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Immigration

NJ Couple Convicted Of Turning Immigrants Into Slaves NJ Couple Convicted Of Turning Immigrants Into Slaves
NJ Couple Convicted Of Turning Immigrants Into Slaves UPDATE: A South Jersey couple was convicted of forcing a pair of undocumented immigrants into slavery after luring them to America. Bolaji Bolarinwa, 50, and Isiaka Bolarinwa, 67, of Moorestown were discovered when one of the victims told her college professor, who alerted the FBI, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger said. Originally from Nigeria, the couple were living in New Jersey as U.S. citizens when they recruited two victims to follow them, Sellinger said. They "engaged in an egregious bait-and-switch, luring the victims with false promises of a life and an education …
Venezuelan Immigrant Builds Dream Life Photographing Dream Homes In New Jersey Venezuelan Immigrant Builds Dream Life Photographing Dream Homes In New Jersey
Venezuelan Immigrant Builds Dream Life Photographing Dream Homes In New Jersey Finding a better life in the U.S. was not a guarantee for Edwing Hernandez when he immigrated with his wife from Venezuela in 2012. But it was a possibility. He had $3,000 in his pocket, and a simple dream. "For me at that moment, [my dream] was to be in a safe country with freedom of speech and be able to live and have my basic needs covered," said Hernandez, 34, of Union City. For years, Hernandez worked physically-demanding jobs and long hours, sometimes 14 a day, commuting two hours to and from work, for only $8 an hour. Life would get a whole lot harder before it would get easier fo…
Somalian Goes To Prison For Threatening To Assassinate Biden, Trump If They Ran For Reelection Somalian Goes To Prison For Threatening To Assassinate Biden, Trump If They Ran For Reelection
Somalian Goes To Prison For Threatening To Assassinate Biden, Trump If They Ran For Reelection A Somalian man living in Pennsylvania threatened to assassinate President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, and now he's in a Pennsylvania Prison, according to a release by the US Department of Justice on March 15, 2024. Mohamed Farah, 34, who was living in Cumberland County, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to three years’ imprisonment on Wednesday, March 13.  Following his release, the Court has also imposed a three-year term of probation.  "The indictment alleges that in January 2022, Farah, who is a citizen of Somalia, threatened to ass…
Indian Immigrant Stabbed In Jersey City Park, Local Man Charged In Random Attack Indian Immigrant Stabbed In Jersey City Park, Local Man Charged In Random Attack
Indian Immigrant Stabbed In Jersey City Park, Local Man Charged In Random Attack Jersey City police have charged a 22-year-old city man with repeatedly stabbing an Indian immigrant at a local park in what the victim's friends called a "senseless act of discrimination." The victim, 28-year-old Ojas Junnarkar, was walking alone on the running track at Pershing Field when he was assaulted shortly after 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 21, friends said. Junnarkar suffered wounds to his kidneys and colon, they said. Jersey City police subsequently announced the arrest of Santos Camacho on aggravated assault and illegal weapons charges. Camacho, who remained held in the Hudson Count…
Disguise Got Stones: Accused Member Of $10,000 Shoplifting Crew Fails To Fool Paramus PD Disguise Got Stones: Accused Member Of $10,000 Shoplifting Crew Fails To Fool Paramus PD
Disguise Got Stones: Accused Member Of $10,000 Shoplifting Crew Fails To Fool Paramus PD A member of an organized shoplifting crew that snatched more than $10,000 worth of merchandise from a Nordstrom in Paramus thought he could fool police by changing his clothes, authorities said. He ended up making it easy for police to bag him and his pals after they’d eluded a police dragnet more than three hours earlier, Paramus Chief Robert Guidetti said. Officers Matt Mulick and Joe Mastrofilipo had been flagged down by Nordstrom security after five people stole nearly 100 items from the Garden State Plaza store around 7:45 p.m. last Friday, Dec. 1, the chief said. Officers immediately…
Accused Child Molester From Cliffside Park Held For ICE Accused Child Molester From Cliffside Park Held For ICE
Accused Child Molester From Cliffside Park Held For ICE A married construction worker from Cliffside Park who's accused of sexually assaulting a preteen is being held for federal authorities, jail records show. Delfino Simon-Roca, 56, was charged with sexual assault and child endangerment following a month-long investigation that began with a tip from the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The prosecutor’s detectives arrested him last Tuesday, Nov, 21, and sent him to the Bergen County Jail, Musella said. Simon-Roca, who’s listed in jail records as a Guatemalan national, has remained t…
