$3 Million Fraud: East Orange Man Stole From Medicaid: AG
A 63-year-old East Orange man was arrested and charged with stealing more than $3 million from Medicaid by filing false claims, authorities announced Tuesday, Sept. 23.
Vicente Lopez ran a psychological counseling service to Medicaid beneficiaries, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. After Joyce Lopez, Vicente’s sister, died in 2021, he took sole control of the company, Platkin said.
Lopez billed or directed his employees to bill Medicaid for psychological services for over 34,000 individual claims and received approximately $3.4 million from Medicaid, despite that neither he,…
Paterson Teen Abena Owusu Dies After Cancer Battle
Abena Owusu, 18, of Paterson, on Wednesday, Sept. 10, after a cancer battle, according to those who knew her and her obituary on the Festa Memorial Funeral Home.
Born in Livingston, Abena grew up in East Orange and Paterson. She graduated from Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne, where she was a member of the National Honor Society, the Christian Health Association, and the Health Occupation Student Association. She also belonged to Calvary International Church in Wayne, her obituary says.
In June, at Abena's graduation ceremony, Mayor Andre Sayegh honored her resilience after she w…
East Orange Brothers Ran Massive Heroin Mill Pumping Out 'Sexy Red,' 'No Diddy,' Sheriff Says
Two brothers from East Orange are accused of running a heroin trafficking ring that stretched from New Jersey into The Bronx, where investigators say they uncovered a multi-million-dollar heroin mill.
Detectives began tracking the operation earlier this year, following the Darling brothers from their East Orange home into multiple counties, Essex County Sheriff Amir D. Jones said. Search warrants led authorities to Saddle Brook, Middlesex County, and ultimately 2505 Aqueduct Avenue in The Bronx, where the heroin was processed and packaged for sale, Jones said,
Inside the Bronx location…
Sheriff’s Officers Stole Designer Belt, Sneakers During East Orange Drug Raid: Prosecutor
Three Essex County Sheriff’s officers have been charged with theft after allegedly taking high-end sneakers and a designer belt during a narcotics search in East Orange, authorities said.
The incident happened on Jan. 10, 2023, at the apartment of Kirk Mansook, 470 Park Ave., Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II said in a Friday, Aug. 29 announcement.
At the time, Officers Jimmy Rodriguez, 39, of Kearny; Fabian Caicedo, 45, of East Rutherford; and Erik Udvarhely, 44, of Belleville were assigned to the Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Narcotics, Stephens said.
Mansook was arrested on m…
Fort Lee Burglars Caught In The Act, Cops Say
Three people were arrested after police in Fort Lee interrupted a burglary in progress just after midnight on Monday, July 21, authorities said.
The incident happened around 12:46 a.m. near 206 New York Avenue, Fort Lee Deputy Police Chief Edward Young said in a press release.
Gerardine Paolello, 57, of Belleville; Tamir McFadden-Jordan, 33, of East Orange; and Nylah Walker, 24, of Newark were caught entering a parked vehicle in the area, the deputy chief said. Officers detained all three.
Police say the group had conspired to break into a nearby home. During the arrest, McFadden-Jordan wa…
NJ Man Arrested Fleeing To Delaware After Fatally Shooting Girlfriend: Prosecutor
A 29-year-old Orange man was arrested in Delaware after he fatally shot his girlfriend in East Orange Sunday, June 29, authorities said.
At 8:30 p.m., officers responded to a shooting at 15 N 16th St. and found Shalamar Brown critically injured, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said. Brown sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his upper chest, abdomen and thigh, authorities said. She was taken to University Hospital where she died in surgery, police said.
Darian Ficklin, her boyfriend, fled to Delaware and was pursued by Delaware State Police for over an hour, authorities said. He was ap…
Clifton DWI Stop Uncovers Stolen Gun, Crack, Heroin In BMW, Cops Say
A late-night traffic stop in Clifton uncovered a stolen gun, crack cocaine, heroin, and more, authorities said.
Officer Benjamin Bressel was patrolling near Highland Avenue and Van Winkle Avenue when he spotted a 2016 two-door BMW committing several traffic violations around 3:09 a.m. Wednesday, June 18, according to Clifton Police Lt. Robert Anderson.
Officer Bressel pulled the vehicle over. Officers Fabricio Martinez, Eddie Maldonado, and Stephen Aggi arrived to assist.
Police said the driver, Joshua Rodriguez, 39, of Newark, showed signs of intoxication. Passengers Jason Ballard, 42, of…
125 Years: East Orange Murderer Receives Lengthy Sentence, Prosecutor Says
A 31-year-old East Orange man was sentenced to 125 years in prison on Monday, June 16, after being convicted of murder in the first degree and other charges, authorities said.
Isaiah Knight was also convicted of weapons offenses and conspiracy to commit witness tampering on Thursday, April 17, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens II.
Knight shot Tyzier White, 23, five times at close range following a dispute involving White, Knight and his cousin, Stephens said.
