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Monday, nov 25
Tag:
Official Misconduct
Police & Fire
Hackensack Police Set To Have Its First Chief In 14 Years: Meet Michael Antista
The Hackensack Police Department is expected to have its first chief in 14 years. Capt. Michael Antista is set to be sworn in at the Tuesday, Oct. 15 council meeting. The previous chief was Chief Ken Zisa, who was charged with fraud official misconduct and then left. Raymond Guidetti will remain the police director. "I am excited and humbled to represent the hardworking men and women of the Hackensack police department," Antista said. "I am fully invested in providing excellent service to the community; while making sure our officers have the support and leadership they deserve." A Hacke…
Police & Fire
Ex-NJ Child Services Case Worker Sexually Assaulted Two Children, AG Says
A 58-year-old former New Jersey Department of Children and Family Services Division of Child Protection and Permanency case worker has been indicted for sexually abusing two children, authorities said. Trent L. Collier, formerly of Newark and currently of Savannah, GA, has been charged in a seven-count indictment with sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, attempted aggravated sexual assault, and official misconduct, based on Collier’s alleged sexually abusive conduct toward the two minor victims, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. Earlier this year, Collier ad…
Police & Fire
Atlantic City Mayor, Superintendent Indicted For Violent Abuse Of Daughter: Prosecutors
Atlantic City's mayor and schools superintendent were indicted after being accused of physically and emotionally abusing the couple's teen daughter, authorities said. A grand jury indicted Mayor Marty Small Sr., 50, and Dr. La'Quetta Small, 47, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, the Atlantic City Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. They were originally charged in the case on Monday, Apr. 15. Investigators said the couple violently abused their then-15-year-old daughter several times in December 2023 and January. In one incident, Mayor Small was accused of knocking her unconsc…
Police & Fire
Atlantic City HS Principal Indicted In Mayor, Superintendent Child Abuse Cover-Up: Prosecutors
Atlantic City High School's principal was indicted after she was accused of covering up parental abuse claims by the daughter of the mayor and school superintendent, authorities said. A grand jury indicted 39-year-old Constance Days-Chapman of Atlantic City on Wednesday, Sept. 11, the Atlantic City Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. She was previously charged on Thursday, Mar. 28. Investigators said a then-15-year-old told Days-Chapman in December 2023 that she suffered from "continuous headaches" because she was hit by her parents at home. According to prosecutors, Days-Chapman d…
Police & Fire
Paterson Officer Shoplifted From Marshalls While Working Security Detail: Prosecutor
A Paterson police officer is accused of shoplifting while working a security detail, authorities announced. Jeury DeJesus-Rodriguez, 25, of Paterson, was working the detail at the Marshalls store when he took several items of clothing into an employee bathroom and removed the packaging and price tags, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. He then left the store without paying for the clothing. The combined retail value of the clothing was $66.97, according to Valdes. DeJesus-Rodriguez was arrested without incident on Thursday, Aug. 22, in Totowa, New Jersey, by members of the P…
Police & Fire
Former Newark Officer Sentenced To State Prison In Shooting Death During Pursuit
A former Newark police officer who shot and killed a driver during a pursuit and critically injured his passenger was sentenced to 27 years in New Jersey State Prison. Jovanny Crespo, 30, must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he's eligible for parole. Essex County Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin Jr. imposed the sentence under the No Early Release Act. Crespo was convicted in July 2023 on six counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter in the death of 46-year-old Gregory Griffin, and second-degree aggravated assault for critically wounding Griffin's passenger, Andrew Dixon, 3…
Police & Fire
NJ Police Chief Admits Coverup of Sex Affair With Subordinate
A retired New Jersey police chief admitted trying to cover up a sexual affair with a subordinate, authorities said. Andrew Kudrick, 50, will be banned for life from public employment and will receive probation instead of prison time in exchange, state Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Kudrick, of Farmingdale, lied to Howell Township officials about the affair and “threatened to launch an improper internal affairs investigation” of a captain who called him on it, the attorney general said. A confrontation between the chief’s wife and his alleged mistress during a 2021 retirement party …
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 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
Two Paterson Inspectors Took Bribes For Permits: NJ Attorney General
Two Paterson housing and zoning inspectors were indicted on Tuesday, Feb. 20 for accepting bribes in exchange for issuing illegitimate building permits, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Jose Fermin, a 50-year-old Prospect Park resident and Jose Juan Guerrero-Cruz, a 44-year-old Florida resident carried out their scheme between Dec. 2020 and Feb. 2022, producing bogus documents that including imitation signatures purportedly written by Paterson’s Planning and Zoning Director, Platkin said. Guerrero-Cruz and Fermin would accept money in exchange for Fermin producing the…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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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