GOTCHA! Manhunt Ends In Out-Of-State Capture Of Accused NJ Child Molester GOTCHA! Manhunt Ends In Out-Of-State Capture Of Accused NJ Child Molester
Gotcha! Manhunt Ends In Out-Of-State Capture Of Accused NJ Child Molester An accused child molester from Bergen County who remained on the run for two years was captured by US Marshals in South Carolina, authorities said. Cesar de Jesus Perez Acosta, 37, of River Vale is accused of touching the pre-teen victim's breasts and vagina in October 2021, court records show. River Vale police obtained a warrant for Perez Acosta’s arrest following interviews with those present at the time of the alleged assault, a criminal complaint filed in Superior Court in Hackensack says. A DNA swab of the girl's breast provided physical evidence, the complaint says without elaborat…
Frances Tiafoe, Son Of Maryland Custodian, Ends US Open Run In Historic Upset Frances Tiafoe, Son Of Maryland Custodian, Ends US Open Run In Historic Upset
Frances Tiafoe, Son Of Maryland Custodian, Ends US Open Run In Historic Upset Frances Tiafoe's 2023 US Open run ended in an upset on Tuesday, Sept. 5. For Ben Shelton, though, it's only just begun. Tiafoe, who is ranked No. 10 in the world, fell to 20-year-old Shelton in the quarterfinals 6-2 3-6 7-6(7) 6-2, in Queens, NY. View this post on Instagram A post shared by US Open (@usopen) The match was historic in that it was the first time two Black men faced off, and that Shelton's win makes him the youngest American to reach the Open semis since Andy Roddick in 2003. He'll face Novak Djokovic on Friday, Sept. 8. Shel…
UPDATE: 3rd NYC Man Jailed In Violent NJ Gas Station Holdup UPDATE: 3rd NYC Man Jailed In Violent NJ Gas Station Holdup
Update: 3rd NYC Man Jailed In Violent NJ Gas Station Holdup UPDATE: A 19-year-old Honduran national was the wheelman for a duo who pistol-whipped a Bergenfield gas station attendant during a robbery earlier this year, authorities said. And that’s not all for Bronx resident Cesar Herrera Valerio. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement filed a detainer a short time after Valerio was booked into the Bergen County Jail, records show. ICE places detainers on immigrants believed to be illegally living in the United States. Federal judges in Newark then hold hearings to determine whether – and, if so, when -- they'll be deported. For now, Valerio joins…
ICE Looks To Deport Colombian National Jailed On Child Sex Charges Out Of Bergen County ICE Looks To Deport Colombian National Jailed On Child Sex Charges Out Of Bergen County
ICE Looks To Deport Colombian National Jailed On Child Sex Charges Out Of Bergen County Federal immigration authorities placed a hold on a Colombian national jailed on charges of sexually assaulting an underage Elmwood Park teenager at least three times. Alejandro Suaza-Munoz, a 35-year-old day laborer, was arrested by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit on Tuesday, July 25, after they were notified of the allegations by Elmwood Park police. Suaza-Munoz “sexually assaulted the child, who was under the age of 16 but over the age of 13, on more than one occasion,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said in announcing the arrest. Detectives cha…
'A Taste Of Taiwan': New Restaurant Opens In North Jersey 'A Taste Of Taiwan': New Restaurant Opens In North Jersey
'A Taste Of Taiwan': New Restaurant Opens In North Jersey A North Jersey eatery is aiming to introduce people to the diverse world of Taiwanese cuisine. Bowlba recently opened at 59 Passaic St. in Garfield, bringing the taste of Taipei to the area. The restaurant is the brainchild of Chloe Leung, her husband Clement, and Bosco Won, a partner and chef. "This is my wife's passion project," Clement Leung said. "Her family is from Taiwan and they've worked in the Taiwanese night markets for past 40 years." View this post on Instagram A post shared by BOWLBA Taiwan Eatery (@bowlba.usa) After immigratin…
Guatemalan National From NJ Charged With Sexually Assaulting Underage Teen, ICE Seeks Custody Guatemalan National From NJ Charged With Sexually Assaulting Underage Teen, ICE Seeks Custody
Guatemalan National From NJ Charged With Sexually Assaulting Underage Teen, ICE Seeks Custody A Guatemalan national living in Lodi repeatedly sexually assaulted an underage teen, authorities charged. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement immediately issued a detainer, for deportation purposes, after Juan Nimacachi, 39, was arrested and sent to the Bergen County Jail on Wednesday, May 17, records show. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said detectives from his Special Victims Unit zeroed in on Nimacachi after being alerted by the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency on Tuesday. Working with Lodi police, the investigators found that Nimacachi -- who works as a car…
Retired Police Chief, Polish Immigrant Open New Gym In Old Jersey City Firehouse Retired Police Chief, Polish Immigrant Open New Gym In Old Jersey City Firehouse
