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Federal Bureau of Investigation

Trump Taps Loyalist Kash Patel As FBI Director Trump Taps Loyalist Kash Patel As FBI Director
Trump Taps Loyalist Kash Patel As FBI Director President-elect Donald Trump announced that 44-year-old loyalist and New York native Kashyap “Kash” Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,  Trump described Patel as a "brilliant lawyer, investigator, and 'America First' fighter, in an announcement shared to social media on Sunday, Dec. 1. He praised Patel’s career of “exposing corruption, defending justice, and protecting the American people.” "He played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution," Trump sai…
FBI Thwarts Iran-Linked Plan To Assassinate Donald Trump, DOJ Says FBI Thwarts Iran-Linked Plan To Assassinate Donald Trump, DOJ Says
FBI Thwarts Iran-Linked Plan To Assassinate Donald Trump, DOJ Says An Iranian operative and two associates living in America have been charged in a murder-for-hire plot targeting United States citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump. Federal authorities have charged Farhad Shakeri, an alleged operative of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), along with two New York City associates in a plot to assassinate a US citizen critical of the Iranian government.  The case highlights the continued threat posed by Iran’s attempts to silence dissidents and even target top US. officials. According to the Department of Justice criminal complai…
Secret Accomplice Laborer Played Along In Gunman's Sick Bergen County Scheme: Prosecutor Secret Accomplice Laborer Played Along In Gunman's Sick Bergen County Scheme: Prosecutor
Secret Accomplice Laborer Played Along In Gunman's Sick Bergen County Scheme: Prosecutor A Virginia gunman and his secret accomplice, a laborer hired to help the true victim move, have both been indicted in an armed robbery last March in a Bergen County storage unit, authorities said. Eduardo L. Villegas Valera, 30, of Elmhurst, NY had been hired to help someone move items in Englewood Cliffs on Monday, March 11, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Once at the commercial property on Sylvan Avenue, Villegas Valera alerted Gliderman Cienfuego Castro, 37, confirming the existence of the true victim's watch, the prosecutor said. Just before 4 p.m., Cienfuego Castro, o…
Essex County Correctional Officer Took Bribes To Smuggle Contraband To Inmates: Feds Essex County Correctional Officer Took Bribes To Smuggle Contraband To Inmates: Feds
Essex County Correctional Officer Took Bribes To Smuggle Contraband To Inmates: Feds A 36-year-old Jersey City resident and former Essex County correctional officer admitted on Wednesday, July 17, to accepting $14,000 in bribes to smuggle in tobacco and a cell phone to inmates, authorities said. In January 2023, Efrin Wade, who worked at the jail for three years, began communicating with an individual whom he believed was seeking to smuggle in contraband to sell to other inmates, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. The individual was actually an undercover FBI agent, Sellinger said. Wade agreed to smuggle in tobacco and cell phones, prohibited for inmates at the facil…
Here's What We Know About PA Man ID'd As Trump's Attempted Assassin: FBI Here's What We Know About PA Man ID'd As Trump's Attempted Assassin: FBI
Here's What We Know About PA Man ID'd As Trump's Attempted Assassin: FBI The rooftop shooter at former president Donald Trump's campaign rally has been identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Sunday, July 14.  Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20 of Bethel Park, PA, was shot and killed by officials while still on the roof of a manufacturing plant about 130 yards, from the rally according to statements by officials.  Crooks had no criminal record, was a registered Republican, and previously donated to the liberal voter turnout group, Progressive Turnout Project, through ActBlue in January 2021, according to public records.  When he graduated fro…
FBI Arrests Man Accused Of Sucker Punching Elderly Victim Unconscious In Fort Lee: Prosecutor FBI Arrests Man Accused Of Sucker Punching Elderly Victim Unconscious In Fort Lee: Prosecutor
