced' In $1.3M NJ Perfume Heist FRAGRANT OFFENSE: Five 'Scent-enced' In $1.3M NJ Perfume Heist
Fragrant Offense: Five 'Scent-enced' In $1.3M NJ Perfume Heist Five men who boosted more than $1.3 million worth of perfume from a New Jersey warehouse are headed to federal prison. The Florida quintet had gotten away with two tractor-trailers full of stolen fragrances – which they transported home – then were caught when tried again in East Brunswick several months later. All five refused plea deals, went to trial in U.S. District Court in Trenton and were convicted last April of transporting stolen property in interstate commerce and conspiracy.  Sentenced on Tuesday, Jan. 10, were Carlos Duvergel, 58, of Miami Gardens, Florida, who got 33…
Jersey Shore Ex-Con Loses In Federal Trial For Multi-Pounds Of Heroin, Fentanyl, Coke, Gun Jersey Shore Ex-Con Loses In Federal Trial For Multi-Pounds Of Heroin, Fentanyl, Coke, Gun
Jersey Shore Ex-Con Loses In Federal Trial For Multi-Pounds Of Heroin, Fentanyl, Coke, Gun An ex-con caught with several pounds of heroin, cocaine and fentanyl -- not to mention a loaded gun -- in his Ocean County apartment is facing significant time behind bars following convictions in federal court. Dyshawn Moss, 43, of Manchester, was found guilty of drug and weapons offenses, including being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, following a four-day trial in U.S. District Court in Trenton. In addition to having an informant buy drugs from Moss, DEA agents used "physical surveillance, court-authorized location information, controlled purchases of narcotics, and lawfull…
GUILTY: Jurors Convict Jersey Shore Porn Collector Who Threw Devices Into Creek To Avoid FBI GUILTY: Jurors Convict Jersey Shore Porn Collector Who Threw Devices Into Creek To Avoid FBI
Guilty: Jurors Convict Jersey Shore Porn Collector Who Threw Devices Into Creek To Avoid FBI A man who threw an iPad and iPhone containing child pornography into a Jersey Shore creek – only to have a drone help the FBI find them -- was convicted by federal jurors of several related charges. Charles F. Browne, 52, of South River, became a target of investigators after officials at Dropbox Inc. tipped them off, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. The FBI obtained the uploaded files, which included Browne’s resume along with images of prepubescent children being sexually abused, the U.S. attorney said. Investigators approached Browne in April 2019 as he left his then-home in…
Getaway Driver Takes Guilty Plea In Armed Robbery Spree Across NJ, PA Getaway Driver Takes Guilty Plea In Armed Robbery Spree Across NJ, PA
Getaway Driver Takes Guilty Plea In Armed Robbery Spree Across NJ, PA A Trenton resident admitted driving the getaway car for a stickup man who robbed a string of convenience stores at gunpoint in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Omar Feliciano-Estremera, 44, took a deal from the government rather than go to trial after accused robber Gabriel Lopez died. Feliciano-Estremera pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Trenton on Tuesday, March 15, to three counts of robbery and one each of conspiracy and aiding and abetting the possession of a gun that was fired during one of the holdups, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. He and Lopez committed the robberies i…
Feds: Armed NJ Ex-Con Gets 9 Years, No Parole, For Threatening To Kill Woman Feds: Armed NJ Ex-Con Gets 9 Years, No Parole, For Threatening To Kill Woman
Feds: Armed NJ Ex-Con Gets 9 Years, No Parole, For Threatening To Kill Woman A Trenton ex-con who'd been free all of a month when he threatened a woman with a gun -- after serving time in connection with a killing -- is headed to federal prison for nine years. Omar Kennedy, 40, must serve out just about all of the sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Kennedy had originally been charged with murder in the September 2016 killing of a 19-year-old city man who was gunned down in an alley. He fled to Virginia, where members of the U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force captured him. Essex County prosecutors cut a deal with Kenn…
