Bethlehem Man Convicted In 2020 Election Fraud Case; Woman Charged In NJ, PA Voting Case: DOJ
A Bethlehem man has been convicted of casting ballots in two states during the 2020 presidential election, while a separate election fraud case involving a Philadelphia woman remains pending, federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday, March 4.
Matthew Laiss, 32, was found guilty at trial of voting more than once in a federal election and voter fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Laiss had been registered to vote in Ottsville, Bucks County, from October 2012 until August 2020, prosecutors said. That month, he moved to Frostproof, Florida,…
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Deported Maryland Father, Indicted After Unexpected US Return: Reports
"Maryland Man" Kilmar Abrego Garcia is coming home — only to face criminal charges, according to multiple reports.
Abrego Garcia, who has become a national flashpoint following his mistaken deportation to an El Salvador super-prison, is heading back to the US, reports state.
However, he will face criminal charges for allegedly transporting undocumented migrants in the US upon his return.
"Now, after months of delay and secrecy, they're bringing him back, not to correct their error but to prosecute him. This shows that they were playing games with the court all along," Abrego Garcia's…
Caught: Man Sent Sexual Messages To Undercover Rockland Officer Posing As 14-Year-Old, DA Says
A Queens man who believed he was communicating with a 14-year-old girl is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly sending sexually explicit messages to an undercover officer in Rockland County, prosecutors announced.
Dominic Vitale, 44, also known as “Tatt2Dom,” was arraigned on Friday, May 30, in Rockland County Court on charges stemming from a child exploitation investigation conducted by the District Attorney’s Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, according to Rockland District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II.
Vitale, a resident of Queens, is charged in an 11-count indictment, …
Ocean County Trio Shot Into Toms River Residence: Prosecutor
Three Ocean County residents were indicted by a grand jury for attempted murder on Thursday, May 8, after they shot into a residence in Toms River in January, authorities said.
On Monday, Jan. 13, at 1:55 a.m., Toms River police responded to Justice Court after three men shot into a residence occupied by an adult and two children, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.
The three men were later identified as Lyjhahn Cromartie, a 19-year-old Lakehurst resident, Shazir Vallade, a 20-year-old Lakewood resident and Javir Askew-Mayweather, a 21-year-old Manchester resident, Billhimer sai…
Rap Videos Bragged Of Teen Shootings, Robberies: 22 Mak Balla Gang Members Indicted
Gang members filmed rap videos bragging about real violence—including 17 shootings, 22 illegal firearms, and over 40 narcotics deals—leading to a 168-count indictment of 22 alleged Mak Balla Family members, Suffolk County prosecutors announced Thursday, May 1.
'MBF 'Til The Death'
The MBF is a subset of the New York Blood Brim Army and operates primarily in the Long Island communities of Mastic, Mastic Beach, Shirley, and Coram. Prosecutors say its members took oaths, followed written gang “paperwork,” and pledged loyalty “MBF ‘til the death,” all while waging violent campaigns to gain terri…
Cold Case Bust: Man Caught In 1989 Kidnappings Of Danbury Women, 11-Year-Old
A 53-year-old man has been linked to two kidnappings that occurred in 1989 in Fairfield County, Connecticut, closing a 36-year mystery for prosecutors.
David Vincent Coffey, of New Britain, was previously tied to the April 23, 1989, kidnapping and sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl in Danbury, police said. Now, investigators say he is also connected to the abduction and sexual assault of a 20-year-old woman from the same Danbury home in January 1989.
Both victims were reportedly taken from the same residence on Peace Street, according to News-Times.
Coffey faces charges of first-degree …
Two Lakewood Men Face Murder Charges For 2010 Shooting: Prosecutor
Two Lakewood men were indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday, April 2, charged with murdering a man in Toms River in 2010, authorities said.
Maurice Cole, 36, and Jerron Evans, 41, fatally shot 22-year-old Rondell Proctor, an Arkansas resident, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.
Oh Thursday, May 27, at 12:40 a.m., Toms River police responded to the Winteringham Village Apartments at Route 166 and found Proctor with several gunshot wounds to the torso and a gunshot wound to the face, Billhimer said. Proctor was transported to Community Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead…
Ex-Town Worker Strangled Domestic Partner, Faked CPR During 911 Call In Huntington Station: DA
A former town employee was formally charged with murdering his domestic partner inside their Long Island home.
