District of New Jersey

NEWARK, N.J. – A former Florida-based employee of TD Bank, N.A. pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for fraudulently opening more than 100 bank accounts, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Jhonnatan Steven Rodriguez, a/k/a “Jorge,” 32, of Naples, Florida, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark federal court to a two-count Information charging him with one count of receipt of bribes by a bank employee and one count of making false bank entries. Rodriguez’s sentencing is scheduled for November 25, 2025.

According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in Court:

In late 2022, Rodriguez began opening bank accounts for unknown individuals in exchange for bribes of approximately $200 to $250 per account. During the scheme, Rodriguez accepted bribes in exchange for fraudulently opening approximately 140 bank accounts, some of which were used for fraud. In carrying out this bribery scheme, Rodriguez would often forge the purported customers’ signatures on account opening documents. To protect his identity, Rodriguez used the alias “Jorge” on a text messaging app to communicate with the individuals seeking bank accounts.

The charge of receipt of bribes by a bank employee carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of the greater of up to $1 million or three times the value of the thing given, offered, promised, solicited, demanded, accepted, or agreed to be accepted. The charge of making false bank entries carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents and task force officers of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan; special agents and task force officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Caribbean Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael A. Miranda; and special agents of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General, New York Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Patricia Tarasca, with the investigation leading to the charges. She also thanked the Morristown Police Department for its assistance with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marko Pesce, Deputy Chief of the Bank Integrity, Money Laundering, and Recovery Unit in Newark and Trial Attorneys D. Zachary Adams and Chelsea Rooney of the Justice Department’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section.

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Defense counsel: Murdoch Walker, Esq. and Serguel Akiti, Esq.

TRENTON, N.J. – A Middlesex County, New Jersey, woman admitted that she fraudulently obtained Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”), Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), and pandemic unemployment insurance benefits, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Damaris Valerio, a/k/a Damaris Tineo Abreu, 42, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch to an information charging her with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.

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

From April 2020 through December 2021, Valerio fraudulently obtained $194,212 in COVID-19 emergency relief funds, which included loans and cash advances meant for distressed small businesses under the EIDL program and PPP, and pandemic unemployment insurance benefits meant for unemployed workers, by submitting false and fraudulent applications inflating her business’s revenues, payroll expenses, and number of employees. After receiving the fraudulent funds, she diverted proceeds from the relief programs for her personal gain.

The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain to the defendant or gross loss to the victim, whichever is greater. The money laundering charge count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain to the defendant or loss to the victim, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for October 28, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel in Newark; Special Agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone, and special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General’s Boston-New York Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Amy Connelly, with the investigation leading to this guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin D. Bleiberg and Fatime Meka Cano of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

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Defense Counsel: John Russo, Esq, of New York.

NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County resident was charged for his role in a bank fraud conspiracy, United States Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Isiah J. Jordan, 27, is charged by criminal complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of bank fraud. He made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre and was released on $100,000 bond.     

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

Jordan was part of a multi-person scheme to steal checks from the mail and deposit those checks into bank accounts controlled by his co-conspirators. For example, in June 2023, Company-1 mailed out a business check for over $50,000. That check was stolen and altered by Jordan and his co-conspirators such that the payee information on the original check was changed so that the check could be deposited into an account controlled by the conspirators. Then in July 2023, after the stolen check cleared, Jordan and his co-conspirators withdrew the money from the account and split the proceeds.   

Jordan and his coconspirators then continued to actively recruit other members to participate in and join the conspiracy. Specifically, they recruited individuals who had long-standing bank accounts to continue the scheme of depositing stolen checks and withdrawing the funds before the bank or the victims whose checks were stolen were aware of the illegal activity. 

The bank fraud conspiracy and the bank fraud charges both carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1,000,000.      

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy in Newark, and the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, with the investigation. 

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey S. Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division and Thomas S. Kearney of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

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

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Defense counsel: John Yauch, New Jersey    

NEWARK, N.J. – Two Pennsylvania companies and one South Carolina company entered into a settlement agreement with the United States resolving allegations that the companies violated the False Claims Act by taking a total of five Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to which the companies were not entitled, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Congress created the PPP in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the PPP, eligible businesses could receive forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Regulations provide various eligibility requirements for the PPP, including limitations on the number of employees and revenue size limits. In their loan applications, borrowers were required to certify that they were eligible for the PPP and that the information they provided was accurate.

According to the contentions of the United States in the settlement agreement:

Rema Tip Top of America, Inc. (“Rema”) is a holding company incorporated in Delaware with number of direct and indirect subsidiaries, including a wholly owned subsidiary based in New Jersey that specializes in automotive and industrial products (Rema Tip Top/North America “RNA”). From April 1, 2020 to October 31, 2021, C&J Welding & Construction (“C&J Welding”), a maintenance and construction company based in Pennsylvania, and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Rema, applied for one PPP loan and received $341,848.78 in loan forgiveness and interest. The United States paid an associated lender processing fee of $11,652.00. Industrial Services Group, Inc. (“ISG”) d/b/a/ Universal Blastco, an industrial corrosion control company based in South Carolina, and an indirect subsidiary of Rema, applied for two PPP loans and received $4,824,288.99 in loan forgiveness and interest. The United States paid associated lender processing fees of $87,828.50. NexGen Industrial Services, Inc. (“NexGen”), an oil, gas, mining, and pipeline construction services company based in Pennsylvania, and an indirect subsidiary of Rema, applied for two PPP loans and received $3,688,618.89 in loan forgiveness and interest. The United States paid associated lender processing fees of $109,529.40.

