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Philip Sellinger

Father, Son Admit To Using South Jersey Deli In $100M Stock Inflation Scheme: Feds Father, Son Admit To Using South Jersey Deli In $100M Stock Inflation Scheme: Feds
Father, Son Admit To Using South Jersey Deli In $100M Stock Inflation Scheme: Feds A quiet deli in Paulsboro became the unlikely focal point of a $100 million stock manipulation scheme led by a father and son, authorities said. Peter Coker Sr., 82, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and his son, Peter Coker Jr., 56, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Dec. 19 to securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. Coker Jr. is a former resident of Hong Kong. Prosecutors said the plan started around 2014 when two New Jersey residents opened Your Hometown Deli on Mantua Avenue. The pair soug…
Life Sentences Cut Short For Brothers Convicted In Violent South Jersey Bank Robberies: Feds Life Sentences Cut Short For Brothers Convicted In Violent South Jersey Bank Robberies: Feds
Life Sentences Cut Short For Brothers Convicted In Violent South Jersey Bank Robberies: Feds The life sentences have been reduced for two New Jersey brothers convicted in a string of violent crimes, including armed bank robberies and a thwarted armored car heist in the late 90s, authorities said. Charles Rodriguez, 58, and Joseph Rodriguez, 57, were re-sentenced to 30 years in prison for committing two armed bank robberies and conspiring to rob an armored car, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release on Tuesday, Dec. 17. The brothers were initially convicted in 1999 after a six-week jury trial on conspiracy, carjacking, multiple armed robberies, …
Former South Jersey Corrections Officer Who Didn't Stop Attacks On Inmates Sentenced, Feds Say Former South Jersey Corrections Officer Who Didn't Stop Attacks On Inmates Sentenced, Feds Say
Former South Jersey Corrections Officer Who Didn't Stop Attacks On Inmates Sentenced, Feds Say A former corrections officer in Leesburg will spend more than a year in prison after admitting to not stopping attacks against two inmates, authorities said. Joshua Hand, 35, of Millville, was sentenced on Tuesday, Nov. 5 to 20 months in prison, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. He was a corrections officer at Bayside State Prison. According to court documents and statements, Hand was in the officers' quarters in the kitchen area when the first victim entered the room in December 2019. "Shortly after the victim entered the officers’ qua…
Man Admits To Vandalizing Rutgers Islamic Center On Muslim Holiday, Feds Say Man Admits To Vandalizing Rutgers Islamic Center On Muslim Holiday, Feds Say
Man Admits To Vandalizing Rutgers Islamic Center On Muslim Holiday, Feds Say A North Plainfield man admitted to trashing an Islamic center at Rutgers University-New Brunswick during an important Muslim holiday, authorities said. Jacob Beacher, 24, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, Oct. 9 to damage to religious property, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. According to court documents and statements, Beacher broke into the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University (CILRU) at around 2:41 a.m. on Wednesday, Apr. 10. That day was Eid-al-Fitr, a holy celebration for Muslims at the end of Ramadan. Prosecutors said Beacher caused m…
NJ-Based TD Bank Fined $3B For Allowing Drug Dealers, Human Traffickers To Launder Money: Feds NJ-Based TD Bank Fined $3B For Allowing Drug Dealers, Human Traffickers To Launder Money: Feds
Nj-based TD Bank Fined $3B For Allowing Drug Dealers, Human Traffickers To Launder Money: Feds TD Bank has agreed to pay about $3 billion in historic penalties after its relaxed policies allowed criminals to launder their money, authorities said. The Canadian bank with U.S. headquarters in Cherry Hill pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to not maintain an anti-money laundering program that complies with the Bank Secrecy Act, filing inaccurate currency transaction reports, and laundering money, the Justice Department said in a news release on Thursday, Oct. 10. TD Bank will pay more than $1.8 billion to resolve the DOJ's investigation and $1.3 billion in a penalty f…
