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U.S. District Court in Camden

Feds: Leader Of Ring That Flooded South Jersey, Philly 'Burbs With Fentanyl, Meth Gets 18 Years Feds: Leader Of Ring That Flooded South Jersey, Philly 'Burbs With Fentanyl, Meth Gets 18 Years
Feds: Leader Of Ring That Flooded South Jersey, Philly 'Burbs With Fentanyl, Meth Gets 18 Years A drug kingpin who headed a network that slung fentanyl and meth in South Jersey and the suburbs of Philadelphia while he hid from his pursuers was sentenced Thursday to a plea-bargained 18 years in federal prison. Glenn Long, 29, of Philadelphia, must serve just about all of the time he received in U.S. District Court in Camden on Jan. 4 because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Long – known on the street as “Bless” and “Max” – ran the operation as a fugitive for three years while under a federal indictment for major drug trafficking out of Philadelphia. A second drug conspi…
LOTTERY LOSERS: South Jersey Scammer Admits Laundering $4M From Innocent Victims LOTTERY LOSERS: South Jersey Scammer Admits Laundering $4M From Innocent Victims
Lottery Losers: South Jersey Scammer Admits Laundering $4M From Innocent Victims A South Jersey man admitted laundering more than $4 million from victims who were tricked into thinking they'd won the lottery. Pablo Estrada, 26, of Florence, received the proceeds through various scams over the course of 2½ years, including one in which victims received an unexpected notification that they'd won a large sum in a lottery, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. They were required to pay fees and expenses, however, before their winnings could be released, the U.S. attorney for New Jersey said. Many fell for the scheme, Sellinger said. Estrada dumped the money into va…
NJ Man Who Hired Hitman To Kill Kid Gets 6 Years, No Parole NJ Man Who Hired Hitman To Kill Kid Gets 6 Years, No Parole
NJ Man Who Hired Hitman To Kill Kid Gets 6 Years, No Parole UPDATE: A South Jersey man who paid $20,000 in bitcoin to have a 13-year-boy killed after they exchanged sexually explicit images was sentenced to six years in a federal penitentiary. John Michael Musbach, 34, of Haddonfield, must serve out just about all of the plea-bargained term because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Musbach began communicating with the child in 2015 and soon after exchanged videos and photos that were discovered by the kid's parents, federal authorities said. Musbach was living in Galloway when members of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office raided …
Dealer Gets 14 Years Without Parole In Historic Jersey Shore Drug Bust, Brother Up Next Dealer Gets 14 Years Without Parole In Historic Jersey Shore Drug Bust, Brother Up Next
Dealer Gets 14 Years Without Parole In Historic Jersey Shore Drug Bust, Brother Up Next UPDATE: The second of two brothers who pleaded guilty in the largest drug bust in Atlantic County history -- 45 pounds of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine combined -- was the first to be sentenced. Fourteen years was the best that Ricardo Clavijo, 42, of Egg Harbor Township could get from a plea deal with the federal government. He'll have to serve just about all of it, too, because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Clavijo’s brother, Christopher Gonzalez of Pleasantville, is up for sentencing next. The brothers had more than 20 kilos combined of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine…
Delaware Man Admits Peddling Heroin In NJ: Feds Delaware Man Admits Peddling Heroin In NJ: Feds
Delaware Man Admits Peddling Heroin In NJ: Feds A Delaware man admitted in federal court that he sold heroin in New Jersey, authorities said. Carl L. Jones, 49, of Newport, did business with "a confidential source who was working with law enforcement" in a commercial parking lot in Mount Laurel on March 29, 2019, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. According to Sellinger, Jones sold the informant a pound and a half of a a "mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin." Jones took a deal from the government rather than risk the potential consequences of a guilty verdict at a trial, pleading to drug po…