Retired Police Chief, Polish Immigrant Open New Gym In Old Jersey City Firehouse One is a retired police chief from Bergen County and the other a Polish immigrant who 20 years ago was rollerblading home from work at 3 a.m. because he had no other means of transportation. Both have achieved their shared dream of owning a gym. Marty Kahn, who retired as Fairview's police chief last July, and David Jaros, who moved to Lodi from Poland knowing not a lick of English are opening Firehouse Fitness later this spring, in a historic Jersey City firehouse. The name came easily to the fitness buffs, who met some years ago in the 5 a.m. crew at Hackensack Meridian Fitness and Welln…
Olympian Who Trained In NJ Bringing Peruvian Restaurant To Amazon's New Virginia Headquarters Olympian Who Trained In NJ Bringing Peruvian Restaurant To Amazon's New Virginia Headquarters
Olympian Who Trained In NJ Bringing Peruvian Restaurant To Amazon's New Virginia Headquarters An Olympic rower who spent three years training in New Jersey is bringing the restaurant that he opened as a food truck with his brother 10 years ago to Amazon's new Virginia headquarters this summer. Giuseppe Lanzone, who trained as a rower with Team USA in Princeton from 2006 to 2009, and Mario Lanzone, say the opportunity to bring Peruvian Brothers to HQ2 in Arlington was one they couldn't turn down. “We came [to America] to look for a better future,” the former Olympian said. “I feel like I am living the American Dream... and we are still trying to achieve that every day.” The brother…
CLIMATE OF FEAR: Jersey Doc Admits Harboring Indian Nationals As Unpaid Domestics CLIMATE OF FEAR: Jersey Doc Admits Harboring Indian Nationals As Unpaid Domestics
Climate OF FEAR: Jersey Doc Admits Harboring Indian Nationals As Unpaid Domestics A Jersey Shore doctor must pay $642,212 to two undocumented women from India whose true identities she hid for eight years while harboring them as unpaid domestics, federal authorities said. Harsha Sahni, 66, of Tinton Falls, also must cover $200,000 worth of treatment of a brain aneurysm that one of the women suffered while they worked in her and her family's homes, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Federal prosecutors required the payments as part of a plea deal that allowed Sahni to avoid the potential consequences of a conviction at a trial, the U.S. attorney said. In exchange, S…
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…
Immigrant Seized By ICE For Deportation After Beating Young NJ Man With Autism: Police Immigrant Seized By ICE For Deportation After Beating Young NJ Man With Autism: Police
Immigrant Seized By ICE For Deportation After Beating Young NJ Man With Autism: Police A Guatemalan immigrant illegally living in Fairview was seized by ICE agents after he beat a defenseless young man with autism, authorities said. Alexander Castellanos, 33, was initially sent to the Bergen County Jail on aggravated assault charges following his weekend arrest, records show. Fairview police said Castellanos punched the 20-year-old victim in the face, sending him to the hospital with was believed to be a broken nose. The victim obtained a temporary restraining order, they said, but that won't be necessary now. Within hours of being booked into the county lockup on aggravate…
Guatemalan National Charged With Sexually Assaulting NJ Child Years Ago Guatemalan National Charged With Sexually Assaulting NJ Child Years Ago
Guatemalan National Charged With Sexually Assaulting NJ Child Years Ago An unemployed Guatemalan national living in North Bergen molested a young Fairview child at least four times going back more than a decade, authorities charged. Eddy Chocoj, 34, has remained in the Bergen County Jail since his arrest on Monday, Nov. 21, records show. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also placed a detainer on Chocoj on Tuesday. Such detainers are sought whenever local authorities jail immigrants who are suspected of illegally living in the United States. Chocoj is charged in Superior Court in Hackensack with multiple counts of sexual assault, along with one of…
Movie Filming In Paterson Seeks Actors, Pays Up To $3,000 Movie Filming In Paterson Seeks Actors, Pays Up To $3,000
Movie Filming In Paterson Seeks Actors, Pays Up To $3,000 Looking for a shortcut to Hollywood, or just need some extra cash? A short film called "An Expectation" will be filming early next year in Paterson. There are seven supporting roles and another 15 smaller parts up for grabs listed in the casting call.  "An Expectation" follows immigrant Yakup as he tries to get his wife and daughter into the United States from their home country. The film pays some of its actors $216 per hour for one day of work, with others making up to $3,000 for two weeks of work. Its producers have won the Crystal Bear Award at Berlinale and were nominat…
UPDATE: Four Killed, Eight Hospitalized In Shuttle Van Crash On Palisades Interstate Parkway UPDATE: Four Killed, Eight Hospitalized In Shuttle Van Crash On Palisades Interstate Parkway
