Tag:

Racketeering

100 Animals Rescued, Ex-Con Druglord Charged With Leading Notorious NJ Dogfighting Ring 100 Animals Rescued, Ex-Con Druglord Charged With Leading Notorious NJ Dogfighting Ring
100 Animals Rescued, Ex-Con Druglord Charged With Leading Notorious NJ Dogfighting Ring More than 100 abused canines were rescued and several people seized in a raid on what authorities said was a large-scale nationally-known dogfighting enterprise run by a convicted South Jersey druglord. Two dogs reportedly were found dead in a pit in a rural Maurice River Township homestead that investigators said was the site of a massive operation run by widely-recognized dogfighting breeder, ex-con Bruce "Hollywood" Low Jr., 45. Others arrested include his mother and alleged business partner, Terri Low, 67, and son, dog handler Bryce Low, 20. “Profiting from dogfighting is callous, brut…
'Ruthless' Brick City Brims Druglord From Montclair Convicted Of Three Murders, More 'Ruthless' Brick City Brims Druglord From Montclair Convicted Of Three Murders, More
'Ruthless' Brick City Brims Druglord From Montclair Convicted Of Three Murders, More The leader of a notorious Essex County street gang that dominated the region's drug trade was convicted by a federal jury of three murders, among other counts, authorities said. Michael Healy, 43, of Montclair, "ruthlessly ordered murders so that he could protect his narcotics operation and continue to sell large quantities of dangerous [drugs],” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said after federal jurors in Newark returned their verdicts on Wednesday, April 3. Healy "recruited men to kill someone he thought was an informant, and even when they killed the wrong person – a bystander – he ord…
3 Brick City Brims Get 100 Years Combined For Murdering Informant, Bystander, Rival Gangster 3 Brick City Brims Get 100 Years Combined For Murdering Informant, Bystander, Rival Gangster
3 Brick City Brims Get 100 Years Combined For Murdering Informant, Bystander, Rival Gangster A trio of ruthless Essex County gang members who admitted gunning down a government informant after killing an innocent bystander they mistook for the snitch were sentenced to nearly 100 years combined in federal prison. There’s no parole in the federal prison system, which means the East Orange trio will all have to serve out their plea-bargained sentences: Thomas Zimmerman, 28, was sentenced to 37 years; Tyquan Daniels, 27, got 35 years; Ali Hill, 30, was sentenced to 25 years. That means Daniels and Zimmerman will both be pushing 65 when either tastes freedom again. Hill would be approa…
Passaic Woman Conspired To Obstruct Federal Investigation Into Fraudster Dentist Bros: Feds Passaic Woman Conspired To Obstruct Federal Investigation Into Fraudster Dentist Bros: Feds
Passaic Woman Conspired To Obstruct Federal Investigation Into Fraudster Dentist Bros: Feds A 26-year-old Passaic County woman was charged in a federal indictment with conspiring to obstruct a grand jury investigation into a pair of Pennsylvania brothers accused of running a multi-million criminal enterprise, authorities said. Susan Malpartida was named in the 42-count indictment against Bhaskar and Arun Savani, who were charged with racketeering, money laundering, healthcare fraud, and a litany of other felony offenses that could see them locked up for hundreds of years each if convicted, the Justice Department announced. A multi-year investigation into the brother…
Paterson Gangsters Acted As Middlemen In Gun Trafficking Ring That Brought Firearms To NJ: AG Paterson Gangsters Acted As Middlemen In Gun Trafficking Ring That Brought Firearms To NJ: AG
Paterson Gangsters Acted As Middlemen In Gun Trafficking Ring That Brought Firearms To NJ: AG Nine members of a Paterson gun trafficking ring were among 15 people indicted on various charges for their roles in bringing more than 120 firearms from South Carolina to New Jersey, state officials announced. The investigation dismantled the criminal enterprise, took 12 guns off the street — including an assault rifle – and led to charges against the alleged leader of the trafficking ring, Travis Thomas, 41, of South Carolina, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. Five of his gun suppliers in South Carolina, and nine “middlemen” who allegedly helped broker the sale of guns in…
4 NJ Police Officers Indicted For Bilking Town For No-Show 'Extra Duty' Assignments: Prosecutor 4 NJ Police Officers Indicted For Bilking Town For No-Show 'Extra Duty' Assignments: Prosecutor
