AG Grewal Sues Companies for Selling Large Capacity Ammunition Magazines into NJ

Some Refused To Turn Over Evidence of Prior Sales

Elite Aluminum Complaint

22MODSFORALL Complaint

TRENTON

– Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal today filed suit against two separate out-of-state companies which previously sold illegal large capacity magazines (LCMs) to undercover state investigators in New Jersey, and which have failed to comply with state subpoenas demanding the records of their New Jersey sales.

New Jersey law prohibits the possession and sale of firearm magazines that are capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition. LCMs allow a shooter to fire an unusually high number of bullets at a time, without requiring the shooter to even pause and reload. As a result, violence that involves LCMs can result in more shots fired, persons wounded, and wounds per victim than other gun attacks.

Although both Elite Aluminum of Holly Hill, Fla., and 22Mods4All of Longwood, Fla., appear to have discontinued sales of LCMs into New Jersey after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from Attorney General Grewal, both companies have refused to turn over documents showing their prior sales into the state, despite receiving a subpoena.

This investigation predates, and is unrelated to, the attack in Jersey City last week.

“Large capacity magazines are illegal in New Jersey, which is why I’m continuing to file suits against LCM companies that sell their products to our consumers,” said Attorney General Grewal. “The companies we’re going after today have repeatedly stonewalled and withheld evidence from investigators, despite a subpoena. These lawsuits serve as yet another warning to the industry: hide the extent of your unlawful sales from our investigators, and we will see you in court.”

“New Jersey banned the possession and sale of LCMs because of their devastatingly lethal capacity, and because of the role such products have played in tragedy after tragedy around the country,” said Division of Consumer Affairs Acting Director Paul R. Rodríguez. “Not only do we allege that these companies put New Jersey residents at risk by selling dangerous, illegal weapons into the state, exposing purchasers to criminal liability, they have now failed to comply with our investigation. These two sellers have had ample warning and time to cooperate. Their time has run out, and we’re taking them to court.”

Filed in Superior Court in Essex County, the State’s lawsuits against Elite Aluminum and 22Mods4All each include two counts. The first count addresses alleged violations of the Consumer Fraud Act that occurred when the companies offered and sold LCMs to New Jersey buyers despite the fact that possessing an LCM is a fourth-degree crime in New Jersey punishable by up to 18 months in prison and fines of up to $10,000. The second count centers on the failure of both sellers to comply with a subpoena for records documenting their sales activities in New Jersey dating back five years.

The sales information was first requested in cease-and-desist letters sent to both vendors by Attorney General Grewal on January 7, 2019.

The Elite Aluminum cease-and-desist letter came in the wake of the company’s sale and delivery of eight 30-round LCMs to an undercover Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) detective through three separate transactions in 2018.

The 22Mods4All cease-and-desist letter came in the wake of the company’s sale and delivery of nine 30-round LCMs to an undercover DCJ detective in two separate transactions, also in 2018.

Attorney General Grewal’s letters called on Elite Aluminum and 22Mods4All to stop advertising, selling and/or shipping LCMs to New Jersey. Both appear to be complying with that portion of the letter, as revealed by subsequent undercover efforts to purchase LCMs from both vendors in 2019.

However, the cease-and-desist letters to Elite Aluminum and 22Mods4All also called on each to provide details of past sales of LCMs to any New Jersey address since January 1, 2014, which would allow the State to identify the extent of the companies’ LCM sales and alleged legal violations.

After neither company complied with the demand for information in Attorney General Grewal’s cease-and-desist letters, the Division issued a subpoena to 22Mods4All in July 2019, and to Elite Aluminum in August 2019.

Neither company has complied with the subpoena. 22Mods4All did not respond at all, while Elite Aluminum failed to supply the demanded documents.

Today’s lawsuit is not the first action by Attorney General Grewal to protect New Jersey residents from illegal firearm products and gun violence filed this year. Among other things, in June, Attorney General Grewal filed suit against a Nevada company – New Frontier Armory – after it ignored a cease-and-desist letter and allegedly sold six LCMs to an undercover state investigator, including a 100-round magazine, a 30-round magazine and a 15-round magazine.