Georgios Boultadakis, 25, of East Meadow, was indicted for second-degree murder in Suffolk County Court on Wednesday, March 26, in the 2022 killing of John Melnikoff Jr.
Boultadakis, a former Town of Oyster Bay Parks Department employee, called 911 just after 6 a.m. on Aug. 8, 2022, claiming he had found Melnikoff “passed out” and unresponsive at the bottom of their basement stairs in Huntington Station.
The 911 operator instructed Boultadakis on how to administer CPR, and his sta…
Ellington Bookkeeper At Law Firm Embezzled $830K Over Decade: Feds
A longtime bookkeeper at a Connecticut law firm is facing federal charges after prosecutors say she stole more than $835,000 from the company, authorities said.
Heather Murdock, 57, of Ellington, was indicted on 12 federal counts, including five counts of bank fraud, wire fraud, and tax evasion. She pleaded not guilty in Hartford federal court and was released on a $40,000 bond, the US Attorney for Connecticut said.
Federal officials say Murdock worked as the bookkeeper and office manager at a Hartford law firm identified in court papers only as “Firm A.” Over a 12-year span, in…
Court Blocks Son's Lawsuit Over Deadly Newark Police Shooting, Citing Missed Deadline
A lawsuit filed by the son of a man killed in a police shooting against the City of Newark has been dismissed after courts ruled the claim was filed too late, records show.
The case stems from the Jan. 28, 2019 shooting of Gregory Griffin, 45, who was fatally shot by Newark Police Officer Jovanny Crespo during a high-speed chase. Crespo fired into the moving vehicle multiple times, striking Griffin and his passenger, Andrew Dixon. Griffin died the next day.
Crespo was later indicted on charges of aggravated manslaughter, assault, and official misconduct, but when Griffin’s family — namely h…
Clinton Man Indicted For Traveling Abroad To Engage In Illicit Acts With Minor: Feds
A Maryland man who allegedly traveled abroad to engage in unlawful sexual activities with a minor is facing decades in prison, federal authorities announced.
Clinton resident Carlos Puente, 46, was indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple child exploitation offenses, officials said.
According to the seven-count indictment, between approximately Oct. 1, 2021, and April 22, 2022, Puente allegedly enticed a minor victim to engage in unlawful sexual activity and produce child pornography.
Additionally, Puente allegedly traveled outside of the United States to engage in illicit sexual condu…
Secret Accomplice Laborer Played Along In Gunman's Sick Englewood Cliffs Scheme: Prosecutor
A Virginia gunman and his secret accomplice, a laborer hired to help the true victim move, have both been indicted in an armed robbery last March in a Bergen County storage unit, authorities said.
Eduardo L. Villegas Valera, 30, of Elmhurst, NY had been hired to help someone move items in Englewood Cliffs on Monday, March 11, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.
Once at the commercial property on Sylvan Avenue, Villegas Valera alerted Gliderman Cienfuego Castro, 37, confirming the existence of the true victim's watch, the prosecutor said.
Just before 4 p.m., Cienfuego Castro, o…
Alleged Bribes, Illegal Campaign Cash: Feds Lay Out Case Against NYC Mayor Eric Adams
Federal authorities released the indictment against New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday, Sept. 26, laying out their case for corruption, bribery, and misuse of public funds, reports said.
Federal investigators have charged the 64-year-old Democrat with five counts, including conspiracy to receive illegal foreign campaign contributions, wire fraud, and bribery, said Damian Williams, the US. attorney for the Southern District of New York in a news conference.
Click here to read the complete indictment from the SDNY.
Here is what those allegations are as summari…
Former Hasbrouck Heights Fire Chief Indicted In Crash That Killed Teen Girl: Prosecutor
The 61-year-old man and former chief of a local fire department has been indicted in a crash that left a 15-year-old girl dead, authorities in Bergen County said.
Timothy Moots, formerly a longtime member of the Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department, was operating the Chevrolet Silverado when he struck and killed Serenity Law, 15, of Ridgefield, who was on an electric scooter just before 7:40 p.m. Sunday, April 14, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.
On Monday, Sept. 23, Musella said that Moots "made misleading statements to law enforcement in an attempt to minimize his involvement…