4 NJ Police Officers Indicted For Bilking Town For No-Show 'Extra Duty' Assignments: Prosecutor Four suspended police officers from Central Jersey bilked their town for no-show "extra duty" assignments, authorities said. The Edison Police officers were charged with racketeering, bribery, theft, money laundering and witness tampering, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Thomas Bryan of the Edison Police Department said on Friday, Oct. 14. They did not say how much taxpayer money was stolen by the former officers. Sergeant Ioannis (John) Mpletsakis, 43, of Edison Township, Patrolman James Panagoulakos, 36, of Jackson Township, Patrolman Gregory&nbs…
Feds: Major NJ Drug Trio Admits Killing Informant, Innocent Bystander, Among Others Feds: Major NJ Drug Trio Admits Killing Informant, Innocent Bystander, Among Others
Feds: Major NJ Drug Trio Admits Killing Informant, Innocent Bystander, Among Others A trio of ruthless Essex County gang members admitted their roles in a major drug operation responsible for gunning down a government informant -- following the murder of an innocent bystander who was mistakenly believed to be the snitch. In exchange for their pleas, Tyquan Daniels and Thomas Zimmerman, 27, face a minimum of 33 years in federal prison each, while Ali Hill, 29, is looking at a minimum of 20 years. There's no parole in the federal prison system, which means Daniels and Zimmerman would be turning 60 when either tastes freedom again. Hill would be nearing 50. Federal prosecuto…
One Of NJ's 'Most Wanted' Fugitives In Torture Execution Found Dead In Dominican Republic One Of NJ's 'Most Wanted' Fugitives In Torture Execution Found Dead In Dominican Republic
One Of NJ's 'Most Wanted' Fugitives In Torture Execution Found Dead In Dominican Republic One of New Jersey's most wanted fugitives in a kidnapping and execution of a Queens, NY man was found dead in the Dominican Republic, authorities announced. Anthony Mota kidnapped the victim on Dec. 12, 1997, then bound and tortured him with others for days until they got a ransom amount of $23,000 from the victim's family, United States Marshal for the District of New Jersey Juan Mattos, Jr., and NJSP Superintendent Col. Patrick J. Callahan said. Soon after, Mota took the victim to an area along Interstate 280 in Harrison, and shot him in the head and neck, ki…
Bergen County's Bill Hwang Arrested By Feds In Billion-Dollar Stock Manipulation Scheme Bergen County's Bill Hwang Arrested By Feds In Billion-Dollar Stock Manipulation Scheme
Bergen County's Bill Hwang Arrested By Feds In Billion-Dollar Stock Manipulation Scheme Four people including a Bergen County resident have been arrested and charged for their alleged roles in the multi-billion dollar collapse of Archegos Capital Management, federal officials said. The firm’s former CFO, Long Island resident Patrick Halligan, age 45, of Syosset, and New Jersey resident of Bill Hwang of Tenafly, NJ — a Korean investor on Wall Street — have been arrested in connection with a racketeering scheme to manipulate the prices of publicly traded securities and to defraud global investment banks, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said.…
GOTCHA! NJ Fugitive Wanted For Sex Trafficking Captured At Newark Airport GOTCHA! NJ Fugitive Wanted For Sex Trafficking Captured At Newark Airport
Gotcha! NJ Fugitive Wanted For Sex Trafficking Captured At Newark Airport A fugitive from Bergen County wanted for running a massive sex-trafficking ring in North Jersey, Rockland and New York City was captured trying to re-enter the United States from Colombia, authorities confirmed. Birmania “Nancy” Rincon, 62, a Colombian national living in Teaneck, was among the ringleaders of a crew that forced dozens of women into prostitution, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. She was in the wind, however, when authorities seized 21 defendants during a series of early-morning raids at 19 homes and other locations in Bergen and Hudson counties exactly two weeks ag…
Jersey City Five Charged With Murder Of Rival Gang Member, Innocent Girl, 17 Jersey City Five Charged With Murder Of Rival Gang Member, Innocent Girl, 17
Jersey City Five Charged With Murder Of Rival Gang Member, Innocent Girl, 17 Five reputed members of a Jersey City street gang were charged federally with murder in the shooting deaths the same week of a rival and a 17-year-old female bystander. Shaquan "Nut" Rush and Darby "GoHard" Shirden, both 21, and Jeremy "Smoov" Perez, 23, opened fire on a group of people outside the Salem Lafayette Apartments on April 1, 2020 in retaliation for the killing the day before of a high-ranking member of their Rutgers Avenue gang, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Two people were wounded, one of them an 18-year-old associate of the Salem Lafayette gang who survived the shoo…
Pagans Shoot At Hells Angel On NJ Turnpike After Baseball Bat Bar Brawl, Feds Charge Pagans Shoot At Hells Angel On NJ Turnpike After Baseball Bat Bar Brawl, Feds Charge
