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Rachael A. Honig

NJ Ring That Dealt Fentanyl, Crack Smashed By Federal, County, Local Crime-Fighting Team NJ Ring That Dealt Fentanyl, Crack Smashed By Federal, County, Local Crime-Fighting Team
NJ Ring That Dealt Fentanyl, Crack Smashed By Federal, County, Local Crime-Fighting Team Eleven accused members of a drug ring that authorities said openly peddled crack and potentially fatal fentanyl in a Newark neighborhood were charged federally on Wednesday. The ring's "primary supplier," Frazier Burton, 46, was caught with 100 bricks of heroin and fentanyl when tactical officers arrested him Wednesday morning, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. At 50 bags per brick, that's 5,000 individual packages -- all of which Honig said carried the neighborhood drug network's particular stamps. The case took several months for an ad hoc team of local, county and federal inve…
'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…
Ring Member Convicted In $565,091 IRS Scam That Sent Refund Checks To Same NJ Town Ring Member Convicted In $565,091 IRS Scam That Sent Refund Checks To Same NJ Town
Ring Member Convicted In $565,091 IRS Scam That Sent Refund Checks To Same NJ Town A New Jersey woman was convicted of participating in a massive ID theft scheme that had $565,091 in tax refunds from the IRS sent to a small section of the same town. Awilda Henriquez, 35, took her chances with a trial after three of her accomplices took guilty pleas. She was found guilty in U.S. District Court in Camden on Thursday of 27 counts involving defrauding the federal government, mail theft, stealing government money and aggravated ID theft, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Ring members filed more than 3,300 tax returns in 2013 using the names and Social Security numbe…
Repeat Jersey Shore Offender Admits Child Porn Possession: Feds Repeat Jersey Shore Offender Admits Child Porn Possession: Feds
Repeat Jersey Shore Offender Admits Child Porn Possession: Feds A 34-year-old repeat offender from the Jersey Shore has admitted to possessing thousands of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, authorities said. Andrew Ramey, 34, of Brick, pleaded guilty on Tuesday by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to a possession of child pornography charge, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig.  According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, between March 13, 2020, and June 8, 2020, Ramey allegedly downloaded and shared material containing images of child sexual abuse,…
Drug Ring Member Who Trafficked Coke, Fentanyl-Laced Heroin Into NJ Bayshore Gets 16½ Years Drug Ring Member Who Trafficked Coke, Fentanyl-Laced Heroin Into NJ Bayshore Gets 16½ Years
Drug Ring Member Who Trafficked Coke, Fentanyl-Laced Heroin Into NJ Bayshore Gets 16½ Years A member of a drug ring that trafficked massive amounts of heroin and cocaine into the Bayshore areas of Monmouth and Middlesex counties must spend more than 16 years in federal prison. Guy Jackson, 49, of Effort, PA must serve just about all of the 200-month sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. It was by far the stiffest term handed down so far in U.S. District Court in Trenton following a sweep led by federal investigators. Members of the network funneled heroin and cocaine into the Raritan Bayshore, which stretches from the Amboys to Sandy Hook, forming the n…
Feds: Defendant In Florida-to-Jersey Shore Gun Running Ring Takes Plea Feds: Defendant In Florida-to-Jersey Shore Gun Running Ring Takes Plea
Feds: Defendant In Florida-to-Jersey Shore Gun Running Ring Takes Plea A fourth defendant admitted Friday that he was part of a ring that sold guns trafficked from Florida to the Jersey Shore to buyers working for the FBI. Enrique Quijada, 24, of Freehold told a federal judge in Trenton via videoconference on Friday that he worked with ringleader Manuel “Chino” Espinosa-Ozoria of Bartow, FL his brother, Waldin “Manin” Espinosa-Ozoria of Freehold and two others. The crew sold handguns and a semi-automatic rifle, among other weapons, to what turned out to be FBI operatives in and around Monmouth and Ocean counties, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. De…
