Tag:

Bank Robbery

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, …
Off-Duty Officer Catches Robber Who Stole $5K+ From Wall Twp. Bank, Prosecutors Say Off-Duty Officer Catches Robber Who Stole $5K+ From Wall Twp. Bank, Prosecutors Say
Off-Duty Officer Catches Robber Who Stole $5K+ From Wall Twp. Bank, Prosecutors Say A Wall Township man was accused of stealing more than $5,000 from a bank, authorities said. Jeffrey Kniffin, 50, was charged with first-degree armed robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree possession of hollow-point bullets, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release on Thursday, Oct. 24. Wall police responded to a robbery report at the Bank of America on Route 35 at around 3:24 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23. Officers learned a man entered the bank, pulled out a gun, and stole "a large amount of cash" of more than $5,000.&nbs…
FBI Helps Catch Woman Wanted In Central Jersey Armed Bank Robbery, Police Say FBI Helps Catch Woman Wanted In Central Jersey Armed Bank Robbery, Police Say
FBI Helps Catch Woman Wanted In Central Jersey Armed Bank Robbery, Police Say A Skillman woman was accused of robbing a bank in Princeton about two months ago, authorities said. Ciara Brascom, 37, was arrested on Tuesday, Sept. 26, the Princeton Police Department said in a news release. She was wanted in an armed robbery at TD Bank. Officers responded to a panic alarm at the State Road bank on Sunday, July 28. A teller then called 911 to report the robbery in progress. Investigators said the suspect approached the counter, pulled out a black semi-automatic gun, and handed the teller a note that demanded money. The suspect got an undisclosed …
Man Wanted For Jersey Shore Bank Robbery Turns Himself In, Police Say Man Wanted For Jersey Shore Bank Robbery Turns Himself In, Police Say
Man Wanted For Jersey Shore Bank Robbery Turns Himself In, Police Say A Lakewood man was accused of robbing a bank in Brick Township, authorities said. Andrew Borbotko III, 44, was charged with second-degree robbery, the Brick Township Police Department said in a news release on Monday, July 29. He was wanted in the robbery at Santander Bank on Beaverson Boulevard at around 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday, July 24. Investigators said Borbotko entered the bank, demanded money from the teller, and ran away with an undisclosed amount of money. He reportedly didn't show any weapon in the robbery. Brick police released surveillance phot…
Police Searching For Suspect In Bank Robbery On Jersey Shore Police Searching For Suspect In Bank Robbery On Jersey Shore
Police Searching For Suspect In Bank Robbery On Jersey Shore Police were looking for a man accused of robbing a bank in Ocean County, authorities said. The Brick Township Police Department released a photo of the suspect on Facebook on Wednesday, July 24. Officers were called to a robbery report at Santander Bank on Beaverson Boulevard at around 12:15 p.m. Investigators said the suspect entered the bank, demanded money from the teller, and ran away with an undisclosed amount of money. The man reportedly didn't show any weapon in the robbery. The suspect used an umbrella and a white face mask to hide his identity. He wore a gray h…
Compulsive NJ Bank Robber From PA Heads Back To Fed Pen For 12½ Years, No Parole Compulsive NJ Bank Robber From PA Heads Back To Fed Pen For 12½ Years, No Parole
Compulsive NJ Bank Robber From PA Heads Back To Fed Pen For 12½ Years, No Parole A man who spent eight years in federal prison for robbing banks in Pennsylvania is headed back for another 12½ years for two subsequent South Jersey holdups in three days. Leon I. Stanford, 54, of Wilkes Barre, PA admitted this past March that he handed tellers notes demanding money at both the TD Bank in Oaklyn on Feb. 22, 2020 and at the Republic Bank in Cherry Hill two days later. Witnesses at both banks described seeing the robber flee the area in the same white Saturn SUV, said U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger. Surveillance cameras captured partial license-plate charac…
Suspect Arrested In Jersey Shore Bank Robberies: Police Suspect Arrested In Jersey Shore Bank Robberies: Police
Suspect Arrested In Jersey Shore Bank Robberies: Police A 68-year-old suspect has been arrested in a pair of bank robberies in Toms River, authorities said. The first was an attempted robbery and minutes later, the suspect allegedly robbed another bank and made off with an undisclosed amount of cash. On Tuesday, Aug. 22, shortly after 2 p.m., Toms River police were dispatched to the First Financial Bank on Route 9 for a reported attempted bank robbery. The initial investigation revealed a middle-aged white male wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses, dark pants, and a surgical mask produced a note demanding money but left on…
Police Seek Help ID'ing Bank Robbery Suspect In Central Jersey Police Seek Help ID'ing Bank Robbery Suspect In Central Jersey
Police Seek Help ID'ing Bank Robbery Suspect In Central Jersey East Brunswick police seek the public’s help in identifying a man suspected of committing a bank robbery. On Friday, Aug. 18 at approximately 11:05 a.m., the East Brunswick Police Department was notified of an activated panic alarm at the Columbia Bank (389 Highway 18). Prior to the arrival of officers, it was reported that a robbery had occurred and the suspect fled the scene. The suspect was described as a white male wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, a medical mask, blue sunglasses, dark sweats, and white shoes, and holding a black Acme bag with red handles. The suspect …
Bicyclist, 3 Children Injured After South Jersey Crash With Hit-Run Driver With Trenton Warrant Bicyclist, 3 Children Injured After South Jersey Crash With Hit-Run Driver With Trenton Warrant
Bicyclist, 3 Children Injured After South Jersey Crash With Hit-Run Driver With Trenton Warrant A hit-and-run driver is in custody in Mercer County jail after a series of weekend crashes in Burlington County.  Three children and a woman were hurt Saturday, July 22 when a suspect wanted out of Trenton struck a bicyclist and shortly later had a three-car crash, a Mount Laurel police spokesman said. Christopher Lentz, 38, of Mount Laurel, continued driving after striking a woman on a bike at about 1 p.m. on Hainesport Road, said Patrolman Kyle Gardner, a police department spokesman.  He then crashed into a car with a mother and her three children a short distance away. He stop…
Paroled NJ Bank Robber Threatened 'Mass Shooting' At One Bank, Bomb At Another: FBI Paroled NJ Bank Robber Threatened 'Mass Shooting' At One Bank, Bomb At Another: FBI
Paroled NJ Bank Robber Threatened 'Mass Shooting' At One Bank, Bomb At Another: FBI A convicted bank robber failed to hold up a bank in Elizabeth by threatening a "mass shooting" and then succeeded at another in Springfield by placing a device in front of a teller that he said was a bomb, federal authorities said. Sufyan A. Abdullah, 54, of Newark, handed the teller in the first bank a note on July 8 "claiming to have multiple firearms and threatening a 'mass shooting'," U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. He left empty-handed, the U.S. attorney said on Thursday, July 20. Abdullah, formerly of Paterson, entered the second bank on July 15 and "placed an object which he…
Alleged Serial Bank Robber, 67, Arrested On Jersey Shore: Police Alleged Serial Bank Robber, 67, Arrested On Jersey Shore: Police
Alleged Serial Bank Robber, 67, Arrested On Jersey Shore: Police Lakewood police arrested a 67-year-old man in connection with a June bank robbery and attempted bank robbery, authorities said. Ivan Sevastianow, of Howell, was charged with robbing a TD Bank on June 30, Lakewood police said, and attempting to rob a local Wells Fargo bank. He was facing similar charges in Old Bridge, police said. On the afternoon of June 30, Sevastianow allegedly walked into the Wells Fargo located at 425 W. Kennedy Blvd. and handed a bank teller a note demanding money, Lakewood police said. The teller denied his request, so he left the bank and proceeded to walk across t…
Jersey Shore Man Sentenced In String Of Bank Robberies Jersey Shore Man Sentenced In String Of Bank Robberies
Jersey Shore Man Sentenced In String Of Bank Robberies A Colts Neck man who committed a string of bank robberies has been sentenced to 15 years in New Jersey State Prison, authorities said. Conor Kavanagh, 31, was convicted in connection with three robberies, all of which occurred within a month of each other in 2021, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago  Shortly after 1:15 p.m. on Nov. 13, 2021, an individual who was later identified as Kavanagh approached a teller window at the PNC Bank inside the Stop & Shop supermarket on Route 36 in Keyport. Kavanagh then passed a note indicating he …
NJ Politico Gets 24 Years, No Parole, For Hiring Hit Men Who Killed, Burned Longtime Associate NJ Politico Gets 24 Years, No Parole, For Hiring Hit Men Who Killed, Burned Longtime Associate
NJ Politico Gets 24 Years, No Parole, For Hiring Hit Men Who Killed, Burned Longtime Associate UPDATE: A New Jersey political consultant was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison for hiring two hitmen to kill a longtime associate from Hudson County. Sean Caddle, 45, of Hamburg, will have to serve just about all of the plea-bargained sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Caddle, a former aide to former State Sen. Ray Lesniak (D-Elizabeth), admitted last year that he paid the killers to whack Michael Galdieri, the son of former State Sen. James Galdieri (D-Jersey City) and a prominent figure in local Hudson County politics. Galdieri, 52, who'd worked for…
