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'Unconstitutional:' Feds Slam Trenton Police For Excessive Force, Illegal Stops 'Unconstitutional:' Feds Slam Trenton Police For Excessive Force, Illegal Stops
'Unconstitutional:' Feds Slam Trenton Police For Excessive Force, Illegal Stops Federal investigators have accused the Trenton Police Department (TPD) of widespread civil rights violations, including excessive force and illegal arrests, calling the departmentā€™s practices ā€œunconstitutionalā€ in a damning report released Thursday, Nov. 21. The Department of Justice (DOJ) found that TPD officers routinely stopped and searched individuals without reasonable suspicion, made arrests without probable cause, and escalated encounters with excessive force.  These practices, compounded by poor training, inadequate oversight, and a lack of accountability, have eroded communityā€¦

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by Cecilia Levine
News
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 Iranā€™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 Iranā€™s attempts to silence dissidents and even target top US. officials. According to the Department of Justice criminal complaiā€¦

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
OceanFirst Bank Agrees To $15M Settlement For Redlining In Central Jersey, Feds Say OceanFirst Bank Agrees To $15M Settlement For Redlining In Central Jersey, Feds Say
OceanFirst Bank Agrees To $15M Settlement For Redlining In Central Jersey, Feds Say A Jersey Shore bank will pay more than $15 million in a settlement for racially discriminatory lending practices known as redlining, authorities said. OceanFirst Bank agreed to the settlement to resolve the accusations that date back to 2018, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. The Toms River-based bank was accused of redlining in predominantly non-white neighborhoods in Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties. The $15 million settlement came after the Department of Justice launched its Combating Redlining Initiative in October 2021, aiming to sā€¦

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Convicted MS-13 Killer Sentenced In NJ Murder Plot Convicted MS-13 Killer Sentenced In NJ Murder Plot
Convicted MS-13 Killer Sentenced In NJ Murder Plot š—Øš—£š——š—”š—§š—˜: A member of an MS-13 clique who just began serving 40 years in federal prison for a murder in Virginia was sentenced to 10 years for his role in a failed plot to kill a rival in Hudson County. The plea-bargained sentence approved by a federal judge in Newark on Thursday, March 21, wonā€™t require Jose Gimenez-Lobos, a 33-year-old Salvadoran national, to serve more time. It will run concurrently. Gimenez-Lobos and two companions were ordered by a high-ranking member of La Mara Salvatrucha to execute a member of the rival 18th Street gang from the Maryland/Virginia area, U.S. Attorney ā€¦

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by Jerry DeMarco
Politics
George Santos Is Out: Here's How NJ Delegates Voted George Santos Is Out: Here's How NJ Delegates Voted
George Santos Is Out: Here's How NJ Delegates Voted New Jersey's congressional delegation all shared the same sentiment when it comes to Rep. George Santos. They wanted him out, and they got it. The serial fabulist (R-Long Island) was expelled by the US House 311-114, with all 12 New Jersey representatives, including three Republicans, voting in favor of his ouster. The resolution required a two-thirds majority vote in order to pass. Santos was expelled amid mounting accusations of criminality. He is only the sixth member of Congress to be expelled in American history. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis), Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City) and Chā€¦

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by Sam Barron
News
$550M Sought From Thieves In Federal Catalytic Converter Crackdown $550M Sought From Thieves In Federal Catalytic Converter Crackdown
$550M Sought From Thieves In Federal Catalytic Converter Crackdown Catalytic converter thieves across the US could soon have to cough up $550 million as part of a federal, state and local crackdown on the thefts and resales that turned a massive profit, authorities announced. The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday, Nov. 2 that it will be seeking forfeiture from those responsible for the trend of vehicle parts being stolen and resold for massive profits. In total, 21 people in five states have been charged following busts, searches, and seizures in the following states, according to the DOJ: California; Oklahoma; Wyoming; Minnesota; New Jersey;ā€¦

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by Zak Failla
News
4,000 Beagles Rescued From Research Facility Approved By Judge For Adoption 4,000 Beagles Rescued From Research Facility Approved By Judge For Adoption
4,000 Beagles Rescued From Research Facility Approved By Judge For Adoption Thousands of beagles who were mistreated at a Virginia breeding and research facility are oneĀ step closer to finding a happy home.Ā  The Department of Justice approved the adoption of 4,000 beagles from Envigo, the company that kept the dogs in horrific conditions while using them for research. Adopted BeagleVirginia Coalition For Beagle Protection Facebook Page This story came to light in 2021, when PETAĀ investigatedĀ Envigo for its brutal mistreatment of the animals. Some of the mistreatment PETA observed at Envigo included: Puppies and their mothers sprayed with a high pressured hosā€¦

