Tag:

Fraud

Gas Attendant Stole Thousands From Customers At Central Jersey Wawa: Prosecutors Gas Attendant Stole Thousands From Customers At Central Jersey Wawa: Prosecutors
Gas Attendant Stole Thousands From Customers At Central Jersey Wawa: Prosecutors A former Monmouth County gas station attendant was accused of stealing thousands of dollars from customers, authorities said. Patrick Brown, 48, of Newark, was indicted by a grand jury on 52 counts, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced in a news release on Wednesday, Apr. 24. He was charged with 13 counts each of third-degree credit card fraud, third-degree false uttering, third-degree theft, and fourth-degree credit card theft. Freehold Township police said the thefts at the Wawa on Route 9 North happened "during a limited amount of time" in August 2023. Bro…
SCAM ALERT: NJ Homeowner Loses $27,400 As Home Repair Con Men Prep For Spring SCAM ALERT: NJ Homeowner Loses $27,400 As Home Repair Con Men Prep For Spring
Scam ALERT: NJ Homeowner Loses $27,400 As Home Repair Con Men Prep For Spring A roof repair scam cost a Glen Rock resident $27,400, prompting the borough police chief to warn citizens against con men who come to the door. Two visiting scammers who claimed to be from Nassau County, on Long Island, offered to repair a partially damaged section of one victim’s roof for $3,400, Glen Rock Police Chief Dean Ackermann said. No sooner had they begun their work than they suddenly “discovered” that the damage was “more extensive than originally thought,” the chief said. They asked for an additional $24,000 and the resident subsequently wired them the money, he said. The…
GUILTY: ‘Bling Bishop’ From Bergen Convicted Of Swindling NJ Parishioner's Mom, More GUILTY: ‘Bling Bishop’ From Bergen Convicted Of Swindling NJ Parishioner's Mom, More
Guilty: ‘Bling Bishop’ From Bergen Convicted Of Swindling NJ Parishioner's Mom, More 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A flashy Brooklyn bishop who lives in Bergen County – and was infamously robbed at gunpoint during a live-streamed church service – was convicted in lower Manhattan of swindling the elderly mom of a parishioner out of her life savings, among other counts. Lamor Whitehead, 45, promised to put the $90,000 toward buying her a home, federal prosecutors told jurors in the Southern U.S. District of New York who found him guilty of all charges after only three hours of deliberations on Monday, March 11. Instead, the infamous "Bling Bishop" blew the money on BMW payments and luxury purchase…
Ex-BF Swindled Bergen County Realtor Out Of $71K: Lawsuit Ex-BF Swindled Bergen County Realtor Out Of $71K: Lawsuit
Ex-BF Swindled Bergen County Realtor Out Of $71K: Lawsuit Christina LaBarbiera remembers watching the hit Netflix show "Tinder Swindler" and thinking what happened to those women could never happen to her. Until it did, she says. The show follows a group of women who say they met a man on the popular dating app Tinder, who swindled them out of millions of dollars collectively. And they want justice. LaBarbiera, a 35-year-old realtor with Christie's International from Bergen County, says her story isn't all that different.  UPDATE: Robert Harris was lodged in the Bergen County Jail on Monday, March 18, records show. Last November, she …
Fugitive Hunted In 'Bling Bishop' Robbery Killed By US Marshals In NJ Hotel Shootout Fugitive Hunted In 'Bling Bishop' Robbery Killed By US Marshals In NJ Hotel Shootout
Fugitive Hunted In 'Bling Bishop' Robbery Killed By US Marshals In NJ Hotel Shootout 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦: A fugitive wanted for robbing a "bling" bishop from Bergen County during an online service was killed by U.S. Marshals Wednesday afternoon during a shootout at a Route 1 hotel, federal sources confirmed. Ex-con Shamar Leggette was the subject of a manhunt following the infamous 2022 gunpoint robbery of "Bling Bishop" Lamor Whitehead of Paramus during a live-streamed church service in Brooklyn. Leggette, 41, of Brooklyn, also shot a man in Providence, RI last September, authorities there said. Members of the U.S. States Marshals Service NY/NJ Regional Task Force, assisting th…
