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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…
Home Invasion: Female Saddle Brook 'Guest' Let Armed Robbers In, Authorities Charge
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A Saddle Brook home invasion in which a group of thugs from Passaic County took $12,500 in cash, $3,000 worth of jewelry and more at gunpoint was made possible by a female "guest," federal authorities revealed.
Lanasia "Lay" Smith, 24 (top left above), sent ex-con Jancarlos "M" Rodriguez, 23 (bottom right), "a picture of a safe located in the residence" hours before the June 28, 2022 robbery, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
Smith then left the front door unlocked for Rodriguez and two cohorts -- fellow ex-con Jahad "Hadie" Foxworth, 25, and Jamere "Rebels" Dixon, 23 --…
Jersey Shore Man Admits Anti-Semitic Rampage: Running Down Victims, Stabbing, Carjacking
A Jersey Shore man admitted in federal court on Thursday that he committed a series of violent assaults on members of the Jewish Orthodox community in and around Lakewood.
What became a rampage over roughly seven hours began when Dion Marsh, 29, of Manchester, dragged a "visibly identifiable" Orthodox Jew out of his car, beat him and sped off in the victim's vehicle on April 8, 2022, authorities said.
Marsh was driving a different car in the heavily Orthodox community hours later when he ran down victims in three separate incidents, attempting to kill each of them, U.S. Attorney for New Jer…
Gotcha! NJ Duo Charged With Beating Gas Station Attendants In Armed Tri-County Robbery Spree
Two men wanted for beating attendants during a two-day spree of quick-stop armed gas station robberies in three New Jersey counties were captured by federal agents, authorities said.
Ex-con Ahmad Singletary, 24, and Joseph Young, 26, both of Newark, committed three of the robberies last Sept. 5, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
Four more holdups -- also in a single day -- followed exactly a week later, the U.S. attorney said.
Singletary "threatened, assaulted, and struck victims in the head" with a Ruger 9 mm P95 handgun, injuring all of them, a complaint filed by the ATF says.
Th…
Gunman Gets 8 Years, No Parole, For $35,000 Secaucus Bank Robbery
An out-of-state man who admitted robbing a bank in Secaucus of $35,000 in cash at gunpoint was sentenced to nearly eight years in federal prison, authorities said.
Jose Luis Martinez, 33, of Iowa, must serve all of the plea-bargained 94-month sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system.
Martinez was wearing glasses, an Everlast hoodie and two wool caps when he entered the Bank of America branch on Park Plaza Drive on Jan. 5, 2017, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said.
He pointed a long-barreled gun at a teller and said he'd “shoot her and other customer…
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…
Feds: NJ Woman, 77, Embezzles $1M In Benefits Intended For Aunt Who Died In 1998
For the past 25 years, a South Orange woman has fraudulently collected more than $1 million in federal benefits intended for her dead aunt, authorities charged.
Janis Miller -- who is now 77 years old -- even went as far as trying to impersonate her aunt in a phone conversation with a Social Security worker, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
However, she couldn’t come up with her aunt’s exact birthdate – just an approximation, he said.
The embezzlement scheme came apart after that.
Miller was brought before a federal judge in Newark on Thursday, Dec. 21, and was released on a $100,0…
NY Man Who Assaulted Female Passenger On Flight To Newark Gets 2 Years, No Parole
UPDATE: An upstate New York man who admitted assaulting a fellow passenger on a flight from Denver to Newark must spend two plea-bargained years in federal prison.
Ryan Manuella, 30, of Erie County, “moved to a vacant center seat next to a female passenger, who was sitting in a window seat” on the April 16, 2021 flight, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
Manuella, who didn't know the woman, then "touched the passenger without her consent," Sellinger said.
"The victim then yelled at him and left the row of seats," the U.S. attorney said.
Defense attorney Andrew Olesnyck…
