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NJ-Based TD Bank Fined $3B For Allowing Drug Dealers, Human Traffickers To Launder Money: Feds NJ-Based TD Bank Fined $3B For Allowing Drug Dealers, Human Traffickers To Launder Money: Feds
Nj-based TD Bank Fined $3B For Allowing Drug Dealers, Human Traffickers To Launder Money: Feds TD Bank has agreed to pay about $3 billion in historic penalties after its relaxed policies allowed criminals to launder their money, authorities said. The Canadian bank with U.S. headquarters in Cherry Hill pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to not maintain an anti-money laundering program that complies with the Bank Secrecy Act, filing inaccurate currency transaction reports, and laundering money, the Justice Department said in a news release on Thursday, Oct. 10. TD Bank will pay more than $1.8 billion to resolve the DOJ's investigation and $1.3 billion in a penalty f…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Fugitive Sought In Jersey City Mom's Murder Arrested In Colombia: Prosecutor Fugitive Sought In Jersey City Mom's Murder Arrested In Colombia: Prosecutor
Fugitive Sought In Jersey City Mom's Murder Arrested In Colombia: Prosecutor A 28-year-old Jersey City man was extradited from Colombia to the United States on Wednesday, Sept. 11, and charged with murdering a woman in Kearny in 2023, authorities said. Leiner Miranda Lopez had previously been charged with killing Luz Hernandez, a 33-year-old Jersey City mom in February 2023, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Hernandez's body was discovered in a shallow grave in the area of Central Avenue and Third Street in Kearny, Suarez said. The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office determined her death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head and compressions to the …

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Former West New York Police Officer Johnny Lara Dies, 53 Former West New York Police Officer Johnny Lara Dies, 53
Former West New York Police Officer Johnny Lara Dies, 53 Johnny A. Lara, a former West New York resident and police officer, died on Wednesday, Sept. 4. He was 53 years old. Lara was born in Colombia and grew up in West New York, having served as a police officer before retiring and moving to Houston TX, according to his obituary on the Barquin Funeral Home website. He is survived by his wife, Cindy Valderramos Lara; their children Brandon, Bella and Jeremy Lara; his mother Emma J. Lara; and his siblings, Rosario Crabtree, Jimmy and Sammy Lara. Lara was preceded in death by his father, Marcelino and his brother Henry Lara. Servic…

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by Cecilia Levine
Lifestyle
Love At First Bloom: Mom's Alzheimer's Gives Life New Meaning For Clifton Flower Truck Owner Love At First Bloom: Mom's Alzheimer's Gives Life New Meaning For Clifton Flower Truck Owner
Love At First Bloom: Mom's Alzheimer's Gives Life New Meaning For Clifton Flower Truck Owner Vanessa Vargas says the point of having flowers is to enjoy them while they are still alive. It's a lesson that the Clifton business owner learned from her own mother, Rosie Vargas, 66, a longtime gardener living with the final stage of Alzheimer's Disease. It's a lesson she's applied to her own life. "Flowers are about embracing the beauty of the moment," Vanessa Vargas said. "When my mom was okay, I took it for granted. I never thought she'd have Alzheimer's. I should've lived in the moment, and the same goes for flowers." Vargas is the owner of Love at First Bloom, a mobile flower busi…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
JUSTICE DELAYED: Accused Killer Of Bayonne Mom Finally Extradited To US To Face Murder Charges JUSTICE DELAYED: Accused Killer Of Bayonne Mom Finally Extradited To US To Face Murder Charges
Justice Delayed: Accused Killer Of Bayonne Mom Finally Extradited To US To Face Murder Charges A fugitive wanted for the brutal slaying of a Bayonne mom studying to be a nurse 3½ years ago has finally been extradited to the United States to face murder charges. Erick Acosta, 35, fled to Colombia after beating 40-year-old Crystal Ojeda to death with an object that local authorities have yet to identify in a public housing project on Lord Avenue near the Kill Van Kull. It was shortly before 1 p.m. Oct. 9, 2020 that city police responding to a request for a welfare check found the brutally beaten Ojeda. The mother of two, formerly of Jersey City, had been struck in the head and on her …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
