Category: CNB CRIME

Corrections Officers in Pennsylvania File Lawsuit Over Allegations of Theft by Officials

By Dave Lemery |

The Center Square

The SCI-Huntingdon prison in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.

Photo courtesy of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

HUNTINGTON PENNSYLVANIA (JANUARY 2020)–Three Pennsylvania corrections officers are suing their union over allegations that tens of thousands of dollars in union funds were misspent by officials.

The lawsuit

was filed on behalf of the three Huntingdon-area workers by The Fairness Center, a legal advocacy group that has pursued a number of high-profile cases by public sector workers claiming they were harmed by their unions’ practices or by state laws relating to public sector unions.

The three workers – Cory Yedlosky, William Weyandt and Chris Taylor – allege in the lawsuit that the former treasurer of the State Correctional Institution-Huntingdon Local of the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association wrote himself and the local’s secretary checks amounting to about $20,000 that were not approved expenses.

\”[T]he Local’s treasurer wrote nearly fifteen thousand dollars in checks to himself from the Local’s account, for which there appears no legitimate union business has been established, including purported charitable donations that seem to have never been made, and another nearly six thousand dollars in checks to himself or to the Local’s secretary for purported cell phone reimbursements to which neither was entitled,\” the lawsuit says.

The three plaintiffs say they uncovered the wrongdoing after former treasurer Bryan Peroni and former secretary Douglas Clark had left those roles.

According to the lawsuit, Peroni used his own name and home address on bank accounts for the local, and he wrote checks without the oversight of any other union officer. Among those checks were cellphone reimbursements for himself and Clark, the lawsuit states, even though union rules only allow such reimbursements for the local’s president and vice president.

The lawsuit also claims that Peroni wrote $11,400 in checks to himself that were supposedly reimbursements for donations to local charities, but the organizations in question don’t have any records of such donations.

“Public-sector unions have a legal duty to fairly represent members’ interests, but in this case union leaders were asleep at the wheel,” the Fairness Center’s Nathan McGrath said in a news release. “State union officials did not enforce their own financial rules, and when our clients submitted evidence of irregularities it seems nothing was done to correct that. They have no choice but to sue their unions to find out what happened to nearly $20,000 in members’ dues.”

published here by Gloucestercitynews.net with permission

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BREAKING NEWS

Coast Guard establishes temporary security zone for State of the Union address

WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 3, 2020)– — The Coast Guard is scheduled to establish a temporary security zone in designated waters in the National Capital Region for the State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020.

The security zone will be in effect from noon until 11:59 p.m., which will limit or prohibit navigation by commercial and recreational boaters. The security zone will include the Potomac River from south of the Francis Scott Key Bridge to north of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. The security zone will also include the Georgetown Channel Tidal Basin as well as the Anacostia River from the 11th Street Bridge to its confluence with the Potomac River.

Entering or operating in the security zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port of Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region or a designated representative. Vessels already at berth, mooring or anchor at the time the security zone is implemented are not required to depart the security zone. All vessels underway within the security zone at the time it is implemented are to depart the zone at the time the security zone is implemented.

Persons desiring to transit the security zone must first obtain authorization from the COTP or his designated representative. To seek permission to transit the area, call 410-576-2693 or use marine-band radio via VHF-FM channel 16. The Coast Guard may be assisted by other Federal, state or local law enforcement agencies in enforcing this regulation.

HSI at Super Bowl LIV

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has been a constant presence at the Super Bowl for many years, having built and maintained a successful partnership with the National Football League. This year, HSI personnel in Miami will work with a range of federal, state and local law enforcement partners throughout Super Bowl week to provide essential public safety measures in and around the city to help combat many of the criminal threats the league and host city might face leading up to and throughout the big game February 2, 2020.

Why is HSI involved in preventing the sale of counterfeit products?

The illegal manufacture and sale of counterfeit goods is one of the primary concerns of HSI, as it is for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the HSI-led

National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center)

, which includes many additional federal and international partners. It is criminal activity that endangers public health, harms the economy and restricts the competitiveness of U.S. products in the global market.

As part of those efforts, Operation Team Player, an ongoing effort developed by the IPR Center to crack down on the illegal importation of counterfeit sports apparel and merchandise, has worked through the year to identify warehouses, stores, flea markets, online vendors and street vendors selling counterfeit and game-related sportswear and tickets throughout the country. The IPR Center leads coordinated efforts with many of the United States’ major sporting leagues to target contraband that negatively impacts the economy, enables additional criminality and poses health and safety hazards to the public.

As in years past, effective teamwork will be the key to success on and off the field during Super Bowl LIV. For HSI, the size and scope of the task will again be met with personnel who are prepared to successfully execute the agency’s game plan and safeguard the city and everyone traveling to and from the Super Bowl.

With Super Bowl week winding down, the men and women of HSI remain hard at work, focused on ensuring the safety and security of everyone who has come to Miami for the game itself and all of the surrounding festivities.

As the Chiefs and the 49ers are finalizing their game plans with an eye on bringing home the coveted Lombardi trophy, members of HSI’s elite Special Response Teams are standing by at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, ready to move out at a moment’s notice and join their law enforcement partners throughout the region to provide whatever assistance may be needed.

Special agents and investigators with HSI’s IPR unit will also be busy until the opening kickoff, protecting fans by looking out for and arresting counterfeit ticket sellers and continuing to confiscate phony, sub-standard team merchandise in the parking lots and other areas around the stadium.

As the pre-game festivities wrap up Sunday afternoon, all that’s left are the words of country music legend Hank Williams, Jr. hanging in the air – “are you ready for some football?!”

At a Thursday morning press conference, federal agents with ICE HSI announced the seizure of more than 176,000 counterfeit sports-related items, worth an estimated $123 million manufacturer\’s suggested retail price (MSRP), through a collaborative enforcement operation with CBP targeting international shipments of counterfeit merchandise into the United States. The National Football League and Miami-Dade Police department joined ICE and CBP for the announcement just days before Super Bowl LIV.

Through the ongoing initiative known as Operation Team Player, developed by the HSI-led IPR Center, ICE and CBP join with state and local law enforcement partners across the country, targeting the illegal manufacture, import, and distribution of counterfeit sports merchandise.

“Every day, cargo containers containing billions of dollars’ worth of counterfeit goods enter the United States through its land, sea and air ports of entry. This year’s record-breaking ‘Operation Team Player’ results affirm HSI’s commitment to protecting American consumers, the economy, and legitimate business, by ensuring the Super Bowl is not compromised by transnational criminal networks exploiting fan enthusiasm for illicit profits,” said HSI-led IPR Center Director Steve Francis.

Special agents from HSI teamed with industry partners, CBP, Miami-Dade police officers and other agencies to identify flea markets, retail outlets and street vendors selling counterfeit goods during the week leading up to Super Bowl LIV. They seized fake jerseys, jewelry, hats, cell-phone accessories and thousands of other bogus items prepared to be sold to unsuspecting consumers.

The IPR Center – formally codified in the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 – is one of the U.S. government\’s key weapons in the fight against criminal counterfeiting and piracy. The center uses the expertise of its 25 member agencies to share information, develop initiatives, coordinate enforcement actions, and conduct investigations related to intellectual property theft and its enforcement of international trade laws.

Police Departments in Pennsylvania Getting New Radio System

By Kim Jarrett |

The Center Square

Capt. Sean Georgia, acting director of Radio and Information Services Division of the Pennsylvania State Police, speaks January 30, 2020, alongside Auditor General Eugene DePasquale inside the Capitol Media Center in Harrisburg.

Photo courtesy of Commonwealth Media Services

HARRISBURG, PA (January 2020)-Pennsylvania’s former public safety radio system was not only costly, but a hindrance for troopers who often turned to their own cellphones to communicate, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said in announcing audit results on the purchasing process for a new radio system.

State officials decided to move to the P-25 public safety radio system after cost and performance problems with the former system, Open Sky. During a news conference Thursday, DePasquale said an audit of the purchase of the new system shows it is on budget.

Open Sky was estimated to cost about $179 million, but the actual costs were about $850 million over the last 20 years, according to the audit.

“The largest of the contracts for that system was awarded to Amp, Inc. and was later taken over by Harris,” DePasquale said. “The Office of Inspector General is currently looking deeper into the original contract for the system, and it is my understanding and the understanding of our department that the investigation is ongoing.”

Despite the high costs, the system was unreliable for public safety personnel.

“Its technical failures hampered numerous investigations, including the manhunt for convicted killer Eric Frein,” DePasquale said. Frein was convicted of the 2014 attack on the Pennsylvania State Police barracks in Blooming Grove that killed one trooper and wounded another.

The new system is already being used by troopers in 45 counties. Twenty-two state police departments, the Legislature, federal, county, and municipal government agencies as well as public transit and utility companies will have access to the system by the summer of 2021.

A few issues have been encountered during the implementation of the radio system but so far all of them all have been fixed, said Capt. Sean Georgia, acting director of the radio and information services division for the Pennsylvania State Police.

“My team found that the State Police and Office of Administration followed all applicable procedures in the latest radio system upgrade, which had a price tag of $44.5 million,” DePasquale said. “Importantly, the new system will use some of the existing infrastructure such as towers and microwave relays, so taxpayers did not have to buy those items all over again.”

Ten recommendations were made in the 74-page audit report. The State Police and the Office of Administration agreed to the recommendations. One recommended better documentation of the final operational tests for the new system, according to a statement from DePasquale.

“Given the history of problems involving the old system, I believe State Police should go above and beyond to document that the new system is working as designed,” DePasquale added. “Our emergency responders and the residents they protect deserve nothing less.”

published Gloucestercitynews.net with permission

Gloucester Township PD Stakeout Results in Arrest of Night Time Serial Car Bandit

Gloucester Township NJ (February 2, 2020)–On January 29, at approximately 1253 AM, Gloucester Township Police patrol officers and detectives were conducting a plainclothes surveillance stakeout operation in reference to series of unsecured vehicle burglaries and motor vehicle thefts. This car thief was preying on Gloucester Township

resident’s unlocked vehicles.

Thanks to multiple vigilant neighbors and the Gloucester Township Police Department’s partnership with Ring Neighbor’s Application, detectives developed a suspect and immediately began conducting

pro-active police operations to deter and capture this thief’s activity.

Plainclothes officers during the stakeout located the thief, identified as Justin Hill of Vineland, breaking in to several unsecured vehicles in the townhome community of Knoll Run Blackwood. During surveillance, Hill entered a silver Ford Focus, reported stolen out of Mays Landing NJ and left the development. Stakeout officers notified nearby marked patrol units and attempted to stop Hill driving the stolen vehicle. Hill fled and eluded police traveling down a one way street at a high rate of speed and completely disregarded a red traffic signal.  Police located the stolen vehicle unoccupied on S. Venetia Ave. in Blenheim Gloucester Township. Hill fled on foot into a heavily wooded area and a perimeter was established. New Jersey State Police Air

Unit assisted and Gloucester Township Police K-9 Team was deployed on a track. After several hours,Hill was not located. Justin Hill was arrested by the Gloucester Township Police on 1/30/20 with the assistance of the Vineland Police Department. Hill was charged with several counts of Credit Card Theft (3rd/4th degree),

Receiving Stolen Property (35d degree), Eluding Police (2nd Degree), Burglary (3rd degree), and two (2) counts of Criminal Attempt Burglary (3rd degree). Hill was remanded to the Camden County Correctional

Facility pending a Central First Appearance in accordance with the New Jersey Criminal Reform Act.

Arrest: Justin Hill 25 YOA 700 block of E. Sherman Ave. Vineland NJ 08361

The arrest of this individual is another example of the pro-active law enforcement campaigns targeting these thieves who believe they can prey on the busy lifestyles of our residents. Thieves may think they

can continue this easy criminal activity, but eventually WE will find and ARREST you. The Gloucester Township Police Department will continue to attack criminal activity with new and innovative police

strategies, local police partnerships, and most importantly the partnership

Gloucester Township police are providing tips on how to prevent car burglaries. A vast majority of burglaries happen to unlocked cars, so police remind residents to lock their car doors.

– Don\’t leave valuables in plain sight. Offenders will look into the vehicle first to see if it is worth

breaking into;

– Park in a well-lit area in the evening hours;

– If you park in your garage, make sure you lock your garage

-Call Gloucester Township Police if you see anyone suspicious in the area. It is always better to be safe than sorry. Residents can contact our twenty four (24) hour Community Policing Dispatch Center at 856-228-4500 or simply call 911.

To sign up for the free Neighbors app click on the attached link:

https://shop.ring.com/pages/neighbors

Address/Location

Gloucester Township Police Department

1261 Chews Landing Rd

Gloucester Township, NJ 08021

Contact

Emergency: 9-1-1

Non-emergencies: 856-228-4500

Why is ICE at the Super Bowl?

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has been a constant presence at the Super Bowl for many years, having built and maintained a

successful partnership with the National Football League. This year, HSI personnel in Miami will work with a range of federal, state and local law enforcement partners throughout Super Bowl week to provide essential public safety measures in and around the city to help combat many of the criminal threats the league and host city might face leading up to and throughout the big game February 2, 2020.

Why is HSI involved in preventing the sale of counterfeit products?

The illegal manufacture and sale of counterfeit goods is one of the primary concerns of HSI, as it is for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the HSI-led

National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center)

, which includes many additional federal and international partners. It is criminal activity that endangers public health, harms the economy and restricts the competitiveness of U.S. products in the global market.

As part of those efforts, Operation Team Player, an ongoing effort developed by the IPR Center to crack down on the illegal importation of counterfeit sports apparel and merchandise, has worked through the year to identify warehouses, stores, flea markets, online vendors and street vendors selling counterfeit and game-related sportswear and tickets throughout the country. The IPR Center leads coordinated efforts with many of the United States’ major sporting leagues to target contraband that negatively impacts the economy, enables additional criminality and poses health and safety hazards to the public.

As in years past, effective teamwork will be the key to success on and off the field during Super Bowl LIV. For HSI, the size and scope of the task will again be met with personnel who are prepared to successfully execute the agency’s game plan and safeguard the city and everyone traveling to and from the Super Bowl.

With Super Bowl week winding down, the men and women of HSI remain hard at work, focused on ensuring the safety and security of everyone who has come to Miami for the game itself and all of the surrounding festivities.

As the Chiefs and the 49ers are finalizing their game plans with an eye on bringing home the coveted Lombardi trophy, members of HSI’s elite Special Response Teams are standing by at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, ready to move out at a moment’s notice and join their law enforcement partners throughout the region to provide whatever assistance may be needed.

Special agents and investigators with HSI’s IPR unit will also be busy until the opening kickoff, protecting fans by looking out for and arresting counterfeit ticket sellers and continuing to confiscate phony, sub-standard team merchandise in the parking lots and other areas around the stadium.

As the pre-game festivities wrap up Sunday afternoon, all that’s left are the words of country music legend Hank Williams, Jr. hanging in the air – “are you ready for some football?!”

PA Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell Guilty of Spending Charity Donations on Vacations/Luxury Items

By Kim Jarrett |

The Center Square

Harrisburg PA (January 2020)–A former Democratic state representative who officials say took money from her nonprofit and spent it on vacations and luxury items was sentenced to three months behind bars.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell (center) will resign from the Legislature and plead guilty to corruption charges, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Photo courtesy of Rep. Johnson-Harrell\’s website

Former Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell also was sentenced to 8½ months of house arrest, 11½ months on parole, and then two years of probation following her guilty plea to felony charges of theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, perjury, and misdemeanor charges of tampering with public records, according to a statement from Attorney General Josh Shapiro. She pleaded no contest Thursday to two misdemeanor charges of reporting by political candidates and committees, statement of financial interests in a Philadelphia courtroom.

Johnson-Harrell was the founder of the Philadelphia-based Motivation, Education and Consultation Associates (MECA). The nonprofit operated personal care homes starting in 2013 for people who could not support themselves for a variety of reasons.

After officials found residents in unlivable conditions, the homes were abruptly shut down by MECA, “kicking residents to the curb, leaving them to find new living arrangements or enter into actual treatment,” Shapiro said when announcing the charges against Johnson-Harrell in December. “But Johnson-Harrell continued to collect monthly rent payments from MECA funds for these properties despite the fact that the organization was no longer using them.”

Johnson-Harrell diverted an estimated $500,000 to her personal and campaign accounts, according to Shapiro’s office.

“This Philadelphia community would have been in a better place had this former public official invested MECA’s money into the people who needed the care she promised,” Shapiro said. “Instead, the community received no help as Johnson-Harrell spent MECA money on fur coats, Porsche car payments and expensive vacations for herself.

Johnson-Harrell stepped down in December after Shapiro announced the charges, and she disputed some of the allegations against her but said she intended “to accept responsibility for any actions that were inappropriate.”

The legislative seat was formerly held by Democrat Vanessa Lowery Brown, who resigned after she was convicted in December of 2018 on bribery charges. Johnson-Harrell took office in March 2019 after winning a special election.

“Corruption erodes the trust that is built between government entities and citizens,” Shapiro said. “Philadelphia is entitled to honest services and, hopefully, the good people here will begin to receive them now that justice has been served.”