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by AJ Goldbloom
Politics
Trump DOJ Lawyer Forced To Stand Outside In Boxers During Humiliating Raid: CNN Trump DOJ Lawyer Forced To Stand Outside In Boxers During Humiliating Raid: CNN
Trump DOJ Lawyer Forced To Stand Outside In Boxers During Humiliating Raid: CNN Police forced a former Department of Justice lawyer for President Donald Trump to stand outside in his underwear while they raided his home last month, video obtained by CNN shows.  Wearing his underwear and a button down shirt, Jeffrey Clark asked agents at the door of his Fairfax County home if he could call his lawyer, put on pants or stand in his garage, the footage shows. ā€œWeā€™re gonna clear the house, and as soon as we clear the house, weā€™ll get you talking to your lawyer and weā€™ll get some pants on, okay?" one of the agents told him in the video. They did allow Clark to stand bā€¦

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by Josh Lanier
News
COVID-19: CDC Issues New Advisory Recommending People Wear Masks In These Settings COVID-19: CDC Issues New Advisory Recommending People Wear Masks In These Settings
Covid-19: CDC Issues New Advisory Recommending People Wear Masks In These Settings The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is calling on the Department of Justice to proceed with an appeal after a federal judge struck down President Joe Bidenā€™s mask mandate for public transportation settings. Following the announcement of the judgment, the CDC issued a statement advising that the agency is continuing to advise that all Americans continue to mask up while using public transportation, despite the ruling. Original story - COVID-19: Federal Judge Strikes Down CDC Mask Mandate For Travel According to the CDC, officials ā€œcontinue to recommend that people west maskā€¦

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by Zak Failla
News
Gun-Running Jersey Shore Coke Dealer Nabbed In FBI Sting Gets 5 Years, No Parole Gun-Running Jersey Shore Coke Dealer Nabbed In FBI Sting Gets 5 Years, No Parole
Gun-Running Jersey Shore Coke Dealer Nabbed In FBI Sting Gets 5 Years, No Parole A confessed cocaine dealer from Freehold who sold smuggled guns to buyers working for the FBI was sentenced to a plea-bargained five years in federal prison. Enrique Quijada, 25, who was in the country illegally, must serve out the entire term because there's no parole in the federal prison system. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said Quijada ā€“ also known as ā€œEl Enano 13ā€ and ā€œKikeā€ -- worked for a crew that sold handguns and a semi-automatic rifle, among other weapons, to what turned out to be FBI operatives in and around Monmouth and Ocean counties. Rather than face trial, he tookā€¦

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
CRYPTO CRIME: Rapping 'Crocodile of Wall Street,' Husband Nabbed In $4.5 Billion Bitcoin Bust CRYPTO CRIME: Rapping 'Crocodile of Wall Street,' Husband Nabbed In $4.5 Billion Bitcoin Bust
Crypto Crime: Rapping 'Crocodile of Wall Street,' Husband Nabbed In $4.5 Billion Bitcoin Bust The self-described ā€œCrocodile of Wall Streetā€ and her husband were arrested by federal agents in Manhattan on Tuesday, Feb. 8, on charges of conspiring to launder billions of dollars in cryptocurrency stolen in a bombshell hack of a virtual currency exchange. Ilya ā€œDutchā€ Lichtenstein, 34, and Heather Rhiannon Morgan, a 31-year-old business blogger/rapper, werenā€™t charged in the 2016 theft from Bitfinex of what at the time was $71 million worth of cryptocurrency ā€“ now valued at $4.5 billion. They are charged with conspiring to (a) commit money laundering and (b) defraud the United States, ā€¦

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Feds: Defendant In Florida-to-Jersey Shore Gun Running Ring Takes Plea Feds: Defendant In Florida-to-Jersey Shore Gun Running Ring Takes Plea
Feds: Defendant In Florida-to-Jersey Shore Gun Running Ring Takes Plea A fourth defendant admitted Friday that he was part of a ring that sold guns trafficked from Florida to the Jersey Shore to buyers working for the FBI. Enrique Quijada, 24, of Freehold told a federal judge in Trenton via videoconference on Friday that he worked with ringleader Manuel ā€œChinoā€ Espinosa-Ozoria of Bartow, FL his brother, Waldin ā€œManinā€ Espinosa-Ozoria of Freehold and two others. The crew sold handguns and a semi-automatic rifle, among other weapons, to what turned out to be FBI operatives in and around Monmouth and Ocean counties, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Deā€¦

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by Jerry DeMarco