Driver Who Deliberately Hit Fort Dix MPs With His Car Gets Three Years, No Parole Driver Who Deliberately Hit Fort Dix MPs With His Car Gets Three Years, No Parole
Driver Who Deliberately Hit Fort Dix MPs With His Car Gets Three Years, No Parole UPDATE: A Florida man who deliberately hit two Air Force military police officers at Fort Dix with his car -- dragging one of them several feet – is headed to federal prison for nearly three years. With no parole in the federal prison system, Hal Wander, 26, of Port Charlotte, will have to serve out the entire sentence. Then comes three years of supervised release. Wander sped through a designated checkpoint without stopping at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst military base in Burlington County, NJ on Nov. 16, 2020, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. One of the officers got …
Love At First Site: Ex-NJ Couple, Nigerian Wingman Charged In $4.5M Cyberfootsies Scam Love At First Site: Ex-NJ Couple, Nigerian Wingman Charged In $4.5M Cyberfootsies Scam
Love At First Site: Ex-NJ Couple, Nigerian Wingman Charged In $4.5M Cyberfootsies Scam A former New Jersey couple and a Nigerian national scammed more than 100 lonely hearts out of $4.5 million in an elaborate online romance scheme, federal authorities charged. Martins Inalegwu, 34, of Philadelphia and Steincy Mathieu, 26, of Brooklyn cooked up the plot with Moses Chukwuebuka Alexander and several of his Nigerian brethren, an indictment returned by a federal grand jury alleges. Together, they trolled online dating and social media sites for willing marks, whom they “wooed with words of love” on the phone and in emails, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. T…
Repeat Child Porn Collector From Atlantic City Gets 11 Mandatory Years Repeat Child Porn Collector From Atlantic City Gets 11 Mandatory Years
Repeat Child Porn Collector From Atlantic City Gets 11 Mandatory Years UPDATE: A previously-convicted child porn collector from Atlantic City was sentenced Thursday to more than 11 years in federal prison -- without parole -- for doing it again, authorities said. Cory Newman, a 46-year-old former U.S. Navy petty officer, must serve out just about all of the sentence handed down on Jan. 5 because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Newman had previously spent more than four years behind bars following a 2007 conviction on similar charges when he showed up on law enforcement radar once again, authorities said. Agents of Homeland Security Invest…
NJ Megan's Law Offender Held By Feds In Sex Trafficking Of Missing PA Child, Others NJ Megan's Law Offender Held By Feds In Sex Trafficking Of Missing PA Child, Others
NJ Megan's Law Offender Held By Feds In Sex Trafficking Of Missing PA Child, Others UPDATE: A federal judge ordered the continued detention of a registered South Jersey sex offender who authorities said was caught trafficking a trio of children for sex, including a missing Pennsylvania youngster. Semaj A. Gilmore, 32, of Camden, has been in custody since April 2021. That's when authorities learned that "a missing juvenile from Pennsylvania was being advertised for sexually illicit activities on a website that is often used to advertise acts of prostitution," U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. An undercover agent contacted a phone number associated with the ad and end…
$2.4M Eagles Ticket Scam: Ex-South Jersey Lawyer Gets 4 Years In Fed Pen $2.4M Eagles Ticket Scam: Ex-South Jersey Lawyer Gets 4 Years In Fed Pen
$2.4M Eagles Ticket Scam: Ex-South Jersey Lawyer Gets 4 Years In Fed Pen A disgraced South Jersey attorney with a confessed gambling habit must spend the next four years in federal prison for conning an investor out of $2.4 million in a loan scheme involving supposed Philadelphia Eagles season ticket holders. Frank N. Tobolsky, 60, of Cherry Hill told the Delaware investor that he was funding loans for clients using season ticket licenses as collateral, an indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Camden says. U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said Tobolsky put a "substantial portion" of the $2.4 million toward personal expenses, some of which…