Elderly NJ Couple's Personal Assistant Stole $2.9M From Them, Feds Charge Elderly NJ Couple's Personal Assistant Stole $2.9M From Them, Feds Charge
Elderly NJ Couple's Personal Assistant Stole $2.9M From Them, Feds Charge An elderly Bergen County couple had $2.9 million stolen by a now-former Ridgewood Public Library tech administrator whom they'd hired to be a part-time assistant at their home, federal authorities said following his arrest. Charles Gallo, 34, of Hawthorne, was responsible for managing the victims’ monthly bills, handling their banking and helping them with email and other issues involving technology after being hired in 2018, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. The couple trusted Gallo with their personal bank accounts, credit card accounts, online retail accounts and email, the U.S. at…
Former CFO Of Low-Income Jersey Shore Apartments Stole $1.6M From Employer: Prosecutor Former CFO Of Low-Income Jersey Shore Apartments Stole $1.6M From Employer: Prosecutor
Former CFO Of Low-Income Jersey Shore Apartments Stole $1.6M From Employer: Prosecutor A former executive for a low-income apartment building in Long Branch is accused of stealing more than $1.6 million from his company for more than a decade, authorities said. John O'Donnell, 57, of Scotch Plains is charged with second-degree theft by unlawful taking, third-degree forgery, and third-degree false uttering, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced. O'Donnell was charged by summons on Thursday, Jan. 11. O'Donnell is the former chief financial officer of the company that owns Washington Manor. The Ocean Boulevard highrise has 100 housing units for seniors …
Hackensack CEO: My Passaic Firm Sold US Army Faulty Equipment Made In China Hackensack CEO: My Passaic Firm Sold US Army Faulty Equipment Made In China
Hackensack CEO: My Passaic Firm Sold US Army Faulty Equipment Made In China A Passaic company CEO from Hackensack admitted selling knockoff forklifts made in China to the US Army, federal authorities said. James Cai, 33, secured $247,000 in government contracts to supply two FD150 diesel forklifts to the Fort Cavazos military installation in Killeen, Texas, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said on Thursday, Dec. 7. The forklifts supplied by Toner Connect LLC had to be manufactured in America and required at least half of the components to also be of U.S. origin, the attorney general said. Cai ignored the requirements, Sellinger said. He bought the…
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…
Feds Indict Broker For Stealing $3M From Senior NJ Clients To Gamble, Buy Home, Gold Coins Feds Indict Broker For Stealing $3M From Senior NJ Clients To Gamble, Buy Home, Gold Coins
Feds Indict Broker For Stealing $3M From Senior NJ Clients To Gamble, Buy Home, Gold Coins A disgraced former broker and investment advisor is now under federal indictment for stealing more than $3 million from clients that authorities said he used to gamble and buy gold coins and a new house in Bergen County. Kenneth A. Welsh, 42, of River Edge, "used his position as an investment advisor to gain the trust of his victims," U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. "(He) then exploited that trust,” Sellinger said. Welsh was working at Wells Fargo Clearing Services in Fairfield when federal authorities said he began shifting money from clients' accounts to that he controlled in Ju…
10 Vintage Cars, 1.7 Pounds Of Coke, $332K Seized From Jobless NJ Drug Dealer: Prosecutor 10 Vintage Cars, 1.7 Pounds Of Coke, $332K Seized From Jobless NJ Drug Dealer: Prosecutor
