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Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office

Cold Case Murder Of Atlantic City Celebrity 'Cooks Books' Re-Examined 40 Years Later Cold Case Murder Of Atlantic City Celebrity 'Cooks Books' Re-Examined 40 Years Later
Cold Case Murder Of Atlantic City Celebrity 'Cooks Books' Re-Examined 40 Years Later Investigators in Atlantic County are asking for help in solving the murder of a local celebrity in Atlantic City nearly 40 years ago, authorities said. In a news release on Wednesday, March 27, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office asked for public assistance in the investigation into the 1985 killing of Raul Sanchez. He was known to many as "Cooks Books."  Suarez earned the nickname while he was an emcee at the 500 Club in Atlantic City. He was also a radio show host and a taxicab driver. The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office is looking for new information about the 1985…
Ex-Wife Speaks Out After NJ Child Lurer's Conviction For Raping Her Daughter In Enola Ex-Wife Speaks Out After NJ Child Lurer's Conviction For Raping Her Daughter In Enola
Ex-Wife Speaks Out After NJ Child Lurer's Conviction For Raping Her Daughter In Enola A formerly licensed teacher serving time in a New Jersey Prison for child luring has been convicted for raping his stepdaughter in Pennsylvania when she was under 16 years old, the Cumberland County District Attorney announced on Monday, Feb. 5. Now his ex-wife is speaking out, in an exclusive statement to Daily Voice. Dean E. Leon, 56 of Enola, was convicted on charges in connection with the repeated sexual assaults of his stepdaughter following a trial that concluded on Monday, Jan. 31, District Attorney Seán McCormack detailed in the release.  **Scroll Down To Read Statements From H…
South Jersey Man Indicted In Crash That Killed 8-Year-Old Philly Boy: Prosecutor South Jersey Man Indicted In Crash That Killed 8-Year-Old Philly Boy: Prosecutor
South Jersey Man Indicted In Crash That Killed 8-Year-Old Philly Boy: Prosecutor A 25-year-old man from South Jersey has been indicted in a crash that killed an 8-year-old boy from Philadelphia last summer, authorities said. Edward W. Johnston, of Galloway Township, was charged with aggravated manslaughter after an investigation found he struck a parked vehicle with the boy in it, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said on Wednesday, Jan. 10. Johnston allegedly was intoxicated and speeding at the time of the crash, the prosecutor said. On July 23, 2023, at 3:25 a.m., Javier Velez was killed on the White Horse Pike in Absecon when the family car that he was sl…
Philly Man Killed By Headshot In Car Parked In Atlantic City: Prosecutor Philly Man Killed By Headshot In Car Parked In Atlantic City: Prosecutor
Philly Man Killed By Headshot In Car Parked In Atlantic City: Prosecutor A 26-year-old man from Philadelphia who was found shot in the driver’s seat of a sedan parked on a street in Atlantic City has died, authorities said. Khalid Scott was found by police at about 12:50 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10 in the two-door car parked in the 1900 block of Grant Avenue with a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office. Scott was taken to AtlantiCare Medical Center, where he died at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11, the prosecutor’s office said. No arrests had been made.  Anyone with information is urged to call the prosecutor’s Major Crim…
8-Year-Old Boy Killed In South Jersey Crash Remembered For Brightening Everyone's Day 8-Year-Old Boy Killed In South Jersey Crash Remembered For Brightening Everyone's Day
8-Year-Old Boy Killed In South Jersey Crash Remembered For Brightening Everyone's Day The community is rallying to support a family who lost their 8-year-old boy in a tragic crash in Atlantic County. Javier Velez of Philadelphia was killed while sleeping in a car alongside a road in Absecon that got struck by another car, according to a GoFundMe and the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. "Javier was so full of love and life," Devin Alford of Philadelphia wrote on the GoFundMe page. The boy had been on a fishing trip with his father when the crash occurred at about 3:25 a.m. on Sunday, July 23, along White Horse Pike, according to the prosecutor's office. The driver o…