C&J Welding, ISG, and NexGen were ineligible to receive these PPP loans and loan forgiveness and knowingly failed to fully disclose their affiliates, including Rema, on their PPP loan applications. C&J Welding, ISG, and NexGen falsely certified eligibility for the PPP loans and loan forgiveness they received. Because of their affiliation with each other and with other entities, C&J Welding, ISG, and NexGen exceeded the employee or revenue-based eligibility limits for PPP loans and loan forgiveness and were therefore too large to qualify for the payouts they received.

In accordance with the terms of the settlement agreement, C&J Welding, ISG, and NexGen paid a total of $13 million plus interest. The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties, called relators, to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. In this matter, the relator is receiving $2.34 million as the share.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited the SBA’s Office of General Counsel for their assistance in this matter.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan J. Pappy of the Health Care Fraud Unit in Newark, with assistance from Christopher J. McClintock of the SBA.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Scissors LLC v. Rema Tip Top of America, Inc., et al, Civil Action No. 23-20790.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

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Counsel for C&J Welding, ISG, and NexGen: Eric W. Sitarchuk, Steven Strauss, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Counsel for Scissors LLC: Eric Jaso, Spiro Harrison & Nelson 

NEWARK, N.J. – Six people have been charged for conspiring to transport stolen property derived from burglarized consignment shops across multiple states, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Marco Honesty, 28, Richard Francis, 35, Dominique Hayes, 29, Deandre Dudley, 32, Ilon Coles-Melson, 21, and Marcus Gallmon, 21, residents of Washington, D.C. and Maryland, are each charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to sell and receive stolen property that had crossed state lines.

Honesty appeared on June 13, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark federal court and was detained. Hayes appeared on May 22, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacey D. Adams in Newark federal court and was detained. Coles-Melson appeared on April 11, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacey D. Adams in Newark federal court and was detained. Gallmon appeared on February 26, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge José R. Almonte in Newark federal court and was later released on a $100,000 unsecured bond. Dudley appeared on February 20, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court and was released on a $100,000 unsecured bond. Francis appeared on February 5, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark federal court and was released on a $100,000 unsecured bond.

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

The defendants are part of a commercial burglary ring that committed at least 18 burglaries in multiple states between March and November of 2024, including in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. On several dates, the defendants broke into the consignment shops in the middle of the night using sledgehammers and other objects, stole dozens of designer handbags and other items from each shop, and transported the stolen goods across state lines.

The charge of conspiracy to sell or receive stolen property carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of up to a $250,000 fine, or twice the amount of money involved in the offense, whichever is greater. 

U.S. Attorney Habba credited officers of Homeland Security Investigations under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel, with the investigation leading to the charges. She also thanked the New Jersey State Police, Delaware State Police, Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Philadelphia Police Department, Prince George’s County Police Department, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, Cape May Police Department, Cherry Hill Police Department, Colts Neck Police Department, Englewood Police Department, Guilderland Police Department, Haddonfield Police Department, Livingston Police Department, Manalapan Police Department, Margate Police Department, Millburn Police Department, Montclair Police Department, North Castle Police Department, Roxbury Police Department, Saratoga Springs Police Department, Springfield Police Department, Tenafly Police Department, Warren Police Department, and Watchung Police Department for their assistance.        

Anyone who believes they may be a victim, or has information about the theft group or burglaries, is asked to call 1-866-DHS-2-ICE, or call a local field office.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly M. Lyons of the OCDETF/Narcotics Unit in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

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Defense counsel:

Marco Honesty: Adrien Moncur, Esq., Paramus, New Jersey

Richard Francis: Timothy Donahue, Esq., Newark, New Jersey

Dominique Hayes: Bruce S. Rosen, Esq., Hackensack, New Jersey

Deandre Dudley: Charles McKenna, Esq., Morristown, New Jersey

Ilon Coles-Melson: Paul Condon, Esq., Jersey City, New Jersey

Marcus Gallmon: Charles Alvarez, Esq., Bloomfield, New Jersey

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Gloucester County man was found guilty by a jury on June 11, 2025, for distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Ian Dudley, 39, of Williamstown, New Jersey, was convicted by a jury of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, contrary to 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a) and (b)(1)(C), in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846; and with six counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and/or fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A), and (b)(1)(C); before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn in Camden federal court.  Sentencing is scheduled for October 22, 2025.

According to the evidence presented at trial:

From June 2023 through October 2023, Dudley conspired with Joseph Watson and others to distribute crystal methamphetamine and fentanyl in Camden County and Gloucester County.  During the course of the conspiracy, Dudley sold approximately 17.5 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and approximately one ounce of fentanyl to an undercover federal agent.

The counts of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, and two of the counts of distribution of methamphetamine carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.  Four of the counts for distribution of methamphetamine and/or fentanyl carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of L.C. Cheeks, Jr., with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph McFarlane and Josephine Park in Camden.

