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U.S. Homeland Security Investigations

NJ Feds: Repeat Child Porn Collector Satisfied 'Deviant Desires' With Chats, More NJ Feds: Repeat Child Porn Collector Satisfied 'Deviant Desires' With Chats, More
NJ Feds: Repeat Child Porn Collector Satisfied 'Deviant Desires' With Chats, More A convicted NJ child porn collector had only just been released from federal prison when investigators said he tried buying kids’ shoes on Facebook Marketplace.  And that wasn’t all they said that Andrew Chu, 33, of Edison was up to. Authorities who examined Chu’s laptop and cellphone reported finding more than 100 pornographic images of naked underage girls. They also found live chats that Chu had with naked underage minors while masturbating, a complaint filed in federal court in Newark by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations says. One of them was only 11 years old, agents sa…
AGAIN? Repeat Bergen Offender Busted Trafficking 28,000 Child Sex Images: Prosecutor AGAIN? Repeat Bergen Offender Busted Trafficking 28,000 Child Sex Images: Prosecutor
Again? Repeat Bergen Offender Busted Trafficking 28,000 Child Sex Images: Prosecutor A repeat offender from South Hackensack relapsed following his release from prison by amassing and sharing 28,000 images of child pornography, said authorities who arrested him on Thursday. Corey Barraclough, 33, was released from the Adult Diagnostic Treatment Center in Avenel last October after serving more than 5½ years behind bars. The first 17 months or so were spent in the Bergen County Jail beginning in and the rest in state custody, records show. That's because the Northvale native had been found with more than 2,400 illegal child-porn images -- and was caught chatting online with …
North Jersey Man, 65, Admits Sharing Horrific Child Sex Videos, Including One Of Girl Under 5 North Jersey Man, 65, Admits Sharing Horrific Child Sex Videos, Including One Of Girl Under 5
North Jersey Man, 65, Admits Sharing Horrific Child Sex Videos, Including One Of Girl Under 5 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A video of a girl believed to be 3 to 5 years old astride a shirtless, bearded tattooed man was among the evidence that apparently convinced a North Jersey retiree to plead guilty in federal court to trafficking child pornography, records show. The clip was among 65 videos and 250 images that Gaetano Lapegna, 65, had collected of "prepubescent children engaged in sexual acts with adults and other children," an agent with U.S. Homeland Security Investigations Newark cited in a complaint. Lapegna, of Sussex County, shared many of them with what turned out to be HSI agents, the complai…
GOTCHA! South American Theft Network Fugitive Pegged In $25,000 NJ Home Burglary, More GOTCHA! South American Theft Network Fugitive Pegged In $25,000 NJ Home Burglary, More
Gotcha! South American Theft Network Fugitive Pegged In $25,000 NJ Home Burglary, More A wanted member of a notorious transnational group of thieves was tied by Dumont detectives to the theft of $25,000 in cash during a home break-in two months ago. Jhan Michael Rodriguez-Fonseca, 26, lives in Jersey City and most recently worked as a food delivery driver, Dumont Police Chief Brian Joyce said. He really belongs to what’s known as the South American Theft Group network and is tied to other burglaries in the state, the chief said. He was also wanted by the NYPD and by agents with U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), he said. Primarily from Colombia, the members of the…
Four Nabbed In Thefts Of $1.6M In Electronics From 55 UPS Locations Across NJ, NY, PA, Beyond Four Nabbed In Thefts Of $1.6M In Electronics From 55 UPS Locations Across NJ, NY, PA, Beyond
Four Nabbed In Thefts Of $1.6M In Electronics From 55 UPS Locations Across NJ, NY, PA, Beyond Four Philadelphia men wanted for a burglary spree through 55 UPS warehouses across New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and beyond were captured by federal agents this week, authorities announced. The quartet and at least three accomplices who are still at large stole an estimated $1.6 million in electronics over a two-year span beginning in January 2021, they said. The four currently in federal custody are charged with conspiracy to commit cargo theft, US Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said on Friday, Nov. 17. All four had been arrested and released at one time or other since …