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…
Philadelphia Man Sentenced In Fatal Stabbing Of GF In Hard Rock Hotel Room: Prosecutor Philadelphia Man Sentenced In Fatal Stabbing Of GF In Hard Rock Hotel Room: Prosecutor
Philadelphia Man Sentenced In Fatal Stabbing Of GF In Hard Rock Hotel Room: Prosecutor A 61-year-old man from Philadelphia has been sentenced to 20 years in New Jersey State Prison in connection with a fatal stabbing at an Atlantic City hotel, authorities said. Frankie E. Lane must serve 85 percent of the sentence under the No Early Release Act, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. On June 11, 2021, Atlantic City Police responded to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City for a report of a woman suffering from multiple stab wounds. The victim was found dead in a hotel room with a sheet covering her body and a knife on top of the sheet,…
Philadelphia Man Sentenced In Fatal South Jersey Shooting: Prosecutor Philadelphia Man Sentenced In Fatal South Jersey Shooting: Prosecutor
Philadelphia Man Sentenced In Fatal South Jersey Shooting: Prosecutor A 42-year-old man from Philadelphia has been sentenced to 20 years in New Jersey State Prison for a fatal shooting, authorities said. Teddy Smith was sentenced for the aggravated manslaughter of a 25-year-old Pleasantville man, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. On May 1, 2020, at approximately 6:20 p.m., police responded to the 100 block of North First Street in Pleasantville in reference to a shooting.  The investigation determined that the victim, Nathan Adcock, had been shot and was later pronounced dead at AtlantiCare Hospital, the prosecuto…
Philadelphia Man Admits Killing GF In Hard Rock Hotel Room: Prosecutor Philadelphia Man Admits Killing GF In Hard Rock Hotel Room: Prosecutor
Philadelphia Man Admits Killing GF In Hard Rock Hotel Room: Prosecutor A 61-year-old man from Philadelphia has admitted to fatally stabbing his girlfriend in an Atlantic City hotel room, authorities said. Frankie E. Lane pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter in exchange for a 20-year term in New Jersey State Prison, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. On June 11, 2021, Atlantic City Police responded to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City for a report of a woman suffering from multiple stab wounds.  The victim was found deceased in a hotel room with a sheet covering her body and a knife on…
Philadelphia Woman Sentenced For Brandishing Handgun In Atlantic City Philadelphia Woman Sentenced For Brandishing Handgun In Atlantic City
Philadelphia Woman Sentenced For Brandishing Handgun In Atlantic City A 23-year-old woman from Philadelphia was sentenced to 270 days in jail on a weapons offense, authorities said. Shania Simon was sentenced Monday, April 17 pending an appeal for possessing a handgun, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. Simon originally pleaded guilty on Sept. 1, 2022, and agreed to a recommended sentence of three years in New Jersey State Prison with a one-year period of parole ineligibility, the prosecutor said. This sentence stems from an incident on May 30, 2022, when Atlantic City police were dispatched to the boardwalk at Tennessee Ave…
Philadelphia Man Attacked Woman With A Brick On Atlantic City Boardwalk: Prosecutor Philadelphia Man Attacked Woman With A Brick On Atlantic City Boardwalk: Prosecutor
Philadelphia Man Attacked Woman With A Brick On Atlantic City Boardwalk: Prosecutor A Philadelphia Man allegedly attacked a woman with a brick on the Atlantic City Boardwalk, authorities said.  Samuel Cooper, 43, was indicted on Thursday, March 23, for attempted murder in connection with the random attack, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. The brick was tied in a t-shirt during the attack near Iowa Avenue on Jan. 6, they said.  In addition, Cooper was indicted on two counts of aggravated assault and weapons offenses, the prosecutor said. Anyone with information regarding serious crimes is urged to contact the Atlantic County Prosec…
Atlantic City Councilman In Bigger Trouble Now, Charged By Feds With Voter, Unemployment Fraud Atlantic City Councilman In Bigger Trouble Now, Charged By Feds With Voter, Unemployment Fraud