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NEWARK, N.J. – A Passaic County, New Jersey, man pled guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Justin Pope, 38, of Clifton, New Jersey, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti in Newark federal court to an indictment charging him with two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition.

According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in Court:

On July 12, 2023, law enforcement officers responded to a report of shots fired in a public parking lot in Clifton, New Jersey. A review of the surveillance footage from the area showed Pope and a female individual engaged in an altercation while inside of a vehicle. As the female individual exited the vehicle, Pope pointed a handgun and fired multiple shots at the victim at close range.  Law enforcement subsequently recovered ammunition from the scene.

The following day, on July 13, 2023, law enforcement reviewed a video on a social media account depicting Pope firing a gun in the air in which he stated, “Can’t find me . . . Police. Y’all never gonna find me.”  Law enforcement also recovered ammunition from the scene.

Pope was arrested a few hours later after he attempted to board a bus in New York City and brandished a firearm to bus employees. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement recovered a firearm from Pope, which was later identified as a privately made 9mm firearm with a large capacity magazine attached, which was loaded with one round of 9mm ammunition.

Pope had previously been convicted of aggravated assault in New Jersey in connection with the shooting of a child.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy in Newark; officers of the Clifton Police Department, under the direction of Chief Thomas Rinaldi; officers of the Paterson Police Department, under Officer in Charge Patrick Murray; officers of the Passaic County Sheriff's Department under Sheriff Thomas Adamo; officers of the Passaic Police Department, under Chief Luis Guzman; and officers of New York City Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Edward Caban, with the investigation leading to the charges.

The charges of being a felon in possession of ammunition each carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Pope’s sentencing is scheduled for October 21, 2025.

The government is represented by Assistant United States Attorney Rachelle M. Navarro of the Bank Integrity, Money Laundering, and Recovery Unit in Newark.

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Defense counsel for Pope: Georgina Pallitto, Esq.

Camden, N.J. – A Mexican national was sentenced to 110 months in prison for trafficking cocaine and illegally reentering the United States after previously sustaining an aggravated felony conviction, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Anastacio Santiago Chaparro, also known as Arnoldo Urquidez, 41, of Mexico, had previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel in Camden federal court to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and illegal reentry by a convicted felon.

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

On November 6, 2023, Santiago Chaparro was caught by law enforcement transporting a backpack that contained over 10 kilograms of cocaine. Santiago Chaparro admitted that the cocaine was intended for distribution. Additionally, Santiago Chaparro had been deported from the United States to Mexico three times and previously sustained a conviction for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, an aggravated felony.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Kiel sentenced Santiago Chaparro to three years of supervised release and ordered Santiago Chaparro to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement regarding his deportation proceedings.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel, and from the Drug Enforcement Administration New York, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino, with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chana Y. Zuckier of the Bank Integrity, Money Laundering and Recovery Unit in Newark.

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Defense counsel: Victor A. Afanador

NEWARK, N.J. – Today, Myron Williams, a/k/a “Money,” a/k/a “Tunchi,” 31, of Newark was sentenced before the Honorable Michael E. Farbiarz to life imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy, life imprisonment for murder in aid of racketeering, 240 months’ imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and 120 months’ imprisonment for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, with all sentences to run consecutively.

Williams’s co-defendant Khalil Kelley, a/k/a “Billski,” 26, of Jersey City, was previously sentenced on June 5, 2025, to life imprisonment, plus a consecutive ten-year term of imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy, for his role in the Marion Gardens street gang and a gang-related murder.

Also today, Jawaad Davis, 23, of Jersey City, was sentenced to 170 months’ imprisonment for his role in the Marion Gardens street gang, which included orchestrating a robbery that resulted in murder.

Eight other individuals are pending sentencing.  Roger Pickett, a/k/a “Zy G,” 24, of Jersey City was convicted at trial along with Williams and Kelley.  The remaining defendants—Herbert Thomas, 49, of Jersey City; Andre Alomar, a/k/a “Dre8,” 24, of Newark; Naim Richardson, a/k/a “Ninicks,” 32, of Jersey City; Anthony Rogers, a/k/a “MG,” 25, of Jersey City; Quaseame Wilson, a/k/a “Qua Gz,” 28, of Jersey City; Javon Williams, a/k/a “J45,” 28, of Jersey City; and Keith Anderson, a/k/a “Beef3,” 23, of Jersey City—all pled guilty before trial.  Each defendant will be sentenced before Judge Farbiarz in Newark as follows:

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

Myron Williams, Khalil Kelley, Roger Pickett, Jawaad Davis, Anthony Rogers, Quaseame Wilson, Andre Alomar, Keith Anderson, Javon Williams, and Naim Richardson are all members and associates of the neighborhood street gang associated with the Marion Gardens Housing Complex. Since 2013, they and their fellow gang members have committed numerous acts of violence, including three separate murders, on March 29, 2021, Nov. 20, 2021, and Nov. 1, 2022.

