Operation on the Ropes: One of New Jersey’s Largest THC/Marijuana Edible Seizures

Illegal Products Manufactured in Manalapan, Monmouth Airport Facilities

FREEHOLD – A yearlong investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics and Criminal Enterprise Unit targeting a large-scale marijuana and THC distribution network operating throughout Monmouth, Ocean, and Bergen counties as well as parts of New York resulted in charges being filed against 24 men and women. One California man remains at-large and is considered a fugitive from justice, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

The investigation, dubbed

Operation On The Ropes

uncovered a scheme to secretly convert legitimate candies, including the popular Nerds Rope and Sour Patch candy brands, to an illegal THC-infused product. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the substance that creates most of marijuana’s “high.”

Operation On The Ropes

culminated with the execution of over a dozen search warrants in Monmouth, Ocean, and Bergen counties resulting in the seizure of approximately 21,000 packages of candy infused with suspected THC, 1,100 lbs. of suspected marijuana, and over 6,000 flavored THC vape cartridges, all with an estimated street value of $1.9 million.

“The network operators used regular candy to further their scheme, buying hundreds of boxes of product from wholesalers before transporting it to a processing facility where they would unwrap the individual pieces of candy, lay it out on trays and then spraying the candy with a concentrated formula of THC distillate. Once the THC dried on the candy it was repackaged as an illegal marijuana edibles product for distribution across New Jersey,” explained Gramiccioni.

The illegal operation utilized a warehouse on Park Avenue in Manalapan Township and a hangar at Monmouth Executive Airport in Wall Township as production and storage facilities. The approximate 21,000 pieces of candy were manufactured with unknown amounts of THC and totals over 100,000 individual doses. The THC products that were processed were then intermingled with THC products that the network operators illegally trafficked into New Jersey from a supplier in California. The THC products have an estimated street value of nearly $900,000.

“The packaging on this THC laced ‘candy’ is almost indistinguishable from regular drug store candy. Your kids may be getting high right before your eyes, if you are not paying close attention. This illegal operation makes juveniles and anyone who consumes these products susceptible to random levels of drug toxicity,” said Monmouth County Chief of Detectives John G. McCabe.

Also seized were machines and paraphernalia used to repackage and repurpose the legitimate candies as marijuana-related edible products. The investigation did not reveal use of the airport to transport any of the illegal drugs to other areas inside or outside of New Jersey.

– more –

Seized during the investigation were 1,200 THC-infused Sour Patch Watermelon candy packages labeled, “Stoner Patch” edibles; 6,250 “Baked Burgerz” edibles; 3,111 TCH-infused “Nerd Ropes,” individually repackaged in red, pink, yellow and blue wrappers. Also seized were 1,151 Tic Tac-type containers without labels; numerous boxes and trays of Nerd Ropes in various stages of the infusion process; and 6,542 THC vape cartridges in a variety of 16 different flavors.

“The operation used their own wrappers and labels to repackage the drug-infused candy. There were no sanitary measures taken, no safety apparatus, and there were certainly were no standards in place to ensure the product was not contaminated. Consumers of these products had no way of knowing exactly what they were ingesting,” said Middletown Township Police Chief Craig Weber, President of the Monmouth County Chiefs Association.

A total of $10,151,711 in assets, $1,483,859 in cash, and 21 high-end exotic vehicles, including cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley, Rolls Royce, and Mercedes Benz, with an estimated total value of approximately $2,783,445, were also seized as part of the criminal investigation.

Numerous agencies assisted in this investigation. Prosecutor Gramiccioni commended all of the agencies whose combined cooperation and partnership complimented the successful completion of

Operation On The Ropes

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force of New York and New Jersey, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection of the Port of New York and Newark International Airport, U.S. Postal Inspection Service;

New Jersey State Police, New Jersey State Police – Regional Operations & Intelligence Center (ROIC), New Jersey Department of Treasury, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the Office of the New York District Attorney – Richmond County, the Office of New York District Attorney’s Office – Rockland County, and the 123 Precinct of the New York City Police Department;

Aberdeen Police Department, Asbury Park Police Department, Belmar Police Department, Brick Township Police Department, Colts Neck Police Department, Eatontown Police Department, Elmwood Park Police Department, Freehold Borough Police Department, Freehold Township Police Department, Howell Township Police Department, Jackson Township Police Department, Keansburg Police Department, Keyport Police Department, Lodi Police Department, Long Branch Police Department, Manalapan Township Police Department, Marlboro Township Police Department, Middletown Township Police Department, Old Bridge Police Department, Neptune City Police Department, Neptune Township Police Department, Spring Valley (New York) Police Department, Tinton Falls Police Department, and Wall Township Police Department.

