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Middlesex County Men Indicted In Alleged $7M Fuel Investment Scheme: AG
A New Jersey grand jury has indicted two Middlesex County men for allegedly defrauding fuel investors out of approximately $6.7 million, authorities said.
The scheme used sham companies and false identities to deceive investors into believing they would receive large guaranteed returns from investments in fuel products, according to Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin.
Instead, the defendants diverted investor funds for their own benefit, Platkin said.
Shahid Javed, 39, of Old Bridge, and Wilfredo Topacio, 64, of Woodbridge, were charged in an indictment with first-degree conspiracy, …
Mother, Son Admit Selling Cheap Parts To Military Through Jersey Shore Family Business: Feds
A New Jersey mother and son admitted to a years-long scheme to scam the Department of Defense by selling cheap military equipment not approved by their business's contracts, authorities said.
Linda Mika, 73, of Jackson, pleaded guilty in federal court on Tuesday, July 23 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. Her son, 53-year-old Kenneth Mika of Ewing, also pleaded guilty to the same charge on Tuesday, June 25.
According to court documents and testimony, Linda and Kenneth Mika defrauded the DoD and the Defe…
NJ Postal Worker Admits Spending $54,000 On USPS Credit Cards
A post office worker in South Jersey admitted going on a $54,000 personal spending spree, buying power tools, gift cards, groceries and more with U.S. Postal Service plastic.
Austin T. Mahan, 44, of Cape May Court House, was working at the Sea Isle and Somers Point facilities when he used postal service credit cards at retail stores in and around New Jersey over a six-month period beginning in 2022, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
"These purchases included thousands of dollars’ worth of gift cards as well as various home décor items, home renovation materials, power and handhel…
Jersey Shore Contractor Who Stole Nearly $700K From Sandy Victims Sentenced: Prosecutors
An Ocean County contractor will spend time in prison after admitting to stealing nearly $700,000 in funds meant to help victims of Hurricane Sandy, authorities said.
Adam Nevius, 49, of Manahawkin, was sentenced on Friday, May 3 to five years in state prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. He pleaded guilty to theft by failure to make required disposition on Monday, June 19, 2023.
Nevius and his wife, 55-year-old Kimberly Atkinson of Manahawkin, owned Coastal Restorations of New Jersey, LLC. Investigators said between Monday, Sept.…
Scam ALERT: Glen Rock Homeowner Loses $27,400 As Home Repair Con Men Prep For Spring
A roof repair scam cost a Glen Rock resident $27,400, prompting the borough police chief to warn citizens against con men who come to the door.
Two visiting scammers who claimed to be from Nassau County, on Long Island, offered to repair a partially damaged section of one victim’s roof for $3,400, Glen Rock Police Chief Dean Ackermann said.
No sooner had they begun their work than they suddenly “discovered” that the damage was “more extensive than originally thought,” the chief said.
They asked for an additional $24,000 and the resident subsequently wired them the money, he said.
The…
Elderly Bergen Couple's Trusted Personal Assistant Stole $2.9M Of Their Money, Feds Charge
An elderly Bergen County couple had $2.9 million stolen by a now-former Ridgewood Public Library tech administrator whom they'd hired to be a part-time assistant at their home, federal authorities said following his arrest.
Charles Gallo, 34, of Hawthorne, was responsible for managing the victims’ monthly bills, handling their banking and helping them with email and other issues involving technology after being hired in 2018, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
The couple trusted Gallo with their personal bank accounts, credit card accounts, online retail accounts and email, the U.S. at…
10 Vintage Cars, 1.7 Pounds Of Coke, $332K Seized From Jobless NJ Drug Dealer: Prosecutor
An unemployed Nutley man bought 10 vintage cars with the money he made selling cocaine, authorities charged.
Authorities seized the “exotic” vehicles along with nearly $332,000 in cash that Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Omar Rios, 44, squirreled away in his apartment and a stash house.
They also grabbed 1.7 pounds of cocaine, cutting agents, packaging material and a hydraulic press used to compress cocaine for packaging, the prosecutor said.
Rios was seized during coordinated raids at his apartment in the Franklin Commons building on Franklin Avenue in Nutley, at a mixed-used …
Fairview Restaurant Owner In $90,000 Wire Transfer Scam Flees To Brazil, Returned To US
A Fairview restaurant owner who claimed to be sending wire transfers for customers to Brazil pocketed at least $90,000 before fleeing the country, authorities said.
Joanistel Ramos, 59, who owns Brasil and Brazil restaurant on Anderson Avenue, stiffed at least 15 local victims out of $40,000 in wire transfers that were never sent, Fairvew Police Capt. Michael Martic said.
"She basically printed out a bogus generic receipt and put the money in her pocket," the captain said.
Ramos, of Cliffside Park, also defrauded a money transfer company in Newark called Lyons Express out of an additional …
