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48°
Saturday, apr 27
Tag:
Official Misconduct
Police & Fire
Local NJ Police Sergeant Took Child Porn Images From Investigation For Himself: AG
A local South Jersey police sergeant cherry-picked child porn images for himself from a case that his department was investigating, a grand jury indictment charges. Suspended Vineland Police Officer Christopher Ortiz, 39, of Estell Manor "requested from a subordinate and obtained via email" at least 17 images from a child pornography investigation for unauthorized use, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. All told, investigators found that Ortiz "possessed, viewed, or had under his control at least 100 items depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of children," the attorney …
Police & Fire
Paterson Officers Charged With Covering For
Nypd
Captain Indicted For Brutally Beating Woman
UPDATE: The other shoe finally dropped with the arrests of three Paterson police officers in connection with what authorities said was the kidnapping and brutal beating of an off-duty female NYPD commander from New Jersey by a fellow captain she'd been dating. Giuseppe Ciarla, Juan Cruz-Fernandez and Jason Schmid let then-NYPD Capt. Hariton Marachilian leave after finding the victim with clearly visible injuries from a vicious beating outside a Paterson restaurant in December 2022, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. Marachilian and the female captain had been out to dinner wi…
Police & Fire
NJ National Guard Recruiter Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Teen
A New Jersey Army National Guard recruiter was accused of sexually assaulting a teen girl, authorities said. Shawn Nguyen, 44, of Egg Harbor Township, was arrested on Monday, Mar. 11. The Township of Hamilton Police Department announced his arrest in a news release. An investigation into Nguyen began in June 2022 when Township of Hamilton officers responded to a report of a "female in distress" at the Wawa gas station on Black Horse Pike in Mays Landing. Investigators said Nguyen used his position as a recruiter to sexually assault the 16-year-old girl. Nguyen was cha…
Police & Fire
NJ Officer Who Caused 22 Fractures In 9-Year-Old Son's Body Convicted: Prosecutor
A 53-year-old East Orange police officer faces up to 80 years in prison after being convicted of assaulting his 9-year-old son in 2018 on Friday, March 1, authorities said. In February 2018, Devin Higgs, a West Orange resident, brought his son to the hospital for injuries that Higgs said were from a fall, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens, II said. The child had suffered 22 fractures on his ribs and a fractured scapula bone, along with bruises, scars and marks on his body, a sign of child abuse, Stephens said. Neither Higgs nor his son had explanations for his injuries, …
Police & Fire
Former South Jersey Police Officer Indicted For Leaking College Women's Nude Pics: Prosecutors
A former Mount Laurel police officer was indicted after prosecutors said he hacked into the social media accounts of female college students and leaked nude pictures of them. A grand jury issued an indictment against 24-year-old Ayron Taylor of Moorestown on 96 counts, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw announced on Tuesday, Feb. 22. He was charged in 2022 and investigators said he illegally accessed more than 5,000 student email accounts from Rowan College at Burlington County. Taylor was indicted on Thursday, Feb. 15. He was charged with 54 counts of elements of computer th…
Police & Fire
Correctional Officer Charged With Taking Bribes To Smuggle Drugs, Tobacco, More Into NJ Jail
A New Jersey correctional police officer pocketed thousands of dollars in bribes from inmates in exchange for smuggling drugs, tobacco and other contraband into the Mercer County jail, authorities charged. Tyree L. Hobbs, 39, of Hamilton, was on the take for nearly five years, beginning in 2017 -- less than a year after he joined the Mercer County Department of Corrections, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. And although he paid some inmates in cash, others paid the $300 to $2,500 fee per delivery through mobile apps, the attorney general said. A grand jury in Trenton ind…
Police & Fire
Clark Township Mayor Charged With Forging Signatures In 24 Towns To Benefit Landscaping Biz: AG
Clark Township Mayor Salvatore Bonaccorso was charged Monday, Nov. 20 with forging paperwork to nearly 24 New Jersey towns to allow his landscaping company to remove underground tanks, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Bonaccorso, 63, used township employees to help him run his private business, Bonaccorso and Son LLC, along with township devices like computers and fax machines, Platkin said following an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability Corruption Bureau. While running his business, Bonaccorso posed as an engineer, using his name, license num…
Schools
South Jersey School Janitor's Lab Results Show No Communicable Diseases: Prosecutor
Returned lab results show an elementary school janitor accused of contaminating food and utensils with his own bodily fluids at his place of employment show no communicable diseases, authorities in South Jersey said. Giovanni Impellizzeri, 25, of Vineland, was previously charged with aggravated assault, tampering with food and official misconduct for the heinous incidents at the Elizabeth Moore School in the Upper Deerfield School District, where he has worked since 2019, as previously reported by Daily Voice. "Based upon all available test results and clinical criteria, we have d…