Feds: Men From Philly, South Jersey Admit Roles In Major Meth, Fentanyl Trafficking Network Feds: Men From Philly, South Jersey Admit Roles In Major Meth, Fentanyl Trafficking Network
Feds: Men From Philly, South Jersey Admit Roles In Major Meth, Fentanyl Trafficking Network UPDATE: A man from Philadelphia and another from South Jersey admitted their roles in a major drug trafficking ring that dealt meth and fentanyl, federal authorities said. Kevin Salmon, 25, had 5½ pounds of meth and two guns in his home when it was raided by authorities, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Salmon had served as a courier for a major drug-trafficking network that "distributed large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl," the U.S. attorney said. A second defendant, John Munson, 47, of Deptford, admitted selling meth as part of the operation, he said. …
NJ Woman Who Pulled $400,000 GoFundMe Scam With Homeless Vet, Ex-BF Gets Federal Prison Time NJ Woman Who Pulled $400,000 GoFundMe Scam With Homeless Vet, Ex-BF Gets Federal Prison Time
NJ Woman Who Pulled $400,000 GoFundMe Scam With Homeless Vet, Ex-BF Gets Federal Prison Time UPDATE: A New Jersey woman who helped pull a scam that conned 14,000 GoFundMe donors across the country out of $400,000 to purportedly benefit a homeless veteran is headed to federal prison. Katelyn McClure, 32, of Bordentown got a far lighter sentence under the terms of her plea deal with the government than did her former boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, who concocted the cruel scheme. McClure was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Camden on Thursday to a plea-bargained year and a day in a federal penitentiary. D’Amico, the "mastermind," earlier this year got 27 months in a fed pen in exchange …
NJ Woman Sentenced For Trying To Steal Gun From Impounded Car NJ Woman Sentenced For Trying To Steal Gun From Impounded Car
NJ Woman Sentenced For Trying To Steal Gun From Impounded Car A South Jersey woman will spend a year and a day in federal prison for trying to bribe the operator of an impound lot to break into a police-seized vehicle and steal a gun. Saidah "Sacha" Davis, 42, went to the home of a Camden tow lot operator along with ex-con Anthony "Papa Smurf" Parker after his vehicle was seized, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Detectives were waiting for a judge to approve a warrant to search the vehicle, which Davis said created a "problem" for Parker, who'd previously served time on weapons offenses, he said. Davis, of Woodlynne, offered $2,000 to the…
Hotel-Based Atlantic City Ex-Con Drug Dealer Gets 30 Years, No Parole, In Federal Prison Hotel-Based Atlantic City Ex-Con Drug Dealer Gets 30 Years, No Parole, In Federal Prison
Hotel-Based Atlantic City Ex-Con Drug Dealer Gets 30 Years, No Parole, In Federal Prison A drug dealer who operated out of a hotel room just off the Atlantic City boardwalk must spend the next 30 years in federal prison. Sean Figaro, 35, rejected a deal from prosecutors, went to trial and was convicted by federal jurors Camden in July 2019 of selling heroin, gun possession by a convicted felon and witness tampering, among other charges. He'll have to serve out the sentence handed down this week because there’s no parole in the federal court system. Figaro was arrested in early 2017 by members of the Atlantic City Child Exploitation Task Force during a raid at the Econo Lodge o…
Queens Livery Driver Who Travelled To Cape May For Sex With Underage Girl Gets 19½ Years Queens Livery Driver Who Travelled To Cape May For Sex With Underage Girl Gets 19½ Years
Queens Livery Driver Who Travelled To Cape May For Sex With Underage Girl Gets 19½ Years A livery driver who traveled more than 300 miles roundtrip between his Queens home and Cape May for sex with an underage girl was sentenced to 19½ years in federal prison. Richard Gabriel Piedra Ordonez, 37, must serve out just about all of the plea-bargained sentence because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Piedra pretended to be 19 when he began communicating with the under-16 girl on Snapchat and other social media and messaging platforms, U.S. Attorney Phillip Sellinger said. Over the next several months, by his own admission, Piedra drove to New Jersey for sex and twice…