Four Die From Fentanyl Sold By NJ Dealer: Feds Four Die From Fentanyl Sold By NJ Dealer: Feds
Four Die From Fentanyl Sold By NJ Dealer: Feds Four people were killed by fentanyl peddled by a dealer from Somerset County who was captured in the middle of another sale, authorities said. A federal judge in Newark ordered Mauricio Gutierrez, 50, of Somerset held following an initial court appearance on charges of distributing drugs that killed users. Special agents of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations Newark took custody of Gutierrez after he was busted selling coke in Piscataway on Thursday, Sept. 28, authorities said. One of the buyers shared it with two other people that fateful June 2022 day, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger…
South Korean Clothing Manufacturer Admits Customs Fraud, Agrees To Pay US $2 Million South Korean Clothing Manufacturer Admits Customs Fraud, Agrees To Pay US $2 Million
South Korean Clothing Manufacturer Admits Customs Fraud, Agrees To Pay US $2 Million A South Korean company has agreed to reimburse the United States $2 million for defrauding Customs officials about the value of imported clothing and apparel. Principals with Anyclo International Inc. admitted this week that the company evaded duties on clothing and apparel that it manufactured abroad and imported into the U.S. for nearly seven years, beginning in October 2012, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. The fraud involved preparing two invoices for the same shipments, the U.S. attorney said. One invoice bore the true value of the merchandise, Sellinger said. Th…
Repeat Jersey Shore Pedophile Gets 15 Years, No Parole, For Cybersexting With Canadian Girl Repeat Jersey Shore Pedophile Gets 15 Years, No Parole, For Cybersexting With Canadian Girl
Repeat Jersey Shore Pedophile Gets 15 Years, No Parole, For Cybersexting With Canadian Girl A previous sex offender from the Jersey Shore is headed to federal prison for 15 years for an online sexual relationship he had with a 13-year-old girl in Canada. David M. Frew, a 42-year-old registered sex offender from Little Egg Harbor, had served time for sending pornographic images to state investigators posing as minors in Pennsylvania in 2008. Less than a decade later, he was at it again. Authorities in Canada discovered cybersex exchanges in 2017 between Frew and an underage girl, according to a complaint filed by a U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agent. Frew also the youngs…
Sticky Fingers: Converging Lyndhurst Police Collar Shoplifting Crew From Queens Sticky Fingers: Converging Lyndhurst Police Collar Shoplifting Crew From Queens
Sticky Fingers: Converging Lyndhurst Police Collar Shoplifting Crew From Queens A group of Lyndhurst police officers of all ranks teamed up to snag a shoplifting crew from Queens -- one of whom is on parole, authorities said. Officers Anthony Giaquinto and Anthony Morreale and Sgt. Phil Reina grabbed two suspects after a pair of businesses in the 400 block of Valley Brook Avenue were struck, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. Detectives Nick Abruscato and Tom McSweeney found a third on a nearby residential side street. He bolted, hopping a fence, and headed toward Town Hall Park, where Lt. Anthony Ricigliano spotted him, Auteri said. Moreale and Officer Matthew …
Most-Wanted Fugitive Captured At Newark Airport Gets 8 Years, No Parole, For Child Porn: Feds Most-Wanted Fugitive Captured At Newark Airport Gets 8 Years, No Parole, For Child Porn: Feds
Most-Wanted Fugitive Captured At Newark Airport Gets 8 Years, No Parole, For Child Porn: Feds A wanted pedophile from Canada who was captured at Newark Airport after 17 years on the run was sentenced to a plea-bargained eight years in federal prison for trafficking child porn. Perth De – also known as Parthasarthie Kapoor -- had been one of Canada’s “Ten Most Wanted” fugitives when U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agents nabbed him on Jan. 21, 2020 as he tried to fly to his native India. An examination of several cellphones in his luggage “revealed numerous videos of children being sexually abused,” a complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Newark says. Some of the videos …