Police & Fire
Corrections Officer Accused Of Smuggling Cold Cuts, Espresso Into NJ Prison For Inmate Indicted
UPDATE: A corrections officer who was charged with collecting up to $500 a month in bribes to smuggle cold cuts, espresso, jewelry and cologne into a New Jersey prison for a convict known as “Tommy Two Times” is now under indictment. Werner Gramajo, a 46-year-old senior correctional officer at Northern State Prison in Newark, admitted only to delivering the pressed meats -- and not any of the other items -- after he was caught, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. Gramajo, of Newark, also claimed that he wasn’t paid for it, Platkin said in announcing the indictment on Wednes…
Schools
South Jersey School Janitor Contaminated Food, Utensils With Bleach, Bodily Fluids: Prosecutor
An elementary school janitor in South Jersey faces multiple charges, including child endangerment, for allegedly contaminating food and utensils with bleach and bodily fluids. UPDATE: Police Papers Detail Heinous Accusations Against NJ School Janitor, Parents Livid Giovanni Impellizzeri, 25, of Vineland, also is charged with aggravated assault, tampering with food and official misconduct. Impellizzeri was employed by the Elizabeth Moore School in the Upper Deerfield School District. According to the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office, New Jersey State Police were contacted by scho…
Police & Fire
Teacher Hit With New Charges In Case Involving Jersey Shore Student, Nude Photos: Prosecutor
A middle school teacher and high school advisor has been hit with new charges in a case involving a student and nude photos, authorities said. Andrew Fantasia, 27, of Beachwood, originally was charged on Wednesday, Oct. 25 with aggravated criminal sexual contact, child endangerment and official misconduct, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Jackson Township Police Chief Matthew Kunz. On Wednesday, Nov. 1, Fantasia was additionally charged with possession of child pornography and an additional count of child endangerment, Billhimer said. A full forensic analy…
Police & Fire
Jersey Shore Code Enforcement Officer Double-Dipped In 3 Towns He Worked For: Prosecutor
A former code enforcement officer who worked for three towns in Ocean County has been charged with official misconduct, authorities said. Michael Ruvo, 56, of Toms River, was charged on Wednesday, Sept. 20, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Among the offenses were instances of double-dipping in the towns he worked for, totaling more than 150 excess hours paid, the prosecutor said. The investigation revealed that while Ruvo was employed in Beachwood as the Code Enforcement-Zoning Officer, he was also employed by the Borough of Point Pleasant Beach as a Code Enf…
Police & Fire
Cop Stalked Teen Girl, Sent Sexual Photos, Handcuffed Her On Jersey Shore: Prosecutor
A patrolman at the Jersey Shore has been arrested and charged with engaging in a pattern of illegal behavior with a teenage girl, authorities said. Kevin Ruditsky, 46, who works in Manalapan Township, is believed to have sent the 16-year-old girl sexually explicit photos and handcuffed her during a traffic stop, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago. An investigation by the MCPO Professional Responsibility Unit was initiated earlier this month upon learning that Ruditsky had been sending inappropriate messages and photos to a 16-year-old girl, …
Legal
Current, Former Wildwood Mayors, Commissioner Reindicted For Scamming Health Benefits Program
State authorities rebounded from a dismissed case with a new indictment against Wildwood’s mayor, a former mayor, and a city commissioner on health fraud charges. Superior Court Judge Bernard DeLury, Jr. cited a technicality in deep-sixing the state’s initial case against Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron, former Mayor Ernest Troiano Jr. and current City Commissioner Steve Mikulski nearly six weeks ago. The judge left the door open for state prosecutors to take another crack at it. A grand jury, in turn, returned a new indictment that New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said “demonstrates …
Police & Fire
Suspended NJ Police Chief Indicted As Sexual Predator, New Charges Added: State AG
A local New Jersey police chief who’d already been charged with sexually preying on women is facing new allegations, the state’s top cop announced on Tuesday. Following his suspension amid sexual assault allegations, Manville Police Chief Thomas Herbst wrongfully held onto his badge, then displayed it as if was still on active duty to a police officer who’d pulled him over late this past January, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. The charge was contained in an eight-count indictment returned by a state grand jury that focused mostly on what the attorney general called “sexually pred…
Police & Fire
TikToking Teacher Posted Nudes To Twitter, Took Sexual Photos In Classroom: Ocean Prosecutor