FBI Arrests Man Accused Of Sucker Punching Elderly Victim Unconscious In Fort Lee: Prosecutor A 29-year-old New York man has been charged in a Fort Lee shopping mall assault that let a 77-year-old comatose for two months, authorities announced. Efrain Escobar, of the Bronx, had gotten in an argument with the elderly man at Plaza West Mall on Bergen Boulevard just before 7:15 p.m. Monday, April 8, after a minor motor vehicle crash, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Escobar then punched the man in the face knocking him unconscious, leaving him incapacitate at the scene, Musella said. Escobar had fled the scene by the time police arrived, the prosecutor said. The…
Former Notorious NJ Political Boss George Norcross Indicted For Racketeering Former Notorious NJ Political Boss George Norcross Indicted For Racketeering
Former Notorious NJ Political Boss George Norcross Indicted For Racketeering Former New Jersey Democratic kingmaker George E. Norcross III ran a criminal enterprise for nearly a dozen years during which he used his power and influence over elected officials to make laws that best served him, among other offenses, says a state indictment that charges him with racketeering. The poster boy of New Jersey political bosses, Norcross attended a news conference held on Monday, June 17 by state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin in Trenton -- uninvited -- to announce the indictment naming him and five co-defendants. When one of the attorney general's sta…
Reign Of Terror: NJ Ex-Con Gets 16 Years For Series Of Armed Robberies, Carjackings Reign Of Terror: NJ Ex-Con Gets 16 Years For Series Of Armed Robberies, Carjackings
Reign Of Terror: NJ Ex-Con Gets 16 Years For Series Of Armed Robberies, Carjackings 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A 25-year-old ex-con from Trenton who’s already served 2½ years in state prison is headed to federal prison for 16 more for a string of gunpoint carjackings and robberies. Joshua M. Perez was one of three armed robbers who commited a Oct. 10 carjacking, another on Dec. 5 and the robbery later than second night of a local gas station, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Surveillance cameras captured video of Perez and two other robbers emerging from a sedan, pointing handguns at occupants of another vehicle, Sellinger said. They then fled with money and cellphones in the victims…
Ex-NJ Boy Scouts Worker, 70, Admits Trafficking Child Porn, Recording Kids In Bathroom: Feds Ex-NJ Boy Scouts Worker, 70, Admits Trafficking Child Porn, Recording Kids In Bathroom: Feds
Ex-NJ Boy Scouts Worker, 70, Admits Trafficking Child Porn, Recording Kids In Bathroom: Feds 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A 70-year-old former New Jersey Boy Scout camp employee admitted secretly recording videos of children using bathrooms there, federal authorities said.  William Mickel was employed by the Boy Scouts of America in Morris County when he trafficked videos and still images of child sex abuse via email, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Mickel had hundreds of files stored on electronic devices in his Lake Hopatcong home, some of which "depicted children who were surreptitiously recorded using bathrooms in the Boy Scout camps where Mickel worked," Sellinger said.…
Contractor Admits Stiffing Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Nearly $500G For No-Show Work Contractor Admits Stiffing Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Nearly $500G For No-Show Work
Contractor Admits Stiffing Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Nearly $500G For No-Show Work UPDATE: An electrical supervisor from Bergen County admitted soaking the Hudson Bergen Light Rail for nearly a half-million dollars worth of no-show work, including while he was vacationing in Florida, federal authorities said. Joseph Ferrara, 56, of North Arlington, "submitted claims for compensation covering hundreds of hours relating to work allegedly performed during regular, overtime and double time hours" that was, in fact, never done, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger said. Ferrara, who worked as an electrical supervisor for a subcontractor hired by the light rail system,…
TikTok Ban Explained: What's The Fate Of Popular Video Sharing App? TikTok Ban Explained: What's The Fate Of Popular Video Sharing App?
