Tag:

Criminal Justice

Kids Club Staffer Who Had Sleepovers In NJ With Boy He Raped Sentenced: DA Kids Club Staffer Who Had Sleepovers In NJ With Boy He Raped Sentenced: DA
Kids Club Staffer Who Had Sleepovers In NJ With Boy He Raped Sentenced: DA A former Neshaminy Kids Club worker was sentenced to 35 to 88 years in state prison for sexually assaulting seven boys and filming some of the abuse, Bucks County authorities announced on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. Gerald William Spoto, 42, of Disk Lane in Bristol Township, pleaded guilty in July to nearly three dozen charges for crimes committed between the late 1990s and 2023. He was also declared a sexually violent predator, requiring lifetime sex offender registration and treatment. These assaults of seven boys included "sleepovers" in New Jersey, Detectives with the Middletown Township Pol…
North Brunswick Soda Exec Confesses To Sharing Secret Formulas With Competitors, Feds Say North Brunswick Soda Exec Confesses To Sharing Secret Formulas With Competitors, Feds Say
North Brunswick Soda Exec Confesses To Sharing Secret Formulas With Competitors, Feds Say An executive from North Brunswick admitted to sharing secret soda formulas with his company's competitors, authorities said. Andrew Blum, 63, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Nov. 12 to conspiracy to possess stolen trade secrets and possession of stolen trade secrets, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. Blum was the vice president of product development for an unnamed North Jersey-based maker of oil products and proprietary flavors from 2013 until Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. The parent corporation of Blum's company was one of the world’s largest produc…
Stuffed Puppy Brings Life Full Circle For PAPD's First Hispanic Female Police Captain Stuffed Puppy Brings Life Full Circle For PAPD's First Hispanic Female Police Captain
Stuffed Puppy Brings Life Full Circle For Papd's First Hispanic Female Police Captain His name is Bingo, and he's so much more than a toy puppy. The stuffed animal was gifted to Priscilla Sanchez when she was 10 by her older brother gifted her the stuffed toy as he prepared for deployment to Iraq. “I held onto that puppy every night," said Sanchez, 33, adding that the puppy became a symbol of her brother's sacrifice. “I knew I wanted to follow the same path.” This year, days before welcoming her third son, Sanchez was promoted to the Port Authority Police Department's first female captain of Hispanic heritage. And this time, Sanchez's sons wer…
College Track Star, Special Toms River Police Officer Dies After Tonsil Surgery College Track Star, Special Toms River Police Officer Dies After Tonsil Surgery
College Track Star, Special Toms River Police Officer Dies After Tonsil Surgery A Toms River police officer who was part of the department since she was a girl died after tonsil surgery, according to a fundraising campaign. Ingrid Rivera-Zuniga, 21, died on Saturday, Oct. 5, her obituary from Horizon Funeral and Cremation Services said. She was a Class I special law enforcement officer with the Toms River Police Department. According to a GoFundMe page, Rivera-Zuniga had a difficult recovery from tonsil surgery. She was hospitalized with meningitis and suffered two strokes. The GoFundMe had raised more than $29,700 from at least 453 donations as of Wednesday, Oct. 9. …
Rutgers Student, Edison Resident Noah Koenig Dies, 20 Rutgers Student, Edison Resident Noah Koenig Dies, 20
Edison's Noah Koenig, Rutgers Student, Dies At 20 Noah Benjamin Koenig, of Edison, died suddenly on Friday, June 7, according to an obituary published by Dangler Funeral Home. He was 20 years old. Noah graduated from John P. Stevens High School in Edison in 2022, and joined the Cub Scouts in the first grade, his obituary said. He continued his journey with Boy Scouts where he earned the highest rank of Eagle Scout.  As a sophomore at Rutgers University, Noah majored in criminal justice so he could follow in the footsteps of his uncle, Robert Laureano, his obituary said. He was a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity at Rutgers. …
Man Convicted Of Robbing Jersey Shore 7-Eleven With Shotgun, Prosecutors Say Man Convicted Of Robbing Jersey Shore 7-Eleven With Shotgun, Prosecutors Say