OceanFirst Bank Agrees To $15M Settlement For Redlining In Central Jersey, Feds Say OceanFirst Bank Agrees To $15M Settlement For Redlining In Central Jersey, Feds Say
OceanFirst Bank Agrees To $15M Settlement For Redlining In Central Jersey, Feds Say A Jersey Shore bank will pay more than $15 million in a settlement for racially discriminatory lending practices known as redlining, authorities said. OceanFirst Bank agreed to the settlement to resolve the accusations that date back to 2018, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. The Toms River-based bank was accused of redlining in predominantly non-white neighborhoods in Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties. The $15 million settlement came after the Department of Justice launched its Combating Redlining Initiative in October 2021, aiming to s…
Jersey Shore Man Admits To Having Unregistered Machine Guns, Modified Weapons: Feds Jersey Shore Man Admits To Having Unregistered Machine Guns, Modified Weapons: Feds
Jersey Shore Man Admits To Having Unregistered Machine Guns, Modified Weapons: Feds A Somers Point man admitted to having unregistered machine guns and modified firearms, authorities said. Michael James, 30, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Aug. 20 to possessing unregistered machine guns and other firearms, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. James had been given a federal charge on Wednesday, May 15. According to court documents and statements, Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted two packages with suspected drugs addressed to James' home in February. Investigators "conducted a controlled delivery of the packages" on&nb…
NJ Pilot Who Went To Philippines For Sex With Underage Sisters Sentenced, Feds Say NJ Pilot Who Went To Philippines For Sex With Underage Sisters Sentenced, Feds Say
NJ Pilot Who Went To Philippines For Sex With Underage Sisters Sentenced, Feds Say A Mercer County pilot will spend more than a decade in prison for traveling to the Philippines to have sex with girls, authorities said. Frank Maile, 68, of Hamilton Township, was sentenced on Thursday, Aug. 15 to 12 years in prison, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. Maile is also a former New Egypt resident and pleaded guilty on Sept. 6, 2023, to illicit sexual conduct abroad. According to court documents and statements, Maile went to the Philippines as early as 2013 for "sexual contact" with two girls who were sisters and paid to sexually assaul…
Jersey Shore Healthcare Company To Pay $3.15M For Improperly Taking Pandemic Loan: Feds Jersey Shore Healthcare Company To Pay $3.15M For Improperly Taking Pandemic Loan: Feds
Jersey Shore Healthcare Company To Pay $3.15M For Improperly Taking Pandemic Loan: Feds An Atlantic County healthcare system will pay more than $3 million for improperly receiving a loan from a COVID-19 pandemic program, authorities said. Shore Memorial Health System has agreed to pay the federal government $3.15 million, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release on Wednesday, Aug. 14. The settlement comes from Shore Memorial Physicians’ Group receiving $2.78 million in a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. The physicians' group wasn't eligible for a PPP loan because it isn't a small business since it's an affiliate of Shore Mem…
Four Jersey Shore Men Charged After Selling Ghost Guns To FBI Informant: Feds Four Jersey Shore Men Charged After Selling Ghost Guns To FBI Informant: Feds
Four Jersey Shore Men Charged After Selling Ghost Guns To FBI Informant: Feds Four Ocean County men were accused of using a 3D printer to sell ghost guns to an FBI informant, authorities said. The men facing charges in the case are James Hyres, 38, of Toms River; Dennis McMickle, 35, of Brick Township; James Opalenik, 51, of Ocean Gate; and Edward Trost III, 36, of Toms River. New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced the charges in a news release on Monday, July 29. According to the criminal complaint, the four men were part of a gun-trafficking conspiracy throughout Ocean County in April and May 2024. Hyres created the ghost guns by using seve…
NJ Broker Bought Private Jet, Luxury Caribbean Vacation In $3.4M Insider Trading Scheme: Feds NJ Broker Bought Private Jet, Luxury Caribbean Vacation In $3.4M Insider Trading Scheme: Feds
