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Stepfather Of Missing PA Teen Enci Aubrey Wu Charged With Harassment Of NJ Sex Offender: UPDATE Stepfather Of Missing PA Teen Enci Aubrey Wu Charged With Harassment Of NJ Sex Offender: UPDATE
Stepfather Of Missing PA Teen Enci Aubrey Wu Charged With Harassment Of NJ Sex Offender: Update The stepfather of missing 14-year-old Enci Aubrey Wu, who has been searching for her for over two months, has now been charged with harassment, authorities confirmed. John F. Gehrmann III, 44, currently of Easton, PA, and originally from Kearny, New Jersey, was charged with three misdemeanor counts of harassment for allegedly targeting a New Jersey sex offender online in connection with Wu’s disappearance, according to Pennsylvania State Police and court documents. However, advocates for Wu’s family say the charges misrepresent the situation and that Gehrmann was acting in an attempt to prot…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
FBI, Homeland Security Join 'High-Level' Probe Into Missing UPItt Student In Dominican Republic FBI, Homeland Security Join 'High-Level' Probe Into Missing UPItt Student In Dominican Republic
FBI, Homeland Security Join 'High-Level' Probe Into Missing UPItt Student In Dominican Republic The search for missing Virginia college student Sudiksha Konanki has escalated into a major international investigation, with the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) now assisting Dominican authorities, officials announced. The Dominican Republic Attorney General’s Office confirmed that it has assembled a high-level joint task force to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student from Chantilly who vanished in Punta Cana last week. Authorities say they are exploring all possibilities. "The prosecuting authority is conducting extens…

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by Zak Failla
News
$50K Bitcoin Scam Gets Two Men Detained By ICE For Deportation: Lebanon DA $50K Bitcoin Scam Gets Two Men Detained By ICE For Deportation: Lebanon DA
$50K Bitcoin Scam Gets Two Men Detained By ICE For Deportation: Lebanon DA Two men convicted in a $50,000 Bitcoin scam in Lebanon County have been detained by federal authorities for deportation, officials announced. Digvijaysinh Chauhan, 23, and Hemal Patel, 26, were sentenced for felony theft and conspiracy charges on Tuesday, March 12, 2025, before the Lebanon County Court of Common Pleas, according to the district attorney’s office. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) immediately took them into custody for deportation proceedings. The scam began in January 2024 when victims received fraudulent messages claiming their bank accounts had been hacked, authori…

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by Jillian Pikora
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PA Police, School Employee Arrested By Homeland Security For Child Porn PA Police, School Employee Arrested By Homeland Security For Child Porn
PA Police, School Employee Arrested By Homeland Security For Child Porn A Hatboro Police Department employee and marching band instructor at Upper Moreland School District has been arrested by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for distributing child pornography and has since been fired, officials said. Douglas Penglase, 37, of Hatboro, was charged with distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Federal Investigation Uncovers Hundreds of Exploitative Files The investigation began in May 2024, when Kik reported child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to the Nation…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Missing UPitt Student Sudiksha Konanki Vanishes During Beach Walk In DR Missing UPitt Student Sudiksha Konanki Vanishes During Beach Walk In DR
Missing UPitt Student Sudiksha Konanki Vanishes During Beach Walk In DR The search is on for a University of Pittsburgh student from Virginia who vanished while on vacation in the Dominican Republic. An "exhaustive" international search involving the US and Dominican Republic officials has been launched for Chantilly native Sudiksha Konanki, 20, who has not been heard from since last week. Konanki was reported missing on Thursday, March 6, while vacationing with five friends at a resort in Punta Cana, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. Konanki, a citizen of India and permanent US resident, has not been seen since around 4:15 a.m. that …