Man Convicted Of Robbing Jersey Shore 7-Eleven With Shotgun, Prosecutors Say A Neptune Township man was convicted of robbing a convenience store with a shotgun, authorities said. A jury found 41-year-old William Herndon guilty on Monday, June 10, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release. Neptune Township police responded to the 7-Eleven on Route 35 South near the intersection at West Lake Avenue just after 1 a.m. on Friday, Mar. 31, 2023. Investigators said a man pulled out a sawed-off shotgun while an employee tried to give change to a customer. The suspect reached over the counter to take money from the cash register before…
ATTEMPTED MURDER: Bergen Man Chokes, Tries To Sexually Assault Pre-Teen: Authorities ATTEMPTED MURDER: Bergen Man Chokes, Tries To Sexually Assault Pre-Teen: Authorities
Attempted Murder: Bergen Man Chokes, Tries To Sexually Assault Pre-Teen: Authorities A 33-year-old Ridgefield man choked a Fairview pre-teen “to the point of unconsciousness” and had removed both his and the incapacitated child's clothes before he was stopped, authorities said. Julio Amaro-Vasquez, who lives on Bergen Boulevard just off Oakdene Avenue, was charged with attempted murder, attempted aggravated sexual assault, aggravated assault, attempted sexual assault by contact and child endangerment. He wasn't the only person arrested in connection with the alleged incident, however. Amaro-Vasquez's girlfriend, Marlin Cervantes Santos, 30, of Fairview, “directed…
Twin Rutgers Grads, 23, Killed In Crash Were Each Other's Closest Friends, Obituaries Say Twin Rutgers Grads, 23, Killed In Crash Were Each Other's Closest Friends, Obituaries Say
Twin Rutgers Grads, 23, Killed In Crash Were Each Other's Closest Friends, Obituaries Say Services have been finalized for a pair of 23-year-old twin brothers killed in a Vineland crash. John and Patrick Mahoney, both of Washington Township, died in a collision on Tuesday, June 4 at Union and Mays Landing Roads, as previously reported by Daily Voice.  Police said John was driving a Toyota Yaris when he failed to yield to a Ford F-250 operated by an 81-year-old, which caused the crash. The Yaris driver was hospitalized as a precaution. Obituaries on the Egizi Funeral Home website for John and Patrick remember the two as being each other's closest friends and greatest advoca…
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A member of a burglary ring that specifically targeted Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware was sentenced to a plea-bargained 33 months in federal prison. James Hurt, 48, of New York, and other members of the second-story crew worked from what the FBI called a hit list of dozens of homes in the four states based on “stereotype and opportunity" from Dec. 2, 2016, to March 20, 2019. The burglars often got into homes through unsecured upper-floor windows before seeking out cash, jewelry and guns, the FBI said In one instance, th…
Camden County Man Convicted In Decade-Old Central Jersey Rape Case Camden County Man Convicted In Decade-Old Central Jersey Rape Case
Danny McEaddy Sexual Assault A 40-year-old man from Camden County has been convicted for rape during a home invasion break-in nearly 10 years ago, authorities said. Danny McEaddy, of Sicklerville, was found guilty by a jury on Thursday, April 18, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone. On Sept. 21, 2014, a female reported being sexually assaulted by an unknown male who had unlawfully forced his way into her apartment in the Keasbey section of Woodbridge Township.  Based on the DNA analysis of biological samples found at the crime scene, McEaddy was identified as the man who s…
Corrections Officer Shoots 21-Year-Old Thinking He's Under Attack In Trenton: Prosecutor Corrections Officer Shoots 21-Year-Old Thinking He's Under Attack In Trenton: Prosecutor
Corrections Officer Shoots 21-Year-Old Thinking He's Under Attack In Trenton: Prosecutor A New Jersey corrections officer shot a 21-year-old woman in Trenton on March 18 after the rear window of his vehicle was inexplicably shattered, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said. The corrections officer thought he was being shot at, but it turned out that a thrown paint can had broken his window, the prosecutor said. The incident occurred on the 500 block of Bellevue Avenue at about 12:20 a.m. The injured woman was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition, authorities said.  The incident remains under investigation. No charges have been filed. 