Childhood Dreams Come True: Watch NJ 20-Something Siblings On 'Amazing Race' Childhood Dreams Come True: Watch NJ 20-Something Siblings On 'Amazing Race'
Childhood Dreams Come True: Watch NJ 20-Something Siblings On 'Amazing Race' A pair of New Jersey siblings will be competing on the latest season of "The Amazing Race" on CBS. Maya Mody, 20, and Rohan Mody, 23, both students from Monmouth Junction, will be participating the in 36th race around the sun, premiering Wednesday, March 13. "This was a dream we both have shared since we were kids and still cannot believe that we get to call ourselves racers," the siblings said on Instagram. Maya is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh, where she made Dean's List last fall. Rohan graduated Magna Cum Laude from George Washington University with his bachelor's in neurosc…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
El Chapo Sons, Dubbed ‘Pioneers' Of Fentanyl Epidemic, Charged In Massive Sinaloa Cartel Case El Chapo Sons, Dubbed ‘Pioneers' Of Fentanyl Epidemic, Charged In Massive Sinaloa Cartel Case
El Chapo Sons, Dubbed ‘Pioneers' Of Fentanyl Epidemic, Charged In Massive Sinaloa Cartel Case Four sons of notorious druglord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman are among more than two dozen members of Mexico's reigning Sinaloa cartel charged in a massive fentanyl-trafficking offensive announced by federal officials on Friday. The infamous quartet known as the Chapitos – each of whom had $5 million U.S. bounties placed on their heads – were dubbed “the pioneers” of fentanyl’s introduction to American users by DEA Administrator Anne Milgram during an April 14 news conference in Washington, D.C. “Death and destruction are central to their whole operation,” said Milgram, a former New Jersey a…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Ecuadorian National Pleads Guilty To Brutal Stabbing Death Of Popular Bergen County Chef Ecuadorian National Pleads Guilty To Brutal Stabbing Death Of Popular Bergen County Chef
Ecuadorian National Pleads Guilty To Brutal Stabbing Death Of Popular Bergen County Chef A Jersey City man who brutally stabbed a well-known chef to death during a party at the victim’s Little Ferry home cut a deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter in exchange for a lesser sentence. Ray Edwardo Arcentales Sanchez, 24, could still get a minimum sentence of 10 years in state prison for the plea, entered in Superior Court in Hackensack earlier this week. Then there’s the matter of his citizenship. Police at the time said the Ecuadorian national was sitting on a curb, spattered with blood, when officers responding to a 911 call found a mortally wounded …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Fugitive Who Sexually Assaulted Sisters In 2014 Extradited To Bergen: Prosecutor Fugitive Who Sexually Assaulted Sisters In 2014 Extradited To Bergen: Prosecutor
Fugitive Who Sexually Assaulted Sisters In 2014 Extradited To Bergen: Prosecutor A fugitive charged with sexually assaulting sisters nine years ago has been extradited to Bergen County after fleeing to Colombia, authorities said. County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest and extradition of Jesus Restrepo, 37, of Englewood on aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, and child endangerment charges. In September 2014, an investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Englewood Police Department revealed that Restrepo sexually assaulted 12- and 13-year-old girls multiple times in Englewood, Musella said. Restrepo was charged with multiple s…

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by Jon Craig
News
Heavy Luggage: Ringleader Gets 10 Years For Smuggling 330 Pounds Of Coke Into Teterboro Airport Heavy Luggage: Ringleader Gets 10 Years For Smuggling 330 Pounds Of Coke Into Teterboro Airport