Ex-Chief Lending Officer Of NJ Bank Gets 18 Months In Fed Pen For Lying On SBA Loan Ex-Chief Lending Officer Of NJ Bank Gets 18 Months In Fed Pen For Lying On SBA Loan
Ex-Chief Lending Officer Of NJ Bank Gets 18 Months In Fed Pen For Lying On SBA Loan A former New Jersey bank chief lending officer from Pennsylvania was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison Wednesday for lying to the Small Business Administration, authorities said. James Bortolotti, 53, will have to serve just about all of the term because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Bortolotti signed off on an application to the SBA for a guaranteed $3.75 million on $5 million in loans given to a small Robbinsville business by First Choice Bank in Trenton even though he knew the information about the company's credit-worthiness was false, Acting U.S. Attorney for N…
Jersey Shore Man, 68, Who Used Facebook To Lure Young Out-Of-State Girl Gets 7 Years In Fed Pen Jersey Shore Man, 68, Who Used Facebook To Lure Young Out-Of-State Girl Gets 7 Years In Fed Pen
Jersey Shore Man, 68, Who Used Facebook To Lure Young Out-Of-State Girl Gets 7 Years In Fed Pen A 68-year-old Monmouth County man who lured an out-of-state girl to his home after posing as a young boy was sentenced Monday to a plea-bargained seven years in federal prison for getting her to send him pornographic images of herself. Local authorities had removed the child from the Union Beach home of Herman Christopher Jensen when the FBI began investigating his online activities. They soon learned that Jensen had assumed the identity of a 17-year-old boy named Kevin Bennett on Facebook “in order to entice and solicit [the girl] to send nude and sexually explicit images over the internet…
Feds: Ex-Con Whose Companion Crashed Into NJ Restaurant Sentenced For 'Glock Switch' Pistol Feds: Ex-Con Whose Companion Crashed Into NJ Restaurant Sentenced For 'Glock Switch' Pistol
Feds: Ex-Con Whose Companion Crashed Into NJ Restaurant Sentenced For 'Glock Switch' Pistol An ex-con whose companion crashed his car into a Route 22 restaurant was sentenced in Newark to 2½ years in federal prison for carrying a pistol converted into a machine gun. Christian Cordero-Gotay, 29, of Brooklyn was being arrested Clinton Township police during an August 2020 traffic stop on Route 22 when his companion, Genesis Bertefabian, suddenly jumped behind the wheel and sped off, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. The vehicle crashed into a Lebanon restaurant minutes later, Honig said. Bertefabian ran into woods behind Chelsea’s Restaurant and tried to hide a 9mm Glock-…
Ex-Employee Admits Stealing $10M Worth Of HIV Meds From NJ Veterans Hospital Ex-Employee Admits Stealing $10M Worth Of HIV Meds From NJ Veterans Hospital
Ex-Employee Admits Stealing $10M Worth Of HIV Meds From NJ Veterans Hospital A former pharmacy tech admitted stealing nearly $10 million worth of HIV medications from a New Jersey veterans hospital and selling them to a fence from Lyndhurst. Lisa M. Hoffman, 49, of Orange, used her authority to order excessive amounts of medication for the outpatient pharmacy from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in East Orange, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Surveillance cameras helped show how she “placed large orders for HIV medication, purportedly on behalf of the VAMC,” the U.S. attorney said. “After the medications arrived, Hoffman waited until co-worke…
NJ Man Admits Hatching $400,000 Homeless GoFundMe Scam NJ Man Admits Hatching $400,000 Homeless GoFundMe Scam
NJ Man Admits Hatching $400,000 Homeless GoFundMe Scam The mastermind of a GoFundMe scheme that conned 14,000 donors across the country out of $400,000 to purportedly benefit a homeless veteran admitted in federal court in New Jersey on Monday that he and his ex-girlfriend pocketed most of the money. Mark D’Amico, 42, formerly of Bordentown, admitted concocting a bogus feel-good story about the supposed victim coming to the rescue of Katelyn McClure after she ran out of gas on Route 95 on her way home to New Jersey from Philadelphia. Both McClure and the homeless man, Johnny Bobbitt Jr., were in on the scheme, authorities said. Together, D’Am…