Bergen Ex-Con Busted With Pistol Two Days After Prison Release Bergen Ex-Con Busted With Pistol Two Days After Prison Release
Bergen Ex-Con Busted With Pistol Two Days After Prison Release A Garfield ex-con was caught with a gun during a Little Ferry police stop just two days after he was released from prison, authorities said. Nazir R. Halloway, 26, spent a mandatory one year behind bars coincidentally after pleading guilty last year to unlawful possession of a handgun, records show. He was paroled on Monday, March 18, according to the New Jersey Department of Corrections. Little Ferry Lt. John Andronaco was on patrol when he spotted a 2020 Acura ILX with darkly-tinted windows in the parking lot of the Stagecoach Motel just off westbound Route 46 shortly after midnight Wedn…
Cocaine Dealer Sentenced After Using Asbury Park Business To Sell: Prosecutors Cocaine Dealer Sentenced After Using Asbury Park Business To Sell: Prosecutors
Cocaine Dealer Sentenced After Using Asbury Park Business To Sell: Prosecutors An Ocean County man will spend more than a decade in prison after admitting to using an Asbury Park store and a Brick Township home to sell cocaine, authorities said. Henry Burns, 56, of Brick Township, was sentenced on Friday, Mar. 8 to 15 years in state prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. Burns pleaded guilty on Monday, Jan. 22 to possession of cocaine in an amount greater than five ounces with intent to distribute and being a certain person not to possess a weapon. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), along with narcotics offic…
Accused NJ Killer Walks Free After Decade In Prison For College Student's Murder Accused NJ Killer Walks Free After Decade In Prison For College Student's Murder
Timothy Puskas Exonerated In Billy McCaw Murder Timothy Puskas is a free man. The one-time convicted killer was released on Wednesday, Feb. 21, from MIddlesex County Jail, after winning a second trial on a murder charge, according to his attorney, Joseph Mazraani. Puskas was convicted seven years ago in the slaying of 22-year-old college student William “Billy” McCaw in New Brunswick. He'd been incarcerated for 10 years. A Middlesex County jury deliberated five hours before returning the not guilty verdict in the six-week trial, which began on Jan. 9, Mazraani said. Puskas’ 2017 murder conviction was reversed by an appellate court …
Convict In 9-Robbery Spree In NJ, NY Gets Whopping 34 Years in Federal Prison, No Parole Convict In 9-Robbery Spree In NJ, NY Gets Whopping 34 Years in Federal Prison, No Parole
Convict In 9-Robbery Spree In NJ, NY Gets Whopping 34 Years in Federal Prison, No Parole Three Elizabeth men who committed nine armed robberies in less than four months in New Jersey and New York were sentenced to lengthy prison terms. The most severe went to ex-con Vincent Chan-Guillen, 33, who was sentenced to nearly 34 years in federal prison – longer than he’s been alive -- following his conviction of a host of charges. Meanwhile, Jamie Fontanez, 45, got a plea-bargained 14½ years, while 33-year-old Paul Jimenez managed to get 10. All must serve out their terms because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Store video shows Chan-Guillen pointing a gun at an empl…
UPDATE: Paterson Police Officer Indicted For Shooting Unarmed Man In Back As He Ran UPDATE: Paterson Police Officer Indicted For Shooting Unarmed Man In Back As He Ran
