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Paterson Man Stole, Forged Checks From Doctor’s Office: Cops
A Paterson man was arrested after police say he intercepted, duplicated, forged, and cashed checks stolen from a Bergen County doctor’s office, authorities said.
Jonta J. Bianco, 27, was charged with theft and forgery following an investigation, Closter Police Capt. Vincent Aiello said Tuesday, May 12. Bianoc was also arrested last year for trying to cash phony checks at a Fairfield bank.
The checks were taken from the mail and altered before being cashed by Bianco, according to Aiello. Investigators identified Bianco through TD Bank surveillance footage, and he was apprehended a…
Big League Lie: Man Claimed MLB Career While Scamming Women, Dodging Sex Offender Registry: DOJ
He said he was going pro in baseball — but what he really went pro in was lying, scamming, and disappearing from the sex offender registry, prosecutors in Virginia say.
Now, he's going to prison.
A Roanoke man who told women he was a Major League Baseball prospect, forged six-figure checks, used burner phones to impersonate team officials, and failed to register as a sex offender pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this year, federal officials announced.
Now, Janike Dunbar Holt — a man who goes by many names — has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison.
Holt, 29 — also known as…
$150K In Fake Cash Found On Man At Bergen County Bank, Police Say
A man with more than $150,000 in counterfeit U.S. currency was arrested at a Bergen County bank after police say they found him with stolen credit cards and items used in counterfeiting.
On Saturday, Sept. 6, at approximately 10:13 p.m., Garfield Police Officers responded to Chase Bank at 136 Passaic Street for a report of a suspicious man inside the ATM vestibule, according to Capt. Mario Pozo.
When Officers George Petta, Elijah Bezares, and Daniel Fedor arrived, they found a man later identified as Rafael Tejada standing inside the bank and watching a customer use the ATM, Pozo said.
Pol…
4 NJ Men Tried To Cash Phony Checks At TD Bank: Fairfield PD
Four North Jersey men have been arrested and charged following two separate fraud cases at a TD Bank in Fairfield, authorities announced, Thursday, July 24.
On Monday, July 21 at 5 p.m. officers responded to the bank at 436 Hollywood Ave. after an employee recognized Jaydin Colon, a 20-year-old Garfield resident, who had previously cashed a fraudulent check in the past at the branch, Fairfield police said.
Colon was trying to cash a $1,616.04 fraudulent arrest and he was placed under arrest, police said.
While officers were apprehending Colon, they saw a vehicle parked illegally in a nearb…
DUI Crash In Beachside Vacation Spot Leaves Cyclist Badly Injured, Police Say
A 21-year-old international student was seriously injured when a suspected drunk driver hit him in the heart of Rehoboth Beach, a popular Delaware vacation destination, police said.
The crash happened just after 1 a.m. on Wednesday, July 9, in the 300 block of Rehoboth Avenue, according to the Rehoboth Beach Police Department.
Investigators say Megan Smith, 20, of Lewes, was driving a Jeep Wrangler westbound on Rehoboth Avenue when she hit the cyclist, who was in the area on a J-1 visa.
The crash caused potentially life-threatening injuries, police said after the cyclist was rushed t…
Newark Woman Hit With 29 Charges In $600K Real Estate, Rent Scam Spree
A Newark woman is facing nearly 30 charges for allegedly stealing more than $600,000 through a string of frauds across New Jersey, authorities said.
Joyce Kirkland, 59, was arrested at her home on the morning of Wednesday, June 25, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel said Friday. Kirkland was charged with 29 counts, including theft, money laundering, forgery, and criminal impersonation.
Prosecutors say Kirkland forged names on deeds, falsified documents, and stole from the State of New Jersey’s Emergency Rental Assistance Programs, taking more than $300,000. She also allegedly forged …
Bronx Man Tried Cashing Fake Check At Bergen County Bank, Then Made A Run For It: Cops
A Bronx man trying to cash a fake check at a TD Bank in Bergen County took off running when police showed up — but he didn’t get far, authorities said.
Lamont T. Everett, 31, was arrested on Sunday, June 8, around 12:43 p.m., after employees at the TD Bank on Maywood Avenue reported a man trying to cash a fraudulent check, according to the Maywood Police Sgt. William Phayre.
Officer Andrew Mulligan arrived and saw Everett walking out of the bank, police said. When Everett spotted the officer, he ran.
Mulligan chased Everett down East Pleasant Avenue and apprehended him two blocks away, pol…
Sex Offender Faked MLB Career, Scammed Women, Skipped Registry In Virginia: DOJ
He said he was going pro in baseball — but what he really went pro in was lying, scamming, and disappearing from the sex offender registry, prosecutors in Virginia say.
A Roanoke man who told women he was a Major League Baseball prospect, forged six-figure checks, used burner phones to impersonate team officials, and failed to register as a sex offender has pleaded guilty in federal court as part of an elaborate scheme, federal officials announced.
He went by many names while executing his scheme.