And earlier this year – on March 22 – Attorney General Grewal filed suit against James Tromblee, Jr., owner of the California-based “ghost gun” company U.S. Patriot Armory. The lawsuit alleged that U.S. Patriot Armory violated the State’s Consumer Fraud Act by continuing to advertise, market, and offer for sale ghost guns to New Jersey residents. (Ghost guns are partially-assembled firearms sold with the parts needed to create a fully-operational gun – and often even with the instructions on how to do so.) That same month, Attorney General Grewal announced criminal charges against individuals trafficking ghost guns into the state.

FACE OF DEFENSE: Coast Guard swaps summer buoys with seasonal winter buoys on Chesapeake Bay

BALTIMORE — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter James Rankin has finished replacing the summer buoys with seasonal winter buoys on the Chesapeake Bay, Friday.

Throughout the month of December the crew replaced 66 summer buoys and removed the Francis Scott Key buoy in preparation for the winter season. The seasonal buoys are kept in until late February or early March.

Ice and snow have the potential to damage, displace and submerge the large summer buoys, which would leave the channel unmarked and could create a substantial hazard to mariners. Displaced buoys could misguide boaters, which might result in groundings or allisions with partially-submerged buoys.

“The summer hulls run the risk of snow and ice attaching to the cages above the water, which would pull the buoys under the ice, under the water and create a significant hazard to navigation for passing ships,” said Chief Warrant Officer Christopher Runt, aids to navigation officer at Sector Maryland-National Capital Region. “Winter hulls are designed to ride better in the ice and don’t have surfaces for the ice to attach to.”

The James Rankin is a 175-foot Keeper-class buoy tender homeported at the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore.

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published Gloucestercitynews.net | Dec. 24, 2019

The World Lottery Association Recertifies New Jersey Lottery

for Level 4 Responsible Gaming Certification

TRENTON (Dec. 20, 2019) – In 2016, the New Jersey Lottery was only the third state lottery in the nation to be awarded a World Lottery Association Responsible Gaming Level Four Certification, the highest level of international recognition in the

gaming industry. The Lottery has been recertified by the World Lottery Association in 2019 for continued efforts to incorporate responsible gaming best practices into its every day operations.

The World Lottery Association Responsible Gaming Principles and Framework Certification Program outlines lotteries\’ level of commitment to corporate social responsibility and responsible gaming. New Jersey Lottery received the recertification of its Level 4 distinction for its commitment to continued review and ongoing development of extensive responsible gaming efforts.

“I am proud of New Jersey Lottery’s efforts to incorporate responsible gaming messages into all areas of communication and our work toward continued enhancements of the Responsible Play Program,” said New Jersey Lottery Acting Executive Director James A. Carey, Jr. “We are pleased that the extensive review by the World Lottery Association of our responsible gaming initiatives and continued commitment has earned the New Jersey Lottery recertification of the prestigious Level 4 Responsible Gaming Certification.”

THREE KINGS CELEBRATION JAN. 6

CAMDEN CITY, NJ

January 6th from 2 PM to 5 PM at the Kroc Center for food, live music, and gifts for the children for the Three Kings Day Celebration. This event is presented by the Camden County Board of Freeholders, Camden County Department of Constituent Services Office of Hispanic Affairs.

For further info please call (856) 225-5312.

The Salvation Army Kroc Center

1865 Harrison Avenue, Camden, NJ, 08105, United States

Monday, Jan 6th, 2020 @ 2:00 pm

–

5:00 pm

(VIDEO) Be on the Lookout for the Spotted Lanternfly

TRENTON, NJ (December 2019)–The State of New Jersey is warning the public once again about the dangerously invasive spotted lanternfly. It has been found in Camden, Cape May, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Burlington, Salem, Somerset and Warren counties. State officials say that Cape May and Gloucester counties are among the newest additions to the list.

Spotted Lanternfly Background

• Detected on September 22, 2014 in Berks County Pennsylvania

• Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) is a plant hopper, Lycorma delicatula (white) belonging to the family Fulgoridae in the order Hemiptera (true bugs).