Update: Paterson Police Officer Indicted For Shooting Unarmed Man In Back As He Ran "Drop the gun!" a Paterson police officer shouts several times as he chases a fleeing man down a city street. Suddenly, two shots ring out and Khalif Cooper falls face down in the street. Officer Jerry Moravek, who fired the shots, handcuffs Cooper, 28, who is heard on a bodycam video telling him, "I don't got no gun." A grand jury agreed. Moravek was indicted in Trenton on criminal charges this week for shooting the unarmed Cooper, who was left paralyzed, in June 2022, state Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced on Thursday, Dec. 7. “Deadly force against a fleeing suspect must be u…
Tennis Pro Gets 56 Years For Sex Crimes Against Student On Jersey Shore: Prosecutor Tennis Pro Gets 56 Years For Sex Crimes Against Student On Jersey Shore: Prosecutor
Tennis Pro Gets 56 Years For Sex Crimes Against Student On Jersey Shore: Prosecutor A former youth tennis instructor convicted at trial of numerous sexual crimes committed against a student has been sentenced to 56 ½ years in New Jersey State Prison, authorities said. Terry Y. Kuo, 32, of Colts Neck must serve a minimum of 85 percent of that term before the possibility of parole, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago. Kuo will be 72 by the time he becomes eligible for parole, after which he will be subject to parole supervision for life, Santiago said. The case stemmed from an investigation initiated after one of Kuo’s students al…
NYC 'Prophet Of Doom' Subway Shooter Sentenced To 10 Life Terms Plus 10 Years NYC 'Prophet Of Doom' Subway Shooter Sentenced To 10 Life Terms Plus 10 Years
NYC 'Prophet Of Doom' Subway Shooter Sentenced To 10 Life Terms Plus 10 Years UPDATE: A man who admitted that he intended to cause mass harm when he opened fire on a packed New York City subway train last year was sentenced to 10 life sentences -- one for each victim -- plus 10 years in prison. No one was killed in the horrific attack by Frank James, 62, which left the victims strewn across a smoky 36th Street platform in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn while igniting underground terror at the height of the morning rush on April 12, 2022. James took a deal from federal prosecutors rather than risk the consequences of a guilty verdict at a jury trial. The heavyse…
UPDATE: Admitted Homemade Bomb Maker From South Jersey Gets 2 Years, No Parole UPDATE: Admitted Homemade Bomb Maker From South Jersey Gets 2 Years, No Parole
Update: Admitted Homemade Bomb Maker From South Jersey Gets 2 Years, No Parole A South Jersey man whom federal authorities said they caught with a do-it-yourself bomb and the materials to make it was sentenced to two years in prison without parole. Thomas Petronglo, 64, had a 5¾-inch diameter metal can filled with potassium perchlorate and aluminum with a fuse sticking out when authorities raided his Vineland home in March 2021, according to a complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Camden. The mixture is commonly used in commercial fireworks displays. Authorities seized several other improvised devices -- mostly plastic cylinders and cardboard tubes containing "…
NJ Rapper Fetty Wap Sentenced To 6 Years For Running Drugs NJ Rapper Fetty Wap Sentenced To 6 Years For Running Drugs
NJ Rapper Fetty Wap Sentenced To 6 Years For Running Drugs Paterson rapper Fetty Wap caught something of a break on Wednesday. A federal judge sentenced the platinum-selling rapper – whose real name is William Junior Maxwell II – to six years in federal prison on May 24 for his role in a drug-trafficking ring that flooded part of New Jersey and Long Island with cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and crack. Maxwell had been charged with conspiring to transport more than 100 kilos of the drugs there from the West Coast. Rather than risk the potential consequences of a trial, he took a deal from the government, pleading guilty in U.S. Eastern District Court …