NJ Man Who Pulled $400,000 GoFundMe Scam With Homeless Vet Gets 27 Months, No Parole NJ Man Who Pulled $400,000 GoFundMe Scam With Homeless Vet Gets 27 Months, No Parole
NJ Man Who Pulled $400,000 GoFundMe Scam With Homeless Vet Gets 27 Months, No Parole UPDATE: A South Jersey man who concocted a GoFundMe scheme with his then-girlfriend that conned 14,000 donors across the country out of $400,000 to purportedly benefit a homeless veteran is headed to federal prison. Mark D’Amico, 42, formerly of Bordentown, must serve just about all of his plea-bargained 27-month sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. He also must pay restitution and undergo gambling, drug and mental-health counseling under the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman in Camden on Friday, April 1. Three years of supervision will als…
Feds: ID Thief Gets 4 Years For Stealing $600,000 From NJ Bank Customers Feds: ID Thief Gets 4 Years For Stealing $600,000 From NJ Bank Customers
Feds: ID Thief Gets 4 Years For Stealing $600,000 From NJ Bank Customers UPDATE: An admitted identity thief was sentenced to four years in federal prison for conspiring with a South Jersey bank employee and others to steal more than $600,000 from unsuspecting victims, federal authorities said. Lamar Melhado, 32, of the Bronx will have to serve just about all of the plea-bargained sentence handed down in U.S. District Court in Camden on Monday, March 7, because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Melhado received photos and screenshots of customers’ information and signatures from Mount Laurel bank call center employee Jamere Hill-Birdsong of Gloucest…
NJ Couple Charged By Feds With Making Slaves Of Illegals NJ Couple Charged By Feds With Making Slaves Of Illegals
NJ Couple Charged By Feds With Making Slaves Of Illegals A South Jersey couple forced a pair of undocumented immigrants into slavery by threatening to expose them, federal authorities charged. Bolaji Bolarinwa, 47, physically abused both victims while threatening to turn them in if they didn't comply, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger and Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a joint statement. Bolarinwa "knew that both victims had entered the United States illegally and harbored them from detection for her own financial gain," it says. She also confiscated both of their passports and visas, the statement says. …
South Jersey, PA Diving School Pioneer Gets 27 Months In Fed Pen For $1.1M Funding Fraud South Jersey, PA Diving School Pioneer Gets 27 Months In Fed Pen For $1.1M Funding Fraud
South Jersey, PA Diving School Pioneer Gets 27 Months In Fed Pen For $1.1M Funding Fraud UPDATE: A New Jersey woman considered a pioneer of commercial diving instruction was sentenced Wednesday to a plea-bargained 27 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $1 million in public funds to keep her Pennsylvania diving school in business. Tamara Brown, 58, of Haddon Heights, began submitting false information to keep her Divers Academy International just outside of Philadelphia accredited beginning in 2012, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. As a for-profit institution, the diving school required accreditation to be eligible to receive tuition funds from …
Ring Member Convicted In $565,091 IRS Scam That Sent Refund Checks To Same NJ Town Ring Member Convicted In $565,091 IRS Scam That Sent Refund Checks To Same NJ Town
Ring Member Convicted In $565,091 IRS Scam That Sent Refund Checks To Same NJ Town A New Jersey woman was convicted of participating in a massive ID theft scheme that had $565,091 in tax refunds from the IRS sent to a small section of the same town. Awilda Henriquez, 35, took her chances with a trial after three of her accomplices took guilty pleas. She was found guilty in U.S. District Court in Camden on Thursday of 27 counts involving defrauding the federal government, mail theft, stealing government money and aggravated ID theft, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Ring members filed more than 3,300 tax returns in 2013 using the names and Social Security numbe…