Heavy Luggage: Ringleader Gets 10 Years For Smuggling 330 Pounds Of Coke Into Teterboro Airport A Puerto Rican resident who coordinated a private shipment of more than 300 pounds of cocaine into Teterboro Airport is headed to federal prison for a mandatory 10 years. Mariano Enrique Arroyo Perez – also known as “Humilde” – took a deal from the government rather than risk a trial. He’ll have to serve out the entire plea-bargained term because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. The scheme involved smuggling more than a quarter-ton of cocaine into the United States on private planes flying into the small local airport in Bergen County from 2017 through July 2019, U.S. Attorne…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Passaic County Man Admits Laundering More Than $2.8 Million For International Drug Cartels Passaic County Man Admits Laundering More Than $2.8 Million For International Drug Cartels
Passaic County Man Admits Laundering More Than $2.8 Million For International Drug Cartels UPDATE: A Passaic County man admitted laundering more than $2.8 million in drug cash for international cartels operating in New Jersey and New York, authorities announced. Enmanuel Nunez-Reyes, 29, of Paterson became the fifth of six county residents charged in the case to take a deal from the government rather than face trial. Nunez-Reyes told a federal judge in Newark via videoconference that he accepted more than $2.8 million in cash and bought more than 100 cashier’s checks at local bank branches in New Jersey and elsewhere, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. It was all "part of …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Business
Old Friends Bring New Taqueria To Bergen County Old Friends Bring New Taqueria To Bergen County
Old Friends Bring New Taqueria To Bergen County A Colombian chef and her former colleague have opened a taqueria in Bergen County. Aura Montoya and Gregory Michelson came up with the idea for their taqueria just before the COVID-19 pandemic.  They continued coming up with recipes during the lockdown, but as soon as they had the green light, they set off to Mexico to get an idea of what they wanted El Taco Bar to be. All they knew is that they wanted their Closter shop to be authentic. View this post on Instagram A post shared by el Taco Bar (@el_tacobar) "We wanted to make Mexican stree…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Feds: Smuggler Who Imported Ton Of Cocaine Into US Gets 15 Years Without Parole Feds: Smuggler Who Imported Ton Of Cocaine Into US Gets 15 Years Without Parole
Feds: Smuggler Who Imported Ton Of Cocaine Into US Gets 15 Years Without Parole A man who authorities said imported almost a ton of cocaine into the United States from Venezuela, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic was sentenced in federal court in Newark to a plea-bargained federal prison term of nearly 15 years, authorities said. Edwin “Tortuga” Nieves-Rosado, a 56-year-old U.S. citizen who was living in the Dominican Republic, must serve just about all of the sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Nieves-Rosado "played a managerial role" in conspiring to smuggle the cocaine from with at least five other people from 2016 through January, 20…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Man Admits Role In NJ/NY Network That Laundered $27M For International Drug Cartels Man Admits Role In NJ/NY Network That Laundered $27M For International Drug Cartels
Man Admits Role In NJ/NY Network That Laundered $27M For International Drug Cartels The takedown of a New Jersey and New York network that laundered more than $27 million for Central and South American drug cartels has produced another guilty plea, federal authorities announced. Gilberto Martinez, 33, formerly of Clifton, "cleaned" more than $1 million himself, both by buying and directing others to buy cashier's checks using drug money, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Morristown police helped the DEA and IRS crack the case, in which more than 1,000 cashier’s checks were bought, he said. The buyers typically were paid a fee of $150 to $200 for each check…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
GOTCHA! Teaneck Fugitive Accused Of Running Sex Trafficking Ring Captured At Newark Airport GOTCHA! Teaneck Fugitive Accused Of Running Sex Trafficking Ring Captured At Newark Airport
