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44°
Thursday, nov 14
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New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice
Police & Fire
Two NJ Senior COs Charged With Sexually Assaulting Female Teen Inmate, AG Says
Two New Jersey corrections officers were accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a teen at a juvenile detention center, authorities said. Senior corrections officers William Young, 35, of Marlton, and Gary Nieves, 53, of Burlington City, were arrested and charged, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said at a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 29. The officers were accused of assaulting the 18-year-old while assigned to the Juvenile Female Secure Care and Intake Facility in Bordentown. "I stand before you as the chief law enforcement of the state and the head of the Depar…
Police & Fire
Feds: Nine Sex, Money, Murder Members Nabbed With Fentanyl, Coke, More At Open-Air Drug Market
Nine reputed members and associates of the Sex, Money, Murder street gang were charged by Homeland Security agents in New Jersey with peddling fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine at an open-air drug market. Working with local law enforcers, agents with HSI Investigations Newark homed in on a neighborhood on West 3rd Street in Plainfield where the subset of the Bloods controlled the drug trade, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. For months, they witnessed and recorded sales, conducted undercover buys -- some by confidential informants -- and analyzed phone records, the U.S. attorney said. …
Police & Fire
Gotcha
! Federal, State Team Seize Local Man, 24, In Rutgers Islamic Center Vandalism
UPDATE: An elite law enforcement team captured a 24-year-old local man on Monday who authorities said broke in and trashed the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University in New Brunswick earlier this month. Jacob Beacher was due for an initial afternoon appearance on federal hate crime charges in U.S. District Court in Newark on April 22. Beacher broke into the CILRU shortly after 2:30 a.m. April 10 and did an estimated $40,000 worth of damage, state and federal authorities said. It was during the Eid-al-Fitr -- the Islamic holiday commemorating the end of sunrise-to-dusk fasting during…
Police & Fire
Ex-NJ Corrections Officer's Crypto Scam Targeted Police, Firefighters, EMTs: Authorities
A retired New Jersey corrections lieutenant preyed on his peers with a cryptocurrency scheme that cost participating police, firefighters, EMTs, and other first responders more than $620,000, state and federal authorities said. John DeSalvo, 47, of Linwood, also pulled a $100,000 investment scam that authorities said went to covering his credit card bills, day trading in cryptocurrencies and payments to a contractor who handled a luxury bathroom renovation for him. DeSalvo -- who worked for the New Jersey Department of Corrections for 13 years before retiring in 2010 -- created and promote…
Police & Fire
Ex-Con Charged In Shooting Of NJ State Police Detective In Paterson Has Deadly History
One of two defendants publicly identified for the first time in the shooting of a New Jersey State Police detective in Paterson earlier this year once deliberately gunned down a 16-year-old boy, records show. Tajshmer Johnson and Queenasia McFarlane, both 30, were named in a state grand jury indictment returned Tuesday, July 25, that charges Jocquise Timmons, 28, with the NJSP shooting in early March. Authorities said Timmons stepped out from behind a parked vehicle and opened fire on two State Police detectives -- wounding one of them -- near the corner of East 26th Street and 9th Avenue.…
Police & Fire
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…
News
Njsp
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Nypd
Recover 100 Handguns, 200 Mags Stolen From North Jersey Railyard, Nab Hudson Woman
A North Bergen storage unit rented by a Union City woman held 100 brand-new 9mm handguns and 200 large-capacity magazines that were stolen from a railyard in Hudson County on their way from the Northeast to the Deep South, authorities said. New Jersey State Police and the NYPD, assisted by federal agents, recovered the cache and arrested Claudine Kammo, 43, who they said was planning to sell the firearms and LCMs. The shipment had been stolen during the transfer from a tractor-trailer to a railroad car headed to a Louisiana wholesaler from a gun importer in Vermont, New Jersey Attorney Gene…
News
Mastermind Of 84 Brazen Burglaries In Nine NJ Counties, Rockland Gets Plea-Bargained 14 Years
UPDATE: A Teaneck ex-con was sentenced to 14 years in state prison for leading a band of brazen burglars who authorities said committed no fewer than 84 broad-daylight home break-ins throughout New Jersey and Rockland County. Keith Perry, 39, took a deal from prosecutors rather than risk the consequences of a trial, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said on Tuesday, March 14. Perry was among several people arrested in April 2021 for dozens of burglaries committed over the previous six months in nine New Jersey counties — Morris, Bergen, Essex, Somerset, Hunterdon, Union, Passai…
Police & Fire
Hudson County Heroin, Fentanyl Mill Takedown Nets 3 Arrests: State Police
