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US Customs and Border Protection

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 Iran’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 Iran’s attempts to silence dissidents and even target top US. officials. According to the Department of Justice criminal complai…
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A member of a burglary ring that specifically targeted Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware was sentenced to a plea-bargained 33 months in federal prison. James Hurt, 48, of New York, and other members of the second-story crew worked from what the FBI called a hit list of dozens of homes in the four states based on “stereotype and opportunity" from Dec. 2, 2016, to March 20, 2019. The burglars often got into homes through unsecured upper-floor windows before seeking out cash, jewelry and guns, the FBI said In one instance, th…
3rd Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, Cops Plea 3rd Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, Cops Plea
3rd Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, Cops Plea UPDATE: A third member of a burglary ring that targeted Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware has pleaded guilty, authorities confirmed. Kevin Jackson, 57, of Rahway, was part of a second-story crew that the FBI said worked from a hit list of dozens of homes in four states based on “stereotype and opportunity." One of Jackson's associates told detectives that Asians were targeted “because it was believed that the victims kept large sums of currency and jewelry in their residences,” an FBI complaint says. Notes found in the defendants’ cars …
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Cops Plea Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Cops Plea
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Cops Plea UPDATE: A burglar from a crew that targeted Asian and Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware took a deal from the government rather than risk the outcome of a trial, federal authorities said. James Hurt, 47, of New York, was part of a second-story outfit that the FBI said worked from a hit list of dozens of homes in four states based on “stereotype and opportunity." One of Hurt's associates told detectives that Asians were targeted “because it was believed that the victims kept large sums of currency and jewelry in their residences,” an FBI c…
Danelo Cavalcante: Schools Close For 2nd Day, Report Details How Killer May Have Escaped Danelo Cavalcante: Schools Close For 2nd Day, Report Details How Killer May Have Escaped
Danelo Cavalcante: Schools Close For 2nd Day, Report Details How Killer May Have Escaped Chester County schools are closed for the second day in a row as the search for killer fugitive Danelo Cavalcante continues. Both the Kennett Consolidated School District and Unionville-Chadds Ford School District will remain closed Wednesday, Sept. 6, more than a day after the 34-year-old convicted murderer was captured on a trail camera nearby. Citing a criminal complaint, 6abc says Cavalcante may have escaped the same way as Igor Bolte, another inmate in the county prison, did back in May. Bolte is believed to have scaled the wall near the exercise yard before climbing an exposed beam u…
How JFK Airport Customs Agents ID'd Ghost Gun Manufacturing Ring Out Of Suburban Philly Home How JFK Airport Customs Agents ID'd Ghost Gun Manufacturing Ring Out Of Suburban Philly Home
How JFK Airport Customs Agents ID'd Ghost Gun Manufacturing Ring Out Of Suburban Philly Home Three men from Montgomery County have been arrested for their roles in trafficking and manufacturing ghost guns and suppressors, authorities said. Tony Phan Ho, 32, ran the operation out of his Hatfield home with help from Rithga Ngoy, 36, of Hatfield and Michael Phan Nguyen, 32, of Lansdale, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said. A search of Ho’s property found all of the tools needed to privately manufacture firearms, numerous AR-15 rifle parts, firearm sights, firearm sight tools, a Polymer80 tool kit, weapon mounted lights, a Glock pistol barrel, a Sig Sauer…
Burglar With Hit List Of Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Gets 50 Months In Federal Prison Burglar With Hit List Of Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Gets 50 Months In Federal Prison
Burglar With Hit List Of Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Gets 50 Months In Federal Prison UPDATE: A member of a second-story crew who targeted Asian and Asian-American homeowners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware for burglaries was sentenced to a plea-bargained four years and two months in federal prison, authorities said. Randi Barr, 42, of Union County, NJ, was part of a group that worked from a hit list of dozens of homes based on “stereotype and opportunity,” federal authorities said. Local, state and federal law enforcement authorities who teamed up to smash the ring found notes in the defendants’ cars that had the home addresses of individuals of Asian des…