• Makes use of over 70 different plant species, including fruit trees, ornamental trees, woody trees, vegetables, herbs and vines. Strongly prefers the invasive “Tree of Heaven”

Damage

• Like most hemipterans, SLF feeds on plants using their sucking and piercing mouthparts to extract plant sap.

• Adults and nymphs feed on phloem tissues of young stems with their piercing and sucking mouthparts and excrete large quantities of liquid (honeydew).

• Feeding creates weeping wounds

• Honeydew facilitates the growth of sooty mold

• Weeping Sap attracts activity from hymenopteran such as wasps, hornets, ants, bees etc.

• Impacts quality of outdoor life for everyone

MORE INFORMATION HERE

A BLESSED CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

\”Among the many gifts that we buy and receive, let us not forget the true gift: To give each other something of ourselves, to give each other something of our time, to open our time to God. In this way Anxiety disappears, Joy is born, and the Feast is created. \”

~ Pope

Benedict XVI

Thank you for your support

and

loyalty over the past year…..

from all of us

CNBNews

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Bill & Connie Cleary …

Gloucestercitynews.net since 2006

SPECIAL STATE INVESTIGATOR/ACTING CAMDEN COUNTY DETECTIVE PROMOTED TO SERGEANT

CAMDEN CITY NJ–On

December 23, 2019

, Special State Investigator/Acting Camden County Detective Michelle Chambers-Larsen was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. Sergeant Chambers-Larsen began her law enforcement career in 1995 as a Probation Officer. Later, in 2001, Sergeant Chambers-Larsen was hired by the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and assigned to the Grand Jury Unit. During her 18 years at the CCPO, Sergeant Chambers-Larsen has proven herself to be a dedicated and diligent detective, working hard each day to serve the citizens of Camden County. Sergeant Chambers-Larsen has become a very well-rounded detective through her wealth of experience in many units throughout the CCPO, including the Special Prosecution’s Unit, Child Abuse Unit, Major Crimes Unit, Intelligence Unit and the Domestic Violence Unit.

Sergeant Chambers-Larsen will now be assigned to the Domestic Violence Unit. Congratulations to Sergeant Chambers-Larsen. Thank you for your tireless efforts on behalf of the CCPO. Shown here from left to right are Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer, Special State Investigator/Acting Chief of Detectives Jeffrey Dunlap, Special State Investigator/Acting Camden County Detective Sergeant Michelle Chambers-Larsen, Special Deputy Attorney General/Acting First Assistant Prosecutor Mary Ellen Murphy and Chief of Staff Mike Mangold.

Released Tuesday, December 24, 2019.

Carlos Alejandro Tariche, 22, of Edgewater, Charged with Threatening to Kill Federal Agents

NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergen County, New Jersey, man was arrested this morning after using his Twitter account to threaten to kill agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Carlos Alejandro Tariche, 22, of Edgewater, New Jersey, was arrested by agents of U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and charged by complaint with one count of interstate communications containing threats to injure. He is scheduled to appear this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court.

According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On Dec. 11, 2019, Tariche used one of his Twitter accounts to post threats to ICE agents: “We need to kill all ICE agents.” He also posted: “Why can’t mass shootings occur at @ICEgov buildings them mfs need to get smoked.” Tariche also used his Twitter account to compare his feelings to that of Elliot Rodger, the individual who carried out a mass shooting at Isla Vista, California, murdering six people and shooting 14 others. Tariche also posted on Twitter: “You might’ve heard I paint houses,” a phrase that refers to murdering people and that was recently popularized by the movie, “The Irishman,” which depicts a mafia hitman.

Law enforcement officers were able to link Tariche to his Twitter account through an investigation of his social media accounts and the locations from where he logged onto his Twitter accounts.

The charge of interstate communications containing threats carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gain or loss from the offense.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of HSI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s charge.

The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kendall Randolph of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark.