Arrested and charged in

Operation On The Ropes

Dylon J. Addvensky, 27, of Freehold Borough

, first degree Leader of a Narcotics Trafficking Network, second degree Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana in Excess of 25 pounds, first degree Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and/or Hashish in Excess of 25 pounds, first degree Knowingly Maintaining and Operating a Facility for the Production of Marijuana, and fourth degree Possession of Marijuana and/or Hashish in Excess of 50 Grams.

Eric L. Karlewicz, a/k/a Anthony Mazza 40, of Colts Neck

, is charged with second degree Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana in Excess of 25 pounds, first degree Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana in Excess of 25 pounds, and fourth degree Possession of Marijuana in Excess of 50 grams.

– more –

Nicco C. Romanowski, 27, of Freehold Township

, second degree Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana in Excess of 25 pounds, first degree Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana in Excess of 25 pounds, and fourth degree Possession of Marijuana in Excess of 50 grams.

Anthony Dalessandro, 30, of Los Angeles, California

, is charged with second degree Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana in Excess of 25 pounds, first degree Possession of Marijuana and/or Hashish with Intent to Distribute, first degree Maintaining and Operating a Facility for the Production of Marijuana, and fourth degree Possession of Marijuana and/or Hashish in Excess of 50 Grams. D’Alessandro remains at-large and is considered a fugitive from justice.

Ariel Baez, 45, of Lodi, New Jersey

, first degree Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana in Excess of 25 pounds, and fourth degree Possession of Marijuana in Excess of 50 grams.

Mathew R. Caracappa, 24, of Freehold Township

, second degree Conspiracy, first degree Possession of Marijuana and/or Hashish in Excess of 25 pounds, first degree Knowingly Maintaining and Operating a Facility for the Production of Marijuana and/or Hashish, and fourth degree Possession of Marijuana and/or Hashish in Excess of 50 Grams.

Lawrence A. Cella, 28, of Jackson Township

, is charged with second degree Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana and/or Hashish, first degree Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and Hashish, first degree Maintaining and Operating a Facility for the Production of Marijuana and hashish, and fourth degree Possession of Marijuana and/or Hashish.

Richard C. Chamas, 43, of Jackson Township

, is charged with a disorderly persons offense of Obstruction of the lawful arrest of Paul G. Hobbs, who is listed below.

Lee D’Avanzo, 52, of Staten Island, New York

, is charged with fourth degree Conspiracy to Possess Marijuana, fourth degree Possession of Marijuana in Excess of 50 grams.

Nicholas A. D’Ambrosio, 28, of Manalapan

, third degree Possession of Cocaine and a disorderly persons offenses of Possession of Marijuana Under 50 grams.

Alfonse D’Ambrosio, 26, of Howell Township

, is charged with third degree possession of Anabolic Steroids, fourth degree Resisting Arrest, fourth degree Possession of Examestane without a Prescription,

Angelynn J. Fecso, of Colts Neck

Matthew V. Filosa, 28, of Freehold Borough

, is charged with second degree Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana and/or Hashish in Excess of 25 pounds, first degree Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and/or Hashish in Excess of 25 pounds, first degree Maintaining and Operating a Facility for the Production of Marijuana and/or Hashish fourth degree Possession of Marijuana and/or Hashish in Excess of 50 grams.

Paul G. Hobbs, 27, of Jackson Township

Ryan D. Hult, 39, of Riverdale in Morris County, New Jersey

, is charged with second degree Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana and/or Hashish in Excess of 25 pounds, first degree Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and/or Hashish in Excess of 25 pounds, and fourth degree Possession of Marijuana and/or Hashish in Excess of 50 grams.

