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Westfield Man Admits To Defrauding COVID Relief Fund Of $900K: Feds
A 66-year-old Westfield man recently admitted to fraudulently obtaining a $900,000 PPP loan during the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities said.
Joseph McKeon applied for PPP loans on behalf of his New Jersey company, falsely claiming a higher number of employees and inflated payroll figures, US Attorney Philip Sellinger said. To support his claims, McKeon submitted forged documents, including bank statements and tax returns, Sellinger said.
McKeon withdrew significant amounts of cash and transferred portions of the money, including a $315,504 transaction to an Indiana title company, Selli…
Newark Man Gets 5+ Years For Running Phony Car Ring That Netted $285K: Feds
A Newark man was recently sentenced to 70 months in prison for running a multistate car theft and fraud operation that defrauded victims of more than $285,000, authorities said.
Warren Guerrier, 47, had previously pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, US Attorney Phillip Sellinger said.
From November 2016 to June 2020, Guerrier led a scheme to steal vehicles, fabricate titles, and sell them to unsuspecting buyers, Sellinger said. Guerrier and his accomplices tracked vehicles, photographed them, and advertised them online. Buyers were given fake cer…
Company Hired To Replace 18,000 Lead Pipes In Newark Faked Work, Billed For It Anyway: Feds
Two people hired by the City of Newark to replace 18,000 lead pipes are facing federal charges after they intentionally left the pipes in the ground, hid them from officials, and then collected payment for work that they didn't properly perform, federal officials said.
Michael Sawyer, 57, of Burlington, and Latronia "Tee" Sanders, 55, of Roselle, are each charged by complaint with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, US Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said (click here for the complaint).
Citing charging documents, NJ Advance Media says JAS Group Enterprise Inc. (JAS), the company in which Sa…
Elizabeth Man Submitted Phony Applications To Obtain $100,000+ In Covid Funds: Feds
A 53-year-old Elizabeth man recently admitted to his role in a fraud scheme involving COVID funds, phony tax filings and a fake loan application, authorities said.
In June 2020, Richard Fadraga submitted a fraudulent application for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), which resulted in him getting $110,000 from the Small Business Administration in COVID-19 relate proceeds, US Attorney Phillip Sellinger said.
The next month, Fadraga submitted another fraudulent application and received a $131,000 loan, Sellinger said. That application was submitted under another person's name to c…
Woman Charged With Selling $18M In Bogus Coupons Downloaded In NJ: Feds
A San Antonio, TX, woman was arrested and charged with selling more than $18 million worth of counterfeit coupons used at various retail stores across the United States — including New Jersey — for the purchase of household items, federal officials said.
From June 2020 through June 2024, Janet Bernal — who goes by the names Rocky, Rocky G, Rocky Gee, and RockyG-Kruella — orchestrated a scheme to produce and sell fraudulent, counterfeit coupons for use by purchasers at retail stores throughout the United States, including large pharmacies and grocery stores, U.S. Attorney Philip R. …
Four Newark Men Robbed Postal Worker At Gunpoint: Feds
Four Newark men were arrested and charged on Thursday, Aug. 1 with robbing a postal worker at gunpoint last November, authorities said.
Last November, three people, including Troy Corbett, 28, and Dyshawn Williams, 28 stole the victim's cell phone, keys and wallet, containing a credit card and debit card, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. The robbery is a federal crime, since it impeded the postal worker from delivering mail, interfering with interstate commerce, Sellinger said.
After the robbery, Antwuan Brown, 24, and Karleem Stamps, 25, used the stolen debit card to make separate purc…
Pair Convicted In Worldwide Ransomware Attacks, Victimizing NJ Residents: Feds
Two foreign nationals pleaded guilty and were convicted on Thursday, July 18 to participating in the LockBit ransomware group and to deploying attacks on computer systems in New Jersey and worldwide, authorities said.
LockBit was described as "one of the most destructive ransomware groups in the world," by U.S. Justice Department officials.
Ruslan Magomedeovic Astamirov, 21, a Russian national from the Chechen Republic and Mikhail Vasiliev, 34, from Bradford, Ontario, a dual citizen in Canada and Russia, pleaded guilty to participating in the LockBit ransomware group that targeted critical …
Controller From NJ Who Embezzled $2.37M From Madison Avenue Firm Gets 27 Months In Fed Pen
UPDATE: A controller from Middlesex County was sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for embezzling $2.37 million from his Madison Avenue employer.
Gerard Beauzile, 63, South Plainfield, conducted an elaborate, long-running scheme to issue bogus checks to himself that he then deposited into his bank account, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
Beginning a decade ago and continuing through the end of 2020, Beauzile admitted issuing 140 checks to himself from the Manhattan-based company, which offers news, analysis, research and data for the "global energy industry," accordin…
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…
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…
