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Rachael A. Honig

NJ Ring That Dealt Fentanyl, Crack Smashed By Federal, County, Local Crime-Fighting Team NJ Ring That Dealt Fentanyl, Crack Smashed By Federal, County, Local Crime-Fighting Team
NJ Ring That Dealt Fentanyl, Crack Smashed By Federal, County, Local Crime-Fighting Team Eleven accused members of a drug ring that authorities said openly peddled crack and potentially fatal fentanyl in a Newark neighborhood were charged federally on Wednesday. The ring's "primary supplier," Frazier Burton, 46, was caught with 100 bricks of heroin and fentanyl when tactical officers arrested him Wednesday morning, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. At 50 bags per brick, that's 5,000 individual packages -- all of which Honig said carried the neighborhood drug network's particular stamps. The case took several months for an ad hoc team of local, county and federal inve…
Puerto Rican Man Admits Plot To Smuggle 330 Pounds Of Coke Into NJ Puerto Rican Man Admits Plot To Smuggle 330 Pounds Of Coke Into NJ
Puerto Rican Man Admits Plot To Smuggle 330 Pounds Of Coke Into NJ A Puerto Rican resident admitted coordinating a private shipment of more than 300 pounds of cocaine into Teterboro Airport, federal authorities said. Mariano Enrique Arroyo Perez, 29, took a deal from the government rather than risk a trial, pleading guilty Tuesday in federal court in Newark to conspiring to distribute five or more kilos of coke, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. The conspiracy unraveled after four men not on the manifest boarded a private Teterboro-bound plane in Puerto Rico with "particularly heavy" luggage, raising the pilots' suspicions, Honig said. Investiga…
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…
Feds: Defendant In Florida-to-Jersey Shore Gun Running Ring Takes Plea Feds: Defendant In Florida-to-Jersey Shore Gun Running Ring Takes Plea
Feds: Defendant In Florida-to-Jersey Shore Gun Running Ring Takes Plea A fourth defendant admitted Friday that he was part of a ring that sold guns trafficked from Florida to the Jersey Shore to buyers working for the FBI. Enrique Quijada, 24, of Freehold told a federal judge in Trenton via videoconference on Friday that he worked with ringleader Manuel “Chino” Espinosa-Ozoria of Bartow, FL his brother, Waldin “Manin” Espinosa-Ozoria of Freehold and two others. The crew sold handguns and a semi-automatic rifle, among other weapons, to what turned out to be FBI operatives in and around Monmouth and Ocean counties, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. De…
Ex-Chief Lending Officer Of NJ Bank Gets 18 Months In Fed Pen For Lying On SBA Loan Ex-Chief Lending Officer Of NJ Bank Gets 18 Months In Fed Pen For Lying On SBA Loan
Ex-Chief Lending Officer Of NJ Bank Gets 18 Months In Fed Pen For Lying On SBA Loan A former New Jersey bank chief lending officer from Pennsylvania was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison Wednesday for lying to the Small Business Administration, authorities said. James Bortolotti, 53, will have to serve just about all of the term because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Bortolotti signed off on an application to the SBA for a guaranteed $3.75 million on $5 million in loans given to a small Robbinsville business by First Choice Bank in Trenton even though he knew the information about the company's credit-worthiness was false, Acting U.S. Attorney for N…
Jersey Shore Man, 68, Who Used Facebook To Lure Young Out-Of-State Girl Gets 7 Years In Fed Pen Jersey Shore Man, 68, Who Used Facebook To Lure Young Out-Of-State Girl Gets 7 Years In Fed Pen
Jersey Shore Man, 68, Who Used Facebook To Lure Young Out-Of-State Girl Gets 7 Years In Fed Pen A 68-year-old Monmouth County man who lured an out-of-state girl to his home after posing as a young boy was sentenced Monday to a plea-bargained seven years in federal prison for getting her to send him pornographic images of herself. Local authorities had removed the child from the Union Beach home of Herman Christopher Jensen when the FBI began investigating his online activities. They soon learned that Jensen had assumed the identity of a 17-year-old boy named Kevin Bennett on Facebook “in order to entice and solicit [the girl] to send nude and sexually explicit images over the internet…