On March 29, 2021, Kelley and other gang members lured a rival gang member outside by sending him Instagram messages pretending to be the victim’s fellow gang member. When the victim opened the door to his residence, Kelley and another gang member brandished firearms, and the victim was shot multiple times in the chest, killing him. Pickett and Myron Williams then picked up Kelley and other gang members after they abandoned the murder vehicle in Newark.

On Nov. 20, 2021, Myron Williams, Pickett, and Richardson lured a rival gang member outside by sending him Instagram messages pretending to be the second victim’s fellow gang member. Williams and another gang member shot the victim when he opened the door to his residence.

On Nov. 1, 2022, Davis facilitated the murder of the third victim by coordinating a narcotics transaction with the victim and the victim’s associate. When the victim and his associate arrived at the Marion Gardens Housing Complex to complete the narcotics transaction, they were robbed of their narcotics supply. During the robbery, Pickett and Wilson held the victim and his associate at gunpoint. After a struggle ensued, Pickett shot and killed the victim while his associate fled. Pickett then fled the Marion Gardens Housing Complex with Wilson.

For months, investigators observed and documented hundreds of narcotics transactions in and around the Marion Gardens Housing Complex.  The investigation likewise revealed that Herbert Thomas was a primary supplier of narcotics to the Marion Gardens street gang.

When each defendant was arrested on March 17, 2023, law enforcement seized contraband at several different locations, including heroin, fentanyl, crack cocaine, narcotics packaging materials, ammunition, bulletproof vests, and a loaded handgun.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited investigators of the Gang Intelligence Unit and the Homicide Unit of the Major Case Division of Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez, and special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks Jr., and investigators of the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Director James Shea, with the investigation leading to the convictions. She also thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, and the U.S. Marshals, under the direction of U.S. Marshal Juan Mattos, for their assistance.

This investigation was conducted as part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The VCI was formed in 2018 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Jersey City Police Department, for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Jersey City. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate to strategize and prioritize the prosecution of violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI"), the Jersey City Police Department, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, the Hudson County Jail, and the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center.

The government is represented by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Desiree Grace, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Maloy and Javon Henry, of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Newark.

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Defense counsel:

Myron Williams – William Strazza, Esq.
Jawaad Davis – Jason Orlando, Esq. and Tyler Newman, Esq.

Khalil Kelley – Kevin Buchan, Esq. and James Seplowitz, Esq.

NEWARK, N.J. – Four individuals being detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility were each charged by separate complaint for escaping from ICE custody, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Franklin Norberto Bautista Reyes, 20, of Honduras, Joan Sebastian Castaneda Lozada, 18, of Colombia, Andres Felipe Pineda Mogollon, 25, of Colombia, and Joel Enrrique Sandoval-Lopez, 22, of Honduras, were charged by four separate complaints with escape from the custody of an institution or officer.

According to documents filed in this case, each defendant was detained at Delaney Hall, a privately owned detention center in Newark, New Jersey, pending immigration removal proceedings.  On or about June 12, 2025, the defendants fled the facility by breaking through an aluminum second-story wall, dropping mattresses through the opening in the wall to provide a landing place on which to jump, and utilizing bed sheets to cover barbed wire in order to climb over the fence.

Castaneda Lozada, Sandoval-Lopez, and Bautista Reyes have been apprehended.  Castaneda Lozada and Sandoval-Lopez appeared in Court yesterday, and Bautista Reyes appeared in Court today, all before the Honorable Cathy L. Waldor, United States Magistrate Judge.  Pineda Mogollon remains at large.

Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of one year imprisonment and a $100,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy; officers of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, under the direction of Acting Director Todd M. Lyons; and officers of Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel, with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Hardin of the Public Protection Task Force in Newark.

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

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Defense counsel: Linda Foster, Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender for Castaneda Lozada; 

Patrick Joyce, Esq. for Sandoval-Lopez; 

Stacy Biancamano, Esq. for Bautista Reyes

NEWARK, N.J. – Pantaleo “Leo” Pellegrini, the former Hoboken Director of Health and Human Services and Director of the Department of Environmental Services, was sentenced to 24 months in prison for embezzling money from the City of Hoboken and filing a false tax return, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced

Pellegrini previously pleaded guilty to embezzlement and filing a false tax return before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark federal court.

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

While working for the City of Hoboken, Pellegrini embezzled money from the City of Hoboken by diverting approximately $223,500 in payments intended for the City of Hoboken to bank accounts he controlled. Pellegrini also embezzled money from the City of Hoboken by submitting approximately $234,432.60 in his personal expenses, which the City of Hoboken unknowingly paid. Additionally, Pellegrini did not report the embezzled money on his personal tax returns, and thereby made and subscribed a false personal tax return and avoided approximately $119,972.60 in taxes due.

Pellegrini’s oversight responsibilities related to certain public recreational facilities, including soccer fields that could be reserved by both Hoboken and non-Hoboken residents for a fee paid to the City of Hoboken.  Through this arrangement, the City of Hoboken Department of Parks, Recreation & Public Works sponsored a non-profit recreation soccer league open to Hoboken youth (the “Youth Soccer League”), which was funded by the City of Hoboken and participant fees.  Also during the charged time period, an adult soccer league open to Hoboken and non-Hoboken residents (the “Adult Soccer League”) was in operation, which was funded from participant fees.

