Category: CNB CRIME

Dept. of Justice News: Casino Cheaters Caught

Dealer and Player Conspired to Cheat two Maryland Casinos out of More Than $1 Million

After just a few hours of playing baccarat at a Maryland casino in September 2017, Chenguang Ni headed home to New York with more than $850,000 in winnings.

The odds of winning any given hand of baccarat stand at just under 50 percent. But Ni and his tablemates won an astounding 18 of 21 hands—including one run of 14 straight wins.

The next day, the casino called the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office. Ni had cheated, they believed, and one of their dealers had likely helped him. But the dealer they suspected, Ming Zhang, denied any involvement when questioned by the casino.

“The casino knew there had been cheating,” said FBI Special Agent Jason Bender of his investigation of the case. “What wasn’t known was exactly how the player did it.”

Baccarat games are played with eight decks of cards. The dealer—called the banker—typically spreads the cards on the table to show the players that they are standard decks, shuffles them, and then places them into a holding container for play.

The banker then deals two cards to the player position and two cards to the bank position. A player bets on whose hand will come closest to nine—the player or the banker—or if they will tie. There is only a single player hand no matter how many players are at the table, and extra cards are dealt out only under certain prescribed circumstances.

A player who knew the order of the cards in the deck could predict the outcome of each game with absolute accuracy. The casino concluded that Ni must have known the order of the cards.

“The casino knew there had been cheating. What wasn’t known was exactly how the player did it.”

Jason Bender, special agent, FBI Baltimore

By reviewing the casino’s surveillance footage and conducting interviews, FBI agents confirmed that Ni had convinced the other gamblers at the table to follow his lead that night. These unwitting accomplices were given money by Ni and told to bet along with him and then hand over their winnings at the end of the game.

Soon after, the casino dealer confessed to his role in the scheme. Zhang, who worked at two Maryland casinos, admitted he met with Ni over the summer of 2017. The two men agreed that Zhang would alert Ni of his upcoming shifts as a dealer at the casinos. He further agreed to not shuffle a section of cards in the baccarat deck after they had been fanned in front of players.

Ni found a way to use his phone to take images of the cards as they were fanned out. “Then he and the other gamblers he recruited would sit there for a while, playing smaller bets just to move the cards along and keep their seats,” Bender explained. During this time, Ni excused himself from the table on several occasion to go to the bathroom to review the images of the deck.

Bender said that Ni didn’t have to memorize each card in the unshuffled section of the deck but only needed to recognize the sequence of cards that would signal the unshuffled cards had come up. “Then he just needed to remember the either/or sequence of the bets—as in player, banker, player, player,” Bender said.

Investigators learned the pair had also carried out a similar plan at another casino where Zhang previously worked, and the take from that casino was nearly $200,000.

By the time agents came to Ni, their evidence was strong. Ni pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport stolen funds and was sentenced to 13 months in prison. Because Ni is not a legal resident of the United States, his case will be referred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement after he has served his sentence.

The dealer, Zhang, was fired from the casino and sentenced to 18 months in federal prison in December 2019. He was also given three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution equal to the full amount of the illicit winnings.

In total, investigators found the pair cheated the casinos of $1,046,560.

Bender explained that although these casinos are big business, a portion of the casino’s profits go into the Maryland education trust fund. “Part of that revenue belongs to the state of Maryland, and part of the theft affects state education funding,” he said.

He also warned would-be cheaters: “You should assume you will be caught.” Bender said that the casinos usually detect cheating while the player is still at the table. “But even if you walk out, the evidence of the crime is going to be captured.”

In other words, the odds are overwhelmingly against you.

Resources

Former Casino Dealer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Participating in a Cheating Scheme

Pemberton Man Charged with Sexual Assault of Two Minors

Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Pemberton Township Police Chief David H. Jantas announced that a 54-year-old man was arrested today on charges of sexually assaulting two young girls at his residence in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township.

Carlos Aponte, of the first block of Homestead Drive, was charged with two counts of Sexual Assault (Second Degree) and two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Second Degree).

Aponte was taken into custody this morning at the Prosecutor’s Office in Mount Holly and lodged in the Burlington County Jail pending a detention hearing in Superior Court.

The investigation revealed that Aponte was acquainted with the victims. In an effort to protect their identities, no further information about the assaults will be released.

Aponte will be prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Eife, supervisor of the BCPO Major Crimes Unit – Special Victims Section. The investigation was conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Pemberton Township Police Department. The lead investigators are BCPO Lt. Daniel Leon and Pemberton Township Police Detective Joshua Danka.