Ex-Employee Admits Stealing $10M Worth Of HIV Meds From NJ Veterans Hospital Ex-Employee Admits Stealing $10M Worth Of HIV Meds From NJ Veterans Hospital
Ex-Employee Admits Stealing $10M Worth Of HIV Meds From NJ Veterans Hospital A former pharmacy tech admitted stealing nearly $10 million worth of HIV medications from a New Jersey veterans hospital and selling them to a fence from Lyndhurst. Lisa M. Hoffman, 49, of Orange, used her authority to order excessive amounts of medication for the outpatient pharmacy from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in East Orange, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Surveillance cameras helped show how she “placed large orders for HIV medication, purportedly on behalf of the VAMC,” the U.S. attorney said. “After the medications arrived, Hoffman waited until co-worke…
NJ Man Admits Hatching $400,000 Homeless GoFundMe Scam NJ Man Admits Hatching $400,000 Homeless GoFundMe Scam
NJ Man Admits Hatching $400,000 Homeless GoFundMe Scam The mastermind of a GoFundMe scheme that conned 14,000 donors across the country out of $400,000 to purportedly benefit a homeless veteran admitted in federal court in New Jersey on Monday that he and his ex-girlfriend pocketed most of the money. Mark D’Amico, 42, formerly of Bordentown, admitted concocting a bogus feel-good story about the supposed victim coming to the rescue of Katelyn McClure after she ran out of gas on Route 95 on her way home to New Jersey from Philadelphia. Both McClure and the homeless man, Johnny Bobbitt Jr., were in on the scheme, authorities said. Together, D’Am…
South Jersey Man Charged With Child Pornography, Feds Say South Jersey Man Charged With Child Pornography, Feds Say
South Jersey Man Charged With Child Pornography, Feds Say Police found more than 100 videos and images of child sex abuse on a Cumberland County man's Google account, according to federal officials. Edwin “Macho” Torres, 38, of Bridgeton, was charged with one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography on Nov. 16, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Authorities discovered the videos and images after an undercover investigator obtained the lewd materials from Torres in an online chatroom, they said. After a search warrant was obtained, the FBI in September raided Torres’ home and found c…
3 NJ Officers Indicted Federally For Assaulting Handcuffed Suspect, 16 3 NJ Officers Indicted Federally For Assaulting Handcuffed Suspect, 16
3 NJ Officers Indicted Federally For Assaulting Handcuffed Suspect, 16 One former and two current Ewing Township police officers surrendered to federal agents on Friday after they were indicted on civil rights charges following a recorded assault on a handcuffed juvenile nearly four years ago, authorities said Friday. Current Officers Matthew Przemieniecki, 43, of Hamilton and Justin Ubry, 33, of Burlington and retired Lt. Michael Delahanty, 51, of Robbinsville all used "unreasonable and excessive" force in the Jan. 5, 2018 incident, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Officers who pursued the 16-year-old boy after he stole a car and then crashed a car…
Dealer Who Sold Jersey Shore Woman Fatal Dose Of Heroin Gets 15 Years Without Parole In Fed Pen Dealer Who Sold Jersey Shore Woman Fatal Dose Of Heroin Gets 15 Years Without Parole In Fed Pen
Dealer Who Sold Jersey Shore Woman Fatal Dose Of Heroin Gets 15 Years Without Parole In Fed Pen A drug dealer who substituted fentanyl for heroin, killing a Jersey Shore woman, must spend more than 15 years in federal prison. Quasaan Bethea, 35, of Trenton, will have to serve out just about all of his plea-bargained 188-month sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. The 39-year-old Englishtown victim bought the fatal dose – in a package stabbed “CAMEL” – from Bethea and Tarashanna Blake in May 2018, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Englishtown police who responded to a report of an overdose death soon after found several folds of “CAMEL” and some em…
