NJ Sex Offender Indicted For Trying To Hire Dark Web Hit Man To Kill NY Teen NJ Sex Offender Indicted For Trying To Hire Dark Web Hit Man To Kill NY Teen
NJ Sex Offender Indicted For Trying To Hire Dark Web Hit Man To Kill NY Teen A New Jersey man who admitted trading sexually explicit images with a minor took a different tack before pleading guilty: Looking to have the kid killed, he paid $20,000 in bitcoin to a bogus murder-for-hire site on the dark web, a federal indictment alleges. John Michael Musbach, 31, was a free man, having been sentenced in February 2018 to a two-year suspended sentence with lifetime parole supervision for his exchanges with the then-13-year-old from upstate New York. A year or so had passed when cybercrime sleuth Chris Monteiro tipped federal agents off to messages that Musbach exchanged …
Fugitive Admits Swiping 94,000 Credit Card Numbers At Michaels Stores In 19 States Fugitive Admits Swiping 94,000 Credit Card Numbers At Michaels Stores In 19 States
Fugitive Admits Swiping 94,000 Credit Card Numbers At Michaels Stores In 19 States A fugitive who was captured in Mexico admitted his role in stealing information from 94,000 credit and debit cards used by customers at Michaels stores in 19 states, including New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Jose “Tito” Salazar, 44, 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…
Feds: Union County Man Admits Collecting Child Porn Videos Feds: Union County Man Admits Collecting Child Porn Videos
Feds: Union County Man Admits Collecting Child Porn Videos A Union County man caught by federal agents with child porn took a guilty plea Tuesday. Andrew Chu, 30, of Garwood, admitted during a videoconference with a judge in Newark that he downloaded what Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said were 90 videos “depicting the sexual abuse of children” from a dark web site. Chu took a deal from the government rather than go to trial. U.S. District Judge William J. Martini scheduled sentencing on Chu’s plea to possession child pornography for Aug. 26. Honig credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Inv…
Armed Robber From Trenton Who Was Shot By Undercover Fed Hit With Heavier Charges Armed Robber From Trenton Who Was Shot By Undercover Fed Hit With Heavier Charges
Armed Robber From Trenton Who Was Shot By Undercover Fed Hit With Heavier Charges An armed robber from Trenton thought he’d found an easy victim in a would-be gun buyer – only it turned out to be an undercover agent who shot him instead, authorities said. Members of a federally-led task force were investigating gun trafficking and other crimes when Jabree Johnson, 28, got into the undercover agent’s car at the Krauszer’s on Greenwood Avenue in Hamilton Township on March 22, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Johnson handed over a semi-automatic handgun that the agent inspected before returning it and asking to see others, Honig said Friday. At that point, Johns…
Feds Take Case Against NYC Man Accused Of Sex Trafficking Minors To Hudson County Motels Feds Take Case Against NYC Man Accused Of Sex Trafficking Minors To Hudson County Motels
Feds Take Case Against NYC Man Accused Of Sex Trafficking Minors To Hudson County Motels UPDATE: A Bronx man now faces federal charges of trafficking two underage girls to New Jersey from Ohio for sex, authorities said. Norman Berry, 32, was busted in New York City following the arrest of an accused accomplice at a North Bergen motel early last month, they said. A week or so earlier, Berry brought the girls -- 14 and 15 – to the motel, where he told them that they could “get paid” for having sex with men and performing in streams, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said Thursday. They declined, although the 15-year-old had sex with Norman in one of two motel rooms that he a…
FBI: Middlesex Man Admits Trying To Torch Trenton Police Car Following Floyd Protest FBI: Middlesex Man Admits Trying To Torch Trenton Police Car Following Floyd Protest
FBI: Middlesex Man Admits Trying To Torch Trenton Police Car Following Floyd Protest UPDATE: A Middlesex County man admitted Tuesday that he stuffed a rag into the gas tank of a police cruiser and set it on fire during a riot in Trenton following what had been a peaceful protest last year over the death of George Floyd. Justin Spry, 22, of South Plainfield took a deal from the government rather than go to trial, becoming the second of three men involved in the incident to admit their roles. Spry originally tried claiming on Twitter that he was brutalized by police, but federal authorities produced surveillance video showing otherwise. “Law enforcement officers on scene ob…
Feds: Armed Fugitive In 7-Hour Hudson Hotel Standoff Was ‘Prepared For War,’ ‘Ready To Die’ Feds: Armed Fugitive In 7-Hour Hudson Hotel Standoff Was ‘Prepared For War,’ ‘Ready To Die’