Motocross Stuntman Who Traveled Through NJ, NY, PA Charged With Raping Kids, Recording It Motocross Stuntman Who Traveled Through NJ, NY, PA Charged With Raping Kids, Recording It
Motocross Stuntman Who Traveled Through NJ, NY, PA Charged With Raping Kids, Recording It A motocross stunt rider who frequented New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania raped children and made videos of it while barnstorming the country in a traveling circus, federal authorities charged. Ryan Meyung, 30, “engaged six different minor victims in sexually explicit conduct to produce images of child sexual abuse” between 2019 and 2021, the Justice Department said. Meyung had already been charged locally in Georgia with child rape, aggravated kidnapping, tampering with evidence and criminal conspiracy. A federal indictment returned this week accuses him of producing, transporting and p…
21 Men Luring Children For Sex Online Busted In Undercover NJ Sting: Prosecutor 21 Men Luring Children For Sex Online Busted In Undercover NJ Sting: Prosecutor
21 Men Luring Children For Sex Online Busted In Undercover NJ Sting: Prosecutor Four Megan’s Law registrants, an injury lawyer from Georgia and a dump truck driver were among the 21 individuals caught chatting with undercover agents posing as underage children online, authorities in New Jersey announced (scroll down for the list of defendants). Most of the defendants in "Operation Risky Business" were arrested at either the undercover residence in Hamilton Township or another meet-up location, including the Hamilton Train Station, New Jersey Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. Those who went to the undercover house allegedly expected to find their vic…
Repeat Child Porn Collector From Wayne Gets 10 Years Without Parole In Federal Pen Repeat Child Porn Collector From Wayne Gets 10 Years Without Parole In Federal Pen
Repeat Child Porn Collector From Wayne Gets 10 Years Without Parole In Federal Pen A registered sex offender from Wayne who served state prison time for downloading child porn must spend the next 10 years in a federal penitentiary for doing it again. Robert Klemt, 35, must serve just about all of the 120-month term because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Klemt, of New Street, spent barely a year in state prison after pleading guilty in Superior Court in Essex County in 2014 to possessing and distributing child pornography. He was classified under Megan’s Law in Tier 2 as a moderate risk of reoffending following his release. Agents with U.S. Homeland Secu…
NJ Man Says He Wants To 'Take Girl's Virginity' — Turns Out Girl Was Federal Agent: Prosecutor NJ Man Says He Wants To 'Take Girl's Virginity' — Turns Out Girl Was Federal Agent: Prosecutor
NJ Man Says He Wants To 'Take Girl's Virginity' — Turns Out Girl Was Federal Agent: Prosecutor Richard J. Kostrub traveled from his Somerdale home to the Walmart on Route 70 in Evesham Township believing he would be having sex with a 13-year-old girl he met through a chat app, authorities said. He had been texting with the "girl" for about a month, and was hoping to finally meet her, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina. But when he arrived, he was met by investigators and law enforcement officials. As it turns out, the "girl" Kostrub had been chatting with was actually a ederal agent the whole time.  was unaware that the young girl he had arranged…
Volunteer Firefighter From NJ Busted With Child Porn: Prosecutor Volunteer Firefighter From NJ Busted With Child Porn: Prosecutor
Volunteer Firefighter From NJ Busted With Child Porn: Prosecutor A 36-year-old volunteer firefighter from South Jersey has been arrested on child porn charges, authorities said. Jay J. Howe of Bordentown Township was charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Bordentown Township Police Chief Brian Pesce. Howe, who is a member of a volunteer fire department in Bordentown City, was arrested on Wednesday, Feb. 9  Howe was taken into custody at his residence after a warranted search, the prosecutor said. Electronic devices seized during the search will be examined by…
Pennsylvania Pimp Sentenced For Sex Trafficking Of Drugged Women In NJ Motels: Prosecutor Pennsylvania Pimp Sentenced For Sex Trafficking Of Drugged Women In NJ Motels: Prosecutor