All persons are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Alert Neighbor Contacts Police To Report Vehicle Burglars

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ–The Gloucester Township police report on January 15, 2020 at approximately 4:12 am, an alert neighbor noticed two suspicious males walking in the unit block of Marcia Ct. in the

Blackwood section of town.  They contacted police who quickly responded and set up a perimeter.  Shortly after, officers located two males walking on Morningstar Ct. and ordered them to stop.  The males fled and one juvenile male was apprehended after a foot pursuit through several yards.  The other male is believed to be an adult and remains at large.  Several vehicle burglaries were found and the juvenile male was charged with each, processed and released to a parent.  The investigation is continuing and detectives are using our new Camera Registry to help identify residences with surveillance video. Several videos are being viewed which may have already revealed possible video evidence to help detectives ID the second male. The investigation is continuing.

Residents are reminded to always lock their vehicles and refrain from leaving valuables in the open.  Most of the vehicle burglaries reported to Gloucester Township Police are of unlocked vehicles.

If anyone has additional information or knowledge of these burglaries, please contact the Gloucester Township Police Department at 856-228-4500 or call GTPD Anonymous Crime Tip Line: 856-842-5560.

To send an Anonymous Tip Via Text Message to Gloucester Township Police, text the keyword TIP GLOTWPPD and your tip message to 888777.

You may also click here to access our Anonymous Web Tip page:   https:local.nixle.com/tip/alert/5170177

TerrAscend Issued Permit to Grow Medical Marijuana

Eighth Alternative Treatment Center Statewide Permitted to Grow

Boonton Township NJ

–The New Jersey Department of Health today issued a permit to TerrAscend in Boonton Township to begin growing medical marijuana. The permit was issued after a comprehensive review including several site inspections, background checks of

its corporate officers and a review of its security operations and cultivation facility.

“The Department is committed to providing greater access to this therapy for patients,” said New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli.  “TerrAscend is the fourth Alternative Treatment Center to receive a permit to grow product in the northern region of the state.”

After product has been tested by the state laboratory and the dispensary is operational and inspected by the Medical Marijuana Program (MMP), a second permit will be issued to operate and dispense as an Alternative Treatment Centers (ATC). TerrAscend will operate their dispensary in Phillipsburg.

Once TerrAscend receives its permit to dispense, the MMP will notify the patients and caregivers by email of the opening date.

TerrAscend is the second ATC to receive a cultivation permit among the awards made by the MMP in December 2018. In December 2019, the MMP

issued

cultivation and dispensing permits to GTI, which opened Rise dispensary in Paterson that same month.

TerrAscend officials hope the dispensary is permitted and able to begin dispensing medical marijuana to registered patients and caregivers in the spring.

“We are honored to receive our cultivation permit after meeting the rigorous requirements and operating procedures by NJ DOH,” said Jason Ackerman, Executive Chairman of TerrAscend. “TerrAscend is committed to compliance, quality and safety and we look forward to bringing high-quality, trusted brands from TerrAscend’s portfolio to medical-use patients in New Jersey.”

There are seven Alternative Treatment Centers currently dispensing medical marijuana: Greenleaf Compassion Center of Montclair, Compassionate Care Foundation of Egg Harbor, Garden State Dispensary of Woodbridge and Union Township, Breakwater Alternative Treatment Center of Cranbury, Curaleaf NJ, Inc. in Bellmawr, Harmony Dispensary in Secaucus and Rise in Paterson.

Participation in the program continues to grow.  There are more than 66,200 patients, 2,500 caregivers and 1,092 physicians participating in the program.

Patients and caregivers can visit the

MMP\’s website

if they choose to change their preferred ATC. The change can also be made by calling the Customer Service Unit of the MMP at 609-292-0424 and does not require changing ID cards.

Patients can refer to the

FAQ section

of the MMP website for additional information. The 474 active physicians enrolled in the program are listed by county and medical specialty.

New Jersey residents interested in registering for the MMP can click

here

.

For more information about TerrAscend, visit

https://nj.terrascend.com/

Follow the New Jersey Department of Health on

Twitter

@njdeptofhealth,

Facebook

/njdeptofhealth,

Instagram

@njdeptofhealth and

Snapchat

@njdoh.

For more information, visit our homepage at

nj.gov/health

.

Lauren M. Dorff, of Villas Sentenced on First Degree Drug Induced Death Charges

Cape May Court House, New Jersey

– Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland announced the sentencing of Lauren M. Dorff, 32 years old of Villas, New Jersey on first degree Drug Induced Death Charges.

On January 9, 2020, Dorff was sentenced in Atlantic County Superior Court to eight years in New Jersey State Prison for the drug induced death of Eric Nolan which occurred on July 21, 2018. Dorff is subject to the No Early Release Act.

A co-defendant in this investigation, Susan E. Mazzone, a 44 year old resident of Cape May Court House, New Jersey was previously sentenced to seven years in State Prison for the first degree charge of Drug Induced Death. Mazzone is also subject to the No Early Release Act. Both Dorff and Mazzone were sentenced by the Honorable Bernard E. Delury Jr., Presiding Judge of the Superior Court.

