Hamilton Township, NJ
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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
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…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Cherry Hill, NJ
Breaking News
Cyber-Casanova From NJ Admits Duping Dozens Of Lonely Hearts Out Of $1.14M Cyber-Casanova From NJ Admits Duping Dozens Of Lonely Hearts Out Of $1.14M Cyber-Casanova From NJ Admits Duping Dozens Of Lonely Hearts Out Of $1.14M
Cyber-Casanova From NJ Admits Duping Dozens Of Lonely Hearts Out Of $1.14M A New Jersey man admitted that he orchestrated an online scam that conned dozens of unsuspecting women on dating sites out of more than a million dollars – and led one of them to suicide. Rubbin Sarpong, 37, of Millville pocketed the money and bought property in Ghana, along with luxury cars, expensive jewelry, top-shelf booze, designer clothes and more, federal authorities said. Then he flaunted it on Instagram. Sarpong had catfishing accomplices, several of whom live in Ghana, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael Honig said. Posing as American military personnel stationed oversea…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Newark, NJ
Breaking News
NJ Neo-Nazi Gets Year, Day For Masterminding Nationwide ‘Kristallnacht’ Attack On Blacks, Jews NJ Neo-Nazi Gets Year, Day For Masterminding Nationwide ‘Kristallnacht’ Attack On Blacks, Jews NJ Neo-Nazi Gets Year, Day For Masterminding Nationwide ‘Kristallnacht’ Attack On Blacks, Jews
NJ Neo-Nazi Gets Year, Day For Masterminding Nationwide ‘Kristallnacht’ Attack On Blacks, Jews A New Jersey member of a hardcore neo-Nazi group was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison on Tuesday for convincing two fellow white supremacists to vandalize property owned by Blacks and Jews. Richard Tobin, 20, dubbed the nationwide campaign “Operation Kristallnacht,” after a 1938 pogrom in which German Nazis slaughtered more than 90 Jews and burned their homes, synagogues, stores and schools, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. Tobin “encouraged hateful acts of violence against individuals and their houses of worship, based on their religion or the color…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Elizabeth, NJ
Breaking News
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
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…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Elizabeth, NJ
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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
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…

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by Jerry DeMarco
White Plains, NY
Breaking News
Thief Who Swiped 94,000 Credit Card Numbers At Michaels Stores In NY, NJ, CT, PA Sentenced Thief Who Swiped 94,000 Credit Card Numbers At Michaels Stores In NY, NJ, CT, PA Sentenced Thief Who Swiped 94,000 Credit Card Numbers At Michaels Stores In NY, NJ, CT, PA Sentenced
Thief Who Swiped 94,000 Credit Card Numbers At Michaels Stores In NY, NJ, CT, PA Sentenced A member of an ID theft ring that stole more than $600,000 from customers at Michaels stores in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison on Thursday. Jose “Tito” Salazar, age 45, 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 US Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. They then created copycat cards that were then used to withdraw more than $500,000 from hun…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Newark, NJ
Breaking News
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
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…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Jersey City, NJ
Breaking News
Feds Charge Reputed Jersey City Gang Member With Gunning Down Rival Feds Charge Reputed Jersey City Gang Member With Gunning Down Rival Feds Charge Reputed Jersey City Gang Member With Gunning Down Rival
Feds Charge Reputed Jersey City Gang Member With Gunning Down Rival Federal authorities have charged a reputed gang member from Jersey City with murder in the shooting death of a rival during a running feud between allied crews. Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig announced Tuesday that her office has taken over the prosecution of Phillip Wiggins Jr. of Newark for the March 31, 2020 slaying of Damone “Munch” Smith. Wiggins, 24, who investigators say belongs to the Wilkinson Avenue gang, shot Smith in the chest near the corner of Rose and Cator avenues.  Smith, 25, was brought by private vehicle to Jersey City Medical Center, where he …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Cherry Hill, NJ
Breaking News
Feds: Jersey Shore Swindler Embezzled Hundreds Of Thousands From Philly Start-Up Feds: Jersey Shore Swindler Embezzled Hundreds Of Thousands From Philly Start-Up Feds: Jersey Shore Swindler Embezzled Hundreds Of Thousands From Philly Start-Up
Feds: Jersey Shore Swindler Embezzled Hundreds Of Thousands From Philly Start-Up A Jersey Shore hustler embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars in investments from a Philadelphia-based tech startup when he was its chief operating officer, federal authorities have charged. Joseph Geromini, 54, of Linwood told investors who contributed roughly $2.25 million that he would use their money to help build the company, which developed blood testing for various diseases, an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Camden alleges. The Atlantic County resident promised to “further develop and commercialize its products and services, for lab expenses, and to pay employee s…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Paterson, NJ
Breaking News
Feds: Imprisoned Paterson Dealer Admits Selling Heroin That Killed User From Warwick, NY Feds: Imprisoned Paterson Dealer Admits Selling Heroin That Killed User From Warwick, NY Feds: Imprisoned Paterson Dealer Admits Selling Heroin That Killed User From Warwick, NY
Feds: Imprisoned Paterson Dealer Admits Selling Heroin That Killed User From Warwick, NY A twice-imprisoned drug dealer from Paterson admitted he sold the heroin that killed a user from Orange County, NY. Shameik "Homeboy" Byrd, 31, who’s currently serving a state prison sentence, told a federal judge via videoconference in Newark that the death of 25-year-old Kean Cabral of Warwick was caused by heroin from the batch of “Trap Queen” that he’d been selling. State authorities tried to prosecute Byrd and a couple who they said bought the drugs from him and sold some to Cabral in April 2016. They were over-ruled, however, by the New Jersey Supreme Court, which said they didn’t ha…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Teaneck, NJ
Breaking News
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
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…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Newark, NJ
Breaking News
Newark Bizman: I Laundered $23M For Dominican Drug Network Newark Bizman: I Laundered $23M For Dominican Drug Network Newark Bizman: I Laundered $23M For Dominican Drug Network
Newark Bizman: I Laundered $23M For Dominican Drug Network A Newark man admitted that he laundered $23 million for a Dominican drug network while awaiting trial for doing it before. Edwin Deleon-Batista, 37, told a federal judge in Newark that he collected huge amounts of cash from drug sales in New Jersey, New York, and Florida and converted them to cashier’s checks at local banks. Deleon-Batista was free on bond for federal money laundering charges following his arrest in New York in April 2019, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachel A. Honig said. Soon after, he “began using a stolen identity and obtained a fraudulent Florida driver’s licen…

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by Jerry DeMarco