Pellegrini developed a scheme to divert the Adult Soccer League’s participant fee payments intended for the City of Hoboken to a business account on which he was a signatory which was registered to a soccer-related entity linked to him.

During the relevant time period, Pellegrini was also the Owner and President of a private travel soccer club.  Pellegrini also submitted or caused the submission to the City of Hoboken invoices associated with his private soccer club, which Pellegrini falsely or fraudulently represented to the City of Hoboken as invoices eligible for reimbursement by the City of Hoboken.  As a result, the City of Hoboken—at Pellegrini’s direction—unknowingly paid tens of thousands of dollars to the Pellegrini’s private soccer club vendors for its expenses, and also unknowingly paid tens of thousands of dollars directly to Pellegrini through his private soccer club.

Pellegrini used the embezzled funds on personal expenses including meals, entertainment, and gambling, allowing him to live far beyond his means.  Moreover, Pellegrini intentionally did not disclose and report the income from the above-described embezzlement scheme, thereby causing his tax returns to understate a substantial amount of the income he received.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Farbiarz ordered restitution of $439,972.60 to the City of Hoboken, restitution of $119,464 to the Internal Revenue Service, and forfeiture of $439,972.60.  Judge Farbiarz also ordered a term of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark and special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan in Newark, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark J. McCarren and Matthew Specht of the Special Prosecutions Division.

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Defense Counsel:

John D. Lynch, Esq., Union City, NJ 

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden County, New Jersey, man admitted to conspiring to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and possessing a firearm, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Rasheed Amin, 46, of Voorhees, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn to an information charging him with one count of conspiring to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and one count of a felon in possession of a firearm.

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

On multiple occasions in 2024, Amin flew from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to cities in the western United States to obtain cocaine for further distribution.  Amin then mailed parcels containing the cocaine to his Voorhees residence and other addresses in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York.  On October 29, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Amin’s Voorhees residence and recovered several kilograms of cocaine, as well as a loaded firearm.  Amin—a previously-convicted felon—admitted to possessing the cocaine and the firearm recovered from his residence.

The cocaine conspiracy count carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine.  The illegal possession of a firearm count carries a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  Sentencing is scheduled for November 13, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited inspectors and task force officers of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Philadelphia Division, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher Nielsen, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.  She also credited the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel, the Camden County Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gabriel Rodriguez, and the Cherry Hill Police Department, under the direction of Chief John Ostermueller, for their assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.

                                                                                       ###

Defense counsel: Ikram Ally, Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender

NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey man admitted to fraudulently obtaining approximately $617,991 in federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDL”) and Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loans, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. 

Malak Faltawws, aka “Mark Andrews,” 47, of Rutherford, New Jersey, plead guilty on June 10, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin in Newark federal court to two-counts of an Indictment charging wire fraud and money laundering. 

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

From March 2020 through November 2021, Faltawws fraudulently obtained approximately $617,991 of COVID-19 emergency relief funds, which included loans and cash advances meant for distressed small businesses under the EIDL and PPP programs, by submitting false and fraudulent applications, inflating his businesses’ revenue, payroll expenses, and number of employees. After receiving the fraudulent funds, he diverted the proceeds for his personal gain.

The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and the money laundering charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Each charge also carries a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain to the defendant or gross loss to the victim, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for October 22, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan and investigators of the New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission under the direction of Chief Administrator Latrecia Littles-Floyd with the investigation.

The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of the five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aja Espinosa of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark. 

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

                                                                       ###

Defense counsel: Areeb Salim, Esq. and Shaiba Rather, Esq. 

NEWARK, N.J. – A Passaic County, New Jersey man admitted to possessing quantities of fentanyl and heroin he intended to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Luis Polanco, 35, of Wayne, New Jersey pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to an Indictment charging him with one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, one count of possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances, and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

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

Law enforcement investigated Polanco for his drug distribution in Passaic, New Jersey, including from his residence.  Polanco was arrested after law enforcement searched his residence and vehicle, which revealed Polanco to be in possession of controlled substances that tested positive for more than 40 grams of fentanyl and more than 100 grams of heroin, as well as other paraphernalia used for packaging drugs.  Law enforcement also recovered a 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun, 158 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition and four rounds of .40 caliber ammunition.

The drug charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 40 years in prison and a maximum fine of $5 million.  The felon in possession of a firearm charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.  The possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison, which must be imposed consecutively to any other sentence imposed, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a maximum fine of $250,000.  Sentencing is scheduled for October 21, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks Jr., Newark Field Division, as well as the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, the Wayne Township Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief Joseph Rooney, and the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of under the direction of Officer In Charge Patrick Murray, with the investigation leading to this guilty plea.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle L. Goldman of the Narcotics/OCDETF Unit in Newark.

                                                                       ###

Defense counsel: Jason F. Orlando, Esq.

NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced on June 10, 2025, for his role in distributing cocaine, possessing with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin, and possessing three firearms, including two assault rifles with high-capacity magazines, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Azmar Carter, a/k/a “Bizzy,” 32, of East Orange, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to a superseding information charging him with two counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon, and possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine.