10 Vintage Cars, 1.7 Pounds Of Coke, $332K Seized From Jobless NJ Drug Dealer: Prosecutor An unemployed Nutley man bought 10 vintage cars with the money he made selling cocaine, authorities charged. Authorities seized the “exotic” vehicles along with nearly $332,000 in cash that Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Omar Rios, 44, squirreled away in his apartment and a stash house. They also grabbed 1.7 pounds of cocaine, cutting agents, packaging material and a hydraulic press used to compress cocaine for packaging, the prosecutor said. Rios was seized during coordinated raids at his apartment in the Franklin Commons building on Franklin Avenue in Nutley, at a mixed-used …
Kidnappers Owed Drug Money Kept Victim Tied In U-Haul For Hours In NJ: Police Kidnappers Owed Drug Money Kept Victim Tied In U-Haul For Hours In NJ: Police
Kidnappers Owed Drug Money Kept Victim Tied In U-Haul For Hours In NJ: Police A woman was arrested for kidnapping and two suspects remain at-large as Secaucus police continue their investigation into the sale of narcotics at motels in the town, authorities said.  Police found one member of an illicit drug distribution ring was kidnapped at knifepoint in Jersey City in June 2023, since he owed Erica Festino, another member of the drug ring, money, police said. The victim was bound and driven around Hudson County in the back of a U-Haul truck for hours and robbed of cash and personal items, police said. He was eventually released, police said.  Festino was ar…
NJ Restaurant Owner In $90,000 Wire Transfer Scam Flees To Brazil, Returned To US NJ Restaurant Owner In $90,000 Wire Transfer Scam Flees To Brazil, Returned To US
NJ Restaurant Owner In $90,000 Wire Transfer Scam Flees To Brazil, Returned To US A Fairview restaurant owner who claimed to be sending wire transfers for customers to Brazil pocketed at least $90,000 before fleeing the country, authorities said. Joanistel Ramos, 59, who owns Brasil and Brazil restaurant on Anderson Avenue, stiffed at least 15 local victims out of $40,000 in wire transfers that were never sent, Fairvew Police Capt. Michael Martic said. "She basically printed out a bogus generic receipt and put the money in her pocket," the captain said. Ramos, of Cliffside Park, also defrauded a money transfer company in Newark called Lyons Express out of an additional …
Grieving Bridgewater Victimized By NJ Gravestone Scammer: 'People Can't Find Closure' Grieving Bridgewater Victimized By NJ Gravestone Scammer: 'People Can't Find Closure'
Grieving Bridgewater Victimized By NJ Gravestone Scammer: 'People Can't Find Closure' Barbara Kalmus was still reeling from the death of her sister last May when she was preyed upon by Gregory Stefan, Jr. The Bridgewater resident was one of several people authorities say was grifted by Stefan, who was recently arrested on a warrant by police in Vineland for scamming customers out of thousands of dollars through his company Colonial Memorials, not long after it was revealed he had been doing the same with his father and brother with their Pennsylvania company, 1843 LLC. Following her sister's death due to cancer, Stefan reached out to Kalmus about getting a headstone for he…
Jersey Shore Advisor Who Swindled Mentally Impaired Elderly Siblings Gets 3½ Years In Fed Pen Jersey Shore Advisor Who Swindled Mentally Impaired Elderly Siblings Gets 3½ Years In Fed Pen
Jersey Shore Advisor Who Swindled Mentally Impaired Elderly Siblings Gets 3½ Years In Fed Pen UPDATE: A former investment advisor from the Jersey Shore who admitted swindling elderly and impaired clients out of more than $625,000 to partly fund a gambling habit was sentenced to a plea-bargained 3½ years in federal prison this week. Mario E. Rivero Jr., 39, of Red Bank, must serve out the entire term because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Rivero, a former Wells Fargo agent and investment adviser representative who had an office in Elizabeth, convinced five clients to transfer investment funds to their personal bank accounts, federal authorities charged. Many of his …
Holland Tunnel Driver With Loaded Gun, $17K Toll Debt Impersonated Officer: Port Authority PD Holland Tunnel Driver With Loaded Gun, $17K Toll Debt Impersonated Officer: Port Authority PD