Trenton Police Car Firebomber Gets 2½ Years Without Parole In Federal Prison Trenton Police Car Firebomber Gets 2½ Years Without Parole In Federal Prison
Trenton Police Car Firebomber Gets 2½ Years Without Parole In Federal Prison The last of four men who admitted torching a police car during a riot following a civil rights protest in Trenton was sentenced to 2½ years in federal prison. Earlja J. Dudley, 28, of Trenton, will have to serve just about all of the plea-bargained sentence handed down Wednesday, March 2, because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Surveillance and bystander video showed Dudley and another man opening the vehicle’s hood and igniting an engine fire during the unrest on May 31, 2020, following what had been a peaceful day of protest over the death of George Floyd, U.S. Attorney Ph…
Feds: Undercover Detective Nails Pair Trying To Strong-Arm Jersey Shore Dad Out Of $200,000 Feds: Undercover Detective Nails Pair Trying To Strong-Arm Jersey Shore Dad Out Of $200,000
Feds: Undercover Detective Nails Pair Trying To Strong-Arm Jersey Shore Dad Out Of $200,000 Two Brooklyn men who tried to strong-arm a Jersey Shore man into giving them $200,000 were tripped up by an undercover detective posing as the victim, federal authorities said. Francis A. Garzon, 30, and Endrit Kllogjeri, 26, were both charged with conspiracy to commit extortion in an indictment returned by a jury in U.S. District Court in Trenton. Garzon, Kllogjeri and an unidentified conspirator plotted to shake down the Marlboro victim and his son, who lived in Brooklyn, according to the indictment. The defendants threatened to harm the father if he didn't recover a bag from his son tha…
Feds: Pistol-Packing Ex-Con Busted At Jersey Shore ER Claiming To Be With DEA Feds: Pistol-Packing Ex-Con Busted At Jersey Shore ER Claiming To Be With DEA
Feds: Pistol-Packing Ex-Con Busted At Jersey Shore ER Claiming To Be With DEA An ex-con was charged federally after he showed up at a Jersey Shore emergency room for treatment packing a handgun and then claimed he was DEA agent, authorities said. Staff members at Hackensack Meridian Health Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank spotted Wesley Rucker, 34, of Tinton Falls carrying the gun in his waistband, federal authorities said. “Rucker showed the security officer two identification cards in a leather bifold wallet with the Drug Enforcement Administration (”DEA”) logo embossed on the outside,” a federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives complaint on …
Drug Ring Member Who Trafficked Coke, Fentanyl-Laced Heroin Into NJ Bayshore Gets 16½ Years Drug Ring Member Who Trafficked Coke, Fentanyl-Laced Heroin Into NJ Bayshore Gets 16½ Years
Drug Ring Member Who Trafficked Coke, Fentanyl-Laced Heroin Into NJ Bayshore Gets 16½ Years A member of a drug ring that trafficked massive amounts of heroin and cocaine into the Bayshore areas of Monmouth and Middlesex counties must spend more than 16 years in federal prison. Guy Jackson, 49, of Effort, PA must serve just about all of the 200-month sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. It was by far the stiffest term handed down so far in U.S. District Court in Trenton following a sweep led by federal investigators. Members of the network funneled heroin and cocaine into the Raritan Bayshore, which stretches from the Amboys to Sandy Hook, forming the n…
Dealer Who Sold Jersey Shore Woman Fatal Dose Of Heroin Gets 15 Years Without Parole In Fed Pen Dealer Who Sold Jersey Shore Woman Fatal Dose Of Heroin Gets 15 Years Without Parole In Fed Pen
Dealer Who Sold Jersey Shore Woman Fatal Dose Of Heroin Gets 15 Years Without Parole In Fed Pen A drug dealer who substituted fentanyl for heroin, killing a Jersey Shore woman, must spend more than 15 years in federal prison. Quasaan Bethea, 35, of Trenton, will have to serve out just about all of his plea-bargained 188-month sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. The 39-year-old Englishtown victim bought the fatal dose – in a package stabbed “CAMEL” – from Bethea and Tarashanna Blake in May 2018, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Englishtown police who responded to a report of an overdose death soon after found several folds of “CAMEL” and some em…