Gang Member Who Stabbed Leonia Woman Dead Gets 30-Year Plea Deal Gang Member Who Stabbed Leonia Woman Dead Gets 30-Year Plea Deal
Gang Member Who Stabbed Leonia Woman Dead Gets 30-Year Plea Deal UPDATE: A Paterson gang member pleaded guilty to stabbing his new girlfriend to death in the Leonia apartment that she shared with her young daughter. Murder pleas are rare in Bergen County, where deals are often cut for just about every other charge. Nile “OG Cripp” Diakos, 36, nonetheless got a deal from prosecutors in the March 26, 2022 stabbing death of Alicia Arnone, 35. In exchange for his guilty plea, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said his office will seek a 30-year prison sentence for Diakos. Diakos was at the apartment with Arnone’s 13-year-old daughter when Leonia polic…
Gunpoint Rapist Robbed, Kidnapped One Of His Saddle Brook Victims: Prosecutor Gunpoint Rapist Robbed, Kidnapped One Of His Saddle Brook Victims: Prosecutor
Gunpoint Rapist Robbed, Kidnapped One Of His Saddle Brook Victims: Prosecutor Authorities on Friday seized a former Montclair High School football star who they said kidnapped and robbed one of multiple rape victims at gunpoint in Saddle Brook. There may be other victims, they said. Fokam Parfait, a 25-year-old repeat offender, fled the kidnapping rape on a motorcycle last Friday, March 24, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said in announcing his arrest a week later. Investigators from his Special Victims Unit and Saddle Brook police found that Parfait had also sexually assaulted “multiple” victims while armed in the township. Parfait – who played safety and lin…
NJ Coach, Teacher Sentenced For Sexual Assault Of Student NJ Coach, Teacher Sentenced For Sexual Assault Of Student
NJ Coach, Teacher Sentenced For Sexual Assault Of Student A former teacher and coach has been sentenced to four years in New Jersey State Prison for sexually assaulting a student, authorities said. Matthew Rennie, 29, of Ringoes, in Hunterdon County, was sentenced on Friday, March 17, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald. Rennie was arrested on Oct. 6, 2021, after a 17-year-old girl reported to Franklin Township Police that she was sexually assaulted by Rennie, who is employed at a private educational institution in Somerset County, McDonald said. McDonald did not name the institution in Franklin Township. The victim dis…
'Prophet Of Doom' Pleads Guilty To Mass NYC Subway Shooting 'Prophet Of Doom' Pleads Guilty To Mass NYC Subway Shooting
'Prophet Of Doom' Pleads Guilty To Mass NYC Subway Shooting UPDATE: An assailant who opened fire on a packed New York City subway train last year, wounding 10 commuters and igniting underground terror, admitted on Tuesday, Jan. 3 that he intended to cause mass harm. No one was killed in the horrific attack by Frank James, 63, which left victims strewn across a smoky 36th Street platform in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn at the height of the April 12 morning rush. Rather than risk the consequences of a guilty verdict at a jury trial, James took a deal from prosecutors. The heavyset and balding domestic terrorist -- who'd dubbed himself the…
Did Suspected Idaho Killer Bryan Kohberger Study To Be The Perfect Criminal? Did Suspected Idaho Killer Bryan Kohberger Study To Be The Perfect Criminal?