Janike Dunbar Holt, 29 — also known as “Nike,” “Janike Tagovailoa,” “Keanu Tagovailoa,” and “…
Ex-Bar Director Accused Of $314K Theft As Son Flaunts Lavish Trips, Cosmetic Work Online: PA AG
A Pennsylvania woman is accused of stealing over $300,000 from the Cambria County Bar Association to fund luxury expenses including cosmetic procedures, vacations, and donations to her family’s nonprofit, Attorney General Dave Sunday announced Wednesday, May 7.
Robin Hagins, 56, of Johnstown, the former executive director of the CCBA, was charged with Theft by Unlawful Taking, Misappropriation of Funds Received, and Forgery following an investigation by the 51st Statewide Investigating Grand Jury. Her bail was set at $150,000 unsecured.
Hagins allegedly misappropriated a total of $314,759 b…
Paterson Council President, Campaign Team Stole, Forged Ballots To Win 2020 Election: NJ AG
A New Jersey city council president rigged the vote to keep his seat — and now he’s facing a fresh round of felony charges, state officials say.
Alex Mendez, the Paterson City Council President, is facing new election fraud charges alongside his wife and three others, including campaign workers, after allegedly stealing and forging ballots to win a municipal election in May 2020, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced Wednesday, April 30.
According to a 10-count superseding indictment, Mendez and his co-conspirators are accused of forging ballots and voter registrations and s…
ID Theft Ring Busted With Stolen US Treasury Checks, Gun, Skimmer, And Dogs: NJ Prosecutor
A New Jersey couple is accused of running a high-level ID theft ring involving stolen Treasury checks, guns, a skimmer, and stolen dogs, authorities announced on Wednesday, April 16.
Peter M. Gittens, 37, and Chambreona J. Williams, 33—also known as Tenisha O. Gittens— both of Raritan Township, have been charged with a slew of crimes, including Forgery, Trafficking in Personal Identifying Information, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Theft of Movable Property, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and more, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée Robeson and Raritan Township Chief of Police Al Payn…
Counterfeit Cash Chase Shuts Down Route 4 In Paramus, Two Arrested: Police
A police chase that spilled onto Route 4 in Paramus brought traffic to a halt Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 25 as officers pursued a suspect tied to a counterfeit cash scheme, authorities said.
The incident unfolded around 4:30 p.m. when Paramus and River Edge police began pursuing men later identified as Corey Jones, 29, of Roosevelt, NY, and Isaiah Corbin, 46, of Queens, NY, in connection with fake U.S. currency being used at the Bergen Town Center, Paramus Police Chief Robert Guidetti said.
The River Edge Police Department had alerted Paramus officers to a 2019 white Chrysler Pacifica suspecte…
Cold Case: Mom Leaves Baby Behind, Vanishes En Route To NJ; Car Found In PA
The disappearance of Oklahoma mother Karen Denise Wells during a cross-country road trip in 1993 has haunted investigators and her family for over three decades, Pennsylvania State Police said.
Wells, 23, was driving from Haskell, Oklahoma, to visit a friend in Bergen, New Jersey, when she vanished on April 12, 1993. Her journey ended mysteriously in Perry County, PA—nearly 200 miles from her destination.
After a day on the road, Wells checked into the Pike Motel along Harrisburg Pike in Carlisle. At 7:00 p.m., she called her friend, Melissa, and said she planned to grab food at a nearby Mc…
NY Mailbox Thief Nearly Hits Officer In High-Speed NJ Chase, Police Say
A Westchester, NY man has been arrested for his role in a mailbox theft ring that plagued Bergen County for weeks, authorities said.
Edward Orozco, of Yonkers, was apprehended after a dramatic high-speed chase and a month-long investigation by the Wallington Police Department, Sgt. Brian Rosas said.
The theft ring, which targeted mailboxes in October, resulted in thousands of dollars in losses for residents after stolen checks were rewritten and repeatedly deposited, according to Rosas.
Wallington police launched an extensive investigation, identifying the suspect vehicle as a blue BMW M-S…
Ringwood Woman Stole $700K From Law Firm: Union County Prosecutor
A 54-year-old Ringwood woman was arrested and charged on Thursday, Dec. 12 with stealing more than $700,000 from the law firm she worked at, authorities said.
Between 2018 and 2024 Colleen Hallenbeck, who was employed as a paralegal for a Union County-based law firm, misappropriated funds from various estates handled by the firm, Union County Prosecutor William Daniel said.
Hallenbeck was responsible for distributing funds from estate accounts to beneficiaries. However, she wrote hundreds of unauthorized checks, totaling in excess of $700,000, for deposit into accounts s…
NJ Apartment Association Bookkeeper Who Stole $357K Learns Prison Sentence
A former bookkeeper for the New Jersey Apartment Association has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay restitution for stealing $357,250 from the organization, authorities said.
Karly Simon-Sapp, 50, of Plumsted Township, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Kenneth T. Palmer to five years New Jersey State Prison and ordered to pay $357,520 in restitution, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. She previously had pleaded guilty to theft.
Between January 2016 and January 2022, Simon-Sapp, in her capacity as a bookkeeper for the New Jersey Apartment Association, forged the …