Last Of Trenton Police Car Firebombers Pleads Guilty In Federal Court Last Of Trenton Police Car Firebombers Pleads Guilty In Federal Court
Last Of Trenton Police Car Firebombers Pleads Guilty In Federal Court A Trenton man caught on video torching a police car during a riot in the city took a guilty plea in federal court. Earlja J. Dudley, 28, is the last of four men to plead guilty for their roles in the incident following what had been a peaceful day of protest against the death of George Floyd on May 31, 2020. Surveillance and bystander video show Dudley and another man opening the vehicle’s engine and igniting a fire during the unrest, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. In the video, Dudley is wearing a tank top and baseball cap with the Roman numerals “XIV” in red l…
First Convict Sentenced Federally In Trenton Protest Firebombings First Convict Sentenced Federally In Trenton Protest Firebombings
First Convict Sentenced Federally In Trenton Protest Firebombings UPDATE: A South Jersey man was sentenced today to 28 months in federal prison for trying to set fire to a police cruiser during a video-recorded riot that broke out following a peaceful protest last year in Trenton. Killian F. Melecio, 20, of Columbus must serve just all of the sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Melecio admitted via video conference in U.S. District Cout in Trenton earlier this year that he stuffed a shirt he’d gotten from another man into the gas tank of the vehicle and tried to ignite it on May 31, 2020. The protest earlier that day in respo…
Final Defendant In Trenton Police Car Firebombing Takes Guilty Plea In Federal Court Final Defendant In Trenton Police Car Firebombing Takes Guilty Plea In Federal Court
Final Defendant In Trenton Police Car Firebombing Takes Guilty Plea In Federal Court A Trenton man admitted in federal court on Wednesday that he threw a makeshift Molotov cocktail into a city police vehicle following a protest last year. Video captured by surveillance cameras and personal cellphones helped authorities identify Kadeem A. Dockery, 29, and one of his co-defendants, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Rather than face trial, Dockery accepted a deal from the government, pleading guilty Wednesday to attempting to obstruct, impede, or interfere with law enforcement officers during a civil disorder. He still faces state charges of throwing another firebom…
Feds: Member Of Ring That Trafficked Fentanyl-Laced Heroin Into NJ Bayshore Gets 7½ Years Feds: Member Of Ring That Trafficked Fentanyl-Laced Heroin Into NJ Bayshore Gets 7½ Years
Feds: Member Of Ring That Trafficked Fentanyl-Laced Heroin Into NJ Bayshore Gets 7½ Years A member of a drug ring that trafficked large quantities of heroin and cocaine into the Bayshore areas of Monmouth and Middlesex counties must spend the next 7½ years in federal prison. Daniel McHugh, 51, of Sayreville on Wednesday became the latest member of the ring sentenced in U.S. District Court in Trenton in connection with a federally-led sweep. Co-defendant Brian Hall, 49, of Freehold, meanwhile, was sentenced to eight months of home confinement and three years probation. Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said the two were part of a network that funneled heroin and cocaine int…
Jersey Shore Man Who Recorded Himself Sexually Abusing Infants Gets 40 Years, No Parole Jersey Shore Man Who Recorded Himself Sexually Abusing Infants Gets 40 Years, No Parole
Jersey Shore Man Who Recorded Himself Sexually Abusing Infants Gets 40 Years, No Parole An Ocean County man must spend 40 years in federal prison for recording and then sharing images of himself sexually abusing infants. Sebastien Attar, 36, of Brick, must serve out just about all of the plea-bargained sentence because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Using the handle “Seb Seb,” Attar participated in “Taboo Train 2.0,” a private chat group whose members shared videos and photos of very young children being sexually abused, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Federal agents raided Attar’s home in March 2018, seizing electronic devices and storage media t…
Trenton Dealer Admits Selling Fentanyl That Killed Monmouth Woman Trenton Dealer Admits Selling Fentanyl That Killed Monmouth Woman