Jason M. Lambros, 21, of Point Pleasant Beach

, is charged with disorderly persons offenses of Possession of Marijuana Under 50 grams and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Joseph A. Mari, 28, of Voorhees Township in Camden County, New Jersey

, is charged with second degree Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana and Hashish, second degree Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and Hashish, and fourth degree Possession of Marijuana and Hashish.

Gianna P. Mazzone, 23, of Egg Harbor Township

, is charged with third degree Possession of Cocaine and a disorderly persons offenses of Possession of Marijuana under 50 grams.

John T. Page, 25, of the Mickleton section of Greenwich Township in Gloucester County, New Jersey

, is charged with second degree Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana and Hashish, first degree Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and Hashish, first degree Maintaining and Operating a Facility for the Production of Marijuana and hashish, and fourth degree Possession of Marijuana and Hashish.

Hannah R. Olstein, 25, Freehold Township

, is charged with fourth degree Possession of Marijuana Under 50 grams and a disorderly persons offense of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Daniel J. Riley, 25, of Brick Township

, second degree Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana and/or Hashish in Excess of 25 pounds, first degree Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and/or Hashish in Excess of 25 pounds, first degree Maintaining and Operating a Facility for the Production of Marijuana, and fourth degree Possession of Marijuana and/or Hashish in Excess of 50 grams

Kevin M. Shields, 31 of Jackson Township

, is charged with second degree Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana and Hashish, first degree Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and Hashish, and fourth degree Possession of Marijuana and Hashish.

Alexa L. Stimpfel, 27, of Freehold Borough

, is charged with fourth degree Possession of Marijuana Under 50 grams.

Matthew C. Tracy, 27, of Jackson Township

, is charged with fourth degree Conspiracy to Possess Marijuana and Hashish, and fourth degree Possession of Marijuana and Hashish.

There is an ongoing investigation into the financial activities of the criminal enterprise. Anyone with information about the activities of any of the defendants listed above or any of the following companies Empire Pain Center, Empire Power and Gas Holdings, Global Empire International Holdings, Supreme Lead Generations, Platinum Communication Services, Platinum Funding Associates, Jenza Properties, LLC, Dynasty Property Holdings are urged to contact Captain Maria Reverendo of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, at 1-800-533-7443.

Anyone who feels the need to remain anonymous but has information about a crime can contact Monmouth County Crime Stoppers confidential telephone tip-line by calling 1-800-671-4400; can text “MONMOUTH” plus their tip to 274637; or, they can email a tip via the website at www.monmouthcountycrimestoppers.com.

Anyone convicted of a first degree crime faces a sentence of 10 to 20 years in a New Jersey state prison. Anyone convicted of a second degree crime faces a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison. If convicted of a third degree crime, each defendant faces three to five years in state prison. If convicted of a fourth degree crime, each defendant faces up to 18 months in state prison.

The case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutors Paul Alexander and Emily Cartmell.

Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.

(Video) NEWS 24 SPECIAL REPORT : THE HISTORY OF STEPHEN SWEENEY & GEORGE NORCROSS

In the video below NEWS 24 Special Report looks into the friendship between Stephen Sweeney and George Norcross that began when the two were youngsters.

Stephen M. Sweeney

(born June 11, 1959) is an American executive and

Democratic Party

politician who currently serves as the

President of the New Jersey Senate

. He has served in the

New Jersey Senate

since 2002, where he represents the

3rd Legislative District

. He has been the President of the New

Jersey Senate since January 12, 2010. A Union

Ironworker

by trade, Sweeney is frequently described as a political power broker in New Jersey politics.

George E. Norcross, III

(born March 16, 1956) is an American businessman and a

Democratic Party

organiser and power broker in

New Jersey

Norcross is executive chairman of Conner Strong & Buckelew, an insurance brokerage firm. He is chairman of the board of trustees for Cooper University Health Care System and

Cooper University Hospital

both in

Camden, New Jersey

, and has served as a trustee since 1990. He led the effort to create the

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University

and to partner with

MD Anderson Cancer Center

to create the MD Anderson Cooper Cancer Center, which opened in 2013.