Jersey City Dealer Who Served Time On Gun Conviction Headed To Federal Prison For Another Stint Jersey City Dealer Who Served Time On Gun Conviction Headed To Federal Prison For Another Stint
Jersey City Dealer Who Served Time On Gun Conviction Headed To Federal Prison For Another Stint A convicted Jersey City drug dealer who'd previously served state prison time on a gun conviction must spend the next seven years in federal prison for having the weapon and ammo he used to shoot and wound a rival, authorities said. Hassan Mosby, 40, had no trouble admitting that he was the gunman who shot a man in an October 2019 during a dispute with a group on a city sidewalk, they said. Police had found him in a nearby home a short time later, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Mosby, whose criminal history covers nearly his entire adult life, took a deal from the government, …
FBI Bust Nets 7 Arrests, 8 Illegal Weapons After Newark Shooting Spree: Police FBI Bust Nets 7 Arrests, 8 Illegal Weapons After Newark Shooting Spree: Police
FBI Bust Nets 7 Arrests, 8 Illegal Weapons After Newark Shooting Spree: Police Authorities recovered eight illegal weapons and arrested seven individuals in what Newark police are calling "an intense violence reduction operation." The FBI and the US Attorney General's Office were among the agencies deployed in the city's hotspots following four non-fatal shootings that injured eight people Tuesday, Newark Public Safety Director Brian A. O’Hara said. According to O'Hara, the following arrests were made: Sabir Williams, 25, Mahdee S. Johnson, 24, and Safiatou Dieng, 23, all of Newark, were arrested Thursday on the 100 block of Goodwin Avenue. Police saw a hand-to-…
3 Ewing Township Police Officers Indicted Federally For Assaulting Handcuffed Suspect, 16 3 Ewing Township Police Officers Indicted Federally For Assaulting Handcuffed Suspect, 16
3 Ewing Township Police Officers Indicted Federally For Assaulting Handcuffed Suspect, 16 One former and two current Ewing Township police officers surrendered to federal agents on Friday after they were indicted on civil rights charges following a recorded assault on a handcuffed juvenile nearly four years ago, authorities said Friday. Current Officers Matthew Przemieniecki, 43, of Hamilton and Justin Ubry, 33, of Burlington and retired Lt. Michael Delahanty, 51, of Robbinsville all used "unreasonable and excessive" force in the Jan. 5, 2018 incident, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Officers who pursued the 16-year-old boy after he stole a car and then crashed a car…
Feds: Parole Officers Bust Pedophile Parolee From Paterson With Heroin, Gun, Drug Sales Records Feds: Parole Officers Bust Pedophile Parolee From Paterson With Heroin, Gun, Drug Sales Records
Feds: Parole Officers Bust Pedophile Parolee From Paterson With Heroin, Gun, Drug Sales Records A convicted pedophile from Paterson was charged federally after his parole officers found large amounts of cash on his bed -- and a loaded gun under it, authorities said. Jessie Mayfield, 59, also had 115 heroin folds in a zip-locking bag, a digital scale and a notebook in which he recorded the dates and times of his drug deals, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said Friday. Mayfield began dealing drugs sometime after his release from state prison in November 2019, authorities said. Records show he'd served three years and eight months for sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl and 12-y…
Dealer Who Sold Jersey Shore Woman Fatal Dose Of Heroin Gets 15 Years Without Parole In Fed Pen Dealer Who Sold Jersey Shore Woman Fatal Dose Of Heroin Gets 15 Years Without Parole In Fed Pen
Dealer Who Sold Jersey Shore Woman Fatal Dose Of Heroin Gets 15 Years Without Parole In Fed Pen A drug dealer who substituted fentanyl for heroin, killing a Jersey Shore woman, must spend more than 15 years in federal prison. Quasaan Bethea, 35, of Trenton, will have to serve out just about all of his plea-bargained 188-month sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. The 39-year-old Englishtown victim bought the fatal dose – in a package stabbed “CAMEL” – from Bethea and Tarashanna Blake in May 2018, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Englishtown police who responded to a report of an overdose death soon after found several folds of “CAMEL” and some em…