DJ Turned Bank Robber Foiled By Cool Teller, Crime-Fighting Teamwork, PalPark Police Say DJ Turned Bank Robber Foiled By Cool Teller, Crime-Fighting Teamwork, PalPark Police Say
DJ Turned Bank Robber Foiled By Cool Teller, Crime-Fighting Teamwork, PalPark Police Say Looks like he might not have thought things through. A would-be Palisades Park bank robber from the Bronx was foiled by a composed teller, his own hastiness and forensic science, authorities said on Tuesday, June 20. Daqwaun D. Ralls, a 30-year-old self-employed DJ known as "DJ SonDae," already had a criminal past when he walked into the Shinhan Bank America branch on Broad Avenue on May 31. According to Palisades Park Police Lt. George Beck, Ralls handed the teller a note that said: "No dye packs." It also came with a warning that Ralls had gasoline in a bottle, along with a lighter and …
Brother Of NJ Bank Robber ‘Crazy Mike’ Arrested On Identical Charges: Prosecutor Brother Of NJ Bank Robber ‘Crazy Mike’ Arrested On Identical Charges: Prosecutor
Brother Of NJ Bank Robber ‘Crazy Mike’ Arrested On Identical Charges: Prosecutor The brother of accused Millstone bank robber “Crazy Mike” was arrested on identical charges, authorities announced on Wednesday, April 5. Ryan Gaboff, 37 of Millstone, was charged with second-degree counts of robbery and conspiracy in connection with the robbery of a bank on Route 27 in Franklin Township on Aug. 22, 2022, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said in a release. His brother, Michael, nicknamed "Crazy Mike,” evaded police for nearly three months with the help of family members, 66-year-old Alan Gaboff, 60-year-old Sharon Gaboff, and 23-year-old Jesse Gaboff, each of who…
UPDATE: Aging Career Criminal Gets 16 Years In Bizarre Murder-For-Hire Of NJ Politico UPDATE: Aging Career Criminal Gets 16 Years In Bizarre Murder-For-Hire Of NJ Politico
Update: Aging Career Criminal Gets 16 Years In Bizarre Murder-For-Hire Of NJ Politico An aging Connecticut ex-con would have to turn 90 to taste freedom again after he was sentenced for stabbing a political consultant to death and then torching his Jersey City apartment in a murder-for-hire hit with a longtime crony from Philadelphia. The odds are stacked against George Bratsenis, 74, of Monroe, who reportedly has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer. There's also no parole in the federal prison system. Unless he’s granted a compassionate release for health reasons, Bratsenis will have to serve just about all of the plea-bargained 16-year sentence approved by …
Three-Time North Jersey Bank Robber Convicted Of Cellphone Store Holdup Three-Time North Jersey Bank Robber Convicted Of Cellphone Store Holdup
Three-Time North Jersey Bank Robber Convicted Of Cellphone Store Holdup An ex-con from Essex County who served 13½ years in federal prison for holding up banks in Fair Lawn, Clifton and Belleville within weeks of one another was convicted Monday of robbing an East Orange cellphone store at gunpoint just two months after his release. Kenneth Graham, 50, of Newark, was wearing a black mask and blue jeans when he entered the downtown Boost Mobile store on Central Avenue and announced a robbery in the middle of the afternoon on Jan. 18, 2021, federal prosecutors said. Graham pointed a gun at a store employee, who was ordered to place several cell phones from a dis…
Convicted Bank Robber From PA Admits Holding Up Two NJ Banks in Three Days Convicted Bank Robber From PA Admits Holding Up Two NJ Banks in Three Days
Convicted Bank Robber From PA Admits Holding Up Two NJ Banks in Three Days A convicted bank robber who spent 10 years behind bars is headed back to prison after admitting on Tuesday that he held up two Camden County banks in three days. Leon I. Stanford, 54, of Wilkes Barre handed tellers notes demanding money at both the TD Bank in Oaklyn on Feb. 22, 2020 and at the Republic Bank in Cherry Hill on Feb. 24, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Witnesses at the banks in Oaklyn and Cherry Hill described seeing the robber flee the area in the same white Saturn van used in both holdups, the U.S. attorney said on March 14. Surveillance cameras captur…
UPDATE: Admitted Hit Man From Philly Gets 20 Years In Bizarre Murder-For-Hire Of NJ Politico UPDATE: Admitted Hit Man From Philly Gets 20 Years In Bizarre Murder-For-Hire Of NJ Politico