Gotcha! Teaneck Fugitive Accused Of Running Sex Trafficking Ring Captured At Newark Airport A fugitive from Bergen County wanted for running a massive sex-trafficking ring in North Jersey, Rockland and New York City was captured trying to re-enter the United States from Colombia, authorities confirmed. Birmania “Nancy” Rincon, 62, a Colombian national living in Teaneck, was among the ringleaders of a crew that forced dozens of women into prostitution, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. She was in the wind, however, when authorities seized 21 defendants during a series of early-morning raids at 19 homes and other locations in Bergen and Hudson counties exactly two weeks ag…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Paterson Man Admits Laundering $1.94 Million For Drug Cartels Paterson Man Admits Laundering $1.94 Million For Drug Cartels
Paterson Man Admits Laundering $1.94 Million For Drug Cartels A Paterson man admitted in federal court on Friday that he laundered nearly $2 million for Central and South American drug cartels operating in New Jersey and New York, authorities said. Julio De La Cruz Acosta, 42, accepted the cash to buy 67 cashier’s checks at banks in and around New Jersey and elsewhere, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. He was one of a half-dozen residents from the area accused of laundering more than $27 million for the cartels, Sellinger said. Morristown police helped the DEA and IRS crack the case, in which the defendants and other conspirators converted cash…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
'Heavy Luggage' Bust: Puerto Rican Man Admits Plot To Smuggle 330 Pounds Of Coke Into Teterboro 'Heavy Luggage' Bust: Puerto Rican Man Admits Plot To Smuggle 330 Pounds Of Coke Into Teterboro
'Heavy Luggage' Bust: Puerto Rican Man Admits Plot To Smuggle 330 Pounds Of Coke Into Teterboro A Puerto Rican resident admitted coordinating a private shipment of more than 300 pounds of cocaine into Teterboro Airport, federal authorities said. Mariano Enrique Arroyo Perez, 29, took a deal from the government rather than risk a trial, pleading guilty Tuesday in federal court in Newark to conspiring to distribute five or more kilos of coke, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. The conspiracy unraveled after four men not on the manifest boarded a private Teterboro-bound plane in Puerto Rico with "particularly heavy" luggage, raising the pilots' suspicions, Honig said. Investiga…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Jersey City Man Accused In Child Sex Assault Nabbed In Colombia: Prosecutor Jersey City Man Accused In Child Sex Assault Nabbed In Colombia: Prosecutor
Jersey City Man Accused In Child Sex Assault Nabbed In Colombia: Prosecutor A Hudson County man wanted on child sex abuse charges was nabbed by members of the U.S Marshals Service in Colombia on Sunday, authorities said. Abel Ore-Guzman, 63, was taken to the U.S. and arrested at Newark International Airport on Tuesday on accusations he sexually assaulted a 7-year-old girl in Jersey City, according to Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez. The alleged assaults took place in late October while Ore-Guzman was renting a room from the victim's family, authorities said. He was charged with sexual assault by contact, endangering the welfare of a child, and att…

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by Nicole Acosta
News
ICE Puts Hold On Hudson Man Jailed In Brutal Stabbing Death Of Popular Bergen County Chef ICE Puts Hold On Hudson Man Jailed In Brutal Stabbing Death Of Popular Bergen County Chef
ICE Puts Hold On Hudson Man Jailed In Brutal Stabbing Death Of Popular Bergen County Chef UPDATE: Federal authorities have placed an immigration detainer on a 22-year-old Jersey City man accused of brutally stabbing a well-known chef to death during a party at the victim’s Little Ferry home. ICE issued the detainer amid questions over the immigration status of Ray Edwardo Arcentales Sanchez, who is listed in Bergen County Jail records as an Ecuadoran national. Sanchez was sitting on a curb, spattered with blood, when police responding to a 911 call before dawn Thursday found a mortally wounded Yuryin Herrera, 36, on the backyard steps of his Abend Street home, responders said.…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Feds: Passaic County Duo Admits Laundering $4 Million For International Drug Cartels Feds: Passaic County Duo Admits Laundering $4 Million For International Drug Cartels