NJ Broker Bought Private Jet, Luxury Caribbean Vacation In $3.4M Insider Trading Scheme: Feds A former partner at a New Jersey broker-dealer firm was accused of insider trading, making more than $3 million in illegal profits, authorities said. Christopher Matthaei, 44, of Brielle, was arraigned in federal court on Wednesday, July 17, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. A federal grand jury indicted him on Friday, June 21 for two counts of securities fraud conspiracy and seven counts of securities fraud. According to court documents and statements, Matthaei was a partner and senior salesperson at a trading firm based in Charlotte, North Carol…
New Englander Who Traveled To Jersey Shore For Back-Seat Sex With Pre-Teen Gets 20 Years New Englander Who Traveled To Jersey Shore For Back-Seat Sex With Pre-Teen Gets 20 Years
New Englander Who Traveled To Jersey Shore For Back-Seat Sex With Pre-Teen Gets 20 Years UPDATE: A New Hampshire man who recorded himself having sex in the back seat of his car with a 12-year-old child at the Jersey Shore must spend the next 20 years in federal prison. Scott Wilkinson, 39, must serve out the entire plea-bargained sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Twenty years means 20 years. Wilkinson traveled nearly 400 miles from Concord, NH to Egg Harbor Township -- just outside Atlantic City -- to have sex with the child, the FBI said. He recorded it and uploaded the video from his phone to a Google Drive account, which was linked to his home…
New Details Emerge As Feds Take Case Of South Jersey Man Charged With Building Pipe Bombs New Details Emerge As Feds Take Case Of South Jersey Man Charged With Building Pipe Bombs
New Details Emerge As Feds Take Case Of South Jersey Man Charged With Building Pipe Bombs Federal authorities on Tuesday announced that they're now handling the prosecution of a South Jersey man who forced a major evacuation of homes and businesses after local police said they found him driving around with homemade pipe bombs in his car. U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger announced the move on Jan. 23 while sharing new details about last summer's arrest. Jeremy Giliberti, 52, of Mount Laurel, was stopped by Hamilton Township police in the parking lot of a T-Mobile store on South Broad Street shortly before 11 a.m. last July 26. On the floorboard of the front passenge…
Feds: Crooked Bookkeeper Admits Embezzling $900G From Restaurants In NJ, NY, PA (UPDATE) Feds: Crooked Bookkeeper Admits Embezzling $900G From Restaurants In NJ, NY, PA (UPDATE)
Feds: Crooked Bookkeeper Admits Embezzling $900G From Restaurants In NJ, NY, PA (Update) A bookkeeper from New Jersey admitted in federal court that he embezzled more than $900,000 from restaurants he worked for in the Garden State, New York and Pennsylvania, authorities said. Richard Winter, 53, of Pompton Lakes authorized bank wire transfers from some of them, pocketed vendor payments to others and issued checks payable to cash that he then deposited into his own bank accounts, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger said. Winter serviced the clients' accounts payable through a company he created called Back Office Pro, a complaint on file in federal court in Newark say…
FBI: Sex, Money, Murder Members Nabbed With Guns, Coke, More At Open-Air Brick City Drug Market FBI: Sex, Money, Murder Members Nabbed With Guns, Coke, More At Open-Air Brick City Drug Market
FBI: Sex, Money, Murder Members Nabbed With Guns, Coke, More At Open-Air Brick City Drug Market Five reputed members and associates of the Sex, Money, Murder gang were charged by federal authorities with peddling fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine at an open-air drug market in Newark. Drugs and loaded guns were seized during the arrests early last month of the quintet, who U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger said slung the potentially lethal narcotics from the neighborhood at Kent and Brenner streets. He identified them as Fuquan Williams, 33; Dwight Dixon, 52; Nafee Patterson, 41; Jabriel Mason, 20; and Daqwuan Barkley, 29, all of Essex County. A federal magistrate judge in New…