Update: Admitted Hit Man From Philly Gets 20 Years In Bizarre Murder-For-Hire Of NJ Politico A currently incarcerated career criminal from Philadelphia was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for the contract killing of a veteran campaign consultant in New Jersey. Bomani Africa, 62, previously admitted accepting payment from former political operative Sean Caddle to whack former associate Michael Galdieri. Galdieri, the 52-year-old son of former State Sen. James Galdieri (D-Jersey City), was stabbed to death in his Jersey City apartment, which was then set on fire, in May 2014. The killing had publicly remained a cold case until January 2022, when Caddle pleaded guilty in U.S…
Middletown Bank Robbery Suspect Charged With Stealing $8K Middletown Bank Robbery Suspect Charged With Stealing $8K
Middletown Bank Robbery Suspect Charged With Stealing $8K A Middlesex County man has been arrested in connection with a bank robbery that took place in Middletown, authorities said. Miguel A. Angeles, 42, of Perth Amboy was charged with first-degree armed robbery, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago. At 10:43 a.m. on Dec. 28, 2022, members of the Middletown Township Police Department were dispatched to the Valley Bank on Route 35 South on a report of an alarm activation. Police learned that a masked male had entered the bank and stolen close to $8,000 before fleeing the scene, Santiago said. A joi…
GOTCHA! Accused $76,000 Gunpoint Bank Robber Captured By Marshals In Passaic Fits The Profile GOTCHA! Accused $76,000 Gunpoint Bank Robber Captured By Marshals In Passaic Fits The Profile
Gotcha! Accused $76,000 Gunpoint Bank Robber Captured By Marshals In Passaic Fits The Profile An ex-con captured by federal Marshals in Passaic after authorities said he robbed a South Jersey bank of $76,000 at gunpoint during Christmas week fit the profile, investigators said. William Ray, 43, of East Orange, is, in fact, being eyed in at least one other bank holdup, as well, just weeks earlier and barely seven miles away. It was shortly after 4:30 p.m. last Dec. 22 that a robber identified as Ray held employees at gunpoint at the Investors Bank on Route 70 in Cherry Hill. After trying and failing to lock them in the vault, he fled with the cash, authorities said. It was a fairly …
Jersey Shore Bank Robbed Jersey Shore Bank Robbed
Jersey Shore Bank Robbed A bank robber is on the run in Monmouth County, authorities say.  The suspect walked into the Valley National Bank on Route 35 in Middletown just after 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 28, and demanded money from tellers, said county Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago in a statement.  Officials did not say if the robber was armed or how much money he stole.  The suspect is described as a white or "possibly" Latino man wearing a dark-blue North Face winter jacket, a blue face mask, and a light-colored beanie. He is believed to drive a silver car, possibly a Honda Accord, authorities sa…
NJ Bank Robber 'Crazy Mike' Hid From Cops With Family's Help: Prosecutor NJ Bank Robber 'Crazy Mike' Hid From Cops With Family's Help: Prosecutor
NJ Bank Robber 'Crazy Mike' Hid From Cops With Family's Help: Prosecutor An accused bank robber nicknamed "Crazy Mike" evaded police for nearly three months with the help of family members, according to officials.  Michael Gaboff, 36, of Millstone, was arrested in connection with the robbery of a Franklin Township bank on Aug. 22, said Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald in a release Monday, Dec. 12.  His parents, 66-year-old Alan Gaboff and 60-year-old Sharon Gaboff, and his brother, 23-year-old Jesse Gaboff, all of Millstone, were charged with hindering, McDonald noted. Investigators said Gaboff walked into the bank at about 2 p.m., dem…
Teaneck Resident, 69, Charged With Robbing Bank Right Down The Street Teaneck Resident, 69, Charged With Robbing Bank Right Down The Street
Teaneck Resident, 69, Charged With Robbing Bank Right Down The Street GOTCHA! A man who robbed a Teaneck bank of several thousand dollars lives right up the block, authorities said after he was taken into custody a short time later. Leo Richard Jones Jr., 69, was dressed all in black when he passed a note "threatening bodily injury" to a teller at the Chase Bank on Cedar Lane shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, Teaneck Deputy Police Chief Andrew McGurr said. No weapon was shown, the deputy chief said. A bank employee dialed 911 as Jones ran up the street toward the Cedar Lane garden apartment complex where he lives (at right in photo above), McGurr sai…
Passaic County Man Convicted Of $80,000 Back-To-Back Bank Robberies Passaic County Man Convicted Of $80,000 Back-To-Back Bank Robberies
