Category: LegacyImport2

Former Jersey City Official Charged with Stealing JCETP Funds

NEWARK, N.J. – The former acting executive director of the Jersey City Employment and Training Program (JCETP) has been charged with embezzling JCETP funds, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.

Sudhan M. Thomas, 44, (photo) of Jersey City, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with embezzling funds from an organization receiving federal funds. Thomas is expected to make his initial appearance on Jan. 9, 2020, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court.

According to the complaint:

Thomas served as JCETP’s acting executive director from January 2019 until his resignation in July 2019. JCETP is a nonprofit organization that operated to assist Jersey City residents to prepare for and enter the work force. JCETP received substantial amounts of its funding from federal grants from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Using his access to JCETP funds and control of JCETP’s bank accounts, from March 2019 through July 2019, Thomas embezzled more than $45,000 from JCETP. Thomas caused checks to be drawn from JCETP accounts that were made payable to others, but ultimately received by Thomas. He also embezzled JCETP funds by issuing JCETP checks made out to cash that Thomas either cashed himself or used to obtain bank checks that Thomas made payable to his entity, Next Glocal, which were deposited into a Next Glocal bank account that Thomas controlled. Thomas used the JCETP funds deposited to Next Glocal’s bank account to pay for his personal expenses, including payments to Thomas’s landlord in Jersey City and airfare and hotel expenses for a trip to Hawaii, and to fund transfers to Thomas’ family trust account.

The count of theft from an organization receiving federal funds carries a maximum potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark; the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General (OIG), under the supervision of Special Agent in Charge Michael Mikulka; and special agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Supervisory Special Agent Thomas Mahoney, with the investigation leading to today’s charges.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tazneen Shahabuddin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee M. Cortes Jr., Chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit, in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

20-003

Defense counsel: Christopher D. Adams Esq., Roseland, New Jersey

ICE: Philadelphia\’s Sanctuary City Title Puts Safety of Public at Risk

ICE arrests 17 criminal aliens on 5-day operation

PHILADELPHIA – Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement\’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia arrested 17 criminal aliens during a 5-day enforcement operation ending Dec. 13.

Five of the criminal aliens apprehended were previously released by the city of Philadelphia due to the sanctuary city policies. The crimes of these individuals ranged from multiple DUIs to possession and intent to distribute Heroin, as well as violating U.S. immigration law.

Arrests include:

A 33 years-old citizen of Ecuador, who has pending criminal charges for DUI and Endangering the Welfare of Children;

A 30 years-old citizen of Honduras, who has been convicted of three separate DUI offenses;

A 53 years-old citizen of the Dominican Republic, who has been convicted Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin;

A 20-year old citizen of Jamaica, who has multiple convictions for Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances and Carrying Firearms without a license;

A 38 years-old citizen of India, who has pending charges of Theft and Receiving Stolen Property

“During this operation, our officers were able to locate and apprehend more than a dozen individuals who have committed crimes in our country, while seeking sanctuary in our cities,” said ICE Philadelphia Field Office Director Simona Flores-Lund. “One-third of these individuals could have been off our streets earlier, however, the city of Philadelphia believes that allowing criminals and drug dealers to roam freely in their communities outweighs cooperating with federal law enforcement.”

ICE focuses its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security. ICE deportation officers carry out targeted enforcement actions every day in locations around the country as part of the agency\’s ongoing efforts to protect the nation, uphold public safety, and protect the integrity of our immigration laws and border controls. These operations involve existing, established Fugitive Operations Teams.

About Detainers

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodges detainers on individuals who have been arrested on criminal charges and who ICE has probable cause to believe are removable aliens. The detainer asks the other law enforcement agency to notify ICE in advance of release and to maintain custody of the alien for a brief period of time so that ICE can take custody of that person in a safe and secure setting upon release from that agency’s custody.

When law enforcement agencies fail to honor immigration detainers and release serious criminal offenders onto the streets, it undermines ICE’s ability to protect public safety and carry out its mission. This negatively impacts public safety and ICE’s efficiency in the apprehension of criminal aliens. Federal immigration laws authorize DHS to issue detainers and provide ICE broad authority to detain removable aliens.

Congress has established no process, requirement, or expectation directing ICE to seek a judicial warrant from already overburdened federal courts before taking custody of an alien on civil immigration violations. This idea is simply a figment created by those who wish to undermine immigration enforcement and excuse the ill-conceived practices of sanctuary jurisdictions that put politics before public safety.

Sanctuary Policies Put Public Safety at Risk

When law enforcement agencies don’t honor ICE detainers, these individuals, who often have significant criminal histories, are released onto the street, presenting a potential public safety threat.