More than 38 grams of heroin and fentanyl were seized in the takedown of a drug production facility in Hudson County and lower Bergen, authorities said. An investigation into Richard Stroman Jr., 38, of North Arlington, began last May when police were tipped off to a drug mill being run out of a West New York home, New Jersey State Police said. Stroman had been using a home in Union City to support the operation, police said. Jose Acosta, 37, of Hoboken, and Miguel Carrasco-Lara, 35, of Lyndhurst, were identified as members of the network, police said. On June 24, detectives executed …
News
Feds: 'Community Guns' Smuggled Into NJ Seized, Local Man, Georgia Woman Charged
A trio of “community guns” were brought into New Jersey by a Garden State man and a Georgia woman, a grand jury has charged. Most used in crimes in New Jersey are smuggled in from out of state, most often from the South, after being bought or stolen, authorities say. These include “community guns,” which two or more criminals stash somewhere – in a mailbox or a garbage can, under a rock or on the tire of a car, for instance -- for instant access and quick disposal by them and others. A grand jury indictment returned in Trenton charges Marquise Peterson, 28, of Trenton, and Quaneisha Frost-…
News
Dealer Who Produced Deadly Opioids In Basement Across From Paterson Mayor's Home Gets 10 Years
A dealer who produced lethal opioids in a fortified basement drug mill across the street from the mayor of Paterson's house was sentenced to 10 years in state prison, authorities said. Silk City police had seized 17,000 folds of heroin and fentanyl -- as well as packaging and distribution materials -- while arresting Rafael “Chiquito” Brito and his girlfriend, Rosanny Prado, during a March 2020 raid on their East 36th Street residence across from Mayor Andre Sayegh's home. The drugs were linked to at least 10 overdose deaths of both local and suburban buyers, authorities said at the time. …
Police & Fire
6 Thieves Targeted Luxury Cars, Led Police Pursuits Across NJ: AG Charges In Indictment
Six members of a luxury car theft ring that targeted dealerships and high-end cars worth hundreds of thousands of dollars are named in an indictment filed by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office. The defendants from Newark, East Orange and Blackwood arrested in "Operation Dealer No Deal" targeted dealerships in Essex, Hudson, Bergen, and Union and took key fobs to steal the luxury vehicles off the lots, Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck today said. The defendants (listed below) were charged in connection with thefts of 22 vehicles valued at over $787,000 …
News
Westchester Delivery Driver Gets Four Years In Prison For Seeking Sex With Bergen 'Girl,' 14
A takeout food delivery driver from Westchester who was arrested when he showed up at a Bergen County home for sex with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl was sentenced Friday to four years in state prison. Jacob Smith, 28, used the name “LaidbackJay” to connect on the online app with what turned out to be an undercover detective posing as an underage girl. Smith ended up becoming one of seven men from New York State taken into custody after travelling to the house being used by local and state authorities in what was known as “Operation Home Alone.” Before showing up, Smith “expressed…
News
Feds: Imprisoned Paterson Dealer Admits Selling Heroin That Killed User From Warwick, NY
A twice-imprisoned drug dealer from Paterson admitted he sold the heroin that killed a user from Orange County, NY. Shameik "Homeboy" Byrd, 31, who’s currently serving a state prison sentence, told a federal judge via videoconference in Newark that the death of 25-year-old Kean Cabral of Warwick was caused by heroin from the batch of “Trap Queen” that he’d been selling. State authorities tried to prosecute Byrd and a couple who they said bought the drugs from him and sold some to Cabral in April 2016. They were over-ruled, however, by the New Jersey Supreme Court, which said they didn’t ha…
Police & Fire
Busted
: Newark Hotel Heroin Mill Linked To 15 New Jersey ODs, State Police Say
A 26-year-old Elizabeth man was arrested at a Newark hotel, where he had been running a mobile heroin mill linked to 15 suspected overdoses across New Jersey, authorities said Agents found Marlon Lopez operating a heroin mill out of a hotel on Routes 1 & 9 in Newark, in which he was able to quickly mobilize the entire operation from room-to-room and to different locations altogether, New Jersey State Police said in a news release. A search of the room turned up 145 bricks of heroin, 80 grams of raw heroin, 3 pounds of marijuana, narcotics packaging materials, and several diffe…
News
New Fraud Cases Name Relatives Of Imprisoned Father, Son Scammers From Mahwah, Saddle River
It seemed that state and federal prosecutors had thrown all they could at Bergen County’s George Bussanich and his son for a series of multi-million-dollar investment scams the past several years. But state authorities announced a new case Friday that also includes Bussanich's daughter and son-in-law as co-defendants. George Bussanich Sr., 62, of Park Ridge is already serving a 27-month federal prison stretch in Allenwood, PA for defrauding mortgage lenders and is due for release in 10 months. His son, George Bussanich Jr., 41, of Saddle River is up for parole this November from an eight-y…
News
South Jersey Man Gets 5 Years In State Prison Child Porn Trafficking