Serial NJ Bank Robber Who Served 18 Years Headed Back To Fed Pen For At Least 16 More Serial NJ Bank Robber Who Served 18 Years Headed Back To Fed Pen For At Least 16 More
Serial NJ Bank Robber Who Served 18 Years Headed Back To Fed Pen For At Least 16 More A convicted bank robber from Camden who just couldn’t stop is headed back to federal prison for more than 16 years. Anthony L. Livingston, 50, robbed a PNC Bank in Gloucester Township on July 14, 2018 (photos above), a day after he’d been released after serving more than 18 years in federal prison for robbing eight South Jersey banks in 2000 and 2001, authorities said. Ten days after the Gloucester holdup, Livingston tried to recruit a homeless man to rob another PNC branch, this one in Stratford, they said. Livingston “instructed the man on how to rob the bank, gave him a demand note to s…
Cyber-Casanova From NJ Admits Duping Dozens Of Lonely Hearts Out Of $1.14M Cyber-Casanova From NJ Admits Duping Dozens Of Lonely Hearts Out Of $1.14M
Cyber-Casanova From NJ Admits Duping Dozens Of Lonely Hearts Out Of $1.14M A New Jersey man admitted that he orchestrated an online scam that conned dozens of unsuspecting women on dating sites out of more than a million dollars – and led one of them to suicide. Rubbin Sarpong, 37, of Millville pocketed the money and bought property in Ghana, along with luxury cars, expensive jewelry, top-shelf booze, designer clothes and more, federal authorities said. Then he flaunted it on Instagram. Sarpong had catfishing accomplices, several of whom live in Ghana, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael Honig said. Posing as American military personnel stationed oversea…
Fort Dix Prison Inmate Convicted In Dark Web Child Porn Ring Fort Dix Prison Inmate Convicted In Dark Web Child Porn Ring
Fort Dix Prison Inmate Convicted In Dark Web Child Porn Ring A convicted child-porn trafficker who was due to be paroled after serving more than six years at the federal prison in Fort Dix was found guilty last week of participating in a ring of inmates who shared child sex-abuse images using contraband cellphones and memory cards. Given the circumstances, William H. Noble, 56, of Lowell, MA will be sentenced this time to a mandatory minimum of 15 years, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. Noble was a month away from being paroled from the Federal Correctional Institution at Fort Dix when he was arrested by the FBI in February …
NJ Woman Admits Trying To Bribe Tow Lot Operator To Steal Gun From Ex-Con's Impounded Car NJ Woman Admits Trying To Bribe Tow Lot Operator To Steal Gun From Ex-Con's Impounded Car
NJ Woman Admits Trying To Bribe Tow Lot Operator To Steal Gun From Ex-Con's Impounded Car A South Jersey woman admitted trying to bribe the operator of an impound lot to break into a police-seized vehicle and steal a gun belonging to an ex-con who'd served time on weapons offenses, federal authorities said. Saidah "Sacha" Davis, 41, and Anthony "Papa Smurf" Parker, 37, went to the home seeking the help of the employee, who worked at a Camden tow lot that held vehicles seized as evidence by Camden County police, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. Detectives were waiting for a judge to approve a warrant to search the vehicle, which Davis said created a "pro…
Feds: Accomplice Of NJ Bank Employee Admits Swiping $600,000 From Customers With Stolen IDs Feds: Accomplice Of NJ Bank Employee Admits Swiping $600,000 From Customers With Stolen IDs
Feds: Accomplice Of NJ Bank Employee Admits Swiping $600,000 From Customers With Stolen IDs A Bronx man admitted that he conspired with a South Jersey bank employee to steal more than $600,000 from unsuspecting victims after swiping their IDs, federal authorities said. Lamar Melhado, 32, used screenshots of customers’ information and signatures that were supplied to him and others by Jamere Hill-Birdsong of Gloucester City, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said Thursday. Hill-Birdson, who worked for a call center at a Mount Laurel bank, recruited co-workers to take photos or screenshots of customers’ information and signatures and then pass them on to him and Melhado, she sai…