17-Year-Old Pennsylvania Boy Charged For Talking With Al-Qaida Affiliate: FBI 17-Year-Old Pennsylvania Boy Charged For Talking With Al-Qaida Affiliate: FBI
17-Year-Old Pennsylvania Boy Charged For Talking With Al-Qaida Affiliate: FBI A teenager from Pennsylvania was arrested by FBI agents on Friday, Aug. 11 after authorities say he had been in contact with an al-Qaida-affiliated terror group.  The unnamed 17-year-old boy was taken into custody at his Wynnefield residence after an investigation by Bureau agents, Philadelphia police, and various federal agencies, according to District Attorney Larry Krasner's Office.  Authorities said that an Instagram account connected to the West Philly teen had communicated with an account affiliated with Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ). The State Department has s…
Flying High: 72 Pounds Of Marijuana Seized At Philly Airport, Say Customs Agents Flying High: 72 Pounds Of Marijuana Seized At Philly Airport, Say Customs Agents
Flying High: 72 Pounds Of Marijuana Seized At Philly Airport, Say Customs Agents A California man faces Pennsylvania drug charges after authorities claim he tried to smuggle 72 pounds of marijuana onto an Ireland-bound plane at Philadelphia International Airport on Monday.  Bryan Nelson Gonzalez Rodriguez, 34, of Monterey Park, Calif., meant to depart from Philadelphia on April 24 but was stopped by US Customs and Border Protection officers at the gate, agency officials said in a release.  They confronted the traveler after an x-ray exam during outbound inspections revealed "anomalies" in his two suitcases, CBP said.  The bags were then taken to a CBP in…
NJ Celebrity Hairstylist Charged With Trafficking Child Porn, Worked On 'Mrs. Maisel,' More NJ Celebrity Hairstylist Charged With Trafficking Child Porn, Worked On 'Mrs. Maisel,' More
NJ Celebrity Hairstylist Charged With Trafficking Child Porn, Worked On 'Mrs. Maisel,' More A Bergen County hairstylist to the stars is charged with trafficking more than 450 child sex abuse images, authorities said. Daniel Koye, 40, of Rutherford, was seized by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on Jan. 28 in Atlanta after detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office obtained a warrant for his arrest, they said. He's been held since then in the Clayton County Jail in Jonesboro, GA pending extradition to New Jersey, records show. Authorities began looking for Koye following a warranted search at his Ettrick Terrace apartme…
BENE(PHISH)IARY: Scam FBI Email Says You’re Owed $4.1M — And Are Suspected Of Tax Evasion BENE(PHISH)IARY: Scam FBI Email Says You’re Owed $4.1M — And Are Suspected Of Tax Evasion
Bene(Phish)Iary: Scam FBI Email Says You’re Owed $4.1M — And Are Suspected Of Tax Evasion This one’s rich (no pun intended): A familiar phishing scam that claims federal authorities have seized $4.1 million intended for you from a shady foreign diplomat is again making the rounds. A surety bond for the princely sum was found in two consignment boxes seized at JFK Airport in Queens, NY, along with documents bearing YOUR name, according to the hoax email. The author, who claims to be FBI Deputy Director Paul M. Abbate in Washington, D.C., then offers to “walk you through the process of clearing and claiming the money.” That’s the good news. “After questioning the diplomat t…
Allentown Man Wanted In 2020 Homicide Arrested At Philadelphia International Airport Allentown Man Wanted In 2020 Homicide Arrested At Philadelphia International Airport
Allentown Man Wanted In 2020 Homicide Arrested At Philadelphia International Airport An Allentown man wanted in a 2020 homicide was arrested Friday, Aug. 12 at Philadelphia International Airport, officials said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested 31-year-old Francisco Alfredo Romero-Encarnacion after he arrived on a flight from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, they said. Romero-Encarnacion was turned over to Allentown police. He had been wanted on charges of homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, and recklessly endangering another person, among other offenses. The charges are related to a deadly crash that happened on May 10, 2020, at Mart…
Bergen Man Had Gun Parts 'Artfully' Hidden In Ankle, Wrist Weights At Newark Airport, TSA Says Bergen Man Had Gun Parts 'Artfully' Hidden In Ankle, Wrist Weights At Newark Airport, TSA Says
Bergen Man Had Gun Parts 'Artfully' Hidden In Ankle, Wrist Weights At Newark Airport, TSA Says A Bergen County man bound for Turkey was caught at Newark Airport with various gun parts "artfully" concealed inside ankle and wrist weights, authorities said. The Elmwood Park traveler claimed a friend had given him the suitcase that he checked with the airline before attempting to board a flight to Istanbul late Wednesday night, said Lisa Farbstein of the Transportation Security Administration. An alarm sounded as the checked bag went through the screening process, Farbstein said. A search turned up the gun parts inside the weights, which she said were packed in a box. Passengers can tr…