Any local jurisdiction thinking that refusing to cooperate with ICE will result in a decrease in local immigration enforcement is mistaken. Local jurisdictions that choose to not cooperate with ICE are likely to see an increase in ICE enforcement activity, as ICE the agency has no choice but to conduct more at-large arrest operations. A consequence of ICE being forced to make more arrests on the streets is the agency is likely to encounter other unlawfully present foreign nationals that wouldn’t have been encountered had we been allowed to take custody of a criminal target within the confines of a local jail.

Additionally, once these criminals are out on the street, confirming their whereabouts is often time consuming and resource intensive. Many of our arrest targets are seasoned criminals who are savvy about eluding law enforcement.

American Life League Calls for Catholic Response to Murphy\’s $9.5M Bailout of Planned Parenthood

\”Planned Parenthood is a vicious, racist institution whose actions are diametrically opposed to Catholic moral and social teaching\”~

American Life League president Judie Brown

WASHINGTON, D.C. (03 January 2020) —

American Life League president Judie Brown

issued the following statement calling on Bishop James F. Checchio of the Catholic Diocese of Metuchen to impose canonical sanctions against New Jersey’s governor, Phil Murphy:

Planned Parenthood is a vicious, racist institution whose actions are diametrically opposed to Catholic moral and social teaching. For Murphy to shovel $9.5 million of New Jersey’s taxpayer dollars into the maw of the nation’s #1 abortion machine is abhorrent.

Such actions taken by Catholic public figures do more than just scandalize the faithful. They present to Catholics the idea that they too can create their own private version of truth. Such a condition not only coarsens society, but further erodes the authority of the Catholic bishops in the United States who continue to allow pro-abortion public figures, such as Governor Murphy, to profane the Holy Eucharist.

On behalf of the millions of pro-life Catholics whom we represent and the over 70,000 families who support our work, American Life League calls on Bishop James Checchio to take the sad but necessary step of enforcing Canon 915 and formally instructing Governor Murphy that he is not to present himself to Holy Communion.

Catholics need to be bold enough to realize the link between abortion and the Real Presence of Christ. It should be no small wonder that only 1 in 6 Catholics actually believe in the Real Presence when we do so little to defend Christ’s image in the womb.

Bishop Checchio, millions of Catholics across America are looking to you to see whether or not the Real Presence is more than what the world sees. Murphy’s mockery should not be met with silence, but correction. What would St. Thomas Becket do?

American Life League is the nation’s oldest grassroots, Catholic, pro-life organization. Its president, Judie Brown, has led the organization since its 1979 beginning. She has served three terms on the Pontifical Academy for Life—appointed twice by Pope John Paul II and again by Pope Benedict XVI.

Dillion Rodney, of Pemberton Reenlists for Continued Service in NY Army National Guard

LATHAM, NY (01/03/2020)– Major General Ray Shields, the Adjutant General, announces the recent reenlistment of members of the State National Guard in recognition of their continuing commitment to serve community, state and nation as part of the Army National Guard.

Staff Sergeant Dillion Rodney from Pemberton, N.J. reenlisted to continue service with the Battery B, 1-258th Field Artillery.

\”It\’s great to see Soldiers staying in the Army and continuing to serve their State and Nation in the New York Army National Guard,\” Shields said. \”The most important Army asset we have is the individual Soldier. The dedication, skills, and leadership traits they bring to our community and their employers are invaluable.\”

\”By choosing to stay in the Army National Guard they directly contribute to our nation\’s security and to the governor\’s ability to respond to disasters, all while building a bright future for their family through the Guard\’s retirement, education, and health insurance programs,\” Shields said.

For more information about the New York Army National Guard, visit

www.dmna.ny.gov

or

www.1800goguard.com

.

The New York National Guard (New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs) is the state\’s executive agency responsible to the Governor for managing New York\’s Military Forces, which consists of nearly 20,000 members of the New York Army National Guard, the New York Air National Guard, the New York Naval Militia and the New York Guard.

Pittsburg/Scranton Market Lucrative for House Flipping

By Dave Fidlin |

The Center Square

Homebuyers snapping up residential properties and subsequently selling them in short order were able to more than double what they initially paid in two areas of Pennsylvania, according to a recent report.

Researchers with ATTOM Data Solutions, a company specializing in property and real estate records, stated home flippers in the metropolitan statistical areas within Pittsburgh and Scranton were able to sell homes at greater price points in the third quarter of 2019.

The information is included in ATTOM’s

recently released report

on home flipping trends across the U.S.

Home flippers historically have bought and quickly resold homes for a profit, typically after making a series of repairs or improvements to raise the property’s value.

Between July and September, homebuyers who flipped homes and condos in the Pittsburgh area saw overall margins of 132.6 percent, while homebuyers in the Scranton area experienced overall margins of 122.5 percent.

The high flipping yields in the Pittsburgh and Scranton areas bucked a national trend, according to ATTOM researchers, where profit margins in most areas of the country were on the downswing.