Atlantic City Councilman In Bigger Trouble Now, Charged By Feds With Voter, Unemployment Fraud An Atlantic City councilman who was accused last year of assaulting his wife and endangering his daughter was busted by federal authorities for voter and unemployment fraud. MD Hossain Morshed, 49, a Democrat who represents the city’s Fourth Ward, was charged in a complaint unsealed Friday, March 17, in U.S. District Court in Camden. Morshed falsified voter registrations, lied to the FBI and filed bogus unemployment benefit claims with the state, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. According to Sellinger, Morshed gave a prospective voter in the June 2019 primary a pre-filled voter regi…
Philadelphia Woman Sentenced On Gun Charge In South Jersey Philadelphia Woman Sentenced On Gun Charge In South Jersey
Philadelphia Woman Sentenced On Gun Charge In South Jersey A 29-year-old woman from Philadelphia was sentenced to three years in New Jersey State Prison for unlawful possession of a handgun, authorities said. Desira Covington will be eligible for parole after one year of the prison sentence, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. Covington’s request for a lesser sentence was denied by the sentencing judge. Covington was arrested on July 5, 2022, after a traffic stop on the Atlantic City Expressway. During the stop, Covington was found to be in possession of a handgun without a permit to carry, the prosecutor said. Covingt…
PA Man Sentenced For Strangling South Jersey Woman PA Man Sentenced For Strangling South Jersey Woman
PA Man Sentenced For Strangling South Jersey Woman A 42-year-old man from Pennsylvania has been sentenced to 55 years in New Jersey State Prison for strangling a woman whose naked body was found on the side of the road in 2014, authorities said. Timothy Wright, 42, of Chambersburg, PA, was sentenced Friday, Feb 17 in the murder of 25-year-old Joyce Vanderhoff, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. Vanderhoff's naked body was dumped on the side of a Hamilton Township road in February 2014. A jury previously convicted Wright for first-degree murder after a two-and-a-half-week- trial that commenced this past October.…
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…
Man's Christmas Killer Was His Wife, Police Say — And Facebook Shows Nothing But Idyllic Times Man's Christmas Killer Was His Wife, Police Say — And Facebook Shows Nothing But Idyllic Times
Man's Christmas Killer Was His Wife, Police Say — And Facebook Shows Nothing But Idyllic Times A 51-year-old Mays Landing woman has been charged with her husband's Christmas murder — but her social media shows only the highlight reel of a happy couple. Marylue Wigglesworth is accused of killing David Wiggelsworth, 57, who was found with a gunshot wound around 10:20 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 25, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene — a home on the 5200 block of Mays Landing Somers Point Road Wigglesworth was arrested and lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility. The Wigglesworths appear to have been married for many years, with …
Philadelphia Man Indicted In Atlantic City Casino Hotel Stabbing Philadelphia Man Indicted In Atlantic City Casino Hotel Stabbing
Philadelphia Man Indicted In Atlantic City Casino Hotel Stabbing A 34-year-old man from Philadelphia has been indicted on murder and weapons charges in a fatal stabbing in a casino hotel room, authorities said. Andrew Osborne, 34, of Philadelphia, PA, was indicted on Thursday, Dec. 15, by an Atlantic County Grand Jury on one count of first-degree murder and a weapons offense, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. This indictment stems from an investigation by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Atlantic City Police Department of the stabbing of Brian Wilkinson, 47, of Egg Harbor Township i…
Man, 47, Found Stabbed Dead In Atlantic City Casino-Hotel Room; Philly Suspect Arrested Man, 47, Found Stabbed Dead In Atlantic City Casino-Hotel Room; Philly Suspect Arrested