Feds: Armed Fugitive In 7-Hour Hudson Hotel Standoff Was ‘Prepared For War,’ ‘Ready To Die’ UPDATE: A heavily-armed fugitive who held tactical officers at bay for nearly seven hours at a Secaucus hotel told police that he was “prepared for war” and “ready to die,” the U.S. attorney for New Jersey said Monday. ATF agents charged Rahim Harris, 42, of Maplewood, with being a convicted felon in possession of weapons and ammo, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced. His wife, Haneefha White, 39, of Pottsville, PA, who was with him, is charged with aiding and abetting the possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon. Authorities said they found eight loaded wea…
Feds: Cali Con Man Hacks Law Firm Email, Collects $755,000 From Bergen Victim, US Government Feds: Cali Con Man Hacks Law Firm Email, Collects $755,000 From Bergen Victim, US Government
Feds: Cali Con Man Hacks Law Firm Email, Collects $755,000 From Bergen Victim, US Government A Bergen County property owner got fooled into wiring $560,000 to a con man from California who also collected nearly $195,000 in small business loans by fraud, authorities said. Eric Bullard, 59, of Los Angeles hacked an email account at a law firm representing the victim, then wrote to the client with instructions to wire the money into an escrow account identified as “Eric’s Commercial LLC,” Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. The account at the time held all of $40, Honig said. The day the transfer was posted, Bullard was seen on surveillance footage withdrawing $96,275 in 10 s…
Trenton Dealer Admits Selling Fentanyl That Killed Monmouth Woman Trenton Dealer Admits Selling Fentanyl That Killed Monmouth Woman
Trenton Dealer Admits Selling Fentanyl That Killed Monmouth Woman A Trenton man admitted selling fentanyl packaged to look like heroin that killed a Monmouth County woman. The 39-year-old victim bought the fatal dose – in a package stabbed “CAMEL” – from Quasaan Bethea, 33, and others in May 2018, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Englishtown police responded soon after to a report of an overdose death and found several folds of “CAMEL” along with some empties, Honig said. An autopsy found that she died of “acute fentanyl toxicity,” the U.S. attorney said. Rather than go to trial, Bethea pleaded guilty in federal court in Trenton to possession…
Feds: Teaneck Owner Of 70 Multi-Family Properties Admits $150M Bank Fraud Scheme Feds: Teaneck Owner Of 70 Multi-Family Properties Admits $150M Bank Fraud Scheme
Feds: Teaneck Owner Of 70 Multi-Family Properties Admits $150M Bank Fraud Scheme A Teaneck landlord admitted in federal court this week that he orchestrated a $150 million bank and securities fraud scheme that lasted nearly 10 years. Seth Levine, 52, told a U.S. District Court judge in Newark via teleconference that he and others pocketed cash they received by illegally refinancing 70 multi-family buildings containing nearly 2,500 apartments. Levine said he lied on refinancing applications about the rents collected, the number of apartments leased, expenses and the true owners of the complex, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. That wasn’t all: L…
COVID-19: NJ Man, 51, Scammed $1.9 Million From Business Relief Funds, U.S. Attorney Says COVID-19: NJ Man, 51, Scammed $1.9 Million From Business Relief Funds, U.S. Attorney Says
Covid-19: NJ Man, 51, Scammed $1.9 Million From Business Relief Funds, U.S. Attorney Says A Sussex County man was arrested Thursday on accusations of having obtained nearly $2 million in fraudulent loans through the federal government’s COVID-19 business relief plan. John Jhong, of Sparta, applied for 10 fraudulent PPP loans for businesses of which he claimed to be an owner, manager and/or partner, according to a statement from New Jersey Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig. Jhong’s applications contained fraudulent statements and falsified records claiming to come from the IRS, authorities said. “In fact, according to IRS records, none of the tax documents Jhong submitted wi…
Feds: NY Man Who 'Sextorted' Underage Jersey Girl Nabbed By FBI When He Arrives In AC For Sex Feds: NY Man Who 'Sextorted' Underage Jersey Girl Nabbed By FBI When He Arrives In AC For Sex
Feds: NY Man Who 'Sextorted' Underage Jersey Girl Nabbed By FBI When He Arrives In AC For Sex A New York man who ruthlessly “sextorted” a minor into having sex with him at a hotel in Atlantic City was arrested by federal agents when he showed up, authorities said. Zachary Williams 33, told the victim that he was 17 when they first met on SnapChat last September, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said Tuesday. Williams asked for and got nude photos of the victim, then threatened to send them to the Galloway Township teen’s family and friends, she said. “He ultimately convinced the victim to meet him at a hotel in Atlantic County and agreed to allow the victim to d…