TikTok Ban Explained: What's The Fate Of Popular Video Sharing App? Another sell-or-be-banned TikTok legislation is working its way up to the Senate. The House passed the sell-or-be-banned bill for the app (360-58) on Saturday, April 20 as part of a larger foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, giving Chinese TikTok owner ByteDance up to a year to sell the app. Otherwise, TikTok will be subject to a nationwide ban. According to Politico, the bill is expected to pass the Senate as it's considered "priority legislation" for Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. A previous, standalone bill was passed by the House in March over national security co…
FEDS: Hawthorne Dad Takes Plea Deal, Admits Trafficking Child Porn FEDS: Hawthorne Dad Takes Plea Deal, Admits Trafficking Child Porn
Feds: Hawthorne Dad Takes Plea Deal, Admits Trafficking Child Porn 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A 50-year-old father from Hawthorne admitted that he trafficked child porn, federal authorities said. Edward M. O’Hagan “used one of his email accounts to send video files containing images of child sexual abuse to himself,” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. O'Hagan, Sellinger said, "also used two email addresses to create accounts on an encrypted file storage platform that was used to upload or create files containing images of child sexual abuse." Investigators who arrested O'Hagan last May "recovered hundreds of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse" on his electr…
Feds: NY Man Who Shook Down Jersey Shore Dad For $200G Gets 10 Years, No Parole Feds: NY Man Who Shook Down Jersey Shore Dad For $200G Gets 10 Years, No Parole
Feds: NY Man Who Shook Down Jersey Shore Dad For $200G Gets 10 Years, No Parole UPDATE: A man who admitted trying to strong-arm a Jersey Shore resident into giving him and his accomplices $200,000 must spend the next decade in federal prison. Francis A. Garzon, 35, of Brooklyn, must serve the entire plea-bargained 121-month sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Garzon and Endrit Kllogjeri, 28, were undone by an undercover detective posing as the Monmouth County victim. Garzon took a deal from the government, pleading guilty last July to conspiracy and extortion rather than risk the potential consequences of a trial conviction. Kllogjeri, me…
FBI: New Jersey Man Seized Overseas After Threatening American Jihad FBI: New Jersey Man Seized Overseas After Threatening American Jihad
FBI: New Jersey Man Seized Overseas After Threatening American Jihad A New Jersey man motivated by the Hamas attack on Israel was captured in Kenya after he aspired to be "a martyr for the jihadist cause" and dedicated himself to joining a terrorist group tied to al-Qaida, federal authorities charged. Karrem Nasr, 23, moved from the Trenton suburb of Lawrenceville to Egypt in July hoping to connect with the Somali-based al-Shabab, they said. He intended to "receive military training and engage in jihad" against the United States and its allies and was "prepared to kill and be killed" for the cause, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in Brooklyn on Friday, De…
Bloods Leader, Passaic County Man Busted with 28 Lbs Of Coke, 500 Lbs Of Pot At Teterboro: FBI Bloods Leader, Passaic County Man Busted with 28 Lbs Of Coke, 500 Lbs Of Pot At Teterboro: FBI
Bloods Leader, Passaic County Man Busted with 28 Lbs Of Coke, 500 Lbs Of Pot At Teterboro: FBI A high-ranking member of the Bloods with longstanding mob ties and a Passaic County man with a criminal history of his own were seized when they tried to fly to London out of Teterboro Airport with 28 pounds of cocaine and 500 pounds of pot on a private jet, federal authorities said. Leonardo Petrosillo, 45, of West Milford, and Edwin Spears, 49, of Newark brought three companions -- Spears’s girlfriend, an exotic dancer from Maryland and a friend of hers -- as a front for a dozen drug-stuffed bags of luggage, they said. The plane was to fly it all to John Lennon Airport in London, accordin…
Ex-Atlantic City Basketball Star Admits Hiring Hit Man: Prosecutor Ex-Atlantic City Basketball Star Admits Hiring Hit Man: Prosecutor