Man, 47, Found Stabbed Dead In Atlantic City Casino-Hotel Room; Philly Suspect Arrested A 47-year-old man was found stabbed to death in an Atlantic City casino hotel room, authorities said. On Friday, Sept. 23, at approximately 1:30 p.m., Atlantic City police responded to a hotel room within the Ocean Casino Resort for an unresponsive man.  The man, later identified as Brian Wilkinson, of Egg Harbor Township, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.  The Southern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office completed an autopsy of the victim and determined the cause of death as stab wounds and the manner of death was deemed a hom…
Philly Man, 31, Shot Dead In Atlantic City: Prosecutor Philly Man, 31, Shot Dead In Atlantic City: Prosecutor
Philly Man, 31, Shot Dead In Atlantic City: Prosecutor A 31-year-old man from Philadelphia was shot and killed in Atlantic City, authorities said. The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Atlantic City Police Department are cooperatively investigating the fatal shooting of Jordan Eaddy early Thursday, Aug. 25.. At 12:06 a.m., Atlantic City police responded to a Shot Spotter Alert in the 1300 Block of Baltic Avenue. Officers located a male gunshot victim. The man was subsequently pronounced dead. Anyone with information involving this incident is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800…
Repeat Child Porn Collector From Atlantic City Faces 10-Year Minimum In Federal Prison Repeat Child Porn Collector From Atlantic City Faces 10-Year Minimum In Federal Prison
Repeat Child Porn Collector From Atlantic City Faces 10-Year Minimum In Federal Prison A convicted child porn collector from Atlantic City is headed back to federal prison for at least 10 years for doing it again, authorities said. Cory Newman, 46, previously served most of a 51-month sentence following a 2007 conviction on similar charges, records show. Homeland Security Investigations agents "discovered electronic devices containing numerous videos and images of children being sexually abused" during a raid of Newman's Pacific Avenue home in May 2021, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Some were stored on a laptop and others on an external hard drive, according to an…
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…
Authorities Smash Atlantic City-Based Operation That Trafficked Guns, Drugs Authorities Smash Atlantic City-Based Operation That Trafficked Guns, Drugs
Authorities Smash Atlantic City-Based Operation That Trafficked Guns, Drugs Authorities seized nine guns, 14 large-capacity ammo magazines, seven bricks of heroin and more in the takedown of a crew that they said sold large amounts of drugs and guns in and around Atlantic City. Four men were arrested following a joint investigation by local, state, county and federal law enforcers that included nearly two dozen undercover buys of heroin, fentanyl, meth and firearms, Acting Attorney New Jersey General Matthew J. Platkin announced Thursday, Feb. 24. Arrested were: Ricardo Lugo Jr., 21, of Egg Harbor Township; Jamal M. George, 26, of Mays Landing; Rashawn S. Parks, …
Fugitive Wanted For Setting HUMC Co-Worker On Fire Found Dead Of Suicide Fugitive Wanted For Setting HUMC Co-Worker On Fire Found Dead Of Suicide
Fugitive Wanted For Setting Humc Co-Worker On Fire Found Dead Of Suicide UPDATE: A contract nurse who fled after authorities said he set a 54-year-old colleague at Hackensack University Medical Center on fire was found dead of suicide in South Jersey, authorities said. The body of Nicholas Pagano, 31, of West Deptford was found in a wooded area of Waterford Township, in Camden County, a two-hour drive of more than 100 miles from Hackensack, early Tuesday, Feb. 8, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. He'd shot himself once in the chest, apparently with a gun that had been stolen from his brother's home, law enforcement sources said. HUMC employees were n…
IT'S OVER: Fugitive Sought For Setting HUMC Co-Worker On Fire Found Dead Of Suicide IT'S OVER: Fugitive Sought For Setting HUMC Co-Worker On Fire Found Dead Of Suicide
IT'S Over: Fugitive Sought For Setting Humc Co-Worker On Fire Found Dead Of Suicide UPDATE: A contract nurse who fled after authorities said he set a 54-year-old colleague at Hackensack University Medical Center on fire was found dead of his own hand in South Jersey, authorities said. The body of Nicholas Pagano, 31, of West Deptford was found in a wooded area of Waterford Township, in Camden County, a two-hour drive of more than 100 miles from Hackensack, early Tuesday, Feb. 8, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. He'd shot himself once in the chest, apparently with a gun that had been stolen from his brother's home, law enforcement sources said. HUMC employees w…