The two Pennsylvania metropolitan areas were among eight across the U.S. where home flippers experienced returns on investment of 100 percent or more during the same statistical period. Pittsburgh and Scranton also topped the list.

Other areas of the country with high yields, close behind the two Pennsylvania areas, included Flint, Mich., at 111.2 percent; Cleveland, at 109.8 percent; and Hickory-Lenoir-Morgantown, N.C., at 109.7 percent.

In

a separate report

from the same statistical period, ATTOM researchers also revealed the Pittsburgh area had some of the largest amounts of all-cash purchases for home flipping.

In metro areas with populations of 1 million or more, Pittsburgh ranked third for all-cash purchases, according to the report, clocking in at 77.2 percent.

The metropolitan area with the greatest preponderance of all-cash purchases was Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio, at 79.2 percent, followed by the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MSA, at 78.9 percent.

On the whole, 56,566 single-family homes and condos were flipped across the U.S. in the third quarter of 2019, according to ATTOM’s analysis. The figure represented a 12.9 percent decrease from the previous quarter and a 6.8 percent decrease from the third quarter of 2018.

In a statement, Todd Teta, chief product officer at ATTOM Data Solutions, said the home flipping declines point to narrowing profits across many areas of the country.

“The retreat back to more normal levels of sales comes amid broader market forces that are making it harder and harder for investors to complete the kinds of deals they were getting as recently as last year,” Teta said.

In the ATTOM report, Maksim Stavinsky, co-founder and chief operating officer of Roc Capital, said homebuyers in a number of areas of the country have opted to hang on to renovated properties and rent them, rather than sell them at a loss in the current marketplace.

“We have been seeing a decline in projected and realized profits for borrowers on projects, despite the fact that borrower financing costs have been meaningfully coming down,” Stavinsky said in the report.

published here with permission of The Center Square

JEROME BY DAVE WOLFE

Related:

ARTIST Dave Wolfe

Vol. 6 No. 28 (Jan. 5, 2019)

Editor\’s Note: Each Sunday morning we post a weekly comic strip provided by cartoonist Dave Wolfe. Dave has been drawing since he was 5 years old, he knew he wanted to be a cartoonist at the age of 8. He’s been distributing his comics in school since 3rd grade. (click image to enlarge)

Devitt powers TCNJ women over Rutgers-Camden

EWING, N.J. (Jan. 4, 2020) – Junior forward Shannon Devitt scored a game-high 27 points and sophomore guard/forward Rachel Gazzola added 18 to lead The College of New Jersey women’s

basketball team over Rutgers University-Camden, 66-53, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday afternoon.

The victory snapped the Lions’ two-game losing streak and lifted TCNJ to 7-5 overall and 4-1 in the conference. The Scarlet Raptors fell to 5-5 overall and 0-5 in the NJAC with their fourth straight loss.

TCNJ has won its last five games against Rutgers-Camden and leads the all-time series, 59-12.

The Scarlet Raptors had a quick start, jumping out to a 13-6 lead before TCNJ closed the gap to 15-10 after one quarter. Rutgers-Camden led by as many as five points in the second quarter (23-18) and held a 25-21 advantage before the Lions scored the last five points of the half to take a 26-25 lead into the break. They took the lead for good with 10 seconds remaining in the first half on a jumper by senior forward Jen Byrne.

TCNJ led by as many as 15 points, 66-51, late in the game.

Devitt notched 18 of her game-high 27 points in the second half to power the Lions. In addition to Gazzola, Byrne also finished in double figures, scoring 11 points. Devitt added a game-high four steals and seven rebounds, while Byrnes had a game-high five assists and six boards.

Morgan Heller paced the Lions with nine rebounds, tying for game-high honors with the Scarlet Raptors’ senior guard

Fatimah Williams.

Williams also had 13 points, three assists and three steals.

Sophomore guard/forward

Tamara Johnson

paced the Scarlet Raptors with 14 points, while adding eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. Freshman center

Kayla Newton

notched 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots, tying Devitt for game-high honors in blocks.

Freshman guard/forward

Jalissa Pitts

also added eight rebounds for the Raptors, while collecting eight points.

Rutgers-Camden held a 48-40 advantage off the boards, but also made 20 turnovers to the Lions’ 15. The Scarlet Raptors shot 22-for-64 (34.4 percent) from the floor and 5-for-15 (33.3) from the foul line. TCNJ went 24-for-64 (37.5) from the floor and 10-for-16 (62.5) from the line.

The Scarlet Raptors return to action Monday night with a 6 p.m. non-conference game at Penn State-Abington.

Destin on doorstep of milestone, but Raptors fall to TCNJ men

EWING, N.J. (Jan. 4, 2020) – Rutgers University-Camden senior forward

Isaac Destin

moved to within one point of reaching the 1,000-point milestone, but the Scarlet Raptors lost to The College of New Jersey, 83-65, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference men’s basketball game here Saturday.