Prosecutor Sutherland stated that his office as well as all law enforcement agencies throughout Cape May County will aggressively investigate and prosecute those who engage in the distribution of CDS, especially those individuals who distribute CDS which results in the death of another.

Prosecutor Sutherland would like to recognize the investigative efforts of the officers and detectives involved in this investigation along with Senior Assistant Prosecutor Edward Shim who prosecuted this case.

Prosecutor Sutherland continues to urge the citizens of Cape May County to report information regarding any criminal activity within community and that this information can be reported anonymously through the Cape May County Sheriffs Tip Line at cmcsheriff.net and click on anonymous tip, or through the Cape May County Crime Stoppers at 609-465-2800, or the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-465-1135.

Community Reformers Call on DPRA Members to Investigate Questionable Land Dealings

CAMDEN CITY, NJ (January 17, 2020)(Gloucestercitynews.net)-

-Community reformers jammed the Delaware River Port Authority meeting on Wednesday calling on the governors of New Jersey and Pennsylvania

to investigate the connection of the DRPA board members with political

Sue Altman, state director of New Jersey Working Families was dragged from a hearing in Nov. where George E. Norcross III testified he did not manipulated New Jersey’s controversial tax incentive program for his benefit (photo courtesy of

The Philadelphia Inquirer)

power broker George Norcross III.

The

Philadelphia Inquire

r reported the progressive political groups specifically cited the two parcels of land that the agency sold or optioned for development projects in Camden.

“It is time for a full accounting of the facts and to clean house in an agency that has acted for too long as a tool of special interests,\” wrote leaders of the two groups, New Jersey Working Families and Pennsylvania Working Families, in a letter addressed to Govs. Phil Murphy and Tom Wolf on Wednesday.

The groups also made that request in person Wednesday morning, when about a dozen activists filed into the DRPA’s 11th-floor conference room in Camden.

Seven of them addressed the agency’s board, composed of members appointed by the governors of both states.

“There are people on the DRPA board, certainly on the New Jersey side … with very, very strong political connections and financial connections to a political machine that, in our opinion, prioritizes the lining of its own pockets and corporate interests over the interests of the public dollar and of public opinion,” said Sue Altman, state director of New Jersey Working Families.

The letter follows

an Inquirer article

, published last month, that detailed how South Jersey political power broker George E. Norcross III came to acquire a three-acre parking lot near the Camden waterfront. Both the DRPA and the Camden Redevelopment Agency held rights to the land, which was appraised at $2.3 million.

The DRPA’s interest in the land was appraised at $800,000, and in 2016 the agency sold the parcel for that amount to Liberty Property Trust, the onetime developer of a major waterfront project fueled by a controversial state tax-credit program. Liberty later sold the land to Norcross and his business partners for $350,000 according to

The Inquirer.

(read more)

Related:

DOWN WITH TYRANNY! DOWN WITH \’KING\’ GEORGE NORCROSS-cnbnews.net

CNBNEWS POINT OF VIEW: Our Elected Officials Need to Remember Who They Represent

DNREC Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Blotter: Jan. 6-12

Reminder for the week: Save these dates for 2020

DOVER (Jan. 17, 2020) – DNREC’s Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police promote fish and wildlife conservation and boating and public safety through outreach, education, and law enforcement actions that increase public compliance with laws and regulations. From Jan. 6-12, officers made 1,287 public contacts and responded to 63 complaints regarding possible violations of laws and regulations or requests to assist the public.

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources in the Community

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers discussed their role and reviewed safe hunting practices, hunting laws, and what to expect when checked by an officer in the field with attendees of a Hunter Education Class held at the Little Creek Hunter Education Training Center.

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Actions

Officers issued a total of 37 citations involving various violations for the purposes of:

Wildlife Conservation:

Setting traps without required permanent tag, failure to check antlerless deer within 24 hours, hunting migratory waterfowl without required federal waterfowl stamp, and trespass to hunt.

Public Safety:

Possession, purchase, ownership, or control of a deadly weapon by a person prohibited,operating a motor vehicle without insurance*, driving without using headlights, possession of marijuana – civil*, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Other:

Trespassing after hours on a state wildlife area*, damaging state property on a wildlife area*, operating an unregistered motor vehicle on a state wildlife area*, operating a motor vehicle off an established roadway on a state wildlife area*, operating a motor vehicle without registration in possession*, driving with a suspended or revoked license, driving with an expired license, and possession of alcohol on a state forest

.

*Includes citation(s) issued at the C&D Canal Conservation Area and associated

Michael N. Castle Trail

.