Crystal Meth Sweep Nets 5 Arrests, Weapons In Atlantic County: Prosecutor Crystal Meth Sweep Nets 5 Arrests, Weapons In Atlantic County: Prosecutor
Crystal Meth Sweep Nets 5 Arrests, Weapons In Atlantic County: Prosecutor Five people were arrested and a stash of crystal meth and weapons were seized as part of a multi-agency investigation in South Jersey, authorities said. The arrests were made on Tuesday at a home in Egg Harbor Township, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.  Members of the ACPO Gangs, Guns and Narcotics Unit, Egg Harbor Township police and SWAT successfully executed a “no knock” search warrant at the home without incident, Acting Atlantic County Prosecutor Cary Shill said. Shill said these five  individuals were arrested during the warranted search: Jason French…
South Jersey Babysitter Sexually Assaulted 3 Young Girls, Prosecutor Says South Jersey Babysitter Sexually Assaulted 3 Young Girls, Prosecutor Says
South Jersey Babysitter Sexually Assaulted 3 Young Girls, Prosecutor Says A 29 year-old South Jersey man has been charged with multiple counts of sex-related charges for assaulting three young girls whom he babysat, authorities said. George Getty III was arrested Saturday in Egg Harbor Township, according to Acting Atlantic County Prosecutor Cary Shill.  Shill said that Getty was charged with the following offenses in the alleged sexual assaults of three victims, ages 13, 10, and 8 years-old: One  count of first- degree aggravated sexual assault, Three counts of second-degree sexual assault, Three counts of  second-degree child endangerment,…
18 Years Later NJ Man Charged In 2nd Home Invasion Sex Assault Of Child 18 Years Later NJ Man Charged In 2nd Home Invasion Sex Assault Of Child
18 Years Later NJ Man Charged In 2nd Home Invasion Sex Assault Of Child An Egg Harbor City man who last week was charged with the sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl during a 1996 home invasion has been accused of doing the same to a 5-year-old girl, authorities announced Wednesday. Brian Lee Avis, 59, of Egg Harbor City, broke into a Willow Avenue home in Galloway on July 18, 2003 around 11:45 p.m., and quickly left,  Acting Atlantic County Prosecutor Cary Shill said. A mother in the home told police she noticed her daughter's pajama pants were pulled down, Shill said. The case was unsolved until earlier this week, when Galloway Township Police Det…
Ex-NJ Child Protection Worker Sentenced To 20+ Years For Making Porn Of Young Boy In His Care Ex-NJ Child Protection Worker Sentenced To 20+ Years For Making Porn Of Young Boy In His Care
Ex-NJ Child Protection Worker Sentenced To 20+ Years For Making Porn Of Young Boy In His Care A former New Jersey child protection worker was sentenced Tuesday to more than 20 years in federal prison – just about all which he’ll have to serve – for recording pornographic images of an underage boy in his care. Kayan Frazier, 29, of Somers Point, also posed as a woman online to solicit similar images from boys, federal authorities said. Frazier had joined the state Department of Child Protection and Permanency after he was fired as a substitute teacher in an Atlantic City school following an investigation of what authorities said was questionable conduct with male students. It was un…
NJ County Prosecutor Resigns Amid Allegations, Lawsuits, Probe NJ County Prosecutor Resigns Amid Allegations, Lawsuits, Probe
NJ County Prosecutor Resigns Amid Allegations, Lawsuits, Probe Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner has resigned amid ethics complaints, lawsuits and allegations of misconduct. First Assistant Prosecutor Cary Shill was sworn in as the county's acting top law enforcer after Gov. Phil Murphy's office announced Tyner's resignation. “We thank Damon Tyner for his service to Atlantic County and the State of New Jersey, and wish him the best in his future endeavors,” a Murphy spokesperson said in a statement. Tyner has been the subject of allegations from various quarters -- among these, that he directly supervised his brother, an investigator, retaliated …