NJ Man Admits Bribing Postal Workers To Steal Credit Cards From Mail To Fuel Shopping Sprees NJ Man Admits Bribing Postal Workers To Steal Credit Cards From Mail To Fuel Shopping Sprees
NJ Man Admits Bribing Postal Workers To Steal Credit Cards From Mail To Fuel Shopping Sprees A Union County man admitted bribing postal employees to steal credit cards that federal authorities said he then activated and used on shopping sprees. Syid Boyd, 26, of Union, paid the government workers in cash for the stolen cards from the mail, then activated them "by posing as the actual account holders," Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. He then bought himself electronics and other items at various retail stores throughout New Jersey, she said. Rather than face trial, Boyd took a deal from the government, pleading guilty via videoconference with a federal ju…
NJ Woman Admits Destroying Evidence In $400,000 COVID Unemployment Scam NJ Woman Admits Destroying Evidence In $400,000 COVID Unemployment Scam
NJ Woman Admits Destroying Evidence In $400,000 COVID Unemployment Scam A Union County woman admitted in federal court that she was shredding bogus credit and debit cards -- obtained by a man who fraudulently collected $400,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits from the state of New York -- when investigators came busting in. Detectives armed with a search warrant found Latoyia McCollum, 46, of Hillside in the kitchen of an undisclosed location "placing what appeared to be a credit/debit card into the shredder" while face-timing on a cellphone in October 2020, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. McCollum told them she was on the phone with Maurice Mills…
Feds: Southern Couple Ran Guns Later Seized In Crimes Into NJ Feds: Southern Couple Ran Guns Later Seized In Crimes Into NJ
Feds: Southern Couple Ran Guns Later Seized In Crimes Into NJ Three guns recovered in separate crimes in Elizabeth were bought by a South Carolina woman who smuggled them into New Jersey with a convicted felon as her partner, federal authorities charged. One of the weapons traced to Christina Lanette Williams and Fuquan Haafiz Ali Bowers was found at the scene of a shooting, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. Another was seized from a juvenile, while the third was recovered from a convicted felon, she said. A federal magistrated judge in South Carolina released both Williams and Bowers on $25,000 unsecured bond following thei…
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…
AT LAST: Accused Leaders Of Nigerian Online Romance Scams Taken Into Custody AT LAST: Accused Leaders Of Nigerian Online Romance Scams Taken Into Custody
AT Last: Accused Leaders Of Nigerian Online Romance Scams Taken Into Custody Several accused leaders of a Nigerian syndicate that victimized countless Americans through online romance scams were seized in Cape Town and will be brought to the United States to face prosecution, federal authorities said. The leaders of the Cape Town Zone of the Neo Black Movement of Africa and a co-conspirator are charged with pulling the scams on hundreds of thousands of victims -- some widowed or divorced -- for at least the past 10 years. From at least 2011 through 2021, leaders of the Mafia-styled organization -- better known as “Black Axe” -- conspired with others to con lonely Am…
Ex-Hedge Fund Manager From NY, FL Admits $6.8M COVID-19 Scam In NJ Federal Court Ex-Hedge Fund Manager From NY, FL Admits $6.8M COVID-19 Scam In NJ Federal Court
Ex-Hedge Fund Manager From NY, FL Admits $6.8M Covid-19 Scam In NJ Federal Court A dual New York/Florida resident admitted in federal court in Newark that he schemed to steal more than $6.8 million in COVID-19 payroll protection loans -- $3 million of which the government said he flushed away in the stock market. Gregory J. Blotnick applied to 13 lenders for 21 loans over a period of nearly a year, beginning in March 21, 2020, lying about the number of employees at nine companies whom he supposedly needed to pay, federal authorities said. Blotnick, 34, dumped the money into a personal brokerage account instead, then poured nearly 45% of it into losing stock trades, Acti…