[1]

Norcross has been a prominent political leader in New Jersey for more than 30 years, since before he became chairman of the Camden County Democratic Committee in 1989, a position he held until 1993. For many years, he has been named one of the most powerful non-elected political figures in New Jersey by the website

PolitickerNJ.com

[2]

[3]

From 2014 through 2019,

[4]

he was named one of New Jersey\’s most powerful people by NJBiz.com.

[5]

He is regarded as New Jersey\’s most powerful unelected leader.

[6]

Norcross is a member of the

Democratic National Committee

. He also belongs to

Mar-a-Lago

, the club owned by United States President

Donald Trump

[7]

source Wikipedia

******

SENATE, No. 2173 with Senate Floor Amendments(Proposed by Senator WEINBERG)

ADOPTED: JANUARY 9, 2020

The Senate floor amendments authorize an exemption from mandatory immunization requirements for a child or student who has a sibling who experienced a vaccine injury. To qualify for the exemption, the child or student will be required to submit to the Department of Health documentation of a final determination of vaccine injury issued through the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration in the United States Department of Health and Human Services or a final judgment issued by a court of competent jurisdiction that includes a finding of vaccine injury. Documentation of the department’s approval of a sibling vaccine injury exemption will be submitted to the school or child care center by the child or student, or by the child or student’s parent or guardian, if the child or student is a minor.The amendments allow nonpublic child care centers, preschool programs, elementary and secondary schools, and institutions of higher education to adopt a policy authorizing the admission of children and students who are not in full compliance with mandatory immunization requirements and who do not meet the requirements for a medical or sibling vaccine injury exemption, provided that the facility requires each child or student enrolled in the child care center, preschool program, school, or institution of higher education, or the child’s or student’s parent or guardian if the child or student is a minor, to sign an acknowledgement form, at the time of enrollment, that sets forth the facility’s policy with regard to admitting children or students who are not in full compliance with mandatory immunization requirements and indicates the immunization rates for the facility for the prior academic year. The child care center, preschool program, school, or institution of higher education will additionally be required to prominently post its policy concerning the admission of children or students who are not fully immunized and the facility’s immunization rates for the prior academic year at each entrance to the facility. The Commissioner of Health will be required to adopt rules and regulations concerning the format of acknowledgement forms used by nonpublic schools for this purpose.A child or student who is not in compliance with mandatory immunization requirements who seeks to attend the child care center, preschool program, school, or institution of higher education will be required to provide the facility with written notice of which specific immunization requirements the child or student is not in compliance with and sign a form that states that the child or student, or the child or student’s parent or guardian, as applicable, understands the risks and benefits of vaccination and acknowledges that the child or student may be excluded from attendance in the event of the occurrence of a communicable disease or condition or threat of a communicable disease or condition.The committee amendments restore language in the New Jersey Immunization Information System law that was deleted by prior amendment concerning who may access the system, and instead delete a provision of current law providing that an agency, organization, or other entity authorized to access information in the NJIIS may not use any report made by a healthcare provider in any punitive manner against the provider.

source

TRACK BILL

The Top 5 New Jersey Lottery Prizes of 2019

TRENTON (Dec. 31, 2019)

– New Jersey Lottery is closing out 2019 and looking to celebrate its 50

anniversary in 2020. More than 40 prizes over $1,000,000 were won in 2019! Here’s a quick look at the top five prizes won by New Jersey players in 2019.

1: $273,000,000 – Mega Millions

The Mega Millions drawing on March 1, 2019, produced a $273,000,000 jackpot winning ticket in Phillipsburg, Warren County. The prize was claimed by Michael Weirsky of Alpha, New Jersey. Michael almost missed the opportunity with his ticket when he temporarily forgot it at the store after purchasing the ticket. A Good Samaritan at the store held the ticket for safe keeping and returned it to Michael – all before the drawing took place.

2: $9,500,000 – Pick-6

The Pick-6 drawing on September 30, 2019, produced a $9,500,000 jackpot winning ticket in Newark, Essex County. As of now, the ticket has not yet been claimed. The lucky ticketholder will have one year from the date of the drawing to claim their prize. The winning numbers were 14, 22, 26, 29, 36 and 48.