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by Zak Failla
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Pennsylvania Man Helped Funnel $1.5M In Pandemic Fraud To Overseas Criminals: DOJ Pennsylvania Man Helped Funnel $1.5M In Pandemic Fraud To Overseas Criminals: DOJ
Pennsylvania Man Helped Funnel $1.5M In Pandemic Fraud To Overseas Criminals: DOJ A Pennsylvania man who acted as a "money mule" in a massive pandemic fraud scheme that funneled more than $1.5 million in stolen relief funds to overseas criminals will spend more than three years behind bars, federal officials announced. James G. Miller Jr., 53, of Scranton, was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in the wire fraud operation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania said in a release on Monday, March 3. Investigators say Miller helped move stolen pandemic aid—including Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Lost Wage Assistance Paymen…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Oh, SNAP! PA Store Owner Busted For $1.8M Food Scam: Feds Oh, SNAP! PA Store Owner Busted For $1.8M Food Scam: Feds
Oh, SNAP! PA Store Owner Busted For $1.8M Food Scam: Feds Looks like crime didn’t pay for one Philly shopkeeper! Jenny Espinal Tejada, 34, is trading her grocery store for a prison cell after she was caught running a nearly $2 million scam on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), prosecutors said. Tejada was sentenced to 18 months behind bars for defrauding the federal food aid program, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced on Wednesday, Feb. 5. The corner store owner got creative—and criminal—by using stolen merchant ID numbers to pretend her business was SNAP-approved, authorities said. But…

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by Jillian Pikora
Sports
$39.5M In Fake Sports Gear Seized In Massive Crackdown Before Super Bowl LIX $39.5M In Fake Sports Gear Seized In Massive Crackdown Before Super Bowl LIX
$39.5M In Fake Sports Gear Seized In Massive Crackdown Before Super Bowl LIX Authorities confiscated $39.5 million worth of counterfeit sports merchandise ahead of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. More than 214,500 items were seized in the year-long crackdown, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a news release on Wednesday, Feb. 5. "Operation Team Player" targeted fake jerseys, hats, jewelry, and other memorabilia being sold to fans. Led by the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), the operation involved Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and major sports leagues.  The initia…

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by Chris Spiker
News
PA Mom Breastfed Toddler While Using Meth, Selling Drugs From Home: DA PA Mom Breastfed Toddler While Using Meth, Selling Drugs From Home: DA
PA Mom Breastfed Toddler While Using Meth, Selling Drugs From Home: DA A Lancaster Township mother admitted to breastfeeding her toddler while using methamphetamine and marijuana, authorities announced on Friday, Jan. 31. Kristina Kadian, 32, and Joseph Eberle, 45, are accused of selling meth from their home while the child was present, according to the Lancaster County Drug Task Force. Both were charged with felony possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, felony conspiracy, and felony endangering the welfare of children. Detectives launched an investigation into Kadian and Eberle in December 2024, using undercover and confidential informants to p…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Overdose Death Of PA County EMS Worker Uncovers Online Pharmacy Operation: Police Overdose Death Of PA County EMS Worker Uncovers Online Pharmacy Operation: Police
Overdose Death Of PA County EMS Worker Uncovers Online Pharmacy Operation: Police An overdose death in Bucks County led to the takedown of an illicit online pharmacy based in the Dominican Republic, Warrington Township police announced in a press release issued Monday, Jan. 6. The investigation began in April 2022 after a Bucks County EMS first responder died of a drug overdose, police said. The day after the victim’s death, a FedEx package containing Valium and Rivotril (Clonazepam) was delivered to their residence in Bucks County, according to investigators. Detectives traced the drugs to an online pharmacy operating under the domain “Sure Life Solutions,” police said.…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Homeland Security Investigation Leads To $294K Cocaine Bust In PA Homeland Security Investigation Leads To $294K Cocaine Bust In PA
Homeland Security Investigation Leads To $294K Cocaine Bust In PA A joint investigation with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led to the arrest of a Columbia man and the seizure of more than $294,000 worth of cocaine and marijuana, the Lancaster County Drug Task Force announced on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. Roderick Gonzalez-Perez, of the 800 block of Blunston Street, was arrested on Oct. 4 after authorities intercepted a package containing over five kilograms of cocaine en route to his home from Puerto Rico. The package, addressed to “Senior Perez,” was flagged during transit, prompting a collaborative investigation by the Drug Task Force and HSI. Af…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Philly Man Admits To Attempting To Hire Girl, 12, As Prostitute At NJ Hotel: Feds Philly Man Admits To Attempting To Hire Girl, 12, As Prostitute At NJ Hotel: Feds
Philly Man Admits To Attempting To Hire Girl, 12, As Prostitute At NJ Hotel: Feds A Philadelphia man admitted to trying to hire a preteen girl as a prostitute and meet her at a New Jersey hotel, authorities said. Louis Goldenberg, 41, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, Sept. 18, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. He was charged in September 2023 with attempted online enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution. According to court documents and statements, Goldenberg started messaging an undercover agent posing as a middle-aged woman with a 12-year-old niece in August 2023. For the next month, Goldenberg continually expre…