An Ocean County educator who was active on TikTok is facing multiple charges for posting nude photos of himself to Twitter, and sharing inappropriate photos of himself with a student over Snapchat, authorities said. Some of the photos that Kyle Banner, 48 — a teacher at both Toms River Intermediate North and Ocean County College — show him engaging in sexual contact with himself in a classroom, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. The photos published on Twitter were viewed by students, and Banner was suspended without pay from TRIN on April 24, a day after the…
Police & Fire
New Charges Filed Against Jersey Shore Officer Accused Of PBA Thefts
Additional criminal charges have been filed against the Wall Township Police Department sergeant accused of stealing more than $75,000 from his local Police Benevolent Association, authorities said. James R. Cadigan, 41, is charged with second-degree official misconduct, third-degree theft by deception, third-degree theft by unlawful taking, and fourth-degree falsifying records, in addition to the original charge of second-degree theft by unlawful taking, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago. An investigation discovered that a significant amount of…
News
Dual
Bombshells
: Local NJ Police Chiefs Charged In Sex Cases
Two New Jersey police chiefs – one retired, the other suspended – are separately charged as sexual predators within their departments. Suspended Manville Police Chief Thomas Herbst continued a pattern of “sexually predatory behavior targeting multiple women over many years,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in announcing the charges on Wednesday, April 12. One victim who worked for the department was sexually assaulted by Herbst both at headquarters and at her home, the attorney general said. Former Howell Township Police Chief Andrew Kudrick, meanwhile, “had an extramarit…
News
NO
Parole
: Ex-NJ Trooper Gets 5 Years For Using ID To Skate From Traffic Stops While Suspended
UPDATE: A disgraced former New Jersey State Police sergeant was sentenced to five years in prison without parole after a jury convicted him of using an ID card to get out of a string of Jersey Shore traffic stops while he was suspended from the force. Ex-NJSP Sgt. Marc Dennis, 51, of Waretown, also must forfeit his pension and cannot be publicly employed in New Jersey ever again, state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. Dennis shouldn’t have had the identification card in his possession after being relieved of his authority during the suspension, Platkin said. The 17-year department…
Politics
Former Sayreville Democratic Party Leader, Family Members Indicted: Prosecutor
Thomas V. Pollando, the former Sayreville Borough Democratic Chairman, has been indicted along with his son and daughter-in-law, authorities said. One of the charges alleges the ex-chairman, who is a former employee with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, took money in exchange for swaying a criminal case, they said. Over the course of an investigation spanning weeks in July and August 2022, detectives from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office conducted electronic surveillance of a business in Sayreville. Detectives allegedly observed Pollando accept&nbs…
News
Current, Former Wildwood Mayors, Commissioner Indicted In Health Benefits Scam
UPDATE: Less than a week after pleading guilty to federal tax evasion, Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron was indicted by a state grand jury along with two other elected officials in an alleged health insurance scam. Byron, former Mayor Ernest Troiano Jr., and current City Commissioner Steve Mikulski fraudulently participated in the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP), the indictment alleges. In order to be eligible for the benefits, they needed to be full-time employees “whose hours of work are fixed at 35 or more per week” in their elected positions, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin ex…
Police & Fire
Newark Officer Convicted Of Making $50K Working Private Security Job While Out On Sick Leave
A Newark police officer has been convicted of stealing from the department by working a hospital security job while on sick leave, authorities said. Newark Police Officer Anthony Gibson was convicted on Wednesday, March 8, of official misconduct and theft, according to Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II. An investigation found that Gibson took sick leave from the Newark Police Division from March 6, 2018, through November 2, 2018. During that period, he received his full pay and benefits from the City of Newark, the prosecutor said. At the same time, Gi…
News
Jersey Shore Charter School Leaders Steered $115G Contract To Founder's Side Biz: Indictment
The founder of a Jersey Shore charter school and its business administrator illegally steered a $115,000 contract to the founder’s side business, state authorities charged. Peter Caporilli, 59, of Absecon, and Michael Falkowski, 48, of Point Pleasant, split a single project to build an outdoor learning center at Principle Academy in Egg Harbor Township into two smaller contracts for $40,000 and $75,000, respectively, a grand jury found. They did so to evade public bidding requirements and prevent competing contractors from bidding on the first phase of the job, an indictment returned by the…
News
Disgraced Ex-Paterson Officer Charged With Assault Of Second Defenseless Suspect