Update: Four Killed, Eight Hospitalized In Shuttle Van Crash On Palisades Interstate Parkway UPDATE: The driver of a passenger van apparently suffered a medical episode before a crash overnight near the George Washington Bridge that killed him and three workers being shuttled home from a factory in Orange County, NY, authorities said. Eight others were hospitalized following the crash on the southbound on the Palisades Interstate Parkway between Exits 1 and 2 in Englewood Cliffs shortly after 1:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 2. George Massey, 54, of the Bronx was driving the Ford Econoline E350 passenger van, which landed on its side in a wooded area of the median, Palisades Interstate Par…
UPDATE: Guatemalan National Kidnapped, Robbed Woman At Knifepoint On Hackensack Street: Police UPDATE: Guatemalan National Kidnapped, Robbed Woman At Knifepoint On Hackensack Street: Police
Update: Guatemalan National Kidnapped, Robbed Woman At Knifepoint On Hackensack Street: Police A 20-year-old Guatemalan national was charged with kidnapping and robbery, among other offenses, after authorities said he abducted an older woman at knifepoint on the street and tried to drag her to his Hackensack home. ICE issued a detainer on Esen Sarabe, who remained held in the Bergen County Jail. Sarabe fled with the 52-year-old victim's phone and bag after a good Samaritan came running during the attack at Passaic and 1st streets around 3 p.m. Monday, city police Detective Capt. Michael Antista said. Police captured him a short time later and recovered the victim's valuables an…
TERRIFYING MOMENT: Woman Grabbed At Knifepoint On Hackensack Street Fights Off Kidnapper TERRIFYING MOMENT: Woman Grabbed At Knifepoint On Hackensack Street Fights Off Kidnapper
Terrifying Moment: Woman Grabbed At Knifepoint On Hackensack Street Fights Off Kidnapper A 20-year-old Guatemalan national was charged with kidnapping and robbery, among other offenses, after authorities said he abducted an older woman at knifepoint on the street and tried to drag her to his Hackensack home. ICE issued a detainer on Esen Sarabe, who remained held in the Bergen County Jail. Sarabe fled with the 52-year-old victim's phone and bag after a good Samaritan came running during the attack at Passaic and 1st streets around 3 p.m. Monday, city police Detective Capt. Michael Antista said. Police captured him a short time later and recovered the victim's valuables and the…
ICE Puts Hold On Jail Inmate Charged With Assaulting Woman In Hackensack ICE Puts Hold On Jail Inmate Charged With Assaulting Woman In Hackensack
ICE Puts Hold On Jail Inmate Charged With Assaulting Woman In Hackensack An Ecuadorian national living in Hackensack had been jailed for assaulting a woman when ICE placed a detainer on him less than 24 hours later, records show. Juan Chuqui Navas, 26, was arrested around 9:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, for assaulting a 23-year-old acquaintance, Hackensack Police Detective Capt. Michael Antista said. Responding officers determined that Navas grabbed the victim by the throat and shoved her into an object, causing minor injuries, Antista said. The victim refused medical aid and Navas was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and criminal mischief. Records sh…
Hunterdon County Painter, Father Of Baby Son Dies After Fearless Leukemia Battle, 22 Hunterdon County Painter, Father Of Baby Son Dies After Fearless Leukemia Battle, 22
Hunterdon County Painter, Father Of Baby Son Dies After Fearless Leukemia Battle, 22 Hunterdon County painter and father of a seven-month-old son Marvin Ernesto Lainez Alfaro died at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick on Wednesday, July 6 following a fearless four-year battle with leukemia. He was 22. Born in Sensuntepeque, El Salvador, Marvin emigrated to the United States in 2013 and attended Hunterdon Central Regional High School, where he graduated in 2017, his obituary says. Marvin then started working as a painter for Scott C. Rule Painting in Frenchtown and quickly became well-known for his positive attitude and upbeat personality. Marvin is also …
Longshoreman Killed In Freak Accident Was Impossible Not To Love (TRIBUTE) Longshoreman Killed In Freak Accident Was Impossible Not To Love (TRIBUTE)
Longshoreman Killed In Freak Accident Was Impossible Not To Love (Tribute) Anywhere Uriel Matamoros went, he made a friend. "He never met a stranger," his obituary reads. "Every person in the world to him seemed to be just a new friend. He had a keen ability to bring out the best in others and always saw the good in them.  "Without hesitation he was always willing to give the shirt off his back to those who needed." The world lost a friend on Wednesday, July 13, when 59-year-old Matamoros was crushed to death by a piece of machinery at his job in Port Newark. A GoFundMe for Matamoros' family had raised more than $11,000 as of Monday, July 18. Matamoros moved t…