Holland Tunnel Driver With Loaded Gun, $17K Toll Debt Impersonated Officer: Port Authority PD A woman who once made headlines for an alleged COVID scam was carrying a loaded gun -- and owed $17,000 in unpaid tolls -- when Port Authority police stopped her at the New Jersey end of the Holland Tunnel, Daily Voice has learned. Sharita T. Patterson, 36, of Brooklyn was stopped in Jersey City for having a bogus temporary Georgia license tag on her car just before noon Tuesday, July 25, said Port Authority Public Information Officer Lenis Valens. PAPD officers spotted the gun "in plain view" and seized it, Valens said. They also seized Patterson, a single mother of three who Valens said…
Married Old Bridge Soccer League Execs Used Stolen Funds To Cover Family Disney Trip, Bills: PD Married Old Bridge Soccer League Execs Used Stolen Funds To Cover Family Disney Trip, Bills: PD
Married Old Bridge Soccer League Execs Used Stolen Funds To Cover Family Disney Trip, Bills: PD The former president of a Central Jersey youth soccer league and her husband have been charged with stealing $91,000 from the youth organization, authorities said. A trip to Disney World. An extravagant party for their daughter. Amazon purchases. These were all expenses that Kathleen Murawski and Joseph Murawski paid for using stolen funds from the Old Bridge Soccer League, the Old Bridge Police Department said. Kathleen served as the league's president and Joseph was the league's field director, police said. Following a comprehensive, 6-month investigation, Old Bridge Police Detecti…
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…
$6M Ponzi Scheme: Braggart Hedge Fund 'Tycoon' Busted By Undercover NJ Fed $6M Ponzi Scheme: Braggart Hedge Fund 'Tycoon' Busted By Undercover NJ Fed
$6M Ponzi Scheme: Braggart Hedge Fund 'Tycoon' Busted By Undercover NJ Fed The well-heeled hedge fund tycoon from Chicago seemingly couldn’t help but boast of some spectacular achievements during a meeting with an investment manager in New Jersey. There were annual returns of 336 percent, more than $2 billion raised in just 60 days and a list of investors that included a well-known owner of a professional sports team, authorities said. Phillip Galles, 57, also took a page from George Santos’s book, claiming that he’d graduated from a prominent university in the Midwest, they said. Galles’s “outlandish claims of experience, expertise and success” were all BS, a co…
NJ Psychic Pulls 'Death Card' Con On PA Couple: Police NJ Psychic Pulls 'Death Card' Con On PA Couple: Police
NJ Psychic Pulls 'Death Card' Con On PA Couple: Police A Pennsylvania-based fortune teller from New Jersey not only failed to predict the future but allegedly conned a family while doing it, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice.  Police in Pennsylvania have formally charged 25-year-old Billie Loren Mitchell of Kearny, NJ on April 27, 2023, but have yet to apprehend and arraign her, according to a police release on May 9, 2023.  Mitchell runs Psychic World at 501 East Main Street in Palmyra, PA, and claims to be a "Clairvoyant psychic and certified holistic healer," as stated on her Facebook page.  An elderly coup…
Multitude Of Government Agencies Victimized Out Of $4M By NJ Man: Feds Multitude Of Government Agencies Victimized Out Of $4M By NJ Man: Feds
Multitude Of Government Agencies Victimized Out Of $4M By NJ Man: Feds A New Jersey man stole more than $4 million through a clutch of schemes that included defrauding three different government programs, authorities charged. Gbenga Akinbode, 33, of Newark, opened a bank account and then used 120 different debit cards to buy $500,000 worth of money orders that were deposited into the account, according to a complaint filed by Homeland Security Investigations in U.S. District Court in Newark. Investigators discovered that the debit cards were funded with $4 million in fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits, bogus Paycheck Protection Program loans…