Feds: Passaic County Duo Admits Laundering $4 Million For International Drug Cartels Two Passaic County men admitted in federal court that they laundered nearly $4 million in drug cash for international cartels operating in New Jersey and New York, authorities announced. Erickson Checo-Almonte, 31 of Passaic, and Jordano Abreu-Diaz, 24 of Clifton, were among six defendants charged in the operation. Morristown police helped the DEA and IRS crack the case, in which those involved converted cash from drug sales in the two states to more than 1,000 cashier’s checks, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael Honig said. The checks were then sent to brokers “acting on behalf o…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Feds: Paterson Man Admits Laundering $2.5 Million For International Drug Cartels Feds: Paterson Man Admits Laundering $2.5 Million For International Drug Cartels
Feds: Paterson Man Admits Laundering $2.5 Million For International Drug Cartels A Paterson man admitted Tuesday that he laundered more than $2.5 million for Central and South American drug cartels operating in New Jersey and New York, federal authorities said. Willy Cruz-Bonilla, 24, was among six Passaic County residents charged in a massive network that converted nearly $27 million in ill-gotten gains to more than 1,000 checks sent to the Dominican Republic, Colombia and elsewhere, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael Honig said. The scheme was "designed to conceal the nature, source, ownership, and control of the illegal drug proceeds in order to avoid scrutiny by law enfor…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
AirBnB Activity Explains Hoboken Councilman's 'Troubling' Absence Amid Pandemic, Officials Say AirBnB Activity Explains Hoboken Councilman's 'Troubling' Absence Amid Pandemic, Officials Say
AirBnB Activity Explains Hoboken Councilman's 'Troubling' Absence Amid Pandemic, Officials Say Some Hoboken officials are calling for the resignation of First Ward Councilman Michael DeFusco in light of new information that he has apparently been traveling to COVID-19 hot spots and renting his city condo on AirBnB amid the pandemic. DeFusco's absence amid the COVID-19 pandemic raised many questions, but a quick look at his AirBnB activity explained why. According to an email from elected officials, DeFusco's AirBnB profile and media reports suggest he took 11 trips to including some hot-spot countries such as Colombia, Croatia and Belgium. Meanwhile, he rented out his own Hoboken ap…

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by Cecilia Levine
Lifestyle
Doctors On Netflix Show 'Lenox Hill' Rid NJ Grandmother, 89, Of Massive Head Tumor Doctors On Netflix Show 'Lenox Hill' Rid NJ Grandmother, 89, Of Massive Head Tumor
Doctors On Netflix Show 'Lenox Hill' Rid NJ Grandmother, 89, Of Massive Head Tumor For 25 years, Lorenza De La Villa of Teaneck barely noticed the small tumor in the back of her head. She found it in 1995, when she was 64 years old.  It was benign. It didn't hurt. It never grew. "She did what doctors told her to do," said one of De La Villa's 22 grandchildren, Michelle Tavares, of Weehawken. "She went for MRIs every year and saw a neurologist every six months. "Since it wasn't growing, causing pain or neurological impairment, doctors didn't have her do anything about it." For 25 years, that's the way things were. De La Villa's "little egg" rarely crossed her …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Six Passaic County Residents Accused Of Laundering $27 Million For International Drug Cartels Six Passaic County Residents Accused Of Laundering $27 Million For International Drug Cartels
Six Passaic County Residents Accused Of Laundering $27 Million For International Drug Cartels Four Paterson residents and two from Passaic were caught laundering more than $27 million for Central and South American drug cartels operating in New Jersey and New York, federal authorities announced Wednesday. Morristown police helped the DEA and IRS crack the case, in which the defendants and other conspirators converted cash from drug sales in the two states to more than 1,000 cashier’s checks that were sent to brokers “acting on behalf of drug trafficking organizations with ties to the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and elsewhere,” U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. “The cashier’s che…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