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

In 2021, law enforcement began investigating a drug trafficking organization that operates primarily in and around Orange, New Jersey and distributes narcotics throughout Essex County. During the investigation, Carter distributed cocaine to law enforcement in May 2021 and in July 2021. Subsequently, on August 18, 2021, law enforcement searched Carter’s residence and car in East Orange, New Jersey and recovered the following items: one Draco AK 47 rifle; one Smith and Wesson AR rifle; one .40 caliber pistol; ninety-four rounds of associated ammunition; a distribution quantity of heroin and cocaine; and approximately $7,177.00.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Arleo sentenced Carter to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents and members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr.; members of the Orange Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Todd Warren, Chief Vincent Vitiello and Captain Brian Mooney; members of the Elizabeth Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Giacomo Sacca and Police Director Earl J. Graves; members of the East Orange Police Department, under the direction of Chief Phyllis Bindi; member of the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda and Chief of Police Sharonda Morris; and the Belleville Police Department, under the direction of Chief Mark Minichini, with the investigation leading to the charges and arrests.

This case is part of Operation Orange, which is a part of the Newark Violent Crime Initiative (VCI), which was formed in August 2017 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the City of Newark’s Department of Public Safety for the purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Newark. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the DEA, the U.S. Marshals, the Newark Department of Public Safety, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, N.J. State Parole, Union County Jail, N.J. State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, N.J. Department of Corrections, the East Orange Police Department, the Orange Police Department and the Irvington Police Department.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin, Chief of the OCDETF/Narcotics Unit in Newark.

                                                                                                         ###

Defense counsel: Christopher D. Adams, Esq.

 

Newark, N.J. – U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced charges today against thirty people for their respective roles in a drug trafficking organization that sold large quantities of controlled substances – including fentanyl and crack cocaine – in the area of the Kretchmer Homes housing complex along Frelinghuysen Avenue in Newark.

Today’s charges and arrests are the result of a long-running wiretap investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in collaboration with the Union County Prosecutor’s Office. The charges include conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 280 grams or more of cocaine base, and various firearm and substantive narcotics offenses.  (See chart below).

The 17 defendants arrested today are scheduled to have their initial court appearances this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark federal court. 7 defendants were already in custody on state charges, one defendant was already in federal custody and previously appeared, and 4 defendants remain at large.

“These defendants are charged with operating a large-scale drug trafficking organization that poisoned our community with its distribution of massive quantities of fentanyl and crack cocaine,” U.S. Attorney Alina Habba said. “Fentanyl remains the deadliest driver of overdose deaths in our nation, devastating families everyday. We will have zero tolerance for violent gangs terrorizing our communities, flooding our neighborhoods with drugs and violence. Let today’s arrests serve as a clear warning — if you bring violence into our state, we will find you, we will dismantle your networks, and we will bring you to justice.”

“This was a sweeping and surgical strike against a violent drug trafficking network that terrorized an elderly community with poison and fear. The scale of this takedown sends a loud and clear message: we will not allow gangs to hold neighborhoods hostage. I commend U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for her bold leadership and thank our partners at the DEA, ATF, FBI, and local law enforcement for their relentless pursuit of justice,” FBI Director Kash Patel stated.

“Over the past year, the Bloods gang has terrorized the Kretchmer Homes public housing complex in Newark, NJ, using violence and fear to operate their drug trafficking business.  Thanks to the hard work of our DEA team and our law enforcement partners, we successfully targeted this drug trafficking organization that has plagued and poisoned our community with illicit narcotics. This operation, which resulted in the arrest of over two dozen individuals, removed numerous firearms, and approximately seven thousand grams of heroin and fentanyl from our streets. That’s enough fentanyl to kill up to 500,000 people,” stated DEA Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz. “This wasn’t just a bust; it was a life-saving operation. As we know, fentanyl continues to be the leading cause of death in drug overdoses and poisonings. The DEA remains committed to working alongside our federal, state, and local partners, in targeting the drug cartels and those individuals responsible for pushing these deadly drugs into our neighborhoods. We will continue to hold them accountable.”

“ATF is committed to working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, with unwavering determination and steadfast collaboration, to dismantle these drug trafficking organizations that threaten our communities,” said SAC L.C. Cheeks Jr. “Today’s arrests hold criminals accountable for drug-related activity and the related gun violence in our neighborhoods. We appreciate the dedication of our personnel and our partners who will continue to work tirelessly to protect and secure public safety.”

"When the FBI begins a street gang investigation, we go after the leaders of the enterprise to dismantle it from the top down. We allege these men wreaked havoc in Newark, selling illicit drugs and defending their lucrative turf by using violence and guns. But this case is about more than drugs and guns, it's about removing criminals from a community they have been terrorizing and leaving in their wake a trail of addiction and potential death for their customers. The FBI Newark Safe Streets Task Force and our partner agencies will not stop the work we are doing to rid Newark of violent offenders," said SAC Stefanie Roddy.

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

The defendants are members of a drug trafficking organization that operates an open-air narcotics market in and around the area of Kretchmer Homes – a public housing complex positioned along the 900 block of Frelinghuysen Avenue (the “Frelinghuysen DTO”). Many members of the Frelinghuysen DTO are affiliated with a neighborhood-based street gang, comprised largely of members and associates of the Bloods street gang, who pledge their allegiance, first and foremost, to the neighborhood surrounding the 900 block of Frelinghuysen Avenue.