Ex-Atlantic City Basketball Star Admits Hiring Hit Man: Prosecutor A 34-year-old Atlantic City convict has pleaded guilty to hiring another man to commit murder, authorities said. Khalif Toombs was sentenced on Thursday, Sept. 14 in connection with the shooting death of Lamir King, 21, also of Atlantic City, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. Toombs pleaded guilty to first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, the prosecutor said. Toombs at one point was best known as an Atlantic City High School basketball star who went on to play for South Carolina State University. The plea calls for Toombs to serve 12 years in New Jersey State P…
16 Indicted In Crime Ring Targeting Asian-American Jewelers Across Mid-Atlantic: Feds 16 Indicted In Crime Ring Targeting Asian-American Jewelers Across Mid-Atlantic: Feds
16 Indicted In Crime Ring Targeting Asian-American Jewelers Across Mid-Atlantic: Feds An indictment of 16 members of a violent mid-Atlantic crime ring has been unsealed and the federal agencies are naming names.  Of the 16, eight of the alleged crime ring members were arrested in the morning on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, police in Fairfax County, Virginia announced later that day.  They were all arrested in connection to a violent crime spree that took place between Jan. 7, 2022, through Jan. 27, 2023.  The crime ring members were all from Maryland and the District of Columbia. They met with their accused leader – Trevor Wright, also known as “Taliban Glizzy” …
NJ Biz Owner Admits Conning Customers Out Of $2.1M By Substituting Dirt, Debris For Scrap NJ Biz Owner Admits Conning Customers Out Of $2.1M By Substituting Dirt, Debris For Scrap
NJ Biz Owner Admits Conning Customers Out Of $2.1M By Substituting Dirt, Debris For Scrap The owner of a New Jersey-based scrap metal company told a customer that dirt and debris found packed into a container shipped to Korea that was supposed to hold aluminum scrap was a mistake, authorities said. Turns out it wasn’t. Creed White, 64, of Freeland, Maryland, admitted in federal court in Camden this week that he scammed a dozen or so businesses out of more than $2 million, authorities said on Thursday, Aug. 3. Using the name “Dan Stein,” White contacted one of the victims through an Internet message board on behalf of his Camden-based company American Scrap company, a complaint …
Ex-Boy Scouts Camp Worker Trafficked Child Porn, Secretly Recorded Boys In Bathroom: Feds Ex-Boy Scouts Camp Worker Trafficked Child Porn, Secretly Recorded Boys In Bathroom: Feds
Ex-Boy Scouts Camp Worker Trafficked Child Porn, Secretly Recorded Boys In Bathroom: Feds A former employee at New Jersey Boy Scout camps secretly recorded videos of children using bathrooms there, federal authorities said. William Mickel, 69, of Lake Hopatcong, was originally arrested by local authorities on child porn charges, but the FBI assumed jurisdiction and gathered evidence that led to an indictment returned by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Newark. A judge there ordered on Thursday, May 4, that Mickel remain in federal custody pending trial on one count each of distribution and possession of child pornography. Mickel was employed by the Boy Scouts of America w…
Bogus Bean Counter Admits Pilfering $1.5M From Non-Profits In Englewood, JC, Elsewhere In NJ Bogus Bean Counter Admits Pilfering $1.5M From Non-Profits In Englewood, JC, Elsewhere In NJ
Bogus Bean Counter Admits Pilfering $1.5M From Non-Profits In Englewood, JC, Elsewhere In NJ A Hudson County woman admitted posing as a certified public accountant to con more than 100 private schools, religious institutions and other non-profit organizations in New Jersey out of $1.5 million, federal authorities said. Among those scammed by Yezenia Castillo, 46, of Hoboken, were a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing affordable housing to Englewood residents and a private elementary and intermediate school in Jersey City, a complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Newark says. Posing as a CPA, Castillo got hired “to provide various financial and accounting services" th…
NJ Teacher, Coach Admits Posing As Woman To Get Children To Send Sexual Photos, Videos: Feds NJ Teacher, Coach Admits Posing As Woman To Get Children To Send Sexual Photos, Videos: Feds