3 & 4: $5,000,000 – Lucky 7’s

Two lucky New Jersey players hit it big with the $5,000,000 Lucky 7’s Scratch-Offs game. The first ticket was claimed in May, and was purchased at the Quick Shop in Franklin Lakes, Bergen County. The second ticket was claimed just two months later in July, and was purchased at Oprandy’s Wine & Liquor in Englewood, Bergen County.

5: $4,500,000 – Pick-6

The Pick-6 jackpot was hit in 2019 for the first time on February 25 in Kearny, Hudson County. The ticket was claimed by Stanley McKelvin of Linden, who was overwhelmed when he realized he won. \”I don\’t want to sound cliché, but they say all you need is a dollar and a dream, and it\’s true,\” Stanley said.

Honorable mentions:

A 200X The Money Bonus ticket worth $4,000,000, sold in Cedar Grove, was claimed in October.

A $3,000,000 Cash Out jackpot-winning ticket, sold in Vineland, was claimed in February.

Another $3,000,000 Cash Out jackpot-winning ticket, sold in Cape May, was claimed in September.

New Jersey Lottery would like to congratulate all of its winners in 2019. We are looking forward to our 50

Anniversary in 2020 and the new winners the year may bring.

Using Elaborate Fraud Scheme Gang Stole Over $3 Million from Various Banks

Only in New Jersey!!!

Three defendants pleaded guilty to third-degree charges and were sentenced to probation. Five defendants were admitted into the Pre-Trial Intervention Program and had their charges dismissed ~

CNBNews editor

TRENTON

–Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that a fourth leader was sentenced to state prison today in connection with an elaborate fraud scheme in which the participants used fictitious identities to obtain credit cards and open bank accounts that they used to steal approximately $3 million from various banks. A total of 14 defendants were charged in the joint state and federal investigation.

Aqeel Sheikh, 58, of Newark, N.J.

, was sentenced today to seven years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Candido Rodriguez Jr. in Union County. He pleaded guilty previously to charges of conspiracy and money laundering. Another ringleader was sentenced last month.

Naim Tahir, 51, of Clark, N.J.,

was sentenced on Nov. 15 to seven years in prison by Superior Court Judge Robert Kirsch. He also pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and money laundering.

Two additional leaders of the scheme were sentenced to prison earlier this year by Judge Rodriguez as a result of the investigation.

Shaikh Dawood, 61, of Cranford, N.J.

, pleaded guilty to second-degree theft by deception and was sentenced to eight years in prison on March 8, 2019.

Mohammad Zaman, 46, of Staten Island, N.Y.

, pleaded guilty to second-degree theft by deception and was sentenced to five years in prison on Feb. 1, 2019. A fifth defendant,

Hassan Shahbaz, 46, of Jersey City, N.J.

, pleaded guilty to first-degree charges of conspiracy and money laundering. He faced a recommended sentence of eight years in prison, with three years of parole ineligibility, but he was deported prior to sentencing.

Deputy Attorney General Thomas Huynh and former Deputy Attorney General Brian Faulk took the guilty pleas, and DAG Huynh handled the sentencing hearings for the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Cyber Crimes Bureau. The defendants were charged in an investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, New Jersey Office of Homeland Security & Preparedness, U.S. Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and New Jersey Department of the Treasury’s Office of Criminal Investigation. Those agencies were assisted by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, Union County Sheriff’s Department, Clark Police Department, Secaucus Police Department, and Jersey City Police Department.

“This type of credit card fraud involving stolen and false identities imposes huge costs on the financial services industry and ultimately on consumers,” said Attorney General Grewal. “We are committed to working with the industry and our state and federal partners to investigate and aggressively prosecute these crimes.”

“This was a complex case involving hundreds of fraudulent credit cards and millions of dollars in transactions,” said Director Veronica Allende of the Division of Criminal Justice. “I commend the attorneys and detectives in our Financial & Cyber Crimes Bureau and all of the agencies that partnered with us to skillfully investigate this criminal ring and secure prison sentences for its leaders.”

“This complex sort of scheme of credit card fraud harms both commerce and consumers and nationwide results in billions of dollars in financial losses yearly,” said Brian Michael, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Newark. “In this case, all of the underhanded maneuvering of the defendants was no match for the cooperative efforts of law enforcement that exposed the scheme and delivered justice.”