Did Suspected Idaho Killer Bryan Kohberger Study To Be The Perfect Criminal? Dark details surrounding suspected University of Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger have many questioning if he studied to be the perfect criminal. Just a few months ago, Kohlerger, 28, then a student at DeSales University in Lehigh County, had posted a study to a since-deleted Reddit account, asking criminals to specifically detail plans and their mental state surrounding violent targeted crimes. Police believe Kohberger killed Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen.Instagram "What steps did you take prior to locating the victim or target? Detail your thoughts and fe…
Suspected Idaho Killer Bryan Kohberger Has Deep Ties To Pennsylvania Suspected Idaho Killer Bryan Kohberger Has Deep Ties To Pennsylvania
Suspected Idaho Killer Bryan Kohberger Has Deep Ties To Pennsylvania "How did you leave the scene? Did you struggle with or fight the victim?" Those were two questions that suspected University of Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger posted to Reddit in a since-deleted thread, apparently while working toward his Master of Arts in criminal justice from DeSales University in Lehigh County. Kohberger, who went on to study criminology at Washington State University's Pullman campus, according to a another  deleted webpage, was arrested in the Pocono Mountains early Friday, Dec. 30 in connection with the deaths of the four students. But before he made national headline…
Princeton HS Administrative Secretary Of Guidance, Beloved Trenton Native Dies, 39 Princeton HS Administrative Secretary Of Guidance, Beloved Trenton Native Dies, 39
Princeton HS Administrative Secretary Of Guidance, Beloved Trenton Native Dies, 39 Princeton High School administrative secretary of guidance and beloved Trenton native Monique Q. Corbin died unexpectedly on Monday, Oct. 17. She was 39. Monique attended Trenton High School, where she graduated in 2001, her social media page says. She began studying criminal justice at Livingstone College in 2004 and graduated in 2009. Monique was a hard worker at Princeton Public Schools ISD 477 and Princeton High School, where she was an administrative secretary of guidance, her page says. She was incredibly selfless, kind and caring and will be missed by many. Tributes immediately po…
Cash-For-Kids Ex-Judges Fined $200 Million In Pennsylvania: AP Cash-For-Kids Ex-Judges Fined $200 Million In Pennsylvania: AP
Cash-For-Kids Ex-Judges Fined $200 Million In Pennsylvania: AP A Harrisburg, PA judge has ordered two former judges to pay $200 million to the families of children sent to prison as part of their kickback scheme, the Associated Press reports.   Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan, both former judges in the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas, were found guilty in 2009 for charges in connection with a scheme that involved them using their positions to shutter county-run juvenile detention center, siphoning children from the juvenile court to PA Child Care and its sister facility, Western PA Child Care, according to court records.  Childr…
'Like A Superhero': Community Prepares Goodbyes For Beloved East Rutherford Deputy Police Chief 'Like A Superhero': Community Prepares Goodbyes For Beloved East Rutherford Deputy Police Chief
'Like A Superhero': Community Prepares Goodbyes For Beloved East Rutherford Deputy Police Chief It all sadly happened so fast. East Rutherford Deputy Police Chief Phil Taormina, a man who was as kind as he was courageous, died Wednesday, just months after he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of liver cancer. He was only 46. A funeral Mass is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2, at St. Pius X R.C. Church in Montville (24 Changebridge Rd,). Entombment will follow in Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover (225 Ridgedale Ave). Visiting hours are from 4 to 8 Monday, Aug. 1 at Kimak Funeral Home, 425 Broad Street, Carlstadt. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Fund th…
Union Beach Officer Killed In Crash Was 'Rising Star' Union Beach Officer Killed In Crash Was 'Rising Star'
Union Beach Officer Killed In Crash Was 'Rising Star' The Union Beach Police Department is mourning the loss of one of its own. Detective Cpl. Timothy Kelly, Jr., 29, died in an off-duty crash, his department said. His father also served as a UBPD officer. "Kelly was a rising star in the Union Beach Police Department, having been involved in many high profile and sensitive special operations with the FBI, DEA, MCPO, and BTF," UBPD said.  He earned a Bachelors of Science Degree from the University of Alabama with a double major in History and Criminal Justice.  Details in the crash were not immediately clear.
Convicted Gunman Just Released From Prison Nabbed In Garfield Bar Shooting Convicted Gunman Just Released From Prison Nabbed In Garfield Bar Shooting
Convicted Gunman Just Released From Prison Nabbed In Garfield Bar Shooting A 23-year-old ex-con from Garfield who was paroled only weeks ago after serving time for a drive-by was arrested and charged with a shooting last week at a local bar. Ramon Santana, 23, was wanted on a warrant for the 1 a.m. shooting on June 19 when Garfield Police Officer Nicholas Kopacz spotted him walking near the corner of Midland Avenue and Outwater Lane exactly a week later -- also around 1 a.m., Capt. Richard Uram said. The shooting capped an argument among several people outside The Hive Bar on Outwater Lane, he said. Santana, of Palisade Avenue, remained held in the Bergen County …