NJ Teacher, Coach Admits Posing As Woman To Get Children To Send Sexual Photos, Videos: Feds A New Jersey elementary teacher and soccer coach admitted to posing as a woman to get children to send sexual content, federal authorities confirmed. Steven Brooks, 36, of Morristown, pleaded guilty to production of child pornography and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said in a Thursday, April 6 release. Brooks, who taught at Washington Elementary School in Summit and helped run the Livingston Soccer Club, used a fake online profile to get underage boys to send him videos and photos, Daily Voice reported in 2021. According to court documents, Brooks…
Newark Thieves Lead NY Police Pursuit In Stolen Florham Park Range Rover: Authorities Newark Thieves Lead NY Police Pursuit In Stolen Florham Park Range Rover: Authorities
Newark Thieves Lead NY Police Pursuit In Stolen Florham Park Range Rover: Authorities Two Newark man are in police custody after leading authorities in New York and Connecticut on a pursuit in a vehicle stolen out of Florham Park, law enforcement officials said. The incident started on Wednesday, March 22 around 6 p.m., when police in Stamford, CT tried stopping Ibn Foster, 18, and James Riley, 28, a 2019 Range Rover, according to Westchester County Police Spokesman Kieran O'Leary.  The pair fled from authorities on Interstate 95 and crossed the border into Westchester, NY, where Stamford Police ended their chase.  From there, the Range Rover drove onto …
Feds Charge Exiled Chinese Tycoon With $1B Fraud That Funded $26.5M Mahwah Mansion, More Feds Charge Exiled Chinese Tycoon With $1B Fraud That Funded $26.5M Mahwah Mansion, More
Feds Charge Exiled Chinese Tycoon With $1B Fraud That Funded $26.5M Mahwah Mansion, More Exiled Chinese tycoon Miles Guo was arrested by the FBI Wednesday on charges of swindling his online followers out of more than $1 billion that the government said he used, in part, to buy a 58-room mansion in Mahwah. Some of the agents were still at Guo’s 15-room penthouse in the Sherry-Netherland Hotel on Manhattan’s Upper East Side the afternoon of March 15, six hours after he’d been arrested there, when a mysterious fire broke out on the 18th floor, responders said. No injuries were reported, but authorities said the blaze significantly damaged Guo’s unit. No one drew any immediate conn…
GUILTY: Parolee Nabbed By Lyndhurst PD Convicted In NJ, NY Liquor, Convenience Store Holdups GUILTY: Parolee Nabbed By Lyndhurst PD Convicted In NJ, NY Liquor, Convenience Store Holdups
Guilty: Parolee Nabbed By Lyndhurst PD Convicted In NJ, NY Liquor, Convenience Store Holdups A Union County parolee who was nabbed by Lyndhurst police after a months-long armed robbery spree of liquor and convenience stores in two states -- including one in which he fired a handgun -- was convicted by federal jurors in Newark of all 10 counts against him. Vincent Chan-Guillen, 32, had just been paroled from state prison after serving three years for drug and weapons convictions when the holdups began in August 2018. He committed nine altogether over the next three months, four of them at liquor stores in New Jersey and five others at establishments in New York, the U.S. District Co…
‘War Ready’: Armed NJ Heroin Dealer Sentenced To 19 Years Without Parole ‘War Ready’: Armed NJ Heroin Dealer Sentenced To 19 Years Without Parole
‘War Ready’: Armed NJ Heroin Dealer Sentenced To 19 Years Without Parole UPDATE: A New Jersey drug dealer who once served state prison time is headed to a federal penitentiary for a plea-bargained 19 years without parole. Jakir “Jak” Taylor, 32, was a key figure in an alliance of two violent rival gangs who once dominated the heroin trade on Trenton’s north and west side neighborhoods, authorities said. He's also the last of 26 defendants swept up in a joint law enforcement operation that smashed that operation. Taylor and conspirator Jerome Roberts collected heroin bricks by the hundreds from David “Papi” Antonio that were sold in individual bags, authorities …
SLEAZY PASS: Feds Charge Bi-State Duo With $1M Pennsy Turnpike Toll Scam SLEAZY PASS: Feds Charge Bi-State Duo With $1M Pennsy Turnpike Toll Scam
Sleazy Pass: Feds Charge Bi-State Duo With $1M Pennsy Turnpike Toll Scam Two men helped truckers and other drivers dodge $1 million in Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls by registering E-ZPass transponders with bogus identities, federal authorities charged. Duvany Zambrano, 43, of Hamilton, NJ, and Sergio Jara, 37, of Allentown, PA, colluded with other unidentified co-conspirators to buy up thousands of the devices from retailers in both states, an FBI investigation found. E-ZPass transponders aren't all that difficult to find. Walmart is among those who sell them. Pennsylvania has more than 300 retail locations where state officials say customers can buy the transpon…