Pennsylvania Pimp Sentenced For Sex Trafficking Of Drugged Women In NJ Motels: Prosecutor A 49-year-old man from Pennsylvania has been sentenced to 10 years in New Jersey state prison for human trafficking and failing to register as a sex offender, authorities said. Michael Tedesco, of Reading, admitted transporting women to motels in South Jersey to engage in paid sexual encounters that he arranged and then keeping a portion of what they earned for himself, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina. Tedesco pleaded guilty in December to first-degree human trafficking as well as third-degree failure to register as a sex offender for an unrelated offense, Coffina sa…
Out-Of-State Driver Busted With $3M Worth Of Cocaine At Motel Off Route 46, Authorities Charge Out-Of-State Driver Busted With $3M Worth Of Cocaine At Motel Off Route 46, Authorities Charge
Out-Of-State Driver Busted With $3M Worth Of Cocaine At Motel Off Route 46, Authorities Charge An out-of-state driver was caught transporting 132 pounds of cocaine at a motel off Route 46, Bergen County authorities said. Juan Carlos Nunez-Perez, 27, of Bozeman, Montana had the 60 kilos of coke – worth an estimated $3 million on the street – in his vehicle at the Capri Inn on Valley Road off Bergen Turnpike, they said. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said detectives with his Narcotics Task Force found the drugs during a warranted search on Tuesday. They were assisted by the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (Newark), Little Ferry police and the Bergen County Regional SWAT T…
Predators, Pedophiles And Perverts: Horror Stories Abound In NJ Online Child-Sex Abuse Roundup Predators, Pedophiles And Perverts: Horror Stories Abound In NJ Online Child-Sex Abuse Roundup
Predators, Pedophiles And Perverts: Horror Stories Abound In NJ Online Child-Sex Abuse Roundup A mail carrier, a train conductor and a retired corrections officer are among 31 men charged amid a massive roundup that produced some horrifying stories about online child sex abuse in the age of COVID, New Jersey authorities announced Wednesday. One of them offered money and other prizes through a social media “game” that he created to convince underage girls to send him nude photos, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. Another got victims between 7 and 15 years old to send him sexual photos, then pressured them to send more by threatening to share those he had online, he said. …
Grand Jury Indicts Convicted Rapist Accused Of Riding Bus 1,450 Miles To AC Motel For Kid Sex Grand Jury Indicts Convicted Rapist Accused Of Riding Bus 1,450 Miles To AC Motel For Kid Sex
Grand Jury Indicts Convicted Rapist Accused Of Riding Bus 1,450 Miles To AC Motel For Kid Sex A convicted rapist took a bus from Oklahoma to Atlantic City to meet two men he thought were bringing their pre-teen daughters for sex, an indictment returned by a state grand jury says. The “dads” turned out to be undercover members of the New Jersey State Police and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations. Aaron D. Craiger, 34, of Oklahoma City originally was arrested in March 2020 after he checked into a motel with condoms and pot that he wanted to smoke with the “girls,” ages 11 and 12, the indictment returned Friday in Trenton says. He has remained in custody since then. SEE: Oklahoma …
Union County Man Caught With More Than 7,000 Child Porn Files Gets 7+ Years In Fed Pen Union County Man Caught With More Than 7,000 Child Porn Files Gets 7+ Years In Fed Pen
Union County Man Caught With More Than 7,000 Child Porn Files Gets 7+ Years In Fed Pen A Union County man found with more than 1,000 videos and 6,000 or so images of child pornography was sentenced Wednesday in Newark to more than seven years in federal prison. Nicholas Pecil, 33, of Rahway, "used a peer-to-peer file-sharing program to download and share videos and images of child sexual abuse," U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Special agents with the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations found the more than 7,000 images during a warranted search of his home in May 2017, Carpenito said.Pecil took a plea deal rather than going to trial, admitting that he made the files…
Prosecutor: NJ Catholic Church Deacon, 70, Caught With Child Pornography Prosecutor: NJ Catholic Church Deacon, 70, Caught With Child Pornography