Pagans Shoot At Hells Angel On NJ Turnpike After Baseball Bat Bar Brawl, Feds Charge Two high-ranking members of the Pagans who were beaten with baseball bats in a barroom brawl sought revenge by shooting at one of the Hells Angels on the New Jersey Turnpike, federal authorities charged. Larry "Savage" Ortiz, 31, of Elizabeth, and Junius "Jayo" Aquino, aka 38, of Vauxhall, were in a Verona bar when they were attacked on Oct. 21, 2020, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. A week later, the pair shot at an associate of the rival biker gang "in retaliation for the Verona assault," an indictment returned by a grand jury in Newark charges. The indictment retur…
PATERSON GANG WAR: Indictment Names 16 Heavily-Armed Members Of Drug-Dealing '400 Block' Crew PATERSON GANG WAR: Indictment Names 16 Heavily-Armed Members Of Drug-Dealing '400 Block' Crew
Paterson Gang WAR: Indictment Names 16 Heavily-Armed Members Of Drug-Dealing '400 Block' Crew Sixteen Paterson drug dealers who authorities said defended their turf against rivals by heavily arming themselves with guns and large-capacity magazines have been indicted by a state grand jury. Six handguns were seized, including a “community gun” shared by members of the “400 Block” set of the Trinitarios, who authorities said dominated the heroin, cocaine and opioid pill trade in the center of the city. So were nearly 800 rounds of ammunition and six large-capacity magazines, they said. The indictments stem from an eight-month investigation dubbed “Operation Park and Pennington,” which…
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…
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: Six Jersey City Gang-Bangers Charged With Stabbing Rival Feds: Six Jersey City Gang-Bangers Charged With Stabbing Rival
Feds: Six Jersey City Gang-Bangers Charged With Stabbing Rival Federal authorities have charged six purported members of a Jersey City gang with stabbing a rival in broad daylight on a busy city street. All were part of a street gang that operated in and around the Curries Woods housing complex near the Bayonne border, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced today. On Aug. 3, 2020, they sought out the victim and stabbed him, Honig said. The victim was critically injured but survived, she said. Charged with assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering: Sheldon “Thottie” Mays, 21; Jermaine “Maine” Jennings, 20; Divine “Dee” Abraham, …
Treasure Believed Buried By Mobster Shot In NJ Could Be Worth $100 Million, Report Says Treasure Believed Buried By Mobster Shot In NJ Could Be Worth $100 Million, Report Says
Treasure Believed Buried By Mobster Shot In NJ Could Be Worth $100 Million, Report Says A legendary treasure that was believed to be buried by a mobster shot in New Jersey in the 1930s could be worth tens of millions of dollars, new reports say. Dutch Schultz, whose real name was Arthur Flegenheimer, was a well-known bootlegger and racketeer in the Hudson Valley and Catskills area, the Times Union reports. He muttered odd phrases on his deathbed after the 1935 shooting in Newark, that many believed were coded references to the town of Phoenicia in the Catskills, NY, the outlet said. Schultz is believed to have hidden a combination of paper money, gold coins, bonds and jewelry…
Pagans Motorcycle Gang Leader From Long Island Takes Plea On NJ Gun Charge Following PA Party Pagans Motorcycle Gang Leader From Long Island Takes Plea On NJ Gun Charge Following PA Party
Pagans Motorcycle Gang Leader From Long Island Takes Plea On NJ Gun Charge Following PA Party The former national president of the outlaw Pagans motorcycle gang took a guilty plea in federal court on Wednesday after police caught him with a gun in New Jersey while returning to his Long Island home 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 on Feb. 20. Police found him carrying a loaded .45-caliber Ruger P345 handgun, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. Rath…
'GOING TO WAR': Armed-To-The-Teeth Trinitarios Gang Members Rounded Up In Paterson 'GOING TO WAR': Armed-To-The-Teeth Trinitarios Gang Members Rounded Up In Paterson
'Going TO WAR': Armed-To-The-Teeth Trinitarios Gang Members Rounded Up In Paterson Fourteen Paterson drug dealers who defended their turf against rivals by heavily arming themselves with guns and large-capacity magazines were charged in a major sweep, state and local authorities announced Thursday. Five handguns were seized, including a “community gun” shared by members of the “400 Block” set of the Trinitarios, who authorities said dominated the heroin, cocaine and opioid pill trade in the center of the city. So were nearly 800 rounds of ammunition and six large-capacity magazines, they said. New Jersey’s new chief law enforcer, Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck (…
Mobster Sent To Federal Prison For Beating Husband Of ‘Real Housewives Of NJ’ Cast Member Mobster Sent To Federal Prison For Beating Husband Of ‘Real Housewives Of NJ’ Cast Member