Serial NJ Phony Fire Inspector Has Yet To Learn His Lesson, Police In DC Say Serial NJ Phony Fire Inspector Has Yet To Learn His Lesson, Police In DC Say
Serial NJ Phony Fire Inspector Has Yet To Learn His Lesson, Police In DC Say He's a little bit older and a little bit grayer, but Michael Carrion is the same phony fire inspector now that he was in 2018, authorities in Washington DC say. Carrion, who was being held at Riker's Island for a parole violation when he was being sought out of various New Jersey towns in 2018, is now wanted out of the nation's capital for pulling the same stunt that landed him in trouble with the law back then. CarrionMUGSHOT: Courtesy WAYNE PD This time, 56-year-old Carrion posed as a fire inspector at a DC bagel shop on April 21, and left with nearly $1,000 in cash, according to DC N…
Fyre Festival II Is On, NJ Fraudster Founder Says Fyre Festival II Is On, NJ Fraudster Founder Says
Fyre Festival II Is On, NJ Fraudster Founder Says Lovers of bland cheese sandwiches rejoice! Fyre Festival II is finally happening, so Billy McFarland says. Which means it's probably not happening. McFarland, who was raised in Short Hills, tweeted on Sunday, April 9: For those who don't remember, Fyre Festival I, organized by McFarland and Ja Rule was a massive debacle.  What was supposed to be a planned music festival and luxury weekend on the Bahamas promoted by social media influencers ended with guests sleeping in shoddy tents, served bland cheese sandwiches and being the subject of epic schadenfreude by bemused onlookers relishing ev…
Wildwood Mayor Admits Tax Dodge: Feds Wildwood Mayor Admits Tax Dodge: Feds
Wildwood Mayor Admits Tax Dodge: Feds Wildwood Mayor Peter J. Byron admitted Friday that he ducked paying taxes on $40,425 that he received for working as a salesman for a law firm, federal authorities said. Byron, 67, officially pleaded guilty to twice willfully "aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of fraudulent tax returns" to the IRS for calendar years 2017 and 2018, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced on March 24. The mayor still has a state case to deal with. He, former Mayor Ernest V. Troiano Jr. and City Commissioner Steven E. Mikulski were charged last year with fraudulently collecting stat…
IRS Bags Hundreds Of Tax Cheats, Money Launderers As COVID Relief Fraud Tops $3.2 Billion IRS Bags Hundreds Of Tax Cheats, Money Launderers As COVID Relief Fraud Tops $3.2 Billion
IRS Bags Hundreds Of Tax Cheats, Money Launderers As COVID Relief Fraud Tops $3.2 Billion It wasn't long after the government began offering COVID relief loans three years ago that IRS investigators were hot on the tails of scammers. Since then, agents with IRS Criminal Investigation have pursued 975 tax and money-laundering cases nationwide involving $3.2 billion worth of fraudulently obtained loans, credits and payments meant to help American workers, families, and small businesses who were rocked by the pandemic. Over that time, IRS-CI has kept its conviction rate at nearly 100%, federal authorities say. It has produced indictments against 458 defendants, …
Feds Charge Exiled Chinese Tycoon With $1B Fraud That Funded $26.5M NJ Mansion Buy, More Feds Charge Exiled Chinese Tycoon With $1B Fraud That Funded $26.5M NJ Mansion Buy, More
Feds Charge Exiled Chinese Tycoon With $1B Fraud That Funded $26.5M NJ Mansion Buy, More Exiled Chinese tycoon Miles Guo was arrested by the FBI Wednesday on charges of swindling his online followers out of more than $1 billion that the government said he used, in part, to buy a 58-room mansion in Mahwah. Some of the agents were still at Guo’s 15-room penthouse in the Sherry-Netherland Hotel on Manhattan’s Upper East Side the afternoon of March 15, six hours after he’d been arrested there, when a mysterious fire broke out on the 18th floor, responders said. No injuries were reported, but authorities said the blaze significantly damaged Guo’s unit. No one drew any immediate conn…
'Bling Bishop' From Bergen Accused Of Faking Docs To Finance Paramus Mansion: 'FBI Set Me Up' 'Bling Bishop' From Bergen Accused Of Faking Docs To Finance Paramus Mansion: 'FBI Set Me Up'