Prosecutor: NJ Catholic Church Deacon, 70, Caught With Child Pornography A 70-year-old church deacon from Ocean County has been arrested for possessing child pornography, authorities said. The man served as deacon of St. John's Roman Catholic Church in Lakehurst, they said. Anthony Laterza of Berkeley Township has been charged with three counts of possession of child pornography, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. An investigation was initiated by a referral from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, through the New Jersey State Police, which identified a suspect from Berkeley Township downloadi…
California Man Gets 7 Years For Flying To NJ For Sex With 11-Year-Old Girl California Man Gets 7 Years For Flying To NJ For Sex With 11-Year-Old Girl
California Man Gets 7 Years For Flying To NJ For Sex With 11-Year-Old Girl A California man was sentenced to seven years in state prison Friday for traveling to Elizabeth for what he believed was sex with an 11-year-old girl. Ian Brewer, 25, of Pomona, began exchanging emails last December with a man whom he believed was offering him the opportunity but was really an undercover New Jersey State Police detective, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. The detective claimed that he and his girlfriend were part of a group that met regularly to have sex with the child, Grewal said. Brewer agreed to pay $500 for a weekend of oral sex from the girl, the att…
Prosecutor: Carlstadt Silencer Smuggler Had Guns, Ammo, Bullet-Proof Vests, More Prosecutor: Carlstadt Silencer Smuggler Had Guns, Ammo, Bullet-Proof Vests, More
Prosecutor: Carlstadt Silencer Smuggler Had Guns, Ammo, Bullet-Proof Vests, More An ironworker caught smuggling silencers from China had an arsenal of guns, high-capacity magazines and police-issued bulletproof vests in his Carlstadt home, authorities said. Matthew Moran, 48, was released by a judge following his arrest on charges of possessing prohibited weapons and devices – namely: silencers. Matthew Moran, 48, was “identified as a person of interest in receiving shipments of suppressors, also called silencers, meant to reduce the sound and muzzle flash generated from a gunshot,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Saturday. Moran was targeted during a joint…
Convicted Essex Pervert Gets 5-Year State Prison Minimum For Trafficking Child Rape Images Convicted Essex Pervert Gets 5-Year State Prison Minimum For Trafficking Child Rape Images
Convicted Essex Pervert Gets 5-Year State Prison Minimum For Trafficking Child Rape Images A Belleville convict must spend at least five years in state prison for trafficking a child rape video and similar pornography. Luis Felipe Pacheco-Loja, 33, was among 79 defendants nabbed in “Operation Safety Net,” a multi-agency child protection sweep led by State Police. Jurors earlier this year convicted him of distributing, storing, maintaining and possessing the images. Superior Court Judge Siobhan A. Teare sentenced Pacheco-Loja in Newark to six years in state prison, five years of which he must serve before becoming eligible for parole. He also must register as a sex offender under…
California Man Caught In Sting Admits Traveling To NJ To Have Sex With 11-Year-Old Girl California Man Caught In Sting Admits Traveling To NJ To Have Sex With 11-Year-Old Girl
California Man Caught In Sting Admits Traveling To NJ To Have Sex With 11-Year-Old Girl A California man will be sentenced to seven years in state prison after admitting Thursday that he traveled to Elizabeth for what he believed was sex with an 11-year-old girl. The “father” who arranged the scenario was actually an undercover New Jersey State Police detective, authorities said. Ian Brewer, 25, of Pomona, began exchanging emails with the undercover detective in December 2019, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. “The undercover detective said that for a fee, Brewer could sexually assault the 11-year-old daughter of his girlfriend,” Grewal said. The detective claime…
Seven Reputed Gang Members Nabbed By Passaic Police With Guns, Knives, Mayor Says Seven Reputed Gang Members Nabbed By Passaic Police With Guns, Knives, Mayor Says
Seven Reputed Gang Members Nabbed By Passaic Police With Guns, Knives, Mayor Says Passaic police investigating a stabbing robbery outside a local club busted seven purported gang members, seizing several weapons, authorities said. The group chased two men after an incident outside the Third Street club on Feb. 22, Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. One was stabbed in the abdomen and robbed before going to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in a private vehicle, the mayor said. The other victim escaped, he said. Passaic detectives identified seven people, then conducted a raid on Friday, Lora said. Arrested were ex-con Antonio Gomez-Mendez, 25, of Market Street, w…
