Prosecutor Files Motion to Dismiss Indictment Against Kevin Baker/Sean Washington

Camden City, N.J. (February 4, 20200-– Acting Prosecutor Jill Mayer today announced that the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office will file a motion to dismiss the indictment against Kevin Baker and Sean Washington and retract its notice of intent to appeal this case to the New Jersey Supreme Court.

After full consideration of the recent Appellate Division opinion reversing the convictions of Baker and Washington and granting them new trials, the Prosecutor’s Office will not re-try the defendants for the murders of Rodney Turner and Margaret Wilson. This decision was made in consultation with the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability within the Attorney General’s Office.

On January 28, 1995, 35-year-old Turner and 40-year-old Wilson were fatally shot outside the Roosevelt Manor Apartments in Camden. In 1996, Baker and Washington were convicted of murder and other related charges by a jury and sentenced to life in prison. Over the past 25 years, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office has successfully defended the convictions through multiple layers of state and federal appeals. While the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office disagrees with the Appellate Division’s basis for a new trial, the Office respects the decision of the court. Notably, the Appellate Division did not declare Baker and Washington “actually innocent” and did not find error with the initial prosecution of this matter or the majority of the rulings made by the trial court during the trial and post-conviction relief hearings.

In deciding to dismiss, the Prosecutor’s Office considered the totality of the circumstances, including the passage of time and the impact it would have on re-trying the defendants and proving the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Considering our mandate to pursue the interests of justice at all times, retrial after this length of time is not feasible in this particular case.

South Florida Federal Case Reveals Illegal Immigrants Buy, Rent Kids for Easier U.S. Entry

SOUTH FLORIDA–A federal case out of south Florida illustrates the perils of a U.S. policy that facilitates the entry of illegal immigrants with children over those traveling alone. The matter involves a Guatemalan national who obtained false documents in his impoverished Central American country to claim a 12-year-old boy as his son. The 35-year-old illegal alien, Walfre Eliseo Camposeco-Montejo, and his fake son were released by federal authorities as a family unit and remained free until the boy escaped. Camposeco-Montejo eventually pled guilty to providing and obtaining forced labor, alien smuggling and unlawfully transporting aliens. This month he was sentenced to

eight years in prison

for labor trafficking a minor.

Camposeco-Montego and the minor illegally entered the U.S. by crossing the Rio Grande in November 2016, according to the feds. Not coincidentally, there was a huge spike in family units entering the country via the southern border that year. In fact, Judicial Watch

reported

it after obtaining Department of Homeland Security (DHS) figures showing that, in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2016, the number of family units apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol nearly doubled from the previous year. The majority of the illegal border crossers remained in the country under former President Barack Obama’s special refugee and family reunification programs. The Rio Grande Border Patrol sector used by Camposeco-Montego saw an astounding 91% increase in family units the year he crossed it with the boy, according to the government figures.

“Upon their arrest by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, when crossing the border, Camposeco-Montejo lied about being the boy’s father,” according to a Department of Justice (DOJ)

statement

issued this month. “Based upon Camposeco-Montejo’s false representations, he and the boy were released as a family unit and subsequently made their way to Florida.” The Guatemalan illegal alien obtained false identification documents for the boy and forced him to work in south Florida farms for months to repay a debt from the human smuggling operation, according to federal prosecutors. The scheme was exposed because the boy was eventually able to escape and report his smuggler. Authorities say the smuggler promised the boy’s mother he would provide him with an education upon arriving in the U.S.

In the last few years federal agents along the Mexican border have uncovered thousands of similar cases in which illegal immigrants use children to practically assure entry into the U.S. Family units also avoid long-term federal custody. They are known as “fake families.” During

congressional testimony

over the summer, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) explained the situation: “By requiring the release of family units before the conclusion of immigration proceedings, seemingly well-intentioned court rulings and legislation are being exploited by transnational criminal organizations and human smugglers,” Matthew Albence told lawmakers during the July hearing. “These despicable smugglers have created an entire illicit industry with untold millions of dollars being made through the sale, rental, and recycling of children—utilized by unscrupulous adults to pose as family units.”

The word that kids are a ticket into the U.S. has spread like wildfire throughout Central America. The nation’s largest Spanish-language news network, also viewed throughout Latin America, even aired a segment titled

“Children as Passport”

that points out “arriving at the U.S. border with a child in hand has become the best passport for tens of thousands of Central American migrants.” Another major Spanish news conglomerate recently reported that immigrants

buy children for $130

to create fake families that facilitate crossing the border. One Spanish news story reveals that a Guatemalan man

rented

an 8-year-old boy to cross the Lukeville port of entry in Arizona. Throughout Central America and Mexico, a multitude of news reports and social media postings reiterate similar stories.

As a result, there has been a huge—and unprecedented—rise in family units at the southern border. In 2019 there were 473,682 apprehensions of family units, an increase of more than quadruple from the previous year, according to a

report

issued by the Pew Research Center. The nonpartisan think tank describes it as a “big shift from the recent past” in which individual adults far outnumbered family units or unaccompanied children. Family units also represented more than half of all apprehensions in 2019. “The changing profile of those being apprehended has strained the Border Patrol, which follows different legal protocols for detaining family members and single adults,” the Pew report states.

SOURCE

https://www.judicialwatch.org/

Gloucester Township Police Alert: It\’s Tax Time- Avoid The Scams

Thousands of people have lost millions of dollars and their personal information to tax scams. Scammers use the reg

ular mail, telephone, or email to set up individuals, businesses, payroll and tax professionals.