'Bling Bishop' From Bergen Accused Of Faking Docs To Finance Paramus Mansion: 'FBI Set Me Up' A flashy Brooklyn bishop who lives in Bergen County – and was infamously robbed at gunpoint during a live-streamed church service last year – claims the FBI set him. Lamor Whitehead was already facing charges of swindling a female parishioner out of $90,000 in retirement money when a new indictment this week accused him of fabricating bank records to try and finance his million-dollar mansion in Paramus. Whitehead made it appear on paper that he controlled an LLC that had an average balance of more than $2 million when it actually had less than 10 bucks, the indictment returned in the Sout…
Gia Giudice Inks Position With Immigration Firm Years After Dad's Deportation Gia Giudice Inks Position With Immigration Firm Years After Dad's Deportation
Gia Giudice Inks Position With Immigration Firm Years After Dad's Deportation "What, like it's hard?" The Martinez Immigration firm channeled its inner Elle Woods in welcoming Gia Giudice to the firm. The 22-year-old Morris County native, whose mom Teresa starred on "Real Housewives of New Jersey," announced she accepted a post-grad position at the immigration firm. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kathleen Martinez (@attorneymartinez) The Rutgers University student is set to graduate in the fall, and will join Martinez Immigration, a virtual firm helmed by Kathleen Martinez. Gia's dad, Joe Giudice, infa…
Central Jersey Residents Robbed By Cryptocurrency, 'Mexican Cartel' Scams Totaling Nearly $100K Central Jersey Residents Robbed By Cryptocurrency, 'Mexican Cartel' Scams Totaling Nearly $100K
Central Jersey Residents Robbed By Cryptocurrency, 'Mexican Cartel' Scams Totaling Nearly $100K A pair of residents in Middlesex were robbed in separate scams, police said.  One scam was a person saying they were a member of the Mexican Cartel. A second scam involved investments in cryptocurrency via LinkedIn, Middlesex police said. On Jan. 10, a resident of Tree Top Road reported they were a victim of fraud. The resident reported that they were contacted through LinkedIn by an individual offering a cryptocurrency investment opportunity. After transferring funds over the course of several months, the individual ceased all communications and the resident r…
NJ ‘Bling’ Bishop Seized By FBI, Charged With Swindling Retiree Out Of $90,000 NJ ‘Bling’ Bishop Seized By FBI, Charged With Swindling Retiree Out Of $90,000
NJ ‘Bling’ Bishop Seized By FBI, Charged With Swindling Retiree Out Of $90,000 A flashy Brooklyn bishop who lives in Bergen County – and was infamously robbed at gunpoint during a live-streamed church service earlier this year – swindled one of his parishioners out of $90,000 in retirement money that he used for himself, federal authorities charged. Lamor Whitehead, a 44-year-old Paramus resident known for his Rolls Royce, Gucci suits and bling, was arrested by federal agents on Monday, Dec. 19, on an indictment that charges him wire fraud, extortion and lying to the FBI. The indictment returned by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Manhattan accuses Whitehead of …
Hoboken Influencer Ran $114 Million 'Pump And Dump' Stock Scheme: Feds Hoboken Influencer Ran $114 Million 'Pump And Dump' Stock Scheme: Feds
Hoboken Influencer Ran $114 Million 'Pump And Dump' Stock Scheme: Feds A social media influencer from Hoboken and seven other men were charged with running a $114 million "pump and dump" stock scheme. Mitchell Hennessey, 24, used his extensive social media following to hype interest in particular securities by posting false and misleading information on Twitter and Discord, according to prosecutors in the Southern District of Texas. The influencers and self-proclaimed traders artificially inflated the prices of the securities by hyping them up on their platforms, only to "dump" them after the fact, prosecutors said.From in or around January 2020 to in or arou…