Construction Worker Killed Crossing NJ Street Immigrated To Give Family In Peru Better Life Construction Worker Killed Crossing NJ Street Immigrated To Give Family In Peru Better Life
Construction Worker Killed Crossing NJ Street Immigrated To Give Family In Peru Better Life Support is surging for the family of a 57-year-old Essex County construction worker struck and killed by a car while crossing the street last month. Miguel Vargas was rushed to the hospital after the 10 p.m. incident on Washington Avenue in Belleville, on June 24, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said. He died of his injuries the following day. Vargas was in the process of getting his US citizenship, nearly 20 years after immigrating from Lima, Peru relatives tell NJ Advance Media. He was also helping his children, who he hadn't seen since they were toddlers, join hi…
Albanian Who Fled Persecution In Former Yugoslavia Charged With Hauling 68 Pounds Of Pot In NJ Albanian Who Fled Persecution In Former Yugoslavia Charged With Hauling 68 Pounds Of Pot In NJ
Albanian Who Fled Persecution In Former Yugoslavia Charged With Hauling 68 Pounds Of Pot In NJ A native Albanian who found asylum after entering the United States illegally more than two decades ago was charged with transporting 68 pounds of pot through Bergen County. Flamor Djokovic, a 37-year-old restaurant owner from Michigan, was stopped and arrested in Lodi on Tuesday, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Djokovic was 14 when his family smuggled him out of the former Yugoslavia in 1999 amid what their lawyer at the time said was persecution for their political and social activities -- specifically for helping Albanians in Montenegro and providing safe passage to Albania f…
ICE Puts Hold On MS-13 Member Captured After Escaping NJ Police Station In Handcuffs ICE Puts Hold On MS-13 Member Captured After Escaping NJ Police Station In Handcuffs
ICE Puts Hold On MS-13 Member Captured After Escaping NJ Police Station In Handcuffs Many figured New Jersey's bail reform law would free a purported MS-13 gang member who escaped from a local police station before being captured in Rhode Island. Before that could happen, however, federal immigration authorities issued a detainer on Adilson Estrada-Garcia, a 24-year-old Guatemalan national living in Cliffside Park. Estrada-Garcia was brought to the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack on Thursday. Before he even saw a judge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the detainer. Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton has honored detainer requests for defendants who've be…
NJ Couple Charged By Feds With Making Slaves Of Illegals NJ Couple Charged By Feds With Making Slaves Of Illegals
NJ Couple Charged By Feds With Making Slaves Of Illegals A South Jersey couple forced a pair of undocumented immigrants into slavery by threatening to expose them, federal authorities charged. Bolaji Bolarinwa, 47, physically abused both victims while threatening to turn them in if they didn't comply, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger and Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a joint statement. Bolarinwa "knew that both victims had entered the United States illegally and harbored them from detection for her own financial gain," it says. She also confiscated both of their passports and visas, the statement says. …
Roofer Charged With Raping Bergen County Pre-Teen Roofer Charged With Raping Bergen County Pre-Teen
Roofer Charged With Raping Bergen County Pre-Teen A painter from Guatemala who works as a roofer was charged with raping a pre-teen several times in Bergenfield. ICE immediately placed a detainer on Victor Chitay, 37, after he was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Bergen County Jail, records show. Chitay sexually assaulted the pre-teen “on more than one occasion,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Detectives from the prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit arrested the roofing contractor following a tip from Bergenfield police, Musella prosecutor said. They charged him with three counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault an…
MS-13 Members Convicted Of Murder Of Innocent West New York Man, 19, Other Gang-Related Crimes MS-13 Members Convicted Of Murder Of Innocent West New York Man, 19, Other Gang-Related Crimes
MS-13 Members Convicted Of Murder Of Innocent West New York Man, 19, Other Gang-Related Crimes Three ranking MS-13 members from El Salvador were convicted by federal jurors in Newark of the murder of an innocent 19-year-old dishwasher from West New York, among other charges stemming from their participation in the international gang. It was one of many offenses that jurors agreed were committed by Juan Pablo “Humilde” Escalante-Melgar, 31, Elmer “Locote” Cruz-Diaz, 33, and Oscar “Snappy” Sanchez-Aguilar, 25 – among them, extortion, witness tampering, and drug trafficking. Federal prosecutors told the jurors that Escalante-Melgar and Sanchez-Aguilar instructed an MS-13 member and an …