Fair 69°
Police & Fire
NJ Scammer Admits Selling Bogus Tom Brady Super Bowl Rings NJ Scammer Admits Selling Bogus Tom Brady Super Bowl Rings
NJ Scammer Admits Selling Bogus Tom Brady Super Bowl Rings A 24-year-old New Jersey man pleaded guilty to fraud for pretending to be a New England Patriots player to buy and sell Super Bowl rings engraved with Tom Brady's last name, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday, Feb. 2. Scott V. Spina Jr., of Roseland, could face decades in prison when he's sentenced May 23, for charges of mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft, authorities said. Spina's guilty plea comes one day after the quarterback announced his retirement after 22 seasons and seven Super Bowl titles. Spina ordered three replica Super Bo…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine & Jerry DeMarco
News
Contractor Used $75K Downpayment To Gamble In AC, Buy Boat, Bogus Rolex: Prosecutor Contractor Used $75K Downpayment To Gamble In AC, Buy Boat, Bogus Rolex: Prosecutor
Contractor Used $75K Downpayment To Gamble In AC, Buy Boat, Bogus Rolex: Prosecutor A 51-year-old contractor from South Jersey has been arrested for taking nearly $75,000 for a construction project then blowing it in Atlantic City, a new boat and a new car, authorities said. An investigation into Richard A. Smith Jr., of Williamstown, began in December 2021, after a Riverton resident told police that Smith, who owns Beyond Renovations LLC, took two payments for wok on an addition, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Riverton Police Chief John Shaw said. Instead of doing the work, Smith used the money to visit Atlantic City casinos to play in a poker tournament, …

SHARE

by Jon Craig
News
Cold Feet? Makeup Artist Charged With Fraud After Skipping Weddings In 5 States But Kept Funds Cold Feet? Makeup Artist Charged With Fraud After Skipping Weddings In 5 States But Kept Funds
Cold Feet? Makeup Artist Charged With Fraud After Skipping Weddings In 5 States But Kept Funds Imagine it's the day before your wedding. You've planned a beautiful event and you have your perfect hair and makeup look picked out to go with your dream dress-- you have even hired a special makeup and hair artist. Then you receive a message via social media saying that the makeup and hair artist is not coming, the service you have already been paid for will not be refunded, and when you go to respond you are "blocked." That's what happened to 18 women in five states. Holly Ann (Klein) Boyer, 37, registered owner of DBA: Extreme Beauty, located at 2421 Scenic Drive, Manheim in Penn Townsh…