NJ Man Admits Bribing Postal Workers To Steal Credit Cards From Mail To Fuel Shopping Sprees NJ Man Admits Bribing Postal Workers To Steal Credit Cards From Mail To Fuel Shopping Sprees
NJ Man Admits Bribing Postal Workers To Steal Credit Cards From Mail To Fuel Shopping Sprees A Union County man admitted bribing postal employees to steal credit cards that federal authorities said he then activated and used on shopping sprees. Syid Boyd, 26, of Union, paid the government workers in cash for the stolen cards from the mail, then activated them "by posing as the actual account holders," Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. He then bought himself electronics and other items at various retail stores throughout New Jersey, she said. Rather than face trial, Boyd took a deal from the government, pleading guilty via videoconference with a federal ju…
Union County Woman Admits Destroying Evidence In $400,000 COVID Unemployment Scam Union County Woman Admits Destroying Evidence In $400,000 COVID Unemployment Scam
Union County Woman Admits Destroying Evidence In $400,000 COVID Unemployment Scam A Union County woman admitted in federal court that she was shredding bogus credit and debit cards -- obtained by a man who fraudulently collected $400,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits from the state of New York -- when investigators came busting in. Detectives armed with a search warrant found Latoyia McCollum, 46, of Hillside in the kitchen of an undisclosed location "placing what appeared to be a credit/debit card into the shredder" while face-timing on a cellphone in October 2020, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. McCollum told them she was on the phone with Maurice Mills…
Feds: Southern Couple Ran Guns Later Seized In Crimes Into NJ Feds: Southern Couple Ran Guns Later Seized In Crimes Into NJ
Feds: Southern Couple Ran Guns Later Seized In Crimes Into NJ Three guns recovered in separate crimes in Elizabeth were bought by a South Carolina woman who smuggled them into New Jersey with a convicted felon as her partner, federal authorities charged. One of the weapons traced to Christina Lanette Williams and Fuquan Haafiz Ali Bowers was found at the scene of a shooting, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. Another was seized from a juvenile, while the third was recovered from a convicted felon, she said. A federal magistrated judge in South Carolina released both Williams and Bowers on $25,000 unsecured bond following thei…
Fort Dix Prison Inmate Convicted In Dark Web Child Porn Ring Fort Dix Prison Inmate Convicted In Dark Web Child Porn Ring
Fort Dix Prison Inmate Convicted In Dark Web Child Porn Ring A convicted child-porn trafficker who was due to be paroled after serving more than six years at the federal prison in Fort Dix was found guilty last week of participating in a ring of inmates who shared child sex-abuse images using contraband cellphones and memory cards. Given the circumstances, William H. Noble, 56, of Lowell, MA will be sentenced this time to a mandatory minimum of 15 years, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. Noble was a month away from being paroled from the Federal Correctional Institution at Fort Dix when he was arrested by the FBI in February …
NJ Doc Took Bribes From Pharma Company For Toxic Fentanyl Prescriptions: Feds NJ Doc Took Bribes From Pharma Company For Toxic Fentanyl Prescriptions: Feds
NJ Doc Took Bribes From Pharma Company For Toxic Fentanyl Prescriptions: Feds A doctor from Central Jersey is accused of taking bribes and kickbacks in exchange for prescribing potentially fatal doses of fentanyl, authorities said. Mukaram Gazi, 51, of Marlboro in Monmouth County was charged with conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks, receiving kickbacks, health care fraud and conspiring to unlawfully distribute dangerous narcotics, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig. According to Thursday's indictment: Gazi owned a urology practice with offices in Freehold, Hamilton, Howell and Toms River.  Gazi received more than $130,000 in bribes and…
Street Evangelist, Anti-Abortionist Strikes Again At North Jersey Clinic, Feds Say Street Evangelist, Anti-Abortionist Strikes Again At North Jersey Clinic, Feds Say
Street Evangelist, Anti-Abortionist Strikes Again At North Jersey Clinic, Feds Say A 37-year-old Bergen County man once charged for stalking a doctor at a local abortion clinic was arrested again on similar accusations -- this time for pushing a volunteer and then trying to stop a couple from seeking services, officials said. Daniel Courney, of Bergenfield, was charged by complaint with two counts of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which protects individuals seeking and providing reproductive health services, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Courney, formerly of Scarsdale, NY, in April used a drone to peer into the second…
Feds: Accomplice Of NJ Bank Employee Admits Swiping $600,000 From Customers With Stolen IDs Feds: Accomplice Of NJ Bank Employee Admits Swiping $600,000 From Customers With Stolen IDs
Feds: Accomplice Of NJ Bank Employee Admits Swiping $600,000 From Customers With Stolen IDs A Bronx man admitted that he conspired with a South Jersey bank employee to steal more than $600,000 from unsuspecting victims after swiping their IDs, federal authorities said. Lamar Melhado, 32, used screenshots of customers’ information and signatures that were supplied to him and others by Jamere Hill-Birdsong of Gloucester City, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said Thursday. Hill-Birdson, who worked for a call center at a Mount Laurel bank, recruited co-workers to take photos or screenshots of customers’ information and signatures and then pass them on to him and Melhado, she sai…
AT LAST: Accused Leaders Of Nigerian Online Romance Scams Taken Into Custody AT LAST: Accused Leaders Of Nigerian Online Romance Scams Taken Into Custody
AT Last: Accused Leaders Of Nigerian Online Romance Scams Taken Into Custody Several accused leaders of a Nigerian syndicate that victimized countless Americans through online romance scams were seized in Cape Town and will be brought to the United States to face prosecution, federal authorities said. The leaders of the Cape Town Zone of the Neo Black Movement of Africa and a co-conspirator are charged with pulling the scams on hundreds of thousands of victims -- some widowed or divorced -- for at least the past 10 years. From at least 2011 through 2021, leaders of the Mafia-styled organization -- better known as “Black Axe” -- conspired with others to con lonely Am…
FBI Makes Arrest In Jersey City Gang War FBI Makes Arrest In Jersey City Gang War
FBI Makes Arrest In Jersey City Gang War An ongoing gang war in Jersey City led to the arrest by federal authorities of a man accused in one shooting and implicated in another. Shamar Bey, 29, a reputed member of the SaLaf gang, opened fire at a gas station at Gates Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard after following a rival from Ocean and Neptune avenues on June 19, 2020, an FBI complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Newark says. A city surveillance camera helped identify him, the FBI said. Less than 24 hours after that shooting, three people entered the Salem-Lafayette housing project -- where SaLaf operates -- and shot into a cr…
Ex-Hedge Fund Manager From NY, FL Admits $6.8M COVID-19 Scam In NJ Federal Court Ex-Hedge Fund Manager From NY, FL Admits $6.8M COVID-19 Scam In NJ Federal Court
Ex-Hedge Fund Manager From NY, FL Admits $6.8M Covid-19 Scam In NJ Federal Court A dual New York/Florida resident admitted in federal court in Newark that he schemed to steal more than $6.8 million in COVID-19 payroll protection loans -- $3 million of which the government said he flushed away in the stock market. Gregory J. Blotnick applied to 13 lenders for 21 loans over a period of nearly a year, beginning in March 21, 2020, lying about the number of employees at nine companies whom he supposedly needed to pay, federal authorities said. Blotnick, 34, dumped the money into a personal brokerage account instead, then poured nearly 45% of it into losing stock trades, Acti…