The IRS

doesn\’t

initiate

contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information.

Note that the IRS does not:

Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will first mail a bill to any taxpayer who owes taxes.

Demand that you pay taxes without the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe. You should also be advised of

your rights as a taxpayer

Threaten to bring in local police, immigration officers or other law-enforcement to have you arrested for not paying. The IRS also cannot revoke your driver’s license, business licenses, or immigration status. Threats like these are common tactics scam artists use to trick victims into buying into their schemes.

Here is what the IRS will do:

If an IRS representative visits you, he or she will always provide two forms of official credentials called a pocket commission and a

HSPD-12

card. HSPD-12 is a government-wide standard for secure and reliable forms of identification for federal employees and contractors. You have the right to see these credentials. And if you would like to verify information on the representative’s HSPD-12 card, the representative will provide you with a dedicated IRS telephone number for verifying the information and confirming their identity.

Collection

IRS collection employees may call or come to a home or business unannounced to collect a tax debt. They will not demand that you make an immediate payment to a source other than the U.S. Treasury.

Learn more about the

IRS revenue officers’ collection work

The IRS can assign certain cases to private debt collectors but only after giving the taxpayer and his or her representative, if one is appointed, written notice. Private collection agencies will not ask for payment on a prepaid debit card or gift card. Taxpayers can learn about the IRS payment options on

IRS.gov/payments

. Payment by check should be payable to the U.S. Treasury and sent directly to the IRS, not the private collection agency.

Learn more about how to know if it’s really an IRS

Private Debt Collector

Beware of Impersonations

Scams take many shapes and forms, such as phone calls, letters and emails. Many IRS impersonators use threats to intimidate and bully people into paying a fabricated tax bill. They may even threaten to arrest or deport their would-be victim if the victim doesn’t comply.

For a comprehensive listing of recent tax scams and consumer alerts, visit

Tax Scams/Consumer Alerts

Know Who to Contact

Contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to report a phone scam. Use their “

IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting

” web page. You can also call 800-366-4484.

Report phone scams to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the “

FTC Complaint Assistant

” on FTC.gov. Please add \”IRS Telephone Scam\” in the notes.

Report an unsolicited email claiming to be from the IRS, or an IRS-related component like the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, to the IRS at

phishing@irs.gov

For more information on Tax Fraud Visit:

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/how-to-know-its-really-the-irs-calling-or-knocking-on-your-door

Address/Location

Gloucester Township Police Department

1261 Chews Landing Rd

Gloucester Township, NJ 08021

Contact

Emergency: 9-1-1

Non-emergencies: 856-228-4500

Voorhees K9 Officer Recovers Loaded Firearm/Drugs During Routine MV Stop

VOORHEES TWP. NJ (January 30, 2020)

–At approximately 11:27pm, Voorhees K9 Officer Matthew Buchhofer initiated a motor vehicle stop in the area of Eastwood Drive and Chipley Run with a white Ford F-150 for an equipment violation.

Subsequent Police investigation revealed the driver identified as Donald Money (41) from the 300 block of Blaine Avenue, Berlin, NJ and a front seat passenger identified as Justin Morgan (40) from the unit block of Eastwood Court, Voorhees, NJ. During the course of the stop and subsequent investigation, Officer Buchhofer and his K9 partner Jocko located a loaded .38 caliber special Revolver, hollow point ammunition, schedule II narcotics and narcotic paraphernalia.

Money was charged with possession of narcotic paraphernalia and obstruction of justice. Morgan was charged with Possession of a Schedule II narcotic, Failure to surrender CDS to Police, Possession of Hollow Point ammunition, Unlawful possession of a weapon and Certain persons not to possess weapons. Both individuals were remanded to the Camden County Correctional Facility. This matter is pending in Superior Court in Camden City.

Address/Location

Voorhees Township Police Department

1180 White Horse Road

Voorhees Township, NJ 08043

Contact

Emergency: 9-1-1

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OFFICER DOWN: Corpus Christie Police Officer Alan McCollum Struck/Killed by a Vehicle

Police Officer Alan McCollum

Corpus Christi Police Department, Texas

End of Watch

Friday, January 31, 2020

Corpus Christi, Texas-

-Police Officer Alan McCollum was struck and killed by a vehicle while conducting a traffic stop on Highway 358 near Carroll Lane at 9:30 pm.

He and two other officers were on the scene of the stop when another vehicle struck one of the patrol cars, then struck him and a second officer. Officer McCollum suffered fatal injuries and the other officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Officer McCollum was a U.S. Army veteran and recipient of the Bronze Star. He had served with the Corpus Christi Police Department for almost seven years. He is survived by his wife and three children.

Via

Officer Down Memorial page

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published Gloucestercitynews.net | February 3, 2020

OFFICER DOWN: K9 THORR Killed in a Traffic Accident

THORR

Henry County Police Department, Georgia

End of Watch

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Henry County, Georgia

–K9 Thorr was killed when the patrol car he was riding in collided with a tractor-trailer on I-75 near mile marker 206 in Spalding County.

His and another officer were on patrol and were making a U-turn in a median turnaround. As they entered back into traffic the patrol car was struck by a tractor-trailer. K9 Thorr was killed as a result of the collision. Both officers and the driver of the semi were injured.

K9 Thorr had served with the Henry County Police Department for six months.

Via

Officer Down Memorial page

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published Gloucestercitynews.net | February 3, 2020

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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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