Three Dogs Found Dead in Toms River, Owner Allegedly Abandon The Animals

LACEY TOWNSHIP—Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Lacey Township Police Chief Michael DiBella announced today that Allissa DeStefano, 29, (photo)of Toms River, has been arrested and charged with three counts of Animal Cruelty in violation of

N.J.S.A. 4:22-17c(2).

During the evening hours of November 11, 2019, the Lacey Township Police Department responded to a residence in Lacey Township for a report tha

t dogs had possibly been abandoned in the residence. Upon arrival, the officers determined that the house was indeed abandoned, and the remains of three dogs were discovered. An investigation by Detectives from the Lacey Township Police Department and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office revealed that DeStefano was responsible for the care of the dogs and had abandonded them in the residence, which resulted in their deaths. DeStefano was arrested without incident, and processed at the Lacey Township Police Department. She was released on a Summons pending a future court date.

Prosecutor Billhimer and Chief DiBella extend their gratitude to the Lacey Township Police Department and Detective Bureau as well as Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office for their fine cooperative work in connection with this investigation.

The public and the media are reminded that all defendants are innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Senator Booker\’s Marijuana Provisions Pass House Judiciary Committee

2017 Booker bill provided framework for MORE Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. –

Three key

marijuana provisions designed to reverse decades of failed drug policy and first introduced by

U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) passed the House Judiciary

Committee today: record expungement, reinvestment in the communities most harmed by the War on Drugs, and removing marijuana from the list of deportable offenses.

Booker’s

Marijuana Justice Act

, originally introduced in 2017, was the first congressional bill to incorporate record expungement and community reinvestment with marijuana legalization. This legislation along with a

Booker provision

to remove marijuana from list of deportable offenses provided the framework for the

Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019

(MORE) passed by the House today.

“This is a significant tipping point. The Committee passage of this bill is an important step towards reversing decades of failed drug policy that has disproportionately impacted communities of color and low-income individuals. These draconian laws have sacrificed critical resources, violated our values, destroyed families and communities, and failed to make us safer,”

Senator Booker said. “

This legislation continues us down the path towards justice and I’m excited to see momentum growing around the movement to fix our nation’s broken drug laws.”

Background on Booker’s leadership on issues of marijuana and criminal justice:

Booker has seen the effects of our broken marijuana laws first-hand, dating back to his time as a tenant lawyer, City Council member, and Mayor of Newark, where he created the city’s first office of prisoner re-entry to help formerly incarcerated individuals reintegrate into their communities. He is the author of the landmark

Marijuana Justice Act

, which would end the federal prohibition on marijuana, automatically expunge the records of those convicted of federal marijuana use and possession crimes, and reinvest resources into the communities most impacted by the failed War on Drugs through a community fund. Since

introducing the bill in 2017

, Booker has garnered support from Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Ed Markey (D-MA).

In the Senate, Booker was an outspoken

critic of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ effort to revive the failed War on Drugs

. More recently, he pressed Attorney General William Barr on his stance on marijuana legalization and the rescission of the Cole memo, winning a

commitment

from Barr to leave states alone that have legalized marijuana.

In addition to the Marijuana Justice Act, Booker is the co-author of the

bipartisan CARERS Act

, which would allow patients to access medical marijuana in states where it’s legal without fear of federal prosecution, and the

bipartisan REDEEM Act

, which would allow nonviolent drug offenders to petition a court to seal and expunge their drug offenses, while automatically sealing, and in some cases

expunging criminal records

, the nonviolent records of juveniles. These reforms would reduce a major barrier that formerly incarcerated individuals face when attempting to rejoin society. He is also a co-sponsor of the

Fair Chance Act

, which prohibits the federal government and federal contractors from asking about the criminal history of a job applicant prior to a conditional offer of employment. Earlier this year, the Fair Chance Act

passed

out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the House Oversight and Government and Reform Committee. In June, Booker

introduced

legislation to remove marijuana from list of deportable offenses.

Maple Shade Used Car Dealer Faces Criminal Charges

Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Maple Shade Police Chief Christopher Fletcher announced that a Maple Shade used car dealer has been charged with altering temporary license plates that were provided to

customers in an effort to conceal the fact that he sold vehicles for which he did not have possession of the title of ownership.

Gavry Nelson, 36, of Medford Lane in Willingboro, was charged with two counts of Forgery (Third Degree) and two counts of Tampering (Fourth Degree). He was also issued a summons for placing counterfeit license plates on a motor vehicle.

Arrangements are being made for Nelson to surrender himself to the Maple Shade Police Department to be processed on the charges. The case will then be prepared for presentation to a grand jury for possible indictment.

The investigation began after a Maple Shade Police Department patrol officer pulled over a vehicle for having a temporary license plate with an altered expiration date.

The investigation revealed that Nelson, the owner of The Automotive Outlet at Route 38 and Stiles Avenue, was selling vehicles he had obtained at auctions even though he was unable to take possession of the title because the vehicles had liens placed on them.

Nelson did not disclose to the buyers that he was selling a vehicle without possession of the title. In attempt to cover his actions, Nelson would repeatedly provide the purchasers with new temporary license plates that had been altered to extend the expiration date. His failure to secure the titles meant that those who purchased the vehicles were unable to register them with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, which has opened an investigation into Nelson’s actions.

Consumers who suspect they have been victimized by this business are asked to call the Maple Shade Police Department at 856-234-8300.

The lead investigators on the case are Maple Shade Patrol Officers Justin Jericho and Anthony King.

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

Cinnaminson Drug Dealer Charged with Causing Death of Palmyra Customer

Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Palmyra Borough Police Chief Scott Pearlman announced that a Cinnaminson drug dealer was arrested

today for causing the death of a customer who fatally overdosed during the summer on heroin that she sold to him earlier that day.

Colleen Wedge, 29, of the 700 block of Foxcroft Drive in Cinnaminson, was charged with Strict Liability for Drug-Induced Death (First Degree), Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (Third Degree), Distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (Third Degree) and Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin (Third Degree).

Wedge surrendered this morning at the Palmyra Borough Police Department. The case will now be prepared for presentation to a grand jury for possible indictment.

The investigation began after officers from the Palmyra Borough Police Department were called to a house on West Fifth Street on August 9 for an unattended death. Upon arrival, they discovered the body of a 31-year-old male on the floor of his bedroom. Empty baggies of heroin were found in the bedroom.

The investigation revealed that Wedge had sold heroin to the victim on numerous occasions, including four bags on the day of his fatal overdose for which he paid $50.

An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood concluded the cause of death was heroin and fentanyl toxicity.

Wedge will be prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Jeremy Lackey. The investigation was conducted by the Palmyra Borough Police Department and the BCPO Gang, Gun and Narcotics Task Force, with assistance from the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit.

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

Six Philadelphia Women Sentenced For Fraudulent Tax Refund Scheme

PHILADELPHIA (November 2018)(CNBNewsnet)– First Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced today that six Philadelphia women, several of whom are sisters and cousins, have been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay restitution for their role in a scheme to defraud the United States through the filing of false claims for tax refunds.

The six defendants all pleaded guilty and admitted to engaging in a scheme to present false federal income tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), in order to generate fraudulent federal income tax refunds. Dozens of false tax returns were filed with the IRS, often using names and social security numbers stolen from individuals who were unaware their personal identifiers were being used to perpetrate the fraud.