“This investigation is an excellent example of a partnership between state and federal law enforcement agencies, working together to bring down a sophisticated bank fraud network,” said USPIS Inspector In Charge James V. Buthorn. “I fully commend the hard work put forth by all of the agencies involved, which resulted in bringing this group of fraudsters to justice. Postal Inspectors will continue to tirelessly investigate these types of financial crimes that utilize the U.S. Postal Service to facilitate illicit activities.”

“This elaborate scheme harmed not only the financial services industry, but also the integrity of the Social Security number as an identifier,” said John Grasso, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, New York Field Division. “I want to thank the Attorney General’s Office and our Federal and State law enforcement partners for pursuing this investigation and dismantling the scheme. We will continue to work with other agencies to prevent the misuse of Social Security numbers for personal gain.”

“A criminal enterprise of this scale and sophistication speaks to the modern challenges of protecting consumers and financial institutions from fraud,” said N.J. State Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio. “Treasury is proud to have contributed to this successful effort and we stand ready to continue working with our state and federal partners to ensure that perpetrators of similar financial schemes are brought to justice.”

Three other defendants – Rilvan Junaid, Mohammad Shakeel and Mohammad Khan – pleaded guilty to third-degree charges and were sentenced to probation. Five defendants – Aqeel Ahmed, Shama Musir, Faisal Mushtq, Shakeela Ahmed, and Huda Ahmed – were admitted into the Pre-Trial Intervention Program and had their charges dismissed. One defendant, Muhammad Bhatti, 68,

remains a fugitive.

The defendants created “synthetic” identities by pairing stolen Social Security numbers with fictitious names and birth dates, using them to open numerous checking and credit card accounts. They opened the accounts online to avoid face-to-face interaction with the financial institutions. Tahir was primarily responsible for creating the synthetic identities and applying for the bank accounts and credit cards, using personal identifying information supplied by Zaman.

Bad checks were deposited into the bank accounts so they could be used to make payments on the credit cards, which temporarily inflated the lines of credit on the cards. In addition, funds were withdrawn from the bank accounts via ATM and U.S. Postal Money Order Purchases before the bad checks were discovered. The defendants ultimately “busted out” the credit cards by running up the unpaid balances until they reached or exceeded the credit limits.

The scheme included a group of “merchants,” led by Shahbaz and Sheikh, who in many cases ran shell businesses set up solely to participate in the fraud. Under the direction of Dawood and other defendants, the merchants swiped the fraudulent credit cards using point of sale terminals and received reimbursement from credit card processing companies via wire transfer, while never actually providing any merchandise or services. The defendants split the proceeds. The bank accounts of the shell companies also were used to launder the proceeds of the scheme, with checks being written from one company to another as if they were conducting business.

Shahbaz, Sheikh, and Dawood set up USA United Trading, a business owned by Shahbaz that was opened for the sole purpose of defrauding financial institutions. USA United Trading held itself out as a carpet retailer, with a store front in Jersey City. USA United Trading conducted approximately $1.2 million in fraudulent credit card transactions.

The investigation began when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) received a referral from Wells Fargo Bank about a bad check case the bank was investigating. USPIS enlisted agents of the Social Security Administration and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations in Newark, who in turn enlisted the state agencies.

Former Deputy Attorney General Anthony Torntore presented the case the state grand jury for the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Cyber Crimes Bureau. The lead investigators were Special Agent Bradley E. Greenberg of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations; Postal Inspector Brian Macdonald; former Lt. Harry Maronpot, former Detective Katelyn Prata, and former Detective James Gallo of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice; Special Agent Kristie Morgan of the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General; and former Special Agent Matthew Henderson of the New Jersey Department of the Treasury’s Office of Criminal Investigation.

Defense Attorneys:

For Sheikh: Gregory S. Mullens, Esq., Calcagni Kanefsky LLP, Newark, N.J.

For Tahir: Luis O. Diaz, Esq., New York, N.Y.

New Jersey Department of Health Reminds Residents It’s Not Too Late To Vaccinate

National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is December 1-7, 2019

The New Jersey Department of Health is reminding residents to get their annual flu vaccine as part of National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW). While flu vaccination is recommended before the end of October, NIVW was established to remind people that getting vaccinated can be beneficial through the holiday season and beyond.