Passaic County Man Convicted Of $80,000 Back-To-Back Bank Robberies A Passaic County man was convicted by a federal jury of robbing two area banks just weeks apart. Jurors found Jose Soto, 52, of Passaic guilty of robbing a PNC branch in Passaic of $35,000 and a Valley National Bank in Little Falls of $45,000 following a six-day trial in U.S. District Court in Newark. They also convicted Soto of conspiring with a Paterson man to commit the holdups and brandishing a firearm. Soto pointed a silver and black gun at customers and employees at the Main Street Valley National branch in Little Falls on Feb. 27, 2020, authorities said. His accomplice, Nicholas Or…
Armed Bank Robber, 42, Arrested Shortly After Heist: Police Armed Bank Robber, 42, Arrested Shortly After Heist: Police
Armed Bank Robber, 42, Arrested Shortly After Heist: Police A 42-year-old man from Cherry Hill was arrested minutes after he robbed a bank customer, authorities said. The robbery occurred on Monday, May 23 at 9:24 a.m. at Citizens Bank, located at 2030 Route 70 West, Cherry Hill police said. The suspect was armed with a gun. Jose Cruz tried, but failed, to convince a teller to quickly give him $30,000 cash before turning to a bank customer trying to make a transaction, police said. Cruz snatched a "large sum" of money from that unsuspecting customer, police said, before running off. He was caught by police a short time later near Marketplace Shopp…
UPDATE: Union County Ex-Con Admits Robbing Bergen County Bank UPDATE: Union County Ex-Con Admits Robbing Bergen County Bank
Update: Union County Ex-Con Admits Robbing Bergen County Bank An ex-con from Union County admitted robbing a Rutherford bank of $2,300 while wearing a New York Yankees cap that police later recovered from a nearby recycling bin, authorities said. Seneca Wilson, 43, of Clark, entered the Kearny Bank (formerly Kearny Federal Savings) at Park and West Newall avenues at 4:12 p.m. April 7, 2021, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. He had on a dark t-shirt with a white logo, a windbreaker and sunglasses, as well as a neck gaiter over his face, a glove on his left hand and the baseball cap, witnesses said. Wilson “handed the teller a note…
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…
Jersey Shore Man Indicted For Bank Robbery Spree: Prosecutor Jersey Shore Man Indicted For Bank Robbery Spree: Prosecutor
Jersey Shore Man Indicted For Bank Robbery Spree: Prosecutor A 29-year-old man from Colts Neck has been indicted in connection with a string of bank robberies on the Jersey Shore, authorities said. Conor Kavanagh was indicted by a Monmouth County grand jury for three counts of armed robbery, according to Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey. Shortly after 1:15 p.m. on Nov. 13, 2021, a person later identified as Kavanagh approached a teller window at the PNC Bank inside the Stop & Shop supermarket on Route 36 in Keyport, passed a note indicating he was in possession of a weapon, and made off with an unspecified q…
NJ Man Convinced By Ex-Con To Rob Bank Gets 92 Months In Federal Prison NJ Man Convinced By Ex-Con To Rob Bank Gets 92 Months In Federal Prison
NJ Man Convinced By Ex-Con To Rob Bank Gets 92 Months In Federal Prison A Camden man was sentenced to 92 months in federal prison for his role in a holdup spree by a serial bank robber. Laque Hunter, 37, was recruited to rob the Ocean First Bank in Collingswood in July 2018 by Anthony L. Livingston, 50, also of Camden. Livingston helped with a demand note and even drove Hunter to the bank, authorities said. The two then split the proceeds. Livington had only just been released from federal prison less than two weeks earlier after serving 18 years for robbing eight South Jersey banks in 2000 and 2001. A day after he was freed, Livingston robbed a PNC Bank…
Feds: Hit Man From Philly Admits Committing Murder-For-Hire For NJ Political Operative Feds: Hit Man From Philly Admits Committing Murder-For-Hire For NJ Political Operative
Feds: Hit Man From Philly Admits Committing Murder-For-Hire For NJ Political Operative A Philadelphia resident admitted Wednesday that he was one of the two hit men paid by a onetime New Jersey political operative to kill a former associate. Bomani Africa, 61, who has a criminal history that includes convictions for robbery and drug-related crime, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder for hire via videoconference with a federal judge in Newark, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger announced. People immediately began wondering who the hired killers were after Sean Caddle, 44, admitted on Tuesday that he paid them to whack Michael Galdieri, the son of forme…