Two Sentenced In Jersey Shore Child Sex Sting Two Sentenced In Jersey Shore Child Sex Sting
Two Sentenced In Jersey Shore Child Sex Sting Two Ocean County men were sentenced to plea-bargained state prison terms for planning sexual encounters with underage teens who were actually police, authorities said. Volvi Lowinger and Brian Degnan were among 24 men nabbed in a "To Catch a Predator"-type sting dubbed “Operation Open House.” Lowinger, a 25-year-old student from Lakewood who worked at a dry cleaning business, was sentenced last Friday to four years in state prison by a Superior Court judge in Toms River after previously pleaded guilty to luring. Degnan, a 34-year-old data entry clerk from Toms River, was sentenced Tuesday …
ID Theft: $400,000 Stolen From Hillsdale Retiree, Out-Of-State Duo Charged ID Theft: $400,000 Stolen From Hillsdale Retiree, Out-Of-State Duo Charged
ID Theft: $400,000 Stolen From Hillsdale Retiree, Out-Of-State Duo Charged Two members of an interstate identity theft ring – one of them a 79-year-old old woman who lives in North Carolina -- helped steal $400,000 from a Hillsdale retiree, authorities said. Richard C. Okorie, 42, of Missouri City, TX, and Barbara Lynn Alexander of Graham, NC, were arrested following an investigation by borough police investigated, with support from the Bergen County prosecutor’s Financial Crimes Unit and several other agencies in three states, Hillsdale Police Chief Robert Francaviglia said. Some of the money stolen from the victim’s company-sponsored retirement account was recov…
Repeat Westwood Sex Offender, 71, Gets 6 Years For Trafficking Child Porn Repeat Westwood Sex Offender, 71, Gets 6 Years For Trafficking Child Porn
Repeat Westwood Sex Offender, 71, Gets 6 Years For Trafficking Child Porn A 71-year-old freelance photographer from Westwood was sentenced to six years in state prison Friday following his second conviction for trafficking child pornography. James R. Agin admitted in February that he distributed videos and images of child pornography online using a file-sharing program.  Agin pleaded guilty to similar charges 12 years ago and received probation. This time, he was arrested during “Operation Safety Net,” a multi-agency child protection operation led by the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force -- the same group responsibl…
'Operation Home Alone': 16 Nabbed, Including Ridgewood Officer, Trying To Meet Kids For Sex 'Operation Home Alone': 16 Nabbed, Including Ridgewood Officer, Trying To Meet Kids For Sex
'Operation Home Alone': 16 Nabbed, Including Ridgewood Officer, Trying To Meet Kids For Sex A Ridgewood police officer who is accused of arranging a meeting for sex with what he thought was a 15-year-old girl was one of 16 men who were nabbed in a similar undercover sting by state and local authorities, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced Wednesday. Others include a barbershop owner from Passaic, a food delivery driver from Fairview, a supermarket employee/deejay from Hawthorne and two Garfield men – one of them a rideshare company driver and another a convicted sex offender awaiting sentencing on child porn possession charges. All thought they were communicatin…
6,000-Image Shared Child Porn Collection Gets Postal Worker 2½-Year Minimum Prison Term 6,000-Image Shared Child Porn Collection Gets Postal Worker 2½-Year Minimum Prison Term
6,000-Image Shared Child Porn Collection Gets Postal Worker 2½-Year Minimum Prison Term A 64-year-old postal worker who gathered more than 6,000 videos and photos of child pornography that he was sharing with others must spend the next 2½ in state prison before he’s eligible for parole. Kevin M. Groeger, 64, of Carteret, was sentenced Friday to five years behind bars. He also must register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will be subject to lifetime parole supervision, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. Groeger was among 79 men seized statewide during “Operation Safety Net,” a multi-agency child protection operation led by the New Jersey Regional Internet Cri…