Pagans Leader From Long Island Gets Nearly 3 Years For Gun Found In NJ Stop Following PA Party Pagans Leader From Long Island Gets Nearly 3 Years For Gun Found In NJ Stop Following PA Party
Pagans Leader From Long Island Gets Nearly 3 Years For Gun Found In NJ Stop Following PA Party UPDATE: The former national president of the Pagans was sentenced Thursday to a plea-bargained 33 months in federal prison for having a gun while returning home through New Jersey from a party in Pennsylvania. Keith Richter – a 62-year-old ex-con known as “Conan the Barbarian” – was returning to his Bay Shore (Suffolk County) home from a Pagan's Motorcycle Club party in Lancaster, PA when he was stopped in Mercer County this past February. Police found him carrying a loaded .45-caliber Ruger P345 handgun, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. Rather than risk trial, Ri…
FBI: NJ Stockbroker Scams Investors Out Of $600,000 With Bogus Tix Biz FBI: NJ Stockbroker Scams Investors Out Of $600,000 With Bogus Tix Biz
FBI: NJ Stockbroker Scams Investors Out Of $600,000 With Bogus Tix Biz FBI agents busted a now-former stockbroker from Jersey City who they said ran a side hustle that scammed victims out of more than $600,000 through a fictional ticket-reselling business. Michael J. Clarke, 62, lost his job once it came to light that his promises of getting discounted tickets that he could later sell at premium rates for concerts and sporting events -- as well as seat licenses to the U.S. Open -- were lies, authorities said. Clarke, who was a licensed municipal securities trader, promised victims who fronted him the money for the purported ticket brokerage that they'd get a …
Feds Bust South Jersey Man With Homemade Explosives Feds Bust South Jersey Man With Homemade Explosives
Feds Bust South Jersey Man With Homemade Explosives Federal agents busted a South Jersey man with do-it-yourself explosive devices and the materials used to make them, authorities said. Among various other items, Thomas Petronglo, 63, of Vineland had a 5¾-inch diameter metal can filled with potassium perchlorate and aluminum with a fuse sticking out, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said Thursday. The mixture is commonly used in commercial fireworks displays. Honig said authorities seized several other improvised devices -- mostly plastic cylinders and cardboard tubes containing "explosive mixtures" that were wrapped in black electrica…
Feds: NJ Ex-Con Who Served Time For Scamming Charities Charged With $1.35M Investor Ripoff Feds: NJ Ex-Con Who Served Time For Scamming Charities Charged With $1.35M Investor Ripoff
Feds: NJ Ex-Con Who Served Time For Scamming Charities Charged With $1.35M Investor Ripoff A compulsive gambler from Passaic County who went to federal prison for three years for ripping off organizations that benefit schoolchildren and people with life-threatening illnesses went right back to scamming after he got out, federal authorities charged. This time, Gregory Ciccone, 43, of Woodland Park orchestrated a scheme that defrauded investors of $1.35 million, much of which he used to buy a $54,330 BMW, clothes, wine and more, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Ciccone told the 22 victims that he operated companies that reserved blocks of rooms of luxury hotels that then…
NJ Car Thief Admits Selling Stolen Vehicles On Craigslist, Offerup NJ Car Thief Admits Selling Stolen Vehicles On Craigslist, Offerup
NJ Car Thief Admits Selling Stolen Vehicles On Craigslist, Offerup A Belleville man told a federal judge on Thursday that he advertised vehicles for sale on Craigslist and Offerup, then went out and stole them. Eric Morgan, 34, said he photographed particular vehicles and attached a GPS tracker to develop the owner’s “pattern-of-life,” Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. “The target vehicle was then listed for sale on an internet-based marketplace,” Honig said. “Potential purchasers of the target vehicles responded to listings and scheduled in-person meetings to purchase the vehicles. “Shortly before the scheduled meeting times, the targeted vehic…