The Lions improved to 6-6 overall and 3-2 in the NJAC, while the Scarlet Raptors fell to 4-6 and 1-4.

TCNJ has won its last 10 games against Rutgers-Camden and holds a 67-18 lead in the all-time series.

Destin notched 20 points, aided by 8-for-16 shooting from the floor and a 4-for-7 day from the foul line, to raise his career point total to 999. He should become the 14th player in program history to reach 1,000 points when the Scarlet Raptors play a 7 p.m. non-conference game Monday at Gwynedd Mercy University.

Despite Destin’s fifth game of the season with 20 or more points, the Scarlet Raptors couldn’t counter the TCNJ duo of senior guard Randy Walko and senior forward Ryan Jensen. Walko scored a game-high 32 points, aided by 7-for-11 shooting from three-point range, and added nine rebounds, while Jenson notched 21 points and added five assists.

Walko scored 18 of his points in the second half as TCNJ opened up its 48-40 halftime lead.

Junior guard P.J. Ringel added six assists and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Lions.

Destin paced the Raptors with seven rebounds and a game-high four steals, to go along with his team-high 20 points. Junior guard

Arian Azemi

notched 15 points and added a game-high seven assists, while junior guard

Victor Nyanway

scored eight points and sophomore guard

Keysean Simmonds

added seven. The Raptors received six points apiece from sophomore forward

Jake Petrik

and junior center

Roy Bond.

Rutgers-Camden shot 26-for-65 (40 percent) from the floor and won the turnover battle (17-9), but the Lions’ field goal shooting (27-for-54, 50 percent) included 11-for-28 shooting from three-point range. They also held a 43-28 advantage off the boards.

WINSLOW PD: Have You Hired A & C Cleaning Service? Have You Had Dealings with Casey Spila?

Casey Spila

WINSLOW, TOWNSHIP (January 4, 2020)–Wednesday, December 30, 2019 members of the Winslow Twp Detective Bureau conducted an undercover operation into the sales of stolen sports memorabilia, in excess of $1,000. The items were recently reported stolen during a burglary that occurred in the Sicklerville section of Winslow Township. During that operation Casey Spila of the Sicklerville section of Winslow Township met to sell stolen merchandise to Winslow Township undercover officers .

December 30, Spila was arrested and charged with burglary, receiving stolen property, and theft and released on a summons in accordance with NJ Bail Reform.

During that investigation it was learned that Spila runs A & C Cleaning Services, which she operates throughout the area.

Friday, January 3, 2020

, Spila was arrested again at the We Buy Gold store in Sicklerville, after she was found to be in possession of multiple pieces of stolen jewelry. The Winslow Township PD believes there are additional victims that are unaware that they have been the victim of burglary/theft. The police encourage anyone that has used Spila\’s services to check their valuables and if they believe they are a victim of theft, contact

Winslow Township Police Detective Brian Barrett at 609-567-0700 x1178, in an effort to identify some of the recovered property.

January 3, 2020

Spila was initially charged with receiving stolen property in Winslow Township with additional charges pending in other jurisdictions.

Gloucester Township Police Use PepperBalls to Arrest Armed Man

SICKLERVILLE, NJ –On Thursday January 2, 2020 the Gloucester Township Police Department responded to a home on the 30 block of Santalina Drive in Sicklerville, NJ 08081 to attempt a warrant service on a Mehal Rockefeller. Mr. Rockefeller was observed in the back yard of the property when officers

began to approach he fled into the home.

At this time a command post was established and phone contact was attempted with Mr. Rockefeller by members of our Investigations Bureau and Crisis Negotiation Team. There were numerous phone conversations with Mr. Rockefeller by phone who refused to come outside. In between the phone conversations Mr. Rockefeller had contacted a local police department and threatened to kill officers if they came into the house. Mr. Rockefeller told officers he was armed with a knife and would exit the home. Mr. Rockefeller then repeatedly exited and entered the home holding a knife in his hand while ignoring officers. He was given commands to drop the knife but Mr. Rockefeller refused to comply. An officer with a less lethal Pepperball Launching System was able to deploy several pepperball projectiles causing Mr. Rockefeller to immediately drop the knife allowing officers to approach and safely take him into custody.

There were no injuries to the suspect or any police officer.

Mehal Rockefeller was charged with Hindering Apprehension (DP Offense), Resisting Arrest (4th Degree), Possession of a Weapon (4th Degree), Possession of a Weapon For Unlawful Purpose (3rd Degree), Terroristic Threats (3rd Degree). He was remanded to the Camden County Corrections Facility pending a Central First Appearance in accordance with the New Jersey Criminal Justice Reform Act.

Arrested: Mehal Rockefeller 37 year old male. 30 Block Santalina Drive Sicklerville, NJ 08081