A special election to fill Johnson-Harrell’s seat will be held Feb. 25.

published here with permission of The Center Square

NJ Religious Leaders Guilty of Conspiracy To Evade Paying Millions in Taxes

NEWARK, N.J. – The leader and the main treasurer of the Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ were sentenced to federal prison today for their respective roles in a scheme in which both men caused the church to pay millions of dollars in personal expenses for the leader that the leader then omitted from his personal tax returns, U.S Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Jermaine Grant, 44, of Burlington Township, New Jersey, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and Lincoln Warrington, 49, of Bergen County, New Jersey, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison. Both men previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge William J. Martini to Count One of the indictment against them, charging them with conspiring to defraud the United States. Judge Martini imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:

Grant and Warrington used their leadership positions in the church to divert to Grant millions of dollars belonging to the church and its members for Grant’s personal use and benefit. The defendants used a variety of methods to carry out the scheme. For example, Grant and Warrington created a purported entertainment company that portrayed Grant as an industry mogul whose wealth was derived from his success in the industry, thereby concealing from church members that his lifestyle was supported entirely by the church and donations from its members. Grant and Warrington also used the church’s money to pay Grant’s other personal expenses, including payments for rental real estate properties, vacations, high-end luxury items, and private school tuition for Grant’s minor children. Grant, with Warrington’s assistance, then omitted these benefits from his individual income tax returns, resulting in the evasion of a substantial amount of tax due and owing to the United States. In total, Grant and Warrington concealed millions of dollars in income from the IRS, and failed to pay at least $250,000 in taxes.

The plea agreements in this matter include a requirement that the church will develop and present to the United States a plan designed to ensure the church’s compliance with applicable federal income tax laws going forward. Before the United States returns to the church certain cash and property seized during execution of the search warrants in this case, the compliance plan must address the disposition of that cash and property and ensure that they are returned for the benefit of the church rather than for the personal benefit of Jermaine Grant or any other individual.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Martini sentenced Grant and Warrington to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI’s Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie, and IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John R. Tafur, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencings.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret A. Mahoney, Senior Trial Counsel for the National Security Unit in Newark, and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig.

Defense counsel:

Grant: Gerald Lefcourt Esq., New York

Warrington: Richard Levitt Esq., New York

Two-Year-Old and A Man Shot in Woodlynne

Camden, N.J. – The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and Woodlynne Police Department are investigating the Thursday night shooting of a man and two-year-old child, according to Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill Mayer and Woodlynne Public Safety Director Ed

Figueroa.

Police were called around 7:30 p.m. after the two victims showed up at an area hospital Jan. 30.

Detectives said the

man was shot in the upper body and the child was shot in the foot.

The man told detectives he was in his vehicle with the two-year-old and another man in the back seat at the intersection of 4

th

and Chestnut Streets when three men reportedly approached the car. After allegedly demanding money, one of the men fired multiple shots at the car, hitting the driver and the child.

Camden County Police received a ShotSpotter activation and assisted detectives at the hospital.

“Anyone who can open fire on a vehicle with a child inside is an extremely dangerous individual,” said Acting Prosecutor Mayer. “Our Major Crimes Unit is working hard with Woodlynne Police to find those responsible.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Allison Dube-Smith at 856-225-7105 or Woodlynne Police Detective Edgar Feliciano at 856-535-6780.

Information may also be emailed to

ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org

.

All persons charged with criminal offenses are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law.

Suspect Driving Under the Influence of Heroin Strikes 2 Vehicles on S. Broadway; 1 Injured

by CNBNews

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (January 31, 2020)—Gloucester City Police responded to a traffic accident Thursday, January 30, around 10:20 AM after a car, driven by Jerry

Yelverton, crashed into two vehicles

waiting in traffic at the intersection

of South Broadway and

George Street. Several police vehicles along with the Gloucester City Fire Department responded to the scene according to a person who was passing by and saw the commotion.

Yelverton, according to Gloucester City Police Chief Brian Morrell was charged with possession of two bags of heroin. \”The 42-year-old male, who lives in the 200 unit block of Powell Street, admitted to police that he snorted a bag of heroin before the accident occurred,\” Morrell said.

Yelverton, along with one of the victims were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Morrell said at first it was thought the victim\’s injuries were not that serious. “But, doctors at the hospital said the victim had suffered head trauma and his injuries may be more serious than first thought.”

published Gloucestercitynews.net