Trenton Dealer Admits Selling Fentanyl That Killed Monmouth Woman A Trenton man admitted selling fentanyl packaged to look like heroin that killed a Monmouth County woman. The 39-year-old victim bought the fatal dose – in a package stabbed “CAMEL” – from Quasaan Bethea, 33, and others in May 2018, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Englishtown police responded soon after to a report of an overdose death and found several folds of “CAMEL” along with some empties, Honig said. An autopsy found that she died of “acute fentanyl toxicity,” the U.S. attorney said. Rather than go to trial, Bethea pleaded guilty in federal court in Trenton to possession…
High-Speed Pursuit From PA To NJ: DEA Agent Struck, Dealer Caught With 7,500 Folds, Feds Say High-Speed Pursuit From PA To NJ: DEA Agent Struck, Dealer Caught With 7,500 Folds, Feds Say
High-Speed Pursuit From PA To NJ: DEA Agent Struck, Dealer Caught With 7,500 Folds, Feds Say A fleeing drug dealer hit a DEA agent with his car and tossed a bag filled with 7,500 heroin folds out the window during what became a high-speed chase from Pennsylvania to Mercer County, authorities said. Law enforcement officers from various agencies followed ex-con Daevon Bell, 26, of Hamilton Township from Trenton to an apartment complex in Morrisville, PA, on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Bell retrieved a bag from his trunk and went into one of the apartments there, then emerged carrying another bag, Carpenito said. When members of the law enforcement posse approached h…
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…
Jersey Shore Mobster Gets 6+ Years In Fed Pen For Pound Of Coke, Loaded Gun Jersey Shore Mobster Gets 6+ Years In Fed Pen For Pound Of Coke, Loaded Gun
Jersey Shore Mobster Gets 6+ Years In Fed Pen For Pound Of Coke, Loaded Gun A reputed Jersey Shore associate of the DeCavalcante crime family who was caught with cocaine and a loaded handgun is headed to federal prison for more than six plea-bargained years following his sentencing Thursday. Mario Galli III, 28, of Toms River, admitted in U.S. District Court in Trenton in March that he had the gun and drugs when detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office searched his and another home last September. Detectives seized nearly a pound of the drug and a 9mm FEG Model PGK-9HP gun loaded with 12 rounds of ammunition during the raids, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpeni…
Jersey Shore Mobster Admits Having Nearly Pound Of Coke, Loaded Gun Jersey Shore Mobster Admits Having Nearly Pound Of Coke, Loaded Gun
Jersey Shore Mobster Admits Having Nearly Pound Of Coke, Loaded Gun A Jersey Shore associate of the DeCavalcante crime family who was caught with cocaine and a loaded handgun is headed to federal prison for at least five years -- and likely much more, authorities said. Mario Galli III, 28, of Toms River, took a guilty plea Monday, admitting in U.S. District Court in Trenton that he had the gun and drugs when detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office searched his and another home last September. Detectives seized nearly a pound of the drug and a 9mm FEG Model PGK-9HP gun loaded with 12 rounds of ammunition during last fall’s raids, U.S. Attorney C…
'Wanna Meet?' Feds Bust Ex-Jersey Shore High School Sportswriter In Underage Sex Luring Case 'Wanna Meet?' Feds Bust Ex-Jersey Shore High School Sportswriter In Underage Sex Luring Case
'Wanna Meet?' Feds Bust Ex-Jersey Shore High School Sportswriter In Underage Sex Luring Case A former part-time high school sportswriter from Ocean County was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday and charged with convincing an underage girl to send him sexually explicit photos, authorities said. Kevin Van Pelt, 29, of Lakehurst, “engaged in sexually explicit conduct over an online messaging service,” U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Van Pelt originally was arrested last May following an investigation by the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office and Woolwich Township police, who said he used Snapchat and Instagram to ask seek a meeting for sex with a 14-year-old girl. Van Pelt, who wo…