SHARE

by Jillian Pikora
News
Wayne Police Nab Wanted NYC Man At Mall Eatery, Forced To Release Him Under Bail Reform Wayne Police Nab Wanted NYC Man At Mall Eatery, Forced To Release Him Under Bail Reform
Wayne Police Nab Wanted NYC Man At Mall Eatery, Forced To Release Him Under Bail Reform A Wayne police detective nabbed a wanted man from Brooklyn who was carrying phony credit cards after he tried using one of them, authorities said. Police booked him, then had to let him go under bail reform. It began when a group of officers responded to the Dave and Buster’s at the Willowbrook Mall last week on a report of a group trying to use a bogus credit card. A manager told the responders that the same group “was in the establishment the week before attempting to use multiple credit cards that were declined,” Detective Capt. Dan Daly said. The group had returned and were trying to u…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
MURDER IN MADRID: NJ-Born Tycoon Poisoned, Robbed In Hotel Room, Authorities Say MURDER IN MADRID: NJ-Born Tycoon Poisoned, Robbed In Hotel Room, Authorities Say
Murder IN Madrid: Nj-born Tycoon Poisoned, Robbed In Hotel Room, Authorities Say A New Jersey-born yacht company tycoon was robbed and killed by men he’d invited back to his luxury hotel room in Madrid, authorities there said. Investigators at first believed that José Rosado, 43, died of natural causes after combining drugs and alcohol. Charges on his credit card led them in another direction, however. Authorities in Madrid on Monday arrested two men accused of killing Rosado with a fatal dose of Ecstasy during a robbery at the luxurious Westin Palace Hotel on Oct. 29 and then going on a shopping spree with his AmEx card. One of the defendants, from Morocco, had 1…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Sports
Ex-Jet Josh Bellamy Sentenced To Federal Prison For Bogus $1.2M COVID Relief Loan Ex-Jet Josh Bellamy Sentenced To Federal Prison For Bogus $1.2M COVID Relief Loan
Ex-Jet Josh Bellamy Sentenced To Federal Prison For Bogus $1.2M COVID Relief Loan Former NY Jet Josh Bellamy was sentenced to prison time for fraudulently claiming more than $1.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds that he spent on luxury items and a Hard Rock Hotel stay, federal prosecutors said. The 32-year-old Florida resident was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison last Friday, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, court papers show. The former NFL athlete also must pay restitution. Bellamy obtained a Paycheck Protection Program loan of $1.2 million for his company, Drip Entertainment LLC, under bogus documents and false inf…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
9 Charged With Stealing $1.3M Worth of Vehicles In NJ, NY, PA, CT, MA, Shipping Them Overseas 9 Charged With Stealing $1.3M Worth of Vehicles In NJ, NY, PA, CT, MA, Shipping Them Overseas
9 Charged With Stealing $1.3M Worth of Vehicles In NJ, NY, PA, CT, MA, Shipping Them Overseas An international ring of identity thieves stole $1.3 million worth of vehicles and watercraft from dealerships in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts using fraudulently obtained digital driver's licenses, authorities charged. Nine defendants used the stolen identities of U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico -- along with fake Puerto Rico driver’s licenses, Social Security cards, debit cards and birth certificates -- to obtain the licenses from motor vehicle agencies in Jersey City and North Bergen, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said. They used thos…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Philly Influencer Used Social Media Following To Rip Off Black Community, AG's Lawsuit Says Philly Influencer Used Social Media Following To Rip Off Black Community, AG's Lawsuit Says
Philly Influencer Used Social Media Following To Rip Off Black Community, AG's Lawsuit Says A Philadelphia business owner is facing a lawsuit filed by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro accusing her of using her social media presence to steal thousands of dollars from consumers. The suit alleges that Dana Chanel, whose real name is Casey Olivera, and co-owners of the four businesses named "misled consumers and failed to deliver goods and services as promised." “Dana Chanel built a following online by presenting herself as a black woman-owned small business success story,” Shaprio said. “She advertised the products of her companies as a way for other black small business ow…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
Partial Human Remains Found Near Brian Laundrie's Personal Belongings, FBI Confirms Partial Human Remains Found Near Brian Laundrie's Personal Belongings, FBI Confirms
Partial Human Remains Found Near Brian Laundrie's Personal Belongings, FBI Confirms Investigators found what appeared to be partial human remains near personal items belonging to Brian Laundrie on Wednesday in a Florida park, the FBI confirmed. The discovery was made in the Carlton Reserve in North Port, in an area that has been under water until recently, CNN says citing FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael McPherson. The remains appear to have "been there a while," a source told the news outlet. Laundrie has been a person of interest in the killing of his girlfriend, Gabby Petito. He was charged with fraud for apparently using her debit card after she had died. Identif…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Credit Card Skimming Devices Found At Morris County Gas Station, Police Say Credit Card Skimming Devices Found At Morris County Gas Station, Police Say
Credit Card Skimming Devices Found At Morris County Gas Station, Police Say Several credit card skimming devices were found during the recent inspection of a Morris County gas station, police confirmed. The devices were found installed on several Denville gas pumps during a recent inspection by the NJ Division of Weights and Measures, Denville Police said Wednesday. The gas station was not mentioned by name. The purpose of the skimming devices is to obtain credit card data that can then be used to make fraudulent purchases. Denville Police are investigating several reports of fraud that may be related to these skimming devices. Anyone who has used a credit or de…

SHARE

by Valerie Musson
News
Ex-Hedge Fund Manager From NY, FL Admits $6.8M COVID-19 Scam In NJ Federal Court Ex-Hedge Fund Manager From NY, FL Admits $6.8M COVID-19 Scam In NJ Federal Court
Ex-Hedge Fund Manager From NY, FL Admits $6.8M Covid-19 Scam In NJ Federal Court A dual New York/Florida resident admitted in federal court in Newark that he schemed to steal more than $6.8 million in COVID-19 payroll protection loans -- $3 million of which the government said he flushed away in the stock market. Gregory J. Blotnick applied to 13 lenders for 21 loans over a period of nearly a year, beginning in March 21, 2020, lying about the number of employees at nine companies whom he supposedly needed to pay, federal authorities said. Blotnick, 34, dumped the money into a personal brokerage account instead, then poured nearly 45% of it into losing stock trades, Acti…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Five NJ Gas Stations Pay $138,000 For Overcharging Customers Five NJ Gas Stations Pay $138,000 For Overcharging Customers
Five NJ Gas Stations Pay $138,000 For Overcharging Customers Five North Jersey gas stations were caught overcharging customers -- including claiming that regular gas was premium -- and now must pay up, state authorities said. In a settlement aimed at protecting consumers, Sukhdev Singh and his stations in Newark and Belleville will pay the state more than $138,000 collectively, and promised not to do it again, under an agreement that kept formal charges from being filed, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said. Bruck identified the stations on Monday as: KP Fuel, 864 Mt. Prospect Ave, Newark; BK Fuel, 108 Bloomfield Ave, Newark; Mil…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco