Monday, May 6, 2013
Bergen County prosecutor announces arrests in alleged credit card fraud scheme.
Eleven men and women were arrested on charges of stealing identities to open credit cards in an alleged scheme that is believed to have defrauded more than 70 victims. The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office announced Friday the culmination of a task force's efforts to probe numerous complaints of identity theft from 30 jurisdictions within the past two years. Police Departments from more than a dozen municipalities across the state — including Englewood, Franklin Lakes, Saddle Brook, Ho-Ho-Kus and Midland Park — participated in a joint investigation with the BCPO. Credit cards were opened in the victims' names, and charges were made on their behalf by "authorized buyers," Bergen Prosecutor John Molinelli said. The task force investigation …
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
A 50-year-old Teaneck resident is accused of taking money from an elderly woman for whom he'd obtained power of attorney, according to a Bergen County Prosecutor's Office statement.
A Teaneck man is accused of financially exploiting an elderly woman and close friend of his mother's who had been under her care, Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli announced Wednesday. Prosecutors allege Patrick Reynolds, 50, took approximately $122,000 from the victim's bank accounts for personal use between July 2011 and July 2012, after gaining power of attorney for the victim while she recovered from an illness under his mother's care. The victim's nursing home bills, property taxes and other daily expenditures were not made during the year Reynolds held power of attorney, Molinelli said in a statement. Reynolds' power of attorney was rescinded on July 11, 2012, after a superior court judge declared the victim unable to care …
Monday, April 1, 2013
More than 160 schools across Bergen County slated for security reviews, prosecutor says.
Officials are set to inspect more than 160 Bergen County schools in an expanded security initiative formed after the Newtown elementary school massacre, the county prosecutor announced Monday. Under a newly formed county task force, police chiefs in towns that requested the safety reviews will designate a police liaison to receive training from the prosecutor’s office and work with school officials to develop a security plan, Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said. “This task force system will create a permanent security environment whereby local schools will have a greater access to information and assistance in their efforts to keep our schools safe,” Molinelli said in a statement. The security inspections have been going on …
Monday, August 6, 2012
Accused killer allegedly tried to flee the country after stabbing.
A Bergen County Grand Jury has indicted a 25-year-old man on charges he tied up, assaulted and fatally stabbed his estranged wife in her Teaneck apartment last year, county Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said Monday. Pedro Gutierrez, of New Milford, faces a dozen charges in the Oct. 4 slaying of 23-year-old Shaday Betancourth, including murder, kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault and weapons possession. A relative found Betancourth stabbed multiple times in her East Forest Avenue home and rushed her to Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, where she died a short time later, authorities said. Investigators zeroed in on Gutierrez after they said neighbors spotted him near Betancourth’s apartment the day of the killing. Following the grisly …
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Bergen Prosecutor treats chronically ill youth to day of fun in countywide celebration.
A 7-year-old from Teaneck was treated to an inside look at law enforcement and a day of fun after being sworn in as the county’s “chief for a day” by Prosecutor John L. Molinelli. Jahki Cudjoe, who was diagnosed with a genetic disorder, was picked up at his Teaneck home by the prosecutor’s Fatal Accident Investigation Unit truck and headed to his school where classmates got an up-close look at the truck. Joined by his parents and grandparents, Cudjoe was given a tour of the courthouse and prosecutor’s office. Cudjoe, in full uniform, was then sworn in by Molinelli as county “chief” of detectives. Although Cudjoe’s condition can cause learning disabilities, Molinelli noted it hasn’t stopped the young boy’s curiosity and energy. “Jahki’s …
Monday, May 14, 2012
Woman claimed she once worked for acclaimed financier George Soros, prosecutors say.
A Manahawkin woman bilked investors out of about $450,000 over six years by claiming their money was going to a hedge fund handled by New York City finance magnate George Soros, the Bergen County Prosecutor said Monday. Dunya Predovan, 57, was arrested Thursday on charges of theft by deception and issuing bad checks after investigators with the Prosecutor’s Office and Alpine police uncovered her Ponzi scheme, Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said in a statement. Predovan told victims she worked for Soros in the 1980’s and promised a large return on the investments, Molinelli said. Soros, however, had never heard of Predovan and she had not worked for the famed financier, according to the prosecutor. “To date, none of the victims have received …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Killer used phony court ruling as basis for hearing, prosecutors allege.
One of the men convicted in the slaying of a Teaneck police officer has been charged with forging a court ruling related to his appeal, the Bergen County Prosecutor said Monday. Kevin Lee, who is serving life for the 1996 murder of Teaneck patrolman Robert L. Fisher, filed an appeal in April 2011. The appeal was referred to the prosecutor's office by the state's Division of Criminal Justice. As the state prepared a response, questions arose about a purported June 2010 appellate court decision showing Lee's cousin Kevin Richards, who was also convicted in the officer's murder, had been granted a hearing on fingerprint evidence, Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said. Lee used that to support his request for a similar hearing. A review of the …
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Other top stories include: Prosecutors say man recorded sex abuse, candidates talk vacant storefronts.
A look back the week's top stories in Teaneck: A 33-year-old Teaneck man pleaded guilty Wednesday in Newark federal court to scamming a New York City bank and two individuals out of more than $200,000 while free on bail for a separate multi-million dollar swindle, federal prosecutors said. Moshe Butler admitted to a bank fraud charge accusing him of defrauding Morgan Stanley Smith Barney out of around $37,417 by first opening an investment account with the bank that allowed immediate access to funds deposited by check, prosecutors said. He first deposited a $50,000 check in the account, but burned through the money on largely failed securities and commodities option contracts. Teaneck's six township council candidates took questions this …
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Prosecutors say man sexually abused acquaintance in August 2011.
A 23-year-old Hackensack man was arrested in Teaneck Monday after investigators learned he sexually abused a juvenile female acquaintance last year and videotaped the crime, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office said today. Ashley Salas faces charges of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, according to a joint statement from Prosecutor John L. Molinelli and Teaneck Police Chief Robert Wilson. The abuse occurred once in August 2011 at the victim’s home, the statement said. Investigators learned of the alleged assault after the victim recently told her parents, who alerted township police. The victim told investigators Salas videotaped the abuse using his cell phone, authorities said. Salas was held on $200,000 bail, with …
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Prosecutor's Office targets 12 massage parlors across the county.
- POLICE & FIRE
- Myles Ma
-
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Bergen County authorities arrested 27 people and seized more than $27,000 in a weeklong prostitution sweep, Prosecutor John Molinelli said Monday. Half a dozen women were working as prostitutes at a Paramus hotel, Molinelli said. "Targeted during this investigation were numerous illegal massage parlors and in-call prostitution operations that have been operating in area hotels," Molinelli said in a statement. Police arrested 11 people on March 15 as part of the anti-prostitution initiative. The 11 people were either prostitutes or their drivers, Molinelli said. Hanna Young, 38, of Queens, N.Y., Yan Zhang, 43, of Queens, N.Y., Joann Marsaka, 24, of Bayonne, Amanda Blackwell, 23, of Emporia, Va., Sofia Matallana, 35, of Spring Valley, and …
Victoria
12:25 pm on Friday, May 3, 2013
First of all, that's a good question...where was this woman's family, especially her daughter. I know that what the prosecutors are alleging is false. They should have real evidence before charging someone or alleging. And people need to know, or at least try to find out the truth, before they start judging. That's all I have to say.... more ›