Fundraiser Started On Behalf Of 26-Year-Old Nanny Killed In Maplewood Fundraiser Started On Behalf Of 26-Year-Old Nanny Killed In Maplewood
Fundraiser Started On Behalf Of 26-Year-Old Nanny Killed In Maplewood Au pairs in Maplewood and South Orange have launched a fundraiser for  Karen L. Bermudez-Rodriguez, who was killed in Maplewood Saturday morning along with a member of the family she worked for.  "Karen will be remembered as a very loving person with a big heart. She was always very humble and kind, and always willing to help those in need. She enjoyed being an au pair and was grateful to have such a lovely host family. She especially cherished her time with her host family’s daughters and loved them very much. Karen had pursued the au pair program to advance her English skills and…

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by Paul Milo
Police & Fire
Notorious Mexican Druglord ‘El Chapo’ Convicted In Brooklyn, Faces Life In Federal Prison Notorious Mexican Druglord ‘El Chapo’ Convicted In Brooklyn, Faces Life In Federal Prison
Notorious Mexican Druglord ‘El Chapo’ Convicted In Brooklyn, Faces Life In Federal Prison Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera, the most notorious drug lord in modern-day history, could be sent to prison for life after a jury in Brooklyn convicted him Tuesday of various charges. US District Judge Brian Cogan told the jurors they made him “very proud to be an American” after they found the boss of the murderous Sinaloa cartel guilty of all 10 counts against him – including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise – following 34 hours of deliberations over six days. Guzmán, whom Cogan scheduled for sentencing on June 25, collected nearly $14 billion during a reign that saw him esc…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Obituaries
Rutherford Mom Jenny Vivirito Remembered For Devotion To Family, Kindness Rutherford Mom Jenny Vivirito Remembered For Devotion To Family, Kindness
Rutherford Mom Jenny Vivirito Remembered For Devotion To Family, Kindness Jenny Vivirito Cañon of Rutherford died on Dec. 31 following a long illness. She was 46 years old. Jenny is remembered in her obituary as a kind and loving person devoted to family. "She had a serene demeanor but a determined resolve," the obit says. "She enjoyed watching soccer games, especially when her home country of Colombia was playing. She was always stylish and loved music -- nothing could keep Jenny from dancing.  "She found strength in her collection of angels and her faith." Jenny is survived by her husband, Peter Vivirito; children, Carol Reilly (Frank), Lauren …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Feds Snatch Garfield Lawyer Charged With Swiping $100,000 From Client Feds Snatch Garfield Lawyer Charged With Swiping $100,000 From Client
Feds Snatch Garfield Lawyer Charged With Swiping $100,000 From Client A Garfield lawyer who authorities said pocketed $100,000 from a client was seized by federal agents at JFK Airport as he got off a flight from Colombia, authorities said. Then he smiled for his mugshot. Alfredo Ramos, 38, was extradited to New Jersey, booked into the Bergen County Jail on Friday and then ordered released by a judge the next day on charges of misapplication of entrusted property, records show. The self-employed, 6-foot, 300-pound Ramos “received the funds into his attorney trust account but, instead of forwarding them to the client, used them for his own purposes, Acting Ber…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
VIDEO: Noches De Colombia Erupts In Euphoric World Cup Celebration VIDEO: Noches De Colombia Erupts In Euphoric World Cup Celebration
Video: Noches De Colombia Erupts In Euphoric World Cup Celebration Hackensack's Noches de Colombia erupted in a joyous celebration Thursday as Colombia beat Senegal, advancing to the next round of the World Cup. The Main Street restaurant was packed wall-to-wall with patrons who exploded every so often as their team got closer to a goal. In the 74th minute, it finally came bringing the final score to 1-0. "It's a big deal for us," said Noches' manager Alejandro Munez, 28. "We put a lot of time in soccer. It's a passion we have. It's the only thing that represents us here." The restaurant was nearly twice as packed Sunday, when Colombi…

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by Cecilia Levine