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NJ Couple Ginned Up Immigrant Asylum Applications, Charged Clients $1,000 A Pop: Feds
A New Jersey couple who operated an immigration business from their home are facing a federal trial for submitting bogus asylum applications for clients from Sri Lanka, authorities said.
Zuwairul Ameer, 61, and his wife, Claudette Ameer, 63, had been doing it since at least 2007 when a client who was approached by the FBI agreed to become a government cooperator, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said.
Applicants for asylum in the U.S. must show Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that they have suffered persecution in their homeland because of their race, religion, …
Covid-19: These Are Most Likely Symptoms Of New Pirola Variant Identified In Five States
The most likely symptoms of a new COVID-19 variant with around 30 mutations are expected to be similar to the highly contagious Omicron strain based on reports so far.
COVID-related hospitalizations have increased in the US for six straight weeks, with a 19-percent increase reported in the most recent week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The BA.2.86 strain, known as Pirola, has now been identified in five states: New York, Texas, Michigan, Virginia, and Ohio.
The strain was first detected in Israel around Sunday, Aug. 20, and cases have also been identif…
Meet Celebrity Fitness Guru Cody Rigsby In North Jersey
Cody Rigsby, a former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant and Peloton superstar, is coming to Bergen County for a book signing.
Rigsby will be signing copies of his new book, "XOXO, Cody: An Opinionated Homosexual's Guide to Self-Love, Relationships, and Tactful Pettiness Hardcover" on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 4 p.m. at Books and Greetings in Northvale.
In the book, which is dedicated to Britney Jean Spears, Rigsby chronicles his journey growing up gay and poor in North Carolina to moving to New York, where he went from a dancer struggling to get by to becoming a fitness icon, according to a syn…
Busted: Repeat Offender Got Car Loan Using Hillsdale Resident's Stolen ID, Police Charge
A repeat offender used a Hillsdale resident's stolen identification to get himself a car loan, among other expenditures, authorities said.
Taheim J. Hart, 26, of Staten Island was arrested in Newark this past January for using a driver's license bearing the victim's name and information, Hillsdale Police Sgt. Travis Woods said.
Hillsdale detectives investigating the theft of the resident's identity tied Hart to the car loan, obtained in North Carolina, among other expenses, the sergeant said.
A warrant was issued for Hart, who was arrested in New York for a probation violation, Woods said.…
$74K Worth Of Fentanyl, Cocaine: Four Busted In Secaucus
Four people were arrested in Secaucus on Wednesday, July 19 and found with $74,000 worth of fentanyl and cocaine, authorities said.
Franklin Rodriguez-Liberto, a 40-year-old Jersey City resident, Richard Pena-Rodriguez, a 37-year-old Union City resident, Steven Reyes, a 44-year-old North Bergen resident and Christopher Delacruz, a 24-year-old New York resident, were arrested, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.
The arrests come following an investigation that spanned April to July in which $65,000 worth of cocaine and $9,000 worth of fentanyl were seized,
The four were …
Jersey Shore Swimmer, 19, Dies Week After Rescue
A swimmer from New York who was pulled from the ocean off Bradley Beach on Friday, July 7 died in the hospital on Thursday, July 14, authorities said.
Colin Martin, 19, of New York, was swimming to the shore of the Kent Avenue beach in Bradley Beach when he was rescued.
“The medics worked on him and were able to get a pulse back,” Bradley Beach Police Chief Leonard Guida told NJ Advance Media last week.
Martin was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he remained in critical condition until his death, authorities said.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of Colin…
Rapes, Beatings, Brandings: Married Paterson Sex Traffickers Who 'Defied Humanity' Go To Prison
A married Passaic County couple who operated a sex trafficking ring that raped, beat and branded women with the husband's name while he was in prison have been sentenced for their crimes, authorities announced.
Enna Gonzalez, 58, was sentenced to a plea-bargained four years in federal prison last Thursday, July 6, by U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark for crimes that one federal official said “defy humanity.”
Her husband, Jean “Poison” Noriega, 52, also took a deal from the government and was sentenced last month to 20 years in prison in exchange for a guilty plea, U.S. Attorn…