Mobster Sent To Federal Prison For Beating Husband Of ‘Real Housewives Of NJ’ Cast Member A Lucchese crime soldier was sentenced Thursday to a plea-bargained 2½ years in federal prison for throwing the current husband of former “Real Housewives of New Jersey” cast member Dina Manzo a beating in exchange for an extravagant gift from her well-known ex. John Perna, 44, of Cedar Grove testified last October that Thomas Manzo hired him in 2015 to assault David Cantin, who was dating Dina at the time. Perna told a federal judge he was armed with a “slapjack” when he and another Lucchese associate followed Cantin to a Passaic County strip mall and attacked him on July 18, 2015. In exc…
Mobster Admits Beating Husband Of ‘Real Housewives Of NJ’ Cast Member Mobster Admits Beating Husband Of ‘Real Housewives Of NJ’ Cast Member
Mobster Admits Beating Husband Of ‘Real Housewives Of NJ’ Cast Member A Lucchese crime family soldier told a federal judge Wednesday that he threw the current husband of former “Real Housewives of New Jersey” cast member Dina Manzo a beating in exchange for an extravagant gift from her well-known ex. John Perna, 43, of Cedar Grove admitted that Dina Manzo’s ex-husband, Thomas Manzo, 55, of Franklin Lakes, hired him in 2015 to assault David Cantin, who was dating Dina Manzo at the time. Perna pleaded guilty to committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity in a federal indictment that also names Thomas Manzo, who co-owns the Brownstone Restaurant …
Reputed Mob Boss, NJ Trash-Hauling Giant Carmine 'Papa Smurf' Franco Dies Reputed Mob Boss, NJ Trash-Hauling Giant Carmine 'Papa Smurf' Franco Dies
Reputed Mob Boss, NJ Trash-Hauling Giant Carmine 'Papa Smurf' Franco Dies Carmine “Papa Smurf” Franco, a reputed Genovese Crime Family boss who became a leader and innovator in the trash hauling industry in New Jersey, Rockland and Westchester, died Monday following complications from COVID-19. Franco, 85, who’d recently lived in the Bears Cove townhouse development in Ramsey, made his name in the waste industry over a five-decade career. He designed and built the country’s first materials recovery facility and New Jersey’s first transfer station, among other projects, and led the charge that produced a U.S. Supreme Court ruling against the Rockland town of Clark…
Feds: New Mob Regime Ran Sports Bets, Extorted Victims, Sold Drugs From Philly To Jersey Shore Feds: New Mob Regime Ran Sports Bets, Extorted Victims, Sold Drugs From Philly To Jersey Shore
Feds: New Mob Regime Ran Sports Bets, Extorted Victims, Sold Drugs From Philly To Jersey Shore The mob didn't disappear from Philadelphia and the Jersey Shore after former leaders Joseph Ligambi and Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino were sent to prison, federal authorities revealed Monday. Over the past five years, in fact, new leadership of the Philly and Atlantic City La Cosa Nostra beefed up the ranks, commanding illegal sports gambling, extorting victims through loansharking, selling cocaine, heroin and opioids -- even conspiring to kidnap a drug dealer who sold them bad dope, they said. Fifteen reputed mobsters and associates of the organized crime family were charged in a …
10 Charged In NJ Mortgage Fraud Scheme That Swindled Low Income Buyers Out Of Thousands 10 Charged In NJ Mortgage Fraud Scheme That Swindled Low Income Buyers Out Of Thousands
10 Charged In NJ Mortgage Fraud Scheme That Swindled Low Income Buyers Out Of Thousands Ten people including two at large have been charged in a mortgage fraud scheme that included racketeering, theft, tampering with records and money laundering across Essex County, authorities said. Between 2016 and 2019, the individuals recruited unsuspecting buyers for investment properties in Newark, East Orange, and Irvington, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II said Friday.  With little to no down payment and questionable financial stability, the buyers were led to entrust the entire mortgage application process to Darnell Alford, of Toms River, and Travis Glover…
Innocent Person Mistakenly Killed In Essex County Gangland Hit: Feds Innocent Person Mistakenly Killed In Essex County Gangland Hit: Feds
Innocent Person Mistakenly Killed In Essex County Gangland Hit: Feds Five men who were part of a drug-dealing ring with ties to a notorious street gang have been charged with a series of crimes, including killing a witness as well as someone mistaken for that witness, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Craig Carpenito said. A 38-year-old Montclair man, Michael Healy, was identified as the head of a crew that transported cocaine, fentanyl and other drugs from California in private jets, in vehicles with secret compartments and through the mail to stash houses in New Jersey. Healy, who became a member of the Bloods street gang during a nine-year prison sentence in …