East Orange Man Robbed Cherry Hill Bank Of $76K At Gunpoint: Prosecutor East Orange Man Robbed Cherry Hill Bank Of $76K At Gunpoint: Prosecutor
East Orange Man Robbed Cherry Hill Bank Of $76K At Gunpoint: Prosecutor An East Orange man has been arrested and charged with the armed robbery of the Investors Bank in Cherry Hill, authorities said. The robbery occurred on Dec. 22, 2022, said Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay, and the fugitive was arrested Thursday, Jan. 5 in Passaic.  William Ray, 42 of East Orange, is accused of entering the Investors Bank at 1951 Route 70 in Cherry Hill and holding the employees at gunpoint. Ray then allegedly attempted to lock the employees in a vault before fleeing with more than $76,000 in cash, MacAulay said. On Dec. 30, 2022, detectives of…
Paterson Ex-Con Admits Having Drugs, Gun When Detectives Busted In Paterson Ex-Con Admits Having Drugs, Gun When Detectives Busted In
Paterson Ex-Con Admits Having Drugs, Gun When Detectives Busted In UPDATE: A convicted pedophile from Paterson whose parole officers found large amounts of cash on top of his bed admitted on Thursday that he kept a loaded gun beneath it, authorities said. Jessie Mayfield, 59, told a judge he also had fentanyl for sale along with ilegal .22-caliber Ruger -- which, as a convicted felon, he was prohibited from owning, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said on Nov. 17. Records show that Mayfield served three years and eight months in state prison for sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl and 12-year-old boy and fondling two other girls, ages 5 and 6, in 2014. …
BENE(PHISH)IARY: Scam FBI Email Says You’re Owed $4.1M — And Are Suspected Of Tax Evasion BENE(PHISH)IARY: Scam FBI Email Says You’re Owed $4.1M — And Are Suspected Of Tax Evasion
Bene(Phish)Iary: Scam FBI Email Says You’re Owed $4.1M — And Are Suspected Of Tax Evasion This one’s rich (no pun intended): A familiar phishing scam that claims federal authorities have seized $4.1 million intended for you from a shady foreign diplomat is again making the rounds. A surety bond for the princely sum was found in two consignment boxes seized at JFK Airport in Queens, NY, along with documents bearing YOUR name, according to the hoax email. The author, who claims to be FBI Deputy Director Paul M. Abbate in Washington, D.C., then offers to “walk you through the process of clearing and claiming the money.” That’s the good news. “After questioning the diplomat t…
Hudson Felon Freed Under Bail Reform In Back-To-Back Busts Convicted By Federal Jurors Hudson Felon Freed Under Bail Reform In Back-To-Back Busts Convicted By Federal Jurors
Hudson Felon Freed Under Bail Reform In Back-To-Back Busts Convicted By Federal Jurors A Hudson County ex-con who was arrested with a loaded gun in his car after being busted and released twice for cocaine and heroin possession in the previous few months isn't going anywhere now. Federal jurors in Newark convicted Clarence Gaffney, 36, of Jersey City, of drug and weapons possession earlier this week following a three-day trial, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Police reported finding the coke and smack in Gaffney's underwear and shoe following an Oct. 5, 2019 traffic stop, Sellinger said. He was arrested again, on Dec. 26, 2019, after officers caught him selling …
Law Enforcement 'Supergroups' In NJ Unite To Fight Organized Violent Criminals Law Enforcement 'Supergroups' In NJ Unite To Fight Organized Violent Criminals
Law Enforcement 'Supergroups' In NJ Unite To Fight Organized Violent Criminals A collection of crime-fighting 'supergroups' nailed 42 defendants in a series of pinpointed attacks on organized gangs dealing drugs, packing weapons and waging street warfare in North Jersey, authorities announced. The Violent Crime Initiative, as it's called, targeted what had been thriving criminal organizations in Newark, Paterson and elsewhere, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Shooting incidents statewide and in cities where the VCIs operate are “appreciably lower” than the year-to-date total from last year, including a 23% reduction statewide, a 30% reduction in …