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Man Stole, Forged Checks From Bergen County Doctor’s Office: Cops
A Paterson man was arrested after police say he intercepted, duplicated, forged, and cashed checks stolen from a Bergen County doctor’s office, authorities said.
Jonta J. Bianco, 27, was charged with theft and forgery following an investigation, Closter Police Capt. Vincent Aiello said Tuesday, May 12. Bianoc was also arrested last year for trying to cash phony checks at a Fairfield bank.
The checks were taken from the mail and altered before being cashed by Bianco, according to Aiello. Investigators identified Bianco through TD Bank surveillance footage, and he was apprehended a…
Big League Lie: Man Claimed MLB Career While Scamming Women, Dodging Sex Offender Registry: DOJ
He said he was going pro in baseball — but what he really went pro in was lying, scamming, and disappearing from the sex offender registry, prosecutors in Virginia say.
Now, he's going to prison.
A Roanoke man who told women he was a Major League Baseball prospect, forged six-figure checks, used burner phones to impersonate team officials, and failed to register as a sex offender pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this year, federal officials announced.
Now, Janike Dunbar Holt — a man who goes by many names — has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison.
Holt, 29 — also known as…
4 NJ Men Tried To Cash Phony Checks At TD Bank: Fairfield PD
Four North Jersey men have been arrested and charged following two separate fraud cases at a TD Bank in Fairfield, authorities announced, Thursday, July 24.
On Monday, July 21 at 5 p.m. officers responded to the bank at 436 Hollywood Ave. after an employee recognized Jaydin Colon, a 20-year-old Garfield resident, who had previously cashed a fraudulent check in the past at the branch, Fairfield police said.
Colon was trying to cash a $1,616.04 fraudulent arrest and he was placed under arrest, police said.
While officers were apprehending Colon, they saw a vehicle parked illegally in a nearb…
DUI Crash In Beachside Vacation Spot Leaves Cyclist Badly Injured, Police Say
A 21-year-old international student was seriously injured when a suspected drunk driver hit him in the heart of Rehoboth Beach, a popular Delaware vacation destination, police said.
The crash happened just after 1 a.m. on Wednesday, July 9, in the 300 block of Rehoboth Avenue, according to the Rehoboth Beach Police Department.
Investigators say Megan Smith, 20, of Lewes, was driving a Jeep Wrangler westbound on Rehoboth Avenue when she hit the cyclist, who was in the area on a J-1 visa.
The crash caused potentially life-threatening injuries, police said after the cyclist was rushed t…
Newark Woman Hit With 29 Charges In $600K Real Estate, Rent Scam Spree
A Newark woman is facing nearly 30 charges for allegedly stealing more than $600,000 through a string of frauds across New Jersey, authorities said.
Joyce Kirkland, 59, was arrested at her home on the morning of Wednesday, June 25, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel said Friday. Kirkland was charged with 29 counts, including theft, money laundering, forgery, and criminal impersonation.
Prosecutors say Kirkland forged names on deeds, falsified documents, and stole from the State of New Jersey’s Emergency Rental Assistance Programs, taking more than $300,000. She also allegedly forged …
Sex Offender Faked MLB Career, Scammed Women, Skipped Registry In Virginia: DOJ
He said he was going pro in baseball — but what he really went pro in was lying, scamming, and disappearing from the sex offender registry, prosecutors in Virginia say.
A Roanoke man who told women he was a Major League Baseball prospect, forged six-figure checks, used burner phones to impersonate team officials, and failed to register as a sex offender has pleaded guilty in federal court as part of an elaborate scheme, federal officials announced.
He went by many names while executing his scheme.
Janike Dunbar Holt, 29 — also known as “Nike,” “Janike Tagovailoa,” “Keanu Tagovailoa,” and “…
Asian Mobster Stole $12K From NJ Resident's Bank Account: Fairfield PD
An organized crime member from Flushing was arrested and charged on Thursday, May 22, with stealing $12,000 from a Fairfield resident's bank account last November, authorities said.
Xuan Jin, 50, obtained personal banking information from a Fairfield resident and used that information for cash withdrawals, Fairfield police said. In total, over two days, $12,000 was withdrawn from the victim’s account, police said.
Fairfield police worked with law enforcement in New York City, Rockland County and Fort Lee to identify Jin as the suspect, officers said. Jin's organized crime ring is known to p…
Ex-Bar Director Accused Of $314K Theft As Son Flaunts Lavish Trips, Cosmetic Work Online: PA AG
A Pennsylvania woman is accused of stealing over $300,000 from the Cambria County Bar Association to fund luxury expenses including cosmetic procedures, vacations, and donations to her family’s nonprofit, Attorney General Dave Sunday announced Wednesday, May 7.
