Mahwah Con Man, Partner Prey On Elderly In $1.6M Scam, Feds Charge
Using an unlicensed real estate appraiser name Soprano, a pair of contracting con men – one from Mahwah, the other from Clifton – pocketed $1.6 million by targeting elderly victims in a reverse mortgage scam, federal authorities charged.
Philip Puccio Jr., 40, of Mahwah, and Rafael Peralta, 46, of Clifton, convinced the homeowners to apply for the mortgages for home repairs, an indictment returned by a federal grand jury says.
The duo then got unindicted co-conspirator Joseph Soprano to inflate the values of the homes on applications for home equity conversion mortgages (HECM), also known a…
Teaneck Vending Machine/Jukebox Company Owner Stole $186,000 From Pension Fund, Feds Charge
A well-known Teaneck businessman whose vending machine and jukebox company paid five figures last year year to settle a copyright suit embezzled $186,123 from his employees’ pension fund, a federal indictment alleges.
A U.S. District Court judge ordered Howard Preschel, 62, remain free on $100,000 unsecured bond after he surrendered to federal authorities on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Craig Carpenito said.
Preschel served as a trustee for the pension trust fund created by CMG Vending Inc., which operated, leased, and rented vending machines throughout New Jersey an…
Lyndhurst Fugitive Sought, Fort Lee Woman Caught In DEA Takedown Of Cocaine Ring
Federal agents were searching for a Lyndhurst man who they said was part of a ring that conspired to ship nearly a dozen pounds of cocaine for sale in New Jersey and New York.
Daniel Estrella, 28, of Lyndhurst, remained at large following the arrests of Victoria Irizarry, 30, of Fort Lee, and Cohen “Power” Easton, 46, of Paterson, as well as Marisol Vargas, 34, of Rowland Heights, CA, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced Friday.
All four were charged in a new complaint stemming from an ongoing investigation, Carpenito said.
A U.S. District Court judge on Friday allowed Vargas and Irizar…
Greenwich Lawyer Paid India Government $2M Bribe For New Cognizant Office Complex, Feds Charge
A Greenwich lawyer conspired to pay government officials in India a $2 million bribe to pave the way for an office complex there when he was the chief legal officer of Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp, a federal indictment charges.
Steven Schwartz, 51, and former Cognizant president Gordon Coburn, 55, of Beaver Creek, Colorado, approved the payoff to secure the necessary permits for construction, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Craig Carpenito said Friday.
To cover up the scheme, the pair and others “agreed that a third-party construction company would obtain the permit by making the illega…