Law enforcement used investigative techniques including, but not limited to, wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics by confidential informants and undercover law enforcement officers, telephone record analysis, and physical and fixed surveillance, among other lawful means of investigation.  The investigation revealed that the Frelinghuysen DTO distributes large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine base in this public housing community.  Moreover, the investigation revealed, through seizure of multiple firearms, that members of the Frelinghuysen DTO use firearms to protect their drug supply and proceeds. 

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents and task force officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks Jr., detectives with the Newark Police, under the direction of Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda, and the Essex County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sherriff Amir Jones, with the investigation leading to the charges in this case. She also thanked detectives with the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor William A. Daniel, for their assistance with the case.

The investigation was conducted as part of the Newark Violent Crime Initiative (“VCI”).  The Newark VCI was formed in August 2017 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the City of Newark’s Department of Public Safety for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Newark.  As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community.  The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the DEA, New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Newark Department of Public Safety, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, New Jersey Department of Corrections, the East Orange Police Department, and the Irvington Police Department.

This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Thypin-Bermeo and Senior Trial Counsel Robert Frazer of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

                                                                                                                                 ###

DEFENDANTS

Defendant Name

Age

Charges

Potential Penalties

Anderson, Noah

33

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Broadnax, Nathaniel

42

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Coleman, Latisha

35

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Cooper, Edwin

23

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Hall, Farard

34

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Hargrove, Alquawi

30

21 U.S.C. § 846

18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Up to 15 years in prison

Harris, Ali

31

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Harrison, Dawan

34

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Harrison, Jaquay

36

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Hoover, Bernard

40

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Jenkins, Khyair

21

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Kalonji, Ajamu

60

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Latimore, Nigel

44

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Leaks, Shaquan

31

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Levett, Anthony

28

21 U.S.C. § 846

18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Up to 15 years in prison

Massenburg, Isaiah

31

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

McClean, Tauheed

38

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Morgan, Raheem

28

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Shell, Lamar

35

21 U.S.C. § 846

18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Up to 15 years in prison

Smith, Jamar

34

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Swinton, Jamaal

32

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Traynmam, Kaidean

28

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Tutler, Radee

41

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Woody, Timothy

47

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Wright, Mario

47

10 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Travis, Najee

28

Up to 15 years in prison

Reed, Nyerei

24

18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)

21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C)

18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i)

Up to 15 years in prison

Up to 20 years in prison

5 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Martin, Dashawn

32

Up to 20 years in prison

Kennedy, Divine

25

18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)

21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C)

18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i)

Up to 15 years in prison

Up to 20 years in prison

5 year mandatory minimum; up to life

Overstreet, Tysone

29

Up to 15 years in prison

NEWARK, N.J. – U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver was charged in a three-count indictment today for forcibly impeding and interfering with federal officers, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

According to the allegations in the indictment, McIver forcibly impeded and interfered with federal officers as they attempted to arrest an individual outside the Delaney Hall Federal Immigration Facility in Newark, New Jersey on May 9, 2025.  McIver and two other members of Congress were present at the facility that day to conduct a congressional oversight inspection.  The inspection coincided with an immigration protest rally. After the Congressional Delegation entered the secured area of the facility, the Mayor of Newark arrived and was given access to the secured area.  A federal officer then informed the Mayor that he was not authorized to be in the facility’s secured area, and issued the Mayor multiple warnings that he would be arrested if he did not leave.  McIver and other members of the Congressional Delegation overheard this conversation and challenged the officer, protesting the Mayor’s removal.  When officers moved in to arrest the Mayor, McIver and others surrounded the Mayor and prevented the officers from handcuffing him.        

After the Mayor was escorted outside the secured area, law enforcement officers made a second attempt to arrest him.  At this time, someone in the crowd yelled “circle the mayor.”  McIver then faced the Mayor and placed her arms around him in an effort to prevent HSI from completing the arrest.  During her continued attempts to thwart the arrest, McIver slammed her forearm into the body of one law enforcement officer and also reached out and tried to restrain that officer by forcibly grabbing him.  McIver also used each of her forearms to forcibly strike a second officer.

If convicted, McIver faces a maximum penalty of 8 years in prison on the forcible impeding and interfering charge set forth in Count One of the indictment. She faces a maximum penalty of 8 years in prison on the forcible impeding and interfering charge set forth in Count Two. She also faces a maximum penalty of 1 year in prison for Count Three.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark McCarren of the Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

An indictment is merely an allegation.  All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Defense counsel: Paul Fishman, Esq. and Lee Cortes, Esq.

TRENTON, N.J. – An Ocean County, New Jersey man admitted to possessing images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

John Mangan, 78, of Lanoka Harbor, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court today to an Information charging him with one count of possession of child pornography.

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

On October 29, 2024, agents with Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, executed a search warrant at Mangan’s residence in Lanoka Harbor and discovered an electronic device containing over 250 images of children being sexually abused.  Mangan was previously convicted of sexual offenses involving minors, including: (i) a New Jersey conviction for sexual assault against a minor, for conduct that occurred while Mangan was a school principal; and (ii) a prior federal conviction for possession of child pornography.