Thief Who Swiped 94,000 Credit Card Numbers At Michaels Stores In NJ, NY, CT, PA Sentenced Thief Who Swiped 94,000 Credit Card Numbers At Michaels Stores In NJ, NY, CT, PA Sentenced
Thief Who Swiped 94,000 Credit Card Numbers At Michaels Stores In NJ, NY, CT, PA Sentenced UPDATE: A member of an ID theft ring that stole more than $600,000 from customers at Michaels stores in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and elsewhere was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison on Thursday. Jose “Tito” Salazar, 45, of Riverside, CA was part of a crew that replaced card-reading terminals at the arts and crafts retailer with wireless imitations that they used to capture customers' bank account numbers and PINs, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. They then created copycat cards that were then used to withdraw more than $500,000 from hun…
FEDS: India-Based Phone Scammers Admit Conning Elderly NJ Victims Out Of $600,000 FEDS: India-Based Phone Scammers Admit Conning Elderly NJ Victims Out Of $600,000
Feds: India-Based Phone Scammers Admit Conning Elderly NJ Victims Out Of $600,000 Two Indian nationals admitted Wednesday that they conned mostly elderly New Jersey victims out of $600,000 through a variety of phone scams, including posing as government officials and online support techs. Zeeshan Khan, 22, and Maaz Ahmed Shamsi, 24, operated India-based call centers that made robocalls to mostly elderly U.S. residents, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. Once contact was made, members of the international ring “would coerce or trick the victims into sending large sums of cash through physical shipments or wire transfers to other members of the cons…
Pro Poker Player Seeks $1.25M In Damages For Lifetime Borgata Ban Pro Poker Player Seeks $1.25M In Damages For Lifetime Borgata Ban
Pro Poker Player Seeks $1.25M In Damages For Lifetime Borgata Ban A professional poker player is suing the Borgata after an apparently offhand comment he made to a desk clerk about jumping out of a window got him banned for life. Scott Robbins of Millbury, Massachusetts is seeking more than $1.25 million, a major portion of which he alleges represents lost earnings from Atlantic City poker tournaments, court papers show. The suit says Robbins, 54, was checking in at the popular hotel and casino for a Borgata $3,500 Main Event in September 2019 when a front desk clerk asked if he wanted a high or low floor for his room. “If I had to jump from a high floor…
Historic Drug Seizure Near Atlantic City Nets Fentanyl, Heroin, Coke, Feds Say Historic Drug Seizure Near Atlantic City Nets Fentanyl, Heroin, Coke, Feds Say
Historic Drug Seizure Near Atlantic City Nets Fentanyl, Heroin, Coke, Feds Say Local and federal authorities seized more than 30 pounds of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine – the area’s largest narcotics haul in history -- while raiding a basement drug mill just outside Atlantic City, authorities said. A federal judge in Camden ordered via videoconference that Ricardo Clavijo, 39, who lives in the Egg Harbor Township home, and Christopher Gonzalez, 37, of Pleasantville, remain held without bail, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Each is charged with conspiring to have and sell more than a kilo of heroin. “By all accounts, this case represents the largest single…
Federal Grand Jury Indicts South Jersey Officer Who Pepper-Sprayed Handcuffed Driver Federal Grand Jury Indicts South Jersey Officer Who Pepper-Sprayed Handcuffed Driver
Federal Grand Jury Indicts South Jersey Officer Who Pepper-Sprayed Handcuffed Driver An angry South Jersey police officer doused a drunk driver with pepper spray twice after he’d been handcuffed, then filed a false report about the incident, an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Thursday alleges. Another officer had handcuffed the disruptive driver and was beginning to put him in the rear of a patrol vehicle at a local gas station when Bridgeton Police John Grier III “grabbed a large can of OC spray and pulled out the pin,” Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael Honig said. Grier, 49, of Cedarville, told the officer to “step back,” then asked the driver, “Do you want to …