While in jail, Knight devised a witness tampering scheme involving his sister, cousin, girlfriend, and an unidentified man, …
East Orange 'Handyman With A Plan' Mourned After Fatally Hit By Cars On Garden State Parkway
Richard Lee Angel, a 70-year-old East Orange man, was killed while walking on the Garden State Parkway in Irvington on Thursday, June 12, authorities said.
At 4:25 a.m., a Jeep Grand Cherokee and an unknown vehicle were traveling northbound on the Parkway when a crash occurred between both vehicles and Angel, Jeffrey Lebron, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police said. Angel was pronounced dead at the scene, Lebron said.
Angel was a popular building superintendent in Brooklyn, nicknamed "the handyman with a plan," according to a fundraiser set up to support his family.
He …
Deadly Bacteria Risk In Fish Sold Across NY Prompts Large Recall, FDA Says
A smoked fish recall is affecting more than 70 grocery stores across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut due to a life-threatening botulism risk, health officials said.
P. East Trading Corp., based in The Bronx, NY, issued the recall on Tuesday, June 10, the Food and Drug Administration said. State inspectors found that P. East's Salted Smoked Split Herring was uneviscerated and longer than five inches.
The long fish is a violation that increases the risk of contamination with Clostridium botulinum.
"Botulism, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning, can cause the following …
Newark Man Who Stabbed Victim 10 Times In East Orange Learns Fate: Prosecutor
A 34-year-old Newark man was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday, May 30, after previously being convicted of stabbing a man in East Orange 10 times, authorities said.
On Wednesday, May 4, 2022, Dwayne Barbour waited for Daren Brooks, 31, with a knife at an address in East Orange and ambushed him upon arrival, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens II said. Brooks ran down the street to escape the attack and the defendant followed, stabbing him over 10 times, Stephens said.
Barbour was convicted of aggravated assault and weapons charges following a three-week trial, Stephens sai…
East Orange Man Busted For Secaucus Home Invasion: Police
A 21-year-old East Orange man was arrested and charged on Thursday, May 29 with committing a home invasion in Secaucus in February, authorities said.
On Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 2:51 a.m., officers responded to a report of a burglary at the 200 block of Grace Avenue, Secaucus police said. The homeowner told police she was sleeping, but called officers when she heard someone inside her home, police said.
When the burglar, later identified as Khalif Willard, heard the resident awake, he fled the scene in a BMW X3 with his co-conspirators, police said. Officers pursued the BMW onto the New Jersey …
Loaded Gun, Hollow-Point Bullets Found On PA Ex-Con Parked Outside Lyndhurst Warehouse: Cops
A Pennsylvania ex-con was arrested after police found a loaded gun and drugs in a suspicious vehicle parked outside a closed warehouse in New Jersey, authorities said.
Larnard Smith, 39, of Lewistown, PA, was taken into custody just before midnight on Monday, May 12, after Officer Michael Clifford spotted the vehicle parked outside a commercial property on Valley Brook Avenue, according to Detective Capt. Vincent Auteri of the Lyndhurst Police Department.
Smith was the only person in the vehicle, which he did not own, police said. Officers Nicolette Villani and Jorge Fernandez joined Cliffo…
East Orange Killer Tried To Silence Witness With Rap Video, Prosecutor Says
A 31-year-old East Orange man was convicted on Thursday, April 17, of murdering a 23-year-old in Newark and then trying to intimidate a witness by posting a rap video calling him a snitch, authorities said.
On Tuesday, June 1, 2021, Isaiah Knight fatally shot Tyzier White five times at point-blank range, after he felt slighted during an interaction involving himself, his cousin and White, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens II said.
Following the shooting, Knight and accomplices engaged in several attempts to intimidate one of the eyewitnesses by luring them to a location and for…
Newark Man Guilty Of Stabbing Victim 10 Times: Prosecutor
A 34-year-old Newark man was convicted on Friday, April 4 of stabbing a man in East Orange 10 times, authorities said.
On Wednesday, May 4, 2022, Dwayne Barbour waited for Daren Brooks, 31, with a knife at an address in East Orange and ambushed him upon arrival, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens II said. Brooks ran down the street to escape the attack and the defendant followed, stabbing him over 10 times, Stephens said.
Barbour was convicted of aggravated assault and weapons charges following a three week trial, Stephens said. He faces five to 10 years in prison, Stephens said…
Ex-NJ State Worker, East Orange Woman Among 10 Accused Of COVID Relief Theft: AG
Ten people, including a former state employee, were indicted last month for illegally collecting unemployment benefits and other crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities said.
Vanessa Allen, an East Orange resident, Jeffson Cues, a Newark resident, Nerlande Etienne, an Irvington resident and Rose Allen, an East Orange resident, collected unemployment benefits to which they were not entitled, Platkin said.
Allen was hired to work as a clerk for the Department of Labor during the pandemic, at the same time she was collecting unemployment benefits, Platkin said. She is charg…
