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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…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Jackpot! Jersey Cash 5 Lottery Ticket Wins $576K Jackpot! Jersey Cash 5 Lottery Ticket Wins $576K
Jackpot! Jersey Cash 5 Lottery Ticket Wins $576K One lucky ticket matched all five numbers drawn winning the $575,641 Jersey Cash 5 jackpot from Wednesday, April 5.  The winning numbers were: 03, 05, 20, 30 and 33 and the XTRA number was: 05.  The retailer will receive a bonus check for $2,000 for selling the winning ticket.  The winning ticket was sold at Lotto Com, 111 Town Square Place, Jersey City in Hudson County.

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by Jon Craig
News
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 …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
NJSP, NYPD Recover 100 Handguns, 200 Mags Stolen From North Jersey Railyard, Nab Hudson Woman NJSP, NYPD Recover 100 Handguns, 200 Mags Stolen From North Jersey Railyard, Nab Hudson Woman
Njsp, Nypd Recover 100 Handguns, 200 Mags Stolen From North Jersey Railyard, Nab Hudson Woman A North Bergen storage unit rented by a Union City woman held 100 brand-new 9mm handguns and 200 large-capacity magazines that were stolen from a railyard in Hudson County on their way from the Northeast to the Deep South, authorities said. New Jersey State Police and the NYPD, assisted by federal agents, recovered the cache and arrested Claudine Kammo, 43, who they said was planning to sell the firearms and LCMs. The shipment had been stolen during the transfer from a tractor-trailer to a railroad car headed to a Louisiana wholesaler from a gun importer in Vermont, New Jersey Attorney Gene…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
US Marshals Capture NJ Man Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Teen Girl In Puerto Rico: Prosecutor US Marshals Capture NJ Man Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Teen Girl In Puerto Rico: Prosecutor
US Marshals Capture NJ Man Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Teen Girl In Puerto Rico: Prosecutor A 31-year-old Hudson County man accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in 2021 has been arrested in Puerto Rico, authorities said. Members of the US Marshals Puerto Rico Violent Fugitive Task Force captured Jose Alfredo Garcia on Wednesday, March 22, at approximately 7:50 p.m. in San German, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez. Garcia had been sought for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old female victim in Kearny on December 20, 2021. Following an investigation, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit charged Garcia with sexual assault, luring/entic…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Man Shot Outside Hudson County Costco Store Man Shot Outside Hudson County Costco Store
Man Shot Outside Hudson County Costco Store A man was shot outside of a Hudson County Costco store this weekend, authorities said. The 61-year-old man was found with a gunshot wound to his leg around 7 p.m. Friday, March 17, near the Bayonne Costco on Goldsborough Drive, Bayonne Police Capt. Eric Amato said. The victim was taken to an area with the non-life-threatening injury.  The incident remains an active investigation and anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the Bayonne Police Detective Bureau at 201-858-6925.    

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
US Postal Worker Assisted In Massive Cocaine Distribution Scheme, Hudson Prosecutor Says US Postal Worker Assisted In Massive Cocaine Distribution Scheme, Hudson Prosecutor Says
US Postal Worker Assisted In Massive Cocaine Distribution Scheme, Hudson Prosecutor Says A United States Postal Service worker has been charged for his role in a massive Hudson County cocaine distribution ring, authorities said. James Belardo, 41, of West New York, faces second-degree conspiracy to distribute more than a half-ounce of cocaine, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Earlier this month, authorities announced the seizure of more than 4.4 pounds of cocaine, two handguns and high-capacity magazines from Belardo's co-defendants, Rowaldi Caceres, 39, and Hilda Membreno, 29, also both of West New York. Membreno and Caceres were found with mor…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Mega Millions Lottery Players Win $40K, $10K Mega Millions Lottery Players Win $40K, $10K
Mega Millions Lottery Players Win $40K, $10K There were two third-tier prizewinning tickets sold for the Friday, March 3, Mega Millions drawing. The tickets matched four of the five white balls and the Gold Mega Ball, winning the $10,000 prize.  One of those tickets was purchased with the Megaplier option, multiplying the prize to $40,000.  Those tickets were purchased at the following locations: Hudson County ($40,000): Gro Mart, 135 Front St., Secaucus; and Bergen County ($10,000): Krauszer’s Food Store, 11 A Grant Ave., Dumont. The winning numbers for the Friday, March 3, Mega Millions drawing were: 08, 25, 36, 39, and…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Man Was Masturbating Around Kids In NJ Kohl's Store: Police Man Was Masturbating Around Kids In NJ Kohl's Store: Police
Man Was Masturbating Around Kids In NJ Kohl's Store: Police A 27-year-old New York man is facing charges after masturbating in a Hudson County Kohl's store, authorities said. Christopher Honnold, of Smithtown, NY, was walking around the Kohl's store on Millcreek Drive in Secaucus around 3:10 p.m. on March 2, "gratifying himself in view of the public were he could be observed by children under the age of thirteen," Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said. Honnold left the store after being approached by a loss prevention officer, but surrendered to Secaucus police on March 6, and was charged with sexual assault. He was lodged in the Hudson Coun…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
No Foul Play Seen In Death Of Hudson County Woman, 22, At Meadowlands-Area Motel: Prosecutor No Foul Play Seen In Death Of Hudson County Woman, 22, At Meadowlands-Area Motel: Prosecutor
No Foul Play Seen In Death Of Hudson County Woman, 22, At Meadowlands-Area Motel: Prosecutor A funeral Mass this Saturday morning will honor a 22-year-old Hudson County woman who was tragically found dead in a motel near the Meadowlands earlier this week. The death of Karol Mejia of Guttenberg at the Super 8 Motel just off Route 120 "does not appear to involve foul play," Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced on Friday, March 3. A final determination will be made by the Bergen County Medical Examiner's Office after receiving the results of toxicology screening. Carlstadt police responding to a 911 call from the Washington Avenue motel used a master key card to enter the …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Weather
Snow Totals Increase In Latest Winter Storm Predictions Snow Totals Increase In Latest Winter Storm Predictions
Snow Totals Increase In Latest Winter Storm Predictions The latest forecast has increased the amount of snow in what's expected to be the first winter storm headed to the region Monday, Feb. 27. Up to eight inches was being predicted as of Monday morning by the National Weather Service, for the areas north of Route 80 in North Jersey and the Poconos.  Parts of Bergen, Passaic, Warren, and Essex counties could see between three and seven inches, while the Route 78 corridor will likely be getting a wintry mix. Hudson and Hunterdon counties are expected to get up to four inches of snow. The Lehigh Valley could still see up to four inches of a…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Another Marijuana Dispensary Was Just Approved In Jersey City Another Marijuana Dispensary Was Just Approved In Jersey City
Another Marijuana Dispensary Was Just Approved In Jersey City The Jersey City Planning Board has approved the application for another marijuana dispensary, Daily Voice has learned. The application for Kushmart at 1521 Kennedy Boulevard had been carried by the Board from its Feb. 7 meeting over concerns it was too close to another applicant, 420 Cannabis Place Corp., as reported by the Hudson County View. Kushmart gained approval from the majority of the Board on Tuesday, Feb. 21, city officials confirmed with Daily Voice. Kushmart appears to be a Washington-based dispensary that opened in 2014. Its website says it is "consistently ranked a top r…

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by Cecilia Levine