A Bad Situation

Sorrentino Brothers Indicted For Tax Exvasion

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and Middletown Committeeman Gerry Scharfenberger cutting the ribbon at the TV personality’s Middletown tanning salon

Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino of Jersey Shore fame and his brother Marc have been indicted on federal charges of failing to pay taxes on $8.9 million income from promotional activities, according to a statement issued by U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman. The brothers are expected to surrender to IRS Criminal Investigation Agents in Newark this afternoon prior to an appearance before in U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven Mannion.

Both brothers are charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States Government and with filing false tax returns for 2010 and 2012.  The Situation faces an additional charge of failing to file a tax return for 2011.

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Beware of scammers claiming to be from the IRS

Phone scammers are targeting local residents with aggressive phone calls claiming that they are from the IRS and threatening jail if the residents don’t pay immediately, according to a statement by the the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

The callers take various approaches to extort money by either demanding that funds be paid immediately or in some cases saying that there is a refund due. Whichever tactic the caller uses, the objective is to trick unsuspecting resident to give over private information.

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Lucas admits more mistakes

Andrew Lucas, center, then the Republican mayor of Manalapan, with then Freeholder John D’Amico and Amy Mallet, both Democrats, in September of 2010, seven months after Lucas purchased Burke Farm.

Former Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas is not disputing the facts that the federal government is presenting against him before a jury in Trenton.

Rather, Lucas is claiming the he made mistakes and lacked the training and expertise to accurately prepare the documents he submitted to obtain his financing for the purchase of the 97 acre Burke Farm in Manalapan, according to the Asbury Park Press’s coverage of his trial.

Lucas is defending against 11 felony charges including wire fraud, loan application fraud, illegal monetary transaction, false statements to the IRS,  aggravated identity theft, obstruction of a grand jury investigation and falsification of records in a federal investigation.

If convicted on all 11 counts against him, Lucas, 37, could be sentenced to more than 60 years in federal prison.

Closing arguments are expected to be made today.

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Christie’s Office: Separation of powers prevents Governor from intervening in Shaneen Allen case

Shaneen Allen and her sons Niare and Sincere

Governor Chris Christie’s office responded to a constituent who had written in support of Shaneen Allen with a phone call stating that the separation of powers prevents the Governor from intervening in the Atlantic County prosecution.

Allen is a 27 year old single mother who is facing a possible 10 years in State Prison for bringing her Pennsylvania licensed handgun into New Jersey.  She is being prosecuted by Atlantic County Prosecutor James McClain, a Christie appointee.  McClain refused to allow Allen to enter the same Pre-Trial Intervention Program for first offenders that former Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice was admitted to after he knocked out his then fiancee in an Atlantic City casino elevator last February.

Last week, McClain requested a three week adjournment in the case.  This was seen as a sign by Allen’s supporters that McClain is reconsidering his decision to prosecute due to the public outcry since the video of Rice beating his fiancee became public.

In the call from Christie’s office this afternoon to James Hogan of Howell Township, a young sounding man left a message stating that he was calling from the Governor’s office. Hogan forwarded the message to MMM:

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Bellew’s Campaign Manager Arraigned, Released Without Bail

Dwayne Horner. photo via facebook

Dwayne Horner of Little Elm Texas was arraigned in Monmouth County Superior Court on Identity Theft Charges stemming from a 4am robo call purported to be made on behalf of State Senator Joe Kyrillos, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Amy Handlin in the early morning of the primary election in the 13th legislative district on June 4, 2013.

Horner was the campaign manager for Leigh-Anne Bellew, Kyrillos’s challenger in the Republican primary.

Horner, 45, was indicted on the fourth degree charge on August 11.  He plead Not Guilty before Superior Court Judge Ronald Lee Reisner.  Horner was released on his own recognizance.

A recording of the call can be heard here.  Horner’s voice can be heard on the voice mail greeting of the Bellew campaign here.

The indictment charges that Horner impersonated another person or organization for the purpose of obtaining a benefit for himself or another or for the purpose of injuring or defrauding another.

If convicted, Horner faces 18 months in prison and a $10,000 fine.  He is represented by Robert Bonney of Lomurro-Davidson.

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Atlantic County Justice

Shaneen Allen and her sons Niare and Sincere. Photo via facebook

The mainstream media will be making a big deal today about the leniency Baltimore Raven Ray Rice received from the NFL after knocking out his then finance in Atlantic City in February. TMZ obtained an released a video of the incident this morning. Sources are quoted as saying that NFL officials saw the video before suspending Rice for the first two games of this season and docking his pay for a third game.

But the NFL would not be subject to the public outrage they are experiencing had the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office not been lenient with Rice first.  Rice was first charged with simple assault.  The charges were upgraded to aggravated assault by an Atlantic County Grand Jury.  Rice faced a possible five years in State Prison.   But the Prosecutor accepted Rice’s application into the Pre-trial Intervention Program for First Offenders and his Not Guilty plea which leaves him off the hook if he stays out of trouble for a year.

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Authorities seize counterfeit merchandise on Jersey Shore boardwalk

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Wall Teacher Indicted On Sexual Assault Charges

A 24 year old Wall Township English teacher was charged under a three count indictment this afternoon with Aggravated Sexual Assault, Endangering the Welfare of a Child and Second Degree Sexual Assault.  Kalee Warnick is alleged to have conducted a sexual relationship with a 15 year old male student, referred to as J.M in the indictment, between January and July 2013, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

If convicted, Warnick faces up to 30 years in prison, lifelong parole and Meghan’s Law registration.

Warnick was arrested in July of 2013, shortly after the relationship was exposed. She was released on $50,000 bail.

The alleged victim’s attorney James Magg said his client had been through a terrible ordeal, according to published reports at the time of Warnick’s arrest last year.

Warnick’s attorney , Alton Kenney, said she plead not guilty, “because she is in fact, not guilty.”

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Avon Man Charged in Rumson overdose death

Michael Renna, 25 of Avon-by-the Sea, was charged today with the October 2013 overdose death of Christopher L. Pesce, a 25 year old resident of Oxford House, a drug rehabilitation transitional facility located in Rumson.

Renna is charged with one count of first degree Strict Liability for Drug Induced Deaths and one count of third degree Distribution of a Controlled Dangerous.  He was released from the Monmouth County Correctional Institution after posting $210,000 in bail as set by Judge John R. Tassini, according to Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor Marc LeMieux.

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O’Scanlon: Redflex Indictment Should Surprise No one

NJ101.5 photo

Karen Finley, former CEO of Redflex Traffic Systems Inc, one of two Red Light Camera companies operating in New Jersey, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Chicago last week on bribery charges.

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, New Jersey’s fiercest opponent of Red Light Cameras, says that is not a surprise:
“Well this is a shocking turn of events, said no one! If cameras actually increased safety no one would have to bribe anyone for business – we’d all be lining up!  How any public entity can continue to do business with Redflex in particular, but really any of these companies pitching these ineffective, thieving cameras is beyond me.  Is the lure of fast cash so strong we have decided that morality doesn’t matter?  We now have multiple pieces of evidence of corruption reaching the highest levels of one of the two companies operating these cameras in New Jersey.  Both companies are guilty of blatantly lying about their products and misrepresenting data.”

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