A South Jersey man was sentenced to a plea-bargained five years in state prison for trafficking child porn. Detectives monitoring a peer-to-peer file-sharing network popular with sex offenders found files shared by Robert N. Mahmud, 51, of Carneys Point, authorities said. Detectives from the state Division of Criminal Justice then raided Mahmud’s home in June 2018, assisted by members of the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office and Carneys Point police, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said Monday. They seized a thumb drive and external hard drives that held 250 images of children being…
Police & Fire
Crime Fighters Smash Paterson Opioid Mill, Seize 17,000 Folds Linked To 10 Deaths
Authorities raided a Paterson opioid mill, seizing 17,000 folds of packaged heroin and fentanyl linked to 10 deaths of both local and suburban buyers. State authorities and Paterson police arrested Rafael “Chiquito” Brito, 33, and his girlfriend, Rosanny Prado, 38, in the raid on the East 36th Street basement operation, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. The home was equipped with outdoor surveillance cameras connected to two video monitors set up over tables where the drugs were processed, he said. Detectives seized rubber stamps used to ink brand names on the wax folds, some of whi…
Police & Fire
Middlesex Child Molester Gets 5 Years For Trying To Hook Up With ‘Boy,’ 14
A convicted child molester from Middlesex County was sentenced to five years in state prison Friday for trying to lure a 14-year-old “boy” – actually an undercover detective -- to a local park for sex. Harold Gordner, 42, of Highland Park, admitted last September that he had sexually explicit chats and sent naked photos of himself, along with links to porn videos, to what turned out to be a New Jersey State Police investigator trolling social media for predators. Gordner, who already was registered as a Megan’s Law sex offender, “asked several times whether he could send a car service to pi…
Police & Fire
Newark Man Who Illegally Dumped Piles Under Three NJ Highways Gets Probation, Community Service
A Newark man was sentenced to probation and 300 hours of community service Monday for illegally dumping construction material, medical waste, lead paint and other items from his rubbish removal business beneath a trio of highways. Superior Court Judge Mayra V. Tarantino declined the state Attorney General’s Office request that Abdullah S. Bryant, 41, spend 364 days in the county jail for his guilty plea to criminal mischief and opted for three years of probation and the community service. Bryant -- who did business under various names, including International Rubbish Removal – admitted last…
Police & Fire
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 …
Police & Fire
Father-Son Investment Scammers From Bergen Get State Prison Time Tacked Onto Federal Sentences
Having been sentenced to federal time, two members of a Bergen County family of con artists received state prison terms Friday in Hackensack for defrauding investors in back-to-back multi-million dollar scams. George Bussanich Sr., 61, of Park Ridge, was sentenced to 10 years in state prison, while George Bussanich Jr., 40, of Saddle River, was sentenced to eight years in state prison. Bussanich Sr.’s wife, Wilma Bussanich, 58, was sentenced Friday to five years of probation and 125 hours of community service for a previous guilty plea to money laundering. Last March, George Bussanich Sr. …
Police & Fire
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…
Police & Fire
Priest Admits Sexually Abusing Girl, First Conviction For NJ Clergy Abuse Task Force
A massive investigation by New Jersey authorities into the sexual abuse of young boys by Roman Catholic priests has produced its first conviction -- by a priest who admitted abusing a young girl. Fr. Thomas P. Ganley, 63, of Phillipsburg admitted abusing the girl from 1990 through 1994, -- from when she was 14 until she was 17 -- while he was a priest at St. Cecelia Church in the Iselin section of Woodbridge. The charges were the first brought by the New Jersey Clergy Abuse Task Force, which state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal created last September to investigate allegations …
Police & Fire
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…
Police & Fire
'Super Possessor’ Gets 3-Year Minimum Prison Deal For Having 200,000 Child Porn Images
A “super possessor” caught with more than 200,000 child porn images by a task force of county prosecutor’s investigators, federal agents and state authorities will spend at least three years in prison as part of a six-year plea deal. MD Farid Uddin, 44, of Elizabeth, pleaded guilty Monday to distributing pornographic videos and photos of children as part of the agreement with state authorities. “Super possessors of child pornography like Uddin who distribute these materials on the internet generate increased demand for this filth and directly drive the sexual abuse of young children,” state…
Police & Fire
Haworth Police Treating 'Cabbage Night' Shaving Cream Swastikas As Bias Incident
UPDATE: Haworth police said they found no evidence that anyone was targeted by five swastikas drawn in shaving cream on a borough street during last week's "Cabbage Night." They nonetheless were treating the Halloween-morning discovery as a bias incident. "We wholeheartedly and completely condemn any symbol of hate," Sgt. Justin Fox said Monday. "An investigation is continuing to determine who was responsible." Following law enforcement guidelines, borough police also alerted the state Division of Criminal Justice, the State Police and the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. The first …
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