FBI: Four From NJ, NY, PA Charged With Kidnapping Man, Demanding $100,000 Ransom FBI: Four From NJ, NY, PA Charged With Kidnapping Man, Demanding $100,000 Ransom
FBI: Four From NJ, NY, PA Charged With Kidnapping Man, Demanding $100,000 Ransom A group of men from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York kidnapped a man on a Camden street, beat him and held him captive while trying to extort a $100,000 ransom from his family, federal authorities charged. The victim was grabbed from behind last Thursday night by his abductors, who “covered his head, bound him with plastic restraints, assaulted him and put him into a vehicle,” Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. They then drove him to a city residence where they “continued to beat him with a hard object the victim could not see,” she said. “After several hours, the kidnappers …
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…
Last Of Trenton Police Car Firebombers Pleads Guilty In Federal Court Last Of Trenton Police Car Firebombers Pleads Guilty In Federal Court
Last Of Trenton Police Car Firebombers Pleads Guilty In Federal Court A Trenton man caught on video torching a police car during a riot in the city took a guilty plea in federal court. Earlja J. Dudley, 28, is the last of four men to plead guilty for their roles in the incident following what had been a peaceful day of protest against the death of George Floyd on May 31, 2020. Surveillance and bystander video show Dudley and another man opening the vehicle’s engine and igniting a fire during the unrest, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. In the video, Dudley is wearing a tank top and baseball cap with the Roman numerals “XIV” in red l…
Feds: Dealer Admits Selling Fentanyl Dose That Killed Jersey Shore Woman Feds: Dealer Admits Selling Fentanyl Dose That Killed Jersey Shore Woman
Feds: Dealer Admits Selling Fentanyl Dose That Killed Jersey Shore Woman A Trenton dealer admitted in federal court that she sold a Jersey Shore woman the fentanyl dose that killed her, authorities said. Tarashanna Blake, 33, met the 39-year-old victim near her Englishtown home, where the sale was made, on May 15, 2018, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Englishtown police found the buyer dead of an overdose later that day, with several folds of what at first appeared to be heroin stamped “CAMEL” nearby, Honig said. It was actually fentanyl, she said. Blake took a deal from the government rather than face trial, pleading guilty in U.S. District Court …
Getaway Driver In 7-County North Jersey Holdup Spree Heads To Federal Prison Getaway Driver In 7-County North Jersey Holdup Spree Heads To Federal Prison
Getaway Driver In 7-County North Jersey Holdup Spree Heads To Federal Prison The wheelman in nearly two dozen gas station and convenience store armed robberies in North Jersey was sent to federal prison for at least nine years. Meshach Whagar, 31, of Newark must serve just about all of the 110-month sentence handed down in U.S. District Court in Newark on Wednesday because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Whager admitted late last year that he drove the getaway car during the 20 predawn holdups in seven counties -- Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex, Middlesex, Morris and Union -- in November and December of 2017 (see list of locations below). The gunman…
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…
Deportee Who Raped NJ Girl, 15, After Sneaking Back Into US Gets 7¾ Years Deportee Who Raped NJ Girl, 15, After Sneaking Back Into US Gets 7¾ Years
Deportee Who Raped NJ Girl, 15, After Sneaking Back Into US Gets 7¾ Years UPDATE: A deportee who snuck back into the U.S. and was living illegally in Paterson was sentenced Tuesday to 95 months in federal prison for raping a 15-year-old city girl. Juan Carlos Morales-Pedraza, a 35-year-old Mexican citizen who was born in Ecuador, had been deported in 2010, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. He'd re-entered the United States when he approached the girl in Passaic County in April 2019, had sex with her, then took her with him on a planned trip to Chicago, Honig said. They never made it that far, however. An Ohio state trooper pulled Morales-Pedraza’s 201…