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by Chris Spiker
News
UPMC Professor Of Pediatric Radiology Indicted For Child Porn: USDOJ UPMC Professor Of Pediatric Radiology Indicted For Child Porn: USDOJ
Upmc Professor Of Pediatric Radiology Indicted For Child Porn: Usdoj A University of Pittsburgh Doctor and Professor Of Pediatric Radiology has been indicted on child pornography charges, according to a release by the US Department Of Justice on Wednesday, Sept. 4.  Dr. Ashok Panigrahy, 53, of Pittsburgh, was caught transporting "material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor in interstate commerce, as well as possessed material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor," in Nov. 2022, as stated in the USDOJ release.  The material included images of the raping of children under the of 12 and/or prepubescent, according to federal court documents obt…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Speakers Filled With Millions In Meth, Cocaine From Cali Found In Bucks Co.: DA Speakers Filled With Millions In Meth, Cocaine From Cali Found In Bucks Co.: DA
Speakers Filled With Millions In Meth, Cocaine From Cali Found In Bucks Co.: DA Six men were charged with trafficking millions of dollars in methamphetamine and cocaine by concealing them inside Bluetooth karaoke speakers and shipping them from California to Bucks County, authorities said. This multifaceted investigation by the Bucks County Detectives Drug Strike Force, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Attorney General’s Office resulted in the dismantling of the Byrne Drug Trafficking Organization, led by Matthew James Byrne, 43, of Broomall in Delaware County, Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn announced on Wednesday, Aug. 7. The Charged Suspects …

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by Jon Craig
News
Bethlehem Man Paid $24K+ To Filipino Child Sex Traffickers: USDOJ Bethlehem Man Paid $24K+ To Filipino Child Sex Traffickers: USDOJ
Bethlehem Man Paid $24K+ To Filipino Child Sex Traffickers: Usdoj A 49-year-old Pennsylvania man has been sentenced for paying and directing "livestreamed sexual abuse of Filipino children," the US Department of Justice announced on Friday night, Aug. 2.  Harold "Harry" C. Daleus (also known as Dalaeus), Jr., 49, of Bethlehem, was sentenced to 20 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release for the production of child pornography and related offenses, United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero detailed in the release.  Daleus sent over $24,000 to the Philippines over several years, "in order to view the live transmiss…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Bucks Man Downloaded 'Over 200' Files Of Child Pornography, Police Say Bucks Man Downloaded 'Over 200' Files Of Child Pornography, Police Say
Bucks Man Downloaded 'Over 200' Files Of Child Pornography, Police Say A 32-year-old Quakertown man faces child pornography charges, according to Warrington police.  Andrew Gregory Lewis came under investigation last November when police found that over 200 illegal files were downloaded to his computer, according to authorities. A search warrant was executed at his Quakertown home and an analysis of his devices revealed additional files, police said.  Lewis surrendered to authorities on July 3 and his bail was set at $250,000, Warrington police said. He had a preliminary hearing on Monday, July 15, court records show.  homeland Security Investi…

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by Mac Bullock
News
'Child Sexual Abuse Material' On Kik Traced To Bucks County Man, Police Say 'Child Sexual Abuse Material' On Kik Traced To Bucks County Man, Police Say
'Child Sexual Abuse Material' On Kik Traced To Bucks County Man, Police Say A Warrington man is in police custody on child pornography charges, authorities say.  Police said they received a cyber tip in March that a Kik Messenger account "shared, disseminated, and/or uploaded apparent child sexual abuse material" on the platform.  The account was later linked to 51-year-old Christos Rallis, authorities said.  Police obtained an arrest warrant and Rallis surrendered on June 7, Warrington PD said. His bail was set at 10 percent of $250,000 and he has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Aug. 5, according to court records.  The Bucks County Distri…

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by Mac Bullock