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

Lawmakers in Harrisburg Take Aim at Special Funds

By Dave Lemery |

The Center Square

HARRISBURG, PA–To Eileen Norcross, special funds in state budgets have the effect of disguising spending, concealing from the public what state government is actually doing with public dollars, which she calls “fiscal evasion.”

Norcross is vice president of policy research at the Mercatus Center, a free-market oriented public policy research center at George Mason University. She spoke late last week at a news conference in Harrisburg focused on a package of legislation designed to rein in spending.

“The proliferation of special funds are not unique to Pennsylvania, but their growth may be a sign of weak spending discipline,” she said. “The effect is to diminish budget transparency and to give both policymakers and the public a false sense of the true amount of spending, public policy priorities and the taxes necessary to support those programs.”

She noted that Pennsylvania’s total budget spending has grown from $56 billion in 2006 to $84 billion today, a rate of growth that she blamed on special funds.

“The practice of off-budget accounting or the creation of special funds can be problematic, effectively creating a shadow budget that isn\’t subject to the same legislative oversight, debate or rules that apply to the general fund,” she said. “The outcome is a two track general fund budget in which the general fund appears to be flat or declining, while the overall budget grows.”

Rep. Dawn Keefer, R-Dillsburg, is introducing a piece of legislation that would begin to address Norcross’s concerns. House Bill 1991 would ban the creation of new special funds within the budget, which Keefer said is timely because there are currently efforts ongoing to continue creating new special funds.

“The way we have our budget layered with all of these different shenanigans of how to shift money around from one fund to another, or from the general fund to offline spending, is a false sense of our financial picture, and we have completely evaded any kind of accountability that our taxpayers deserve,” Keefer said. “We need to get our fiscal house in order.”

Also introduced at the news conference was Rep. Andrew Lewis’s House Bill 1990, which would establish a Council on State Finances made up of administration officials and lawmakers of both parties to work on the annual state budget process in the open, instead of the current process that takes place behind close doors.

Rep. Tim O’Neal’s House Bill 1989, meanwhile, would dictate that surplus funds at the end of each fiscal year would automatically be deposited into the state’s rainy day fund. O’Neal noted that Pennsylvania lawmakers have received praise for adding $300 million to the rainy day fund this year, but he said that amount was nowhere near sufficient.

“The reality is, with the current budget in the rainy day fund, the Commonwealth can only operate for 3½ days,” O’Neal said. “We are on the verge of financial peril. And this is in one of the best economies that any of us have seen in our lifetime.”

Acting as emcee at the news conference was Rep. Seth Grove, R-York, the chairman of the House’s new Government Oversight Committee. He introduced House Bill 1988 to return 17 special funds with $2.08 billion back to the general fund, and he said that the four bills were key to the state becoming more responsible with taxpayer dollars.

“This financial reform package of legislation will reduce the state borrowing, improve our credit rating and strengthen the commonwealth rainy day fund,” he said. “These four common sense reforms are smart and innovative solutions House Republicans have been championing.”

published here with permission of The Center Square

One Jersey Cash 5 Ticket Wins $140,963 Jackpot in Ocean County

TRENTON (Dec. 24, 2019) – One lucky ticket matched all five numbers drawn winning the $140,963 Jersey Cash 5 jackpot from the Monday, Dec. 23, drawing. The winning numbers were: 10, 22, 23, 25 and 40 and the XTRA number was: 04. The retailer will receive a bonus check for $2,000 for the winning ticket sold. That ticket was sold at Jay’s Food Mart, 358 Herbertsville Rd., Brick in Ocean County.

Acting Executive Director James Carey announced that there were 286,462 tickets purchased for the drawing. By adding XTRA, for an additional $1.00 per play, winners are able to multiply their non-jackpot prizes by the XTRA number drawn. For correctly matching four of the five numbers drawn, 39 ticketholders won $543 each and 13 others won $2,172 each with the addition of XTRA. Moreover, for correctly matching three of the five numbers drawn, 1,789 ticketholders won $14 each and 355 others won $56 each with the addition of XTRA. Lastly 4,456 ticketholders each won $2 for correctly matching two of the five numbers drawn with the addition of XTRA on their purchase.