GOTCHA! Fugitive Accused Of Love Triangle Murder Fled To Costa Rica From Newark: Feds GOTCHA! Fugitive Accused Of Love Triangle Murder Fled To Costa Rica From Newark: Feds
Gotcha! Fugitive Accused Of Love Triangle Murder Fled To Costa Rica From Newark: Feds A fugitive accused of killing a world-class cyclist used someone else’s passport to flee to Costa Rica from Newark Airport, then changed her appearance in a failed attempt to elude capture, federal authorities said. Kaitlin Armstrong, a 34-year-old yoga teacher, was wanted on murder charges following the May 11 shooting death of Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson in Austin Texas. Wilson had briefly dated Armstrong’s boyfriend, who was also a pro cyclist, authorities said. Federal agents tracked Armstrong to the Santa Teresa Beach hotel in Costa Rica’s Provincia de Puntarenas, where she was taken into…
South Jersey To NY Journey Ends With 250 Pounds Of Coke Seized, Pair In Federal Custody South Jersey To NY Journey Ends With 250 Pounds Of Coke Seized, Pair In Federal Custody
South Jersey To NY Journey Ends With 250 Pounds Of Coke Seized, Pair In Federal Custody Federal agents followed a tractor-trailer loaded with nearly 250 pounds of cocaine for more than 75 miles from South Jersey to New York before busting the driver and a co-conspirator in Yonkers, authorities said. They were right behind when Eddie Velez-Pena, 33, of Yonkers, stopped the tractor-trailer in the Hunterdon County town of Hampton, NJ, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. They then followed him and the rig north to the border of Yonkers and the Bronx, the U.S. attorney said. There Velez-Pena transferred multiple duffle bags to Robin Medina-Fabian, 38, of the Bro…
GOTCHA! Teaneck Fugitive Accused Of Running Sex Trafficking Ring Captured At Newark Airport GOTCHA! Teaneck Fugitive Accused Of Running Sex Trafficking Ring Captured At Newark Airport
Gotcha! Teaneck Fugitive Accused Of Running Sex Trafficking Ring Captured At Newark Airport A fugitive from Bergen County wanted for running a massive sex-trafficking ring in North Jersey, Rockland and New York City was captured trying to re-enter the United States from Colombia, authorities confirmed. Birmania “Nancy” Rincon, 62, a Colombian national living in Teaneck, was among the ringleaders of a crew that forced dozens of women into prostitution, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. She was in the wind, however, when authorities seized 21 defendants during a series of early-morning raids at 19 homes and other locations in Bergen and Hudson counties exactly two weeks ag…
GOTCHA! Reading Shooting Suspect Captured At NY Airport GOTCHA! Reading Shooting Suspect Captured At NY Airport
Gotcha! Reading Shooting Suspect Captured At NY Airport A man accused of shooting another man on the Reading Area Community College campus Wednesday was captured at a New York City airport, authorities said. Fausto Guzmán, 53, was attempting to flee the country when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers took him into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, according to the Reading Police Department. An investigation found there was some type of altercation between Guzman and another driver around 2 p.m. on South Front Street, police said. Manuel Marizan- Henriquez, 34, stopped his car and confronted Guzm…
Somerset Man Who Flew To Philippines For Sex With Minor Sentenced To 9 Years In Fed Pen Somerset Man Who Flew To Philippines For Sex With Minor Sentenced To 9 Years In Fed Pen
Somerset Man Who Flew To Philippines For Sex With Minor Sentenced To 9 Years In Fed Pen A Somerset County man who flew to the Philippines to have sex with a minor he met online is headed to federal prison for nine years. James A. Diggs, 45, of Somerville, told a U.S. District Court judge earlier this year that he used a messaging app to “persuade, induce, entice, and coerce” the victim into having sex with him during what became an October 2018 visit to the Southeast Asian country. He headed there out of JFK Airport in Queens at least seven times over four years, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachel A. Honig said. Rather than go to trial, Diggs took a deal from the gove…
Jamaican Man, Peruvian Woman Admit Smuggling 22 Pounds Of Cocaine Into Newark Airport Jamaican Man, Peruvian Woman Admit Smuggling 22 Pounds Of Cocaine Into Newark Airport
Jamaican Man, Peruvian Woman Admit Smuggling 22 Pounds Of Cocaine Into Newark Airport Two people in two days this week admitted smuggling more than 22 pounds of cocaine combined into Newark Airport. Perez Omar Gibbs, 38, of Jamaica told a federal judge in Newark via videoconference that he hid more than six pounds of coke in two bags of coffee and four picture frames aboard a flight from Montego Bay, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. In an unrelated case, Honig said, Yolanda Fonseca Melgarejo, 59, a legal permanent resident of the United States and a citizen of Peru, told another judge in Newark that she concealed more than 15 pounds in chocolate candy on a flight …