Ex-Belmar Fire Official Pleads Guilty to Taking $34,000 through False Timesheets

by William Skaggs, USDA-NJ BELMAR-A former Borough of Belmar fire marshal and senior lead fire protection inspector with the Picatinny Arsenal Fire Department today pleaded guilty to fraudulently reporting his hours on time cards to the Borough of Belmar, causing it losses of approximately $34,141, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. John Rizzitello, 45, of Nashville,… Read the rest of this entry »

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Sen. Menendez asks Supreme Court to hear his arguments in his corruption case

WASHINGTON — Sen. Bob Menendez took his fight against federal corruption charges to the Supreme Court this week, petitioning it to hear his arguments that key evidence and charges should be dismissed. Menendez, D-N.J., has long argued that prosecutors overstepped rules meant to protect the legislative branch from executive branch intimidation. He is hoping to persuade… Read the rest of this entry »

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Former NJ DOT Commissioner Jamie Fox Charged in Samson’s United Airlines Bribery Scheme

Former New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner Jamie Fox was charged by federal officials for his role in the bribery scheme that former Port Authority Chairman David Samson pleaded guilty to today, according to a statement by U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.

Additionally, United Airlines has agreed to a pay a $2.5 million penalty and to make compliance reforms for its role in the scheme in which it established a non-stop route between Newark-Liberty Airport and Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina for Samson to fly to his vacation home in Aiken, SC.  In exchange Samson allowed the Port Authority Commission to approve a lease of three acres at the airport for United to build a maintenance hanger.

Fox, in his role as a $7,500 per month consultant to United, is accused of shaking down United employees, on Samson’s behalf, to get the route to South Carolina established.

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Long Branch Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Kiddie Porn Charges

Donald Haring, 61, of Long Branch, pleaded guilty to federal charges of possession and distribution of child pornography today, before U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson in Trenton, according to a statement by U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.

Haring admitted that he knowingly used a computer from his home to share images and videos of child sexual abuse with other members of a publicly-available, peer-to-peer file-sharing network. Haring also admitted to possessing at least three videos and 600 images of child sexual abuse on his computer and other electronic devices.

Haring faces a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison, a minimum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 7, 2016.

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Judge orders release of Bridgegate co-conspirator names

A federal judge in Newark has ordered the release of the names of individuals who allegedly had knowledge of the scheme to shut down lanes at the George Washington Bridge before the Bridgegate scandal broke. In a ruling sought by a consortium of news organizations, including NJ Advance Media, U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton said the… Read the rest of this entry »

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Matawan Man Faces Federal Kiddie Porn Charges

Matthew Kaminsky circa 2008. photo via facebook

Matthew Kaminsky, 49, of 9 Homestead Dr. in Matawan, was arrested by federal authorities today and charged with soliciting an underage girl to produce images of herself engaged in sexually explicit conduct and send the images to him through an online instant messaging application, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

According to the federal complaint, Kaminsky engaged a 13 year old North Carolina girl in the online chat service KIK over the course of four days in late January of 2015, and induced the girl to send him nude and sexually explicit photos of herself. He also sent nude photos of himself to the girl.

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Should the government be able to read your text messages?

PRINCETON — As one of the United States’ largest technology companies is battling with the government over access to its cell phones, the federal prosecutor from New Jersey says Apple is seeking to make their products “warrant-proof.” On Friday, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman discussed the ongoing fight between the tech giant and the federal government over… Read the rest of this entry »

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Feds: ICE Agent Traded Green Cards For Cash And Sex

Newark– A federal grand jury indicted  a former ICE deportation officer today for accepting cash and sexual favors from undocumented immigrants in exchange  for  employment authorization documents, commonly called green cards, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.

Seven of the eight immigrants involved in the scheme resided in Monmouth County;  three lived in Red Bank, two lived in Tinton Falls, one lived in Red Bank and Ocean Township, and one resided in Long Branch.  The eighth undocumented immigrant resided in North Plainfield.

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Feds fight news media request to unseal Bridgegate records

NEWARK — The U.S. Attorney’s Office is asking a federal judge to maintain the seal and redactions on certain records the government gathered in the George Washington Bridge lane closure criminal case, court records filed Tuesday night show. In particular, the brief filed by U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman’s office states that news outlets covering the… Read the rest of this entry »

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Year in review: May 2015

Christine Giordano Hanlon dropped the “Acting” from her title and became Monmouth County Clerk when the NJ Senate unanimously confirmed her nomination to replace M.Claire French.  Hanlon was elected to her own five year term on November 3.

U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman cleared Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno in the allegations lodged at her by Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer. Zimmer alleged that Guadagno delivered a message from Governor Chris Christie threatening to withhold Sandy relief funds if Hoboken did not approve a development application by the Rockefeller Group.

Former Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas was sentenced to five years in federal prison for his convictions related to his acquisition of Burke Farm.

David Wildstein pleaded guilty in the Bridgegate scandal, claiming that the George Washington Bridge lane closures in September of 2013 were political retribution against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for failing to endorse Governor Chris Christie’s reelection. Bridget Ann Kelly and Bill Baroni were indicted in the matter. Wildstein’s attorney claimed that Christie knew about the lane closures while they were occurring. Christie claimed that U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman’s indictment announcement cleared the governor of any wrong doing in the matter.

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