Pagans Leader From Long Island Gets Nearly 3 Years For Gun Found In NJ Stop Following PA Party Pagans Leader From Long Island Gets Nearly 3 Years For Gun Found In NJ Stop Following PA Party
Pagans Leader From Long Island Gets Nearly 3 Years For Gun Found In NJ Stop Following PA Party UPDATE: The former national president of the Pagans was sentenced Thursday to a plea-bargained 33 months in federal prison for having a gun while returning home through New Jersey from a party in Pennsylvania. Keith Richter – a 62-year-old ex-con known as “Conan the Barbarian” – was returning to his Bay Shore (Suffolk County) home from a Pagan's Motorcycle Club party in Lancaster, PA when he was stopped in Mercer County this past February. Police found him carrying a loaded .45-caliber Ruger P345 handgun, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. Rather than risk trial, Ri…
Feds, NJSP Bust South Carolina-To-Paterson Gun-Running Ring Feds, NJSP Bust South Carolina-To-Paterson Gun-Running Ring
Feds, Njsp Bust South Carolina-To-Paterson Gun-Running Ring New Jersey State Police seized nine firearms that were headed to Paterson from South Carolina, leading to the arrests of six accused gun runners. Four defendants were in a vehicle stopped by State Police on Sept. 26, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. Two of them -- ex-con Kendell McFadden, 28, and Laronmir MdFadden, 27, of Florence, South Carolina -- led the ring, a subsequent investigation involving the ATF found, she said. The McFaddens recruited a group of straw purchasers to buy the guns in and around Florence for them, Honig said. This summer, for instance, S…
FBI: Jersey City Stockbroker Scams Investors Out Of $600,000 With Bogus Ticket-Reselling Biz FBI: Jersey City Stockbroker Scams Investors Out Of $600,000 With Bogus Ticket-Reselling Biz
FBI: Jersey City Stockbroker Scams Investors Out Of $600,000 With Bogus Ticket-Reselling Biz FBI agents busted a now-former stockbroker from Jersey City who they said ran a side hustle that scammed victims out of more than $600,000 through a fictional ticket-reselling business. Michael J. Clarke, 62, lost his job once it came to light that his promises of getting discounted tickets that he could later sell at premium rates for concerts and sporting events -- as well as seat licenses to the U.S. Open -- were lies, authorities said. Clarke, who was a licensed municipal securities trader, promised victims who fronted him the money for the purported ticket brokerage that they'd get a …
Feds Bust South Jersey Man With Homemade Explosives Feds Bust South Jersey Man With Homemade Explosives
Feds Bust South Jersey Man With Homemade Explosives Federal agents busted a South Jersey man with do-it-yourself explosive devices and the materials used to make them, authorities said. Among various other items, Thomas Petronglo, 63, of Vineland had a 5¾-inch diameter metal can filled with potassium perchlorate and aluminum with a fuse sticking out, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said Thursday. The mixture is commonly used in commercial fireworks displays. Honig said authorities seized several other improvised devices -- mostly plastic cylinders and cardboard tubes containing "explosive mixtures" that were wrapped in black electrica…
Feds: NJ Ex-Con Who Served Time For Scamming Charities Charged With $1.35M Investor Ripoff Feds: NJ Ex-Con Who Served Time For Scamming Charities Charged With $1.35M Investor Ripoff
Feds: NJ Ex-Con Who Served Time For Scamming Charities Charged With $1.35M Investor Ripoff A compulsive gambler from Passaic County who went to federal prison for three years for ripping off organizations that benefit schoolchildren and people with life-threatening illnesses went right back to scamming after he got out, federal authorities charged. This time, Gregory Ciccone, 43, of Woodland Park orchestrated a scheme that defrauded investors of $1.35 million, much of which he used to buy a $54,330 BMW, clothes, wine and more, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Ciccone told the 22 victims that he operated companies that reserved blocks of rooms of luxury hotels that then…