Newark Ex-Con Gets 19 Years, No Parole, On Federal Gun, Drug Convictions Newark Ex-Con Gets 19 Years, No Parole, On Federal Gun, Drug Convictions
Newark Ex-Con Gets 19 Years, No Parole, On Federal Gun, Drug Convictions An ex-con from Newark was sentenced to 228 months in federal prison for trafficking cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl while carrying a loaded gun. Ricky Hubbard, 46, was convicted by jurors in U.S. District Court in March. He'll have to serve out the entire 19-year term because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Hubbard was talking on a cellphone when Union Township police stopped him in a 2012 Kia Sedona with tinted windows in the eastbound lanes of Route 22 near Ball Avenue on Nov. 6, 2019, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. They immediately smelled pot while noticing a b…
FBI Seizes Passenger On Newark-Bound Plane For Fondling Female Passenger FBI Seizes Passenger On Newark-Bound Plane For Fondling Female Passenger
FBI Seizes Passenger On Newark-Bound Plane For Fondling Female Passenger An 18-year-old airline passenger was arrested by the FBI for touching a woman's groin and leg after changing his seat to sit next to her during a flight from L.A. to Newark, federal authorities said. A U.S. District Court magistrate judge released Hasan Naser Hussain Alenezi of Kuwait on an unsecured bond -- with home detention and a GPS ankle bracelet -- following an initial appearance in federal court in Newark on Friday, Sept. 1. "While on a Nov. 27, 2022, flight from Los Angeles, California, to Newark, Alenezi sat next to a female passenger, who was seated next to the window, instead of…
3 Brick City Brims Get 100 Years Combined For Murdering Informant, Bystander, Rival Gangster 3 Brick City Brims Get 100 Years Combined For Murdering Informant, Bystander, Rival Gangster
3 Brick City Brims Get 100 Years Combined For Murdering Informant, Bystander, Rival Gangster A trio of ruthless Essex County gang members who admitted gunning down a government informant after killing an innocent bystander they mistook for the snitch were sentenced to nearly 100 years combined in federal prison. There’s no parole in the federal prison system, which means the East Orange trio will all have to serve out their plea-bargained sentences: Thomas Zimmerman, 28, was sentenced to 37 years; Tyquan Daniels, 27, got 35 years; Ali Hill, 30, was sentenced to 25 years. That means Daniels and Zimmerman will both be pushing 65 when either tastes freedom again. Hill would be approa…
GANG WAR: Brick City Teen Seized In Modified Machine-Gun Shooting Of Rival Trio GANG WAR: Brick City Teen Seized In Modified Machine-Gun Shooting Of Rival Trio
Gang WAR: Brick City Teen Seized In Modified Machine-Gun Shooting Of Rival Trio A 19-year-old reputed Newark street gang member wanted for shooting three rivals with a modified machine gun last weekend is in federal custody. Munir “Mu” Muhammad was carrying the converted 9mm handgun when he was arrested on Wednesday, April 12, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. The gun had fired 28 rounds in the April 8 shooting at the Oscar Miles Housing Complex and was fitted with an extended magazine loaded with another 30, Sellinger said Thursday. Three opponents were wounded, one critically, in what the U.S. attorney said is part of a bloody ongoing gun battle between rivals on…
Essex Jail Officer, GF Stung By FBI In Scheme To Smuggle In Tobacco, Cell Phones: Feds Essex Jail Officer, GF Stung By FBI In Scheme To Smuggle In Tobacco, Cell Phones: Feds
Essex Jail Officer, GF Stung By FBI In Scheme To Smuggle In Tobacco, Cell Phones: Feds A corrections officer and his girlfriend were busted for smuggling tobacco and cellphones into the Essex County Jail from a source who turned out to be an undercover FBI agent, federal authorities said. Efrin Wade, 34, and Yairisa Lizardo, 29, both of Jersey City, accepted $14,000 for the illegal acts and apparently were counting on another $30,000 when they were busted, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger said following their arrests on Tuesday, March 14. Wade, who’d worked as a corrections officer at the Essex County Correctional Facility (ECCF) in Newark since February 2020, be…