“As the holiday season is beginning, increased travel and close family gatherings can create a great opportunity for illnesses to spread,” Acting Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said. “Getting vaccinated now can help protect yourself and your loved ones.”

For millions of people every season, flu means a fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, fatigue and miserable days spent in bed. Millions of people get sick, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized, and thousands to tens of thousands of people die from flu each year.

There is a vaccine that can help reduce the risk of flu and its potentially serious complications. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a yearly flu vaccine to everyone six months of age and older as the first and most important step in protecting against seasonal flu viruses.

Certain people at greater risk for serious complications if they get sick with the flu:

Children younger than 5 years old, but especially children younger than 2 years old

People 65 years of age and older

Pregnant women and women up to 2 weeks after the end of pregnancy

American Indian and Alaskan Natives

People who have medical conditions such as asthma, heart disease, and diabetes

“Flu vaccine also has been shown to save children’s lives, prevent serious events associated with chronic lung disease, diabetes and heart disease, and prevent flu-related hospitalization among adults and older adults,” Persichilli said. “Getting vaccinated isn’t just about keeping you healthy; it’s also about helping to protect others around you who may be vulnerable to becoming very sick, such as infants, older adults, and pregnant women.”

Flu vaccines are safe, effective and offered in many locations including doctor’s offices, clinics, health departments, urgent care centers, and pharmacies. Click

here

for general flu information and to find a flu shot near you.

The Department has two ongoing initiatives to promote flu prevention. The

New Jersey Influenza Honor Roll

recognizes institutions that are striving to promote influenza prevention at their facilities. It is open to four categories of honorees: business, community-based partners, education, and healthcare facilities. In addition, the Department is challenging students at 10 participating colleges and universities to engage in a friendly competition to improve flu vaccination coverage on their campuses through the

New Jersey College & University Challenge

For more information about NIVW, visit the CDC’s website

here

Sweeney Says Murphy is Playing Politics with Critical School Funding

Senate President: Governor doesn’t realize his proposed $1B tax hike wouldn’t put a penny into overfunded districts under bill he signed into law

TRENTON

– Senate President Steve Sweeney today blasted the Governor for playing politics on critical school funding issues by calling for a $1 billion tax increase that would do nothing to help districts facing Adjustment Aid cuts.

“It is disappointing to see the Governor demagogue the critical issues of school funding and property tax fairness in order to call for an unrelated $1 billion increase in the sales tax and the millionaire’s tax,” Senator Sweeney said.

“What is more inexcusable is the Governor doesn’t even acknowledge his proposed $1 billion tax hike wouldn’t put a penny into overfunded districts under the school funding bill he signed into law 15 months ago,” Senator Sweeney said. “Any increase in state funding for schools would go to the overwhelming majority of school districts that are underfunded by more than $1.7 billion, not to the Adjustment Aid districts that would be helped by my plan for cap relief.”

Senator Sweeney’s 2018 school funding reform law restored fairness to the 10-year-old School Funding Reform Act by eliminating the growth caps that kept 72 percent of schoolchildren in underfunded districts – urban, suburban and rural – from getting the state aid they deserved, while establishing a seven-year phase-out of Adjustment Aid payments to school districts for students they no longer have.

On Saturday, Senator Sweeney announced that he was developing legislation that would provide cap relief to school districts facing Adjustment Aid cuts that were spending below the adequacy level established by the School Funding Reform Act – and affirmed by the state Supreme Court – as needed to provide the “thorough and efficient” education guaranteed by the 1947 New Jersey Constitution.

“We need to ensure that students do not suffer in districts that are now taking cuts after receiving more than their fair share of state aid for more than a decade,” Senator Sweeney said. “The new law will give school boards in these districts the ability to make up for past years when they had no incentive to provide their Local Fair Share because the Adjustment Aid windfall they were getting gave them no reason to do so.”

Senator Sweeney noted that the legislation signed into law by the Governor already gave the 31 former

Abbott

districts the ability to exceed the 2 percent cap if they were spending below adequacy, and required any school district facing Adjustment Aid cuts and spending below adequacy because it was not providing its Local Fair Share to raise school property taxes by 2 percent a year.