Robin Hagins, 56, of Johnstown, the former executive director of the CCBA, was charged with Theft by Unlawful Taking, Misappropriation of Funds Received, and Forgery following an investigation by the 51st Statewide Investigating Grand Jury. Her bail was set at $150,000 unsecured.
Hagins allegedly misappropriated a total of $314,759 b…
Paterson Council President, Campaign Team Stole, Forged Ballots To Win 2020 Election: NJ AG
A New Jersey city council president rigged the vote to keep his seat — and now he’s facing a fresh round of felony charges, state officials say.
Alex Mendez, the Paterson City Council President, is facing new election fraud charges alongside his wife and three others, including campaign workers, after allegedly stealing and forging ballots to win a municipal election in May 2020, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced Wednesday, April 30.
According to a 10-count superseding indictment, Mendez and his co-conspirators are accused of forging ballots and voter registrations and s…
ID Theft Ring Busted With Stolen US Treasury Checks, Gun, Skimmer, And Dogs: NJ Prosecutor
A New Jersey couple is accused of running a high-level ID theft ring involving stolen Treasury checks, guns, a skimmer, and stolen dogs, authorities announced on Wednesday, April 16.
Peter M. Gittens, 37, and Chambreona J. Williams, 33—also known as Tenisha O. Gittens— both of Raritan Township, have been charged with a slew of crimes, including Forgery, Trafficking in Personal Identifying Information, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Theft of Movable Property, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and more, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée Robeson and Raritan Township Chief of Police Al Payn…
Duo Stole $256K From Acquaintance: Union County Prosecutor
Two people were arrested and charged in Union City on Tuesday, March 4, with stealing $256,000, authorities said.
Crystal Williams, 42 and Damien Hall, 37, from Elizabeth and Newark, face a 30-count indictment including theft, conspiracy to commit theft, criminal impersonation and forgery, Union County Prosecutor William Daniel said.
Between 2022 and 2024, Williams and Hall engaged in a series of deceptive practices against an acquaintance to obtain over $250,000, Daniel said.
Cold Case: Mom Leaves Baby Behind, Vanishes En Route To NJ; Car Found In PA
The disappearance of Oklahoma mother Karen Denise Wells during a cross-country road trip in 1993 has haunted investigators and her family for over three decades, Pennsylvania State Police said.
Wells, 23, was driving from Haskell, Oklahoma, to visit a friend in Bergen, New Jersey, when she vanished on April 12, 1993. Her journey ended mysteriously in Perry County, PA—nearly 200 miles from her destination.
After a day on the road, Wells checked into the Pike Motel along Harrisburg Pike in Carlisle. At 7:00 p.m., she called her friend, Melissa, and said she planned to grab food at a nearby Mc…
Longtime Clark Mayor Resigns, Admits To Using Town Employees For Private Business: State AG
This story has been updated with a statement from Salvatore Bonaccorso
The mayor of Clark Township pleaded guilty on Friday, Jan. 10, to using township employees to help him run his landscaping company, authorities said.
Salvatore Bonaccorso, who has been mayor since 2001, resigned as part of his plea, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. As part of the agreement, he is permanently barred from holding any future public office or employment, Platkin said.
In November 2023, Bonaccorso, 64, was charged with forging paperwork to nearly 24 New Jersey towns to allow his landscaping c…
Ringwood Woman Stole $700K From Law Firm: Union County Prosecutor
A 54-year-old Ringwood woman was arrested and charged on Thursday, Dec. 12 with stealing more than $700,000 from the law firm she worked at, authorities said.
Between 2018 and 2024 Colleen Hallenbeck, who was employed as a paralegal for a Union County-based law firm, misappropriated funds from various estates handled by the firm, Union County Prosecutor William Daniel said.
Hallenbeck was responsible for distributing funds from estate accounts to beneficiaries. However, she wrote hundreds of unauthorized checks, totaling in excess of $700,000, for deposit into accounts s…
Two Men Took $350K From Jersey City Church: Prosecutor
Two Franklin Lake residents were arrested this week and charged with theft and forgery related to construction work at a Jersey City church, authorities said.
In 2021, Centurion Companies, a construction business owned by Christopher Poppe, 35, and Glen Poppe, 65, was hired by St. George and St. Shenouda Coptic Church in Jersey City to perform construction work, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarz said.
An investigation found the church issued Centurion Companies payments in excess for $350,000 to pay third-party contractors for additional services, Suarez said. Falsified r…