A former Paterson police officer already awaiting trial for beating one suspect over the head with a flashlight has been charged with doing it to another. Spencer Finch, 46, of Mahwah, broke a victim’s nose, knocked out two of his teeth and chipped another outside a Quick’s Food Store on Dec. 22, 2018, an indictment returned by a grand jury in Paterson alleges. In a subsequent use-of-force report, Finch said he was arresting the robbery suspect when he “became belligerent with police and shouted profanities,” Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said in announcing the indictment on W…
News
NJ Corrections Officer Admits Sucker-Punching Handcuffed Delinquent
UPDATE: A now-former senior correctional police officer at a New Jersey youth facility admitted punching a handcuffed inmate from behind while colleagues held him and then lying about it, authorities announced Tuesday. Jason Parks, 43, of Gibbstown, admitted he hit the inmate twice in the head while his arms were handcuffed behind him at the Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility in Burlington County on Feb. 19, 2019, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said on Dec. 20. “The inmate was being held by two other correctional police officers and facing away from Parks at the time,” Platki…
Politics
'Egregious Abuse Of Power:' Former P-Burg Councilman Fires Back At Info Trafficking Allegations
The ex-Phillipsburg councilman accused of trafficking the social security numbers, banking info, and other personal details of at least seven of his coworkers has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, calling the accusations an “egregious overreach and abuse of power” involving Mayor Todd Tersigni. Robert W. Fulper, 44, was indicted by a Warren County Grand Jury on second-degree counts of official misconduct and trafficking in personal identifying information, DailyVoice.com previously reported. Fulper, a councilman between 2018 and 2021, was allegedly found with “numerous documents containing……
Police & Fire
Ex-Phillipsburg Councilman Found With Social Security Numbers, Banking Info Of 7 Coworkers: PD
UPDATE: Fulper has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, calling the accusations an “egregious overreach and abuse of power” involving Mayor Todd Tersigni. Read his full statement here. -------------------- A former Phillipsburg councilman was indicted after he was found with the social security numbers and other personal information of seven coworkers, authorities said. Robert W. Fulper, 44, was indicted by a Warren County Grand Jury on second-degree counts of official misconduct and trafficking in personal identifying information, Prosecutor James L. Pfeiffer said in a joint release on …
Schools
Disturbing Details Released In Atlantic City Teacher Accused Of Relationship With Student
Disturbing details have been revealed in the arrest of an Atlantic City high school teacher accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a former student. Joseph A. Scalfaro, 47, of Absecon, allegedly sent the 17-year-old girl coded messages, kissed her in his classroom, NJ Advance Media reports citing court papers. He apparently checked into the Quality Inn in Galloway on March 8, where she joined him, the affidavit of probable cause says. The ten reported the relationship to authorities on Sept. 20. Scalfaro, a social studies teacher at the Atlantic City High Schoo…
Police & Fire
Longtime NJ Police Communication Officer Stole, Resold More Than $250K In Equipment: Prosecutor
A 21-year New Jersey police department communications officer was charged after allegedly stealing more than $250,000 worth of equipment and shipping it countrywide for personal gain. Eric Coran, 41, of Medford, was charged with second-degree official misconduct, multiple counts of theft, criminal computer activity and impersonation, and second-degree money laundering, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said in a joint release on Friday, August 12. Coran, a communications officer for the Robbinsville Township Police Department since 2002, was terminated as the charges were issue…
News
Video Shows Now-Former Paterson Officer Beating Defenseless Suspect, Prosecutor Says
Body camera video proves that a now-former Paterson police officer beat a defenseless suspect with a flashlight and kneed him in the face in an apartment hallway, a grand jury indictment charges. Spencer Finch, 45, of Mahwah filed an official report maintaining that he needed to use force against what he claimed was a combative suspect, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. The video from a fellow officer’s bodycam tells a different story, Valdes added. Finch – who was with the department for nearly 18 years -- is charged with aggravated assault, official misconduct, perjury, t…
News
Off-Duty Son, Lieutenant Dad Indicted In Fatal Parkway Crash, Charges Dropped Against Mom
An off-duty Newark police officer, his father and his cousin were indicted by a grand jury on charges of trying to conceal the death of a pedestrian struck on the Garden State Parkway last year, authorities said. Charges against the young officer's mother, however, have been dropped. Louis A. Santiago, 25, was staring at a cellphone when his Honda Accord drifted onto the shoulder and struck Damian Z. Dymka, a 29-year-old nurse from Garfield, near Exit 151 in Bloomfield around 3 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2021, they alleged. What Dymka was doing on the parkway shoulder, particularly at that time, was…
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