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$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;…

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by Zak Failla
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Convicted Killer Charged With Swiping Catalytic Converters From School Buses In Fair Lawn Convicted Killer Charged With Swiping Catalytic Converters From School Buses In Fair Lawn
Convicted Killer Charged With Swiping Catalytic Converters From School Buses In Fair Lawn A habitual offender was charged with stealing $18,000 worth of catalytic converters from school buses in Fair Lawn, authorities said. The pricey parts were swiped from vehicles at the Scholastic Bus Company depot on River Road shortly before 6 a.m. June 13, Fair Lawn Police Sgt. Brian Metzler said. Johannes Vanwageningen, 37, of Bloomingdale was identified as the thief by Fair Lawn Police Detective Chris O’Shaughnessy with help from Butler Police Detective Jarred Schmiedhauser. Vanwageningen is known to police, having served time for aggravated manslaughter and been arrested several times …

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Theft Of $8.2M In HIV Meds From NJ Vets Hospital Gets Rx Tech 2½ Years Without Parole Theft Of $8.2M In HIV Meds From NJ Vets Hospital Gets Rx Tech 2½ Years Without Parole
Theft Of $8.2M In HIV Meds From NJ Vets Hospital Gets Rx Tech 2½ Years Without Parole UPDATE: A former pharmacy tech was sentenced to a plea-bargained 57 months in federal prison Thursday for stealing $8.2 million worth of HIV medications from a New Jersey veterans hospital to sell on the black market, authorities said. Lisa M. Hoffman, 50, of Orange, will have to serve just about all of the term because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas also sentenced Hoffman on Thursday to three years of supervised release while ordering her to pay the full $8.29 million in restitution – and to forfeit an additional $450,000. Hoffman wa…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Former Bergen Man Arrested For Buying Stolen Catalytic Converters, Prosecutor Says Former Bergen Man Arrested For Buying Stolen Catalytic Converters, Prosecutor Says
Former Bergen Man Arrested For Buying Stolen Catalytic Converters, Prosecutor Says A former Bergen County resident was charged with buying stolen catalytic converters on the black market. Jozef “Joey” Kiszka of South River – formerly of Elmwood Park – was caught "unlawfully purchasing stolen catalytic converters from multiple individuals,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The 42-year-old Polish immigrant was arrested at his job in Woodbridge last weekend following a months-long investigation, the prosecutor said. Kiszka -- who posted a photo of himself atop a mountain of the highly-prized exhaust emission control devices was charged on a summons to appear in c…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Feds: Theft Of $8.2M In HIV Meds From Vets Hospital Gets Bergen Man 2½ Years Without Parole Feds: Theft Of $8.2M In HIV Meds From Vets Hospital Gets Bergen Man 2½ Years Without Parole
Feds: Theft Of $8.2M In HIV Meds From Vets Hospital Gets Bergen Man 2½ Years Without Parole UPDATE: A Lyndhurst man was sentenced to 2½ years in federal prison for conspiring to steal $8.2 million worth of HIV medications from a New Jersey veterans hospital to sell on the black market. Wagner Checonolasco, 34, must serve out just about all of the plea-bargained sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Checonolasco, better known as “Wanny,” had an accomplice in Lisa M. Hoffman of Orange, who worked in the pharmacy of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in East Orange, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Surveillance cameras helped show how Hoffman “plac…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Oakland Sergeant Nabs Fast-Buck Paterson Pair Siphoning Cooking Grease From Local Eateries Oakland Sergeant Nabs Fast-Buck Paterson Pair Siphoning Cooking Grease From Local Eateries
Oakland Sergeant Nabs Fast-Buck Paterson Pair Siphoning Cooking Grease From Local Eateries A pair of grease bandits had just stolen 200 gallons of used cooking oil when an Oakland police sergeant stopped their commercial van, authorities said. Inside, he found a large storage tank filled with grease. Some thieves steal copper wire for black-market sale, ordinarily for drug money. Some hit no-questions-asked pawn shops after swiping jewelry or electronics. For others, grease is the word. What makes it so valuable? Biodiesel. Each year, an estimated billion and a half pounds of used oil is rendered into renewable fuel -- in the process releasing about 85% fewer carbon emissio…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Rockin' The 60s: Veteran Culprits Nabbed In NJ-Wide Thefts Of Work Vans, Trucks, State Says Rockin' The 60s: Veteran Culprits Nabbed In NJ-Wide Thefts Of Work Vans, Trucks, State Says
Rockin' The 60s: Veteran Culprits Nabbed In Nj-wide Thefts Of Work Vans, Trucks, State Says Two ex-cons in their 60s were part of a ring that stole more than 30 work vehicles from victims in seven North Jersey counties, authorities said. Their end came in a quick succession of arrests that followed an operation led by New Jersey State Police -- and involving dozens of local police departments -- that was dubbed “Operation Cat Burglar.” Crew members in January began snatching work vans and trucks from owners in Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Union, Hudson, Morris, and Middlesex counties, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. They stored the stolen vehicles in a lot in North Berg…

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by Jerry DeMarco