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife recognizes and thanks the majority of anglers, hunters, and boaters who comply with Delaware’s fishing, hunting, and boating laws and regulations. The public can report fish, wildlife, and boating violations to the Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police by calling 302-739-4580 or using the free smartphone DENRP Tip app downloaded from the Google Play Store or iTunes App Store. Wildlife violations can be reported anonymously to Operation Game Theft by calling 800-292-3030, going online to

http://de.gov/ogt

, or using the DENRP Tip app; Verizon customers can connect to Operation Game Theft directly by dialing #OGT.

Are you AWARE?

DNREC’s Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police remind the public to save the following 2020 dates for events that promote and provide opportunities for family outdoor recreation:

Annual Youth Fishing Tournament – Saturday, June 6, 2020

National Fishing and Boating Week – June 6-14, 2020

More information will be provided closer and prior to the events.

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Follow Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police on Facebook,

https://www.facebook.com/DEFWNRPolice/

.

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Follow Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police on Twitter,

https://twitter.com/DE_FW_NRPolice

.

N.J. Working Families Demands Criminal Investigation Following Release of EDA Report

(

January 17, 2020)–N

ew Jersey Working Families State Director Sue Altman (photo)released the following statement in response to yesterday’s task force report:

“The task force’s new report unearthed a staggering level of corruption unprecedented in New Jersey history. George Norcross,

his brothers and his companies conspired to cheat taxpayers of hundreds of millions of dollars – and they did it with the full cooperation of the Christie administration and legislative leaders.

“This is Trenton at its worst. Norcross lied to the Legislature, and no one dared ask him hard questions or hold him accountable.

“It’s time for law enforcement to step in and provide justice for New Jersey taxpayers. If politicians could be charged for taking cash out of coffee cups, then political insiders who robbed taxpayers of hundreds of millions of dollars need to ex

VOORHEES MAN ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

VOORHEES, NJ–Lafayette Adams, 46, of Voorhees, was charged with one count of Possession of Child Pornography and two counts of Possession of CDS, according to Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer and Voorhees Police Chief Louis Bordi.

On January 15, 2020, detectives from the High-Tech Crimes Unit (HTCU) of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and Members of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Cherry Hill Office executed a search warrant for Lafayette Adams’s residence on the 200 block of Echelon Road in Voorhees. An onsite preview of digital media devices found in the home resulted in Adams being charged. Numerous digital devices were taken to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office’s HTCU forensic lab to be further analyzed.

Lafayette Adams was transported to the Voorhees Police Department, where he was processed and released pending further court proceedings.

The Voorhees Police Department, Lower Camden County Emergency Response Team and a New Jersey State Police (NJSP) Electronic Storage Detection K9 assisted the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office HTCU Detectives and HSI-Cherry Hill in this investigation.

The investigation is ongoing.

All persons charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Amish Patel, 31, of Delanco Sentenced for 2018 Willingboro Double Fatal Collision

Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced that a Delanco man was sentenced today to 12 ½ years in New Jersey state prison for causing the deaths of a married couple during a collision two years ago in the jug handle at Route 130 and Bridgeboro Road in Willingboro Township.

Amish Patel, 31, must serve 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole. The sentence was handed down in Superior Court in Mount Holly by the Hon. Philip E. Haines, J.S.C.

Patel pled guilty in November to two counts of Vehicular Homicide (Second Degree) and Driving While Intoxicated for the deaths of Robert Stephens, 52, and his wife Janet, 50, of Burlington Township, on January 13, 2018. He acknowledged in court that he had been drinking and at the time of the accident was traveling at a speed of more than 100 miles per hour.

The investigation revealed that at approximately 4:30 p.m., the Stephens’ minivan was stopped in the jug handle waiting to cross Route 130 onto Bridgeboro Road when Patel, who was traveling northbound on Route 130, lost control of his BMW 440, entered the jug handle and crashed into the minivan.

The force of the impact propelled the minivan over the guardrail and down an embankment, where it submerged into a body of water that is part of Olympia Lakes. Autopsies revealed that both victims had drowned.

“Our thoughts are with the friends and family members of Mr. and Mrs. Stephens, who spoke so beautifully today about what special and selfless people they were,” Prosecutor Coffina said. “This tragedy is made all the worse by the fact that it was entirely avoidable. There is absolutely no justification for anyone who is intoxicated to get behind the wheel.”

Patel was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Josh Dennis, supervisor of the BCPO Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit, and Assistant Prosecutors Douglas J. Bligh and Brandon Almeida. The collision was investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Willingboro Township Police Department. Assistance was provided at the scene by the Delran Township Police Department, Edgewater Park Township Police Department and the New Jersey State Police. The lead investigators were BCPO Detective Michael Reagan and Willingboro Township Police Detective Ed Walker.