GOTCHA! Fugitive Cocaine Dealer Captured In DR, Returned To NJ After 15 Years On Run GOTCHA! Fugitive Cocaine Dealer Captured In DR, Returned To NJ After 15 Years On Run
Gotcha! Fugitive Cocaine Dealer Captured In DR, Returned To NJ After 15 Years On Run A cocaine dealer who fled the country after being sentenced to federal prison time 15 years ago has been returned to New Jersey following her capture in the Dominican Republic, authorities said. Ramona Cruz will have to serve out the entire 3½-year sentence because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Cruz and her brother, Ramon DeJesus, were busted in 2005 with more than 6½ pounds of cocaine that had been flown in through Newark Airport by an unidentified associate from the DR, authorities said. DeJesus took a deal from the government rather than face trial, pleading guilty to…
Worldwide Ransomware Rampage: Iranians Hack NJ Town, PA Domestic Violence Shelter, Feds Charge Worldwide Ransomware Rampage: Iranians Hack NJ Town, PA Domestic Violence Shelter, Feds Charge
Worldwide Ransomware Rampage: Iranians Hack NJ Town, PA Domestic Violence Shelter, Feds Charge Federal authorities are offering a $10 million reward to help locate a trio of Iranian nationals who held the computer systems of a New Jersey town, a domestic violence shelter in Pennsylvania and hundreds of other victims across the U.S. and abroad hostage in a series of hack attacks. Using Microsoft’s BitLocker security tool, the hackers locked up and then stole secure files before sending ransom notes – some of which were spit out on the victims’ printers, the FBI said on Wednesday, Sept. 14. The unidentified shelter ended up paying $13,000 in bitcoin to retrieve its files, according to …
Feds: Major NJ Drug Trio Admits Killing Informant, Innocent Bystander, Among Others Feds: Major NJ Drug Trio Admits Killing Informant, Innocent Bystander, Among Others
Feds: Major NJ Drug Trio Admits Killing Informant, Innocent Bystander, Among Others A trio of ruthless Essex County gang members admitted their roles in a major drug operation responsible for gunning down a government informant -- following the murder of an innocent bystander who was mistakenly believed to be the snitch. In exchange for their pleas, Tyquan Daniels and Thomas Zimmerman, 27, face a minimum of 33 years in federal prison each, while Ali Hill, 29, is looking at a minimum of 20 years. There's no parole in the federal prison system, which means Daniels and Zimmerman would be turning 60 when either tastes freedom again. Hill would be nearing 50. Federal prosecuto…
Career Criminal From Connecticut, 73, Admits Committing Murder-For-Hire Of Jersey City Politico Career Criminal From Connecticut, 73, Admits Committing Murder-For-Hire Of Jersey City Politico
Career Criminal From Connecticut, 73, Admits Committing Murder-For-Hire Of Jersey City Politico A hardened ex-con from Connecticut admitted that he and a longtime criminal pal from Philadelphia stabbed a political consultant to death and then torched his Jersey City apartment in a murder-for-hire attack. George Bratsenis, 73, of Monroe, CT said he and his partner were paid to whack Michael Galdieri, the son of former State Sen. James Galdieri (D-Jersey City) and a prominent figure in local Hudson County politics. Bratsenis and the other killer, Bomani Africa, 61, were hired by onetime political operative Sean Caddle, who’d been an aide to former State Sen. Ray Lesniak (D-Elizabeth) a…
Former Rockland Owner Of Failed Nursing Homes In NJ, 11 Other States Charged In $39M Tax Dodge Former Rockland Owner Of Failed Nursing Homes In NJ, 11 Other States Charged In $39M Tax Dodge
Former Rockland Owner Of Failed Nursing Homes In NJ, 11 Other States Charged In $39M Tax Dodge An insurance broker from Rockland County who ran a failed nationwide network of nearly 100 nursing homes from an office over a Bergen County pizzeria ducked nearly $39 million in payroll taxes, a federal indictment unsealed on Monday alleges. Joseph Schwartz, 62, was arrested at his Suffern home last Thursday. A federal judge in Newark released him to home confinement hours later, with conditions, pending trial. Then came the unsealing announcement on Monday, also out of Newark. Schwartz’s Skyline Healthcare LLC amassed 95 nursing homes in 11 states nationwide in less than two years – incl…