Because Mangan has been previously convicted of certain qualifying offenses, the count of possession of child pornography carries an enhanced mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000.  Sentencing is scheduled for October 21, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Belgiovine of the Criminal Division in Trenton.

                                                                       ###

Defense counsel: Suzanne Axel, Hackensack, New Jersey.

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Passaic County, New Jersey attorney was sentenced to 21 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $300,000 in COVID-19 relief benefits, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. 

Morton Chirnomas, 62, of Clifton, New Jersey previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn to an Information charging him with wire fraud. Judge O’Hearn imposed the sentence in Camden federal Court. Chirnomas was also ordered to serve three years’ supervised release.

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

From May 2020 to September 2020, Chirnomas fraudulently obtained a $150,000 loan through the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans program. He also falsely obtained $200,000 in unemployment insurance benefits using the names and identities of other people without their authorization. 

U.S. Attorney Habba credited postal inspectors with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division; special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone; and special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Cybercrime Unit in Newark.

The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

                                                                                      ###

Defense counsel: Saverio A. Viggiano, Newark, New Jersey

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Nevada woman was sentenced to 120 months in prison for orchestrating a $7 million advance fee Ponzi scheme and obstructing the government’s investigation, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Anna Kline, formerly Jordana Weber, 35, of Sparks, Nevada, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn in Camden federal court to two counts of an Indictment charging her with wire fraud. Judge O’Hearn imposed the sentence in Camden federal Court. Kline was also ordered to serve three years’ supervised release and pay $3,403,000 in restitution.

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

The Fraud Scheme

Between April 2017 and July 2019, Kline owned and operated several shell companies that falsely purported to offer lending services to customers, typically small business owners seeking high value loans, often in excess of $100 million.  As part of the scheme, Kline required the victim borrowers to pay up to 5% of a potential total loan amount as a “fee” prior to the loan being funded.

After the victim’s “fee” was paid, Kline purported to conduct due diligence on the loans. During this period, Kline frequently gave victims bogus explanations for why the funding of their loan was delayed. It was also common for the victims to be provided with falsified or fraudulent documents, including bank statements that purported to show that the shell companies had sufficient money to fund the loan.

Throughout the scheme, Kline and her significant other, Jason Torres, used the “fees” paid by the victims for their daily living expenses, as well as for numerous lavish purchases, which included several luxury vehicles, high priced artwork, and vacations.  The “fees” were also used to pay back previous victims of the fraud, in the manner of a traditional Ponzi scheme.

At least six victims transferred a total of approximately $7 million being transferred to bank accounts controlled by the Kline as a result of the scheme.

Kline’s Obstruction

Kline was arrested on charges related to the fraudulent advance fee scheme in July 2019. While released on bail on those charges, Kline, through her then-attorney, Attorney-1, provided the Government with a .pdf document that purported to be a portion of a Cellebrite report showing iMessages between Kline and Torres that appeared to show Torres making threats toward Kline and insinuating that Torres was primarily responsible for the fraudulent advance fee scheme.

A forensic review of the .pdf document Kline provided to the Government revealed that it had been falsified.  Further investigation revealed that Kline presented the fake Cellebrite report to a Family Court in California as part of a custody dispute between Kline and Torres.  During that hearing, Kline represented that the report had been generated by a forensic examiner named “Drew Andrews.”  Investigation revealed that “Andrews” did not exist but was actually an alter-ego of Kline’s that Kline used to deceive the California Family Court, Attorney-1, and a forensic expert into believing that the fraudulent Cellebrite Report was legitimate.

In addition to the fraudulent Cellebrite report, Kline also provided the Government a computer that she claimed contained an iTunes backup that included the alleged text messages from Torres.  A forensic review of the computer revealed that data on the computer, including the iTunes backup, had been manipulated. Specifically, certain time stamps on the computer had been changed to make it appear as if the iTunes backup and other files stored on the computer were created in April 2020, when the fictional “Andrews” purportedly ran the fraudulent Cellebrite Report.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan of the U.S. Attorney’s Cybercrime Unit in Newark. 

                                                                       ###

Defense counsel:

Michael Huff, Esq., Philadelphia, PA

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Pennsylvania Small Business Investment Company (SBIC), its affiliate, and one of its portfolio companies have entered into a settlement agreement with the United States resolving allegations that the portfolio company violated the False Claims Act by taking a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to which the company was not entitled, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced today.

According to the allegations in the complaint and the contentions of the United States contained in the settlement agreement:

Congress created the PPP in March 2020, as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to provide emergency financial support to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses struggling to pay employees and other business expenses. Under appropriate circumstances, small businesses were eligible to receive these funds even if they were owned or had investment from SBICs.  For the second draw of PPP loans, businesses in a single corporate group were limited to receiving a maximum of $4 million in PPP loans.

Argosy Investment Partners V, L.P. (“AIP V”) is an SBIC, and Argosy Investment Partners Parallel V, L.P. invests in parallel with AIP V.  Among the portfolio companies in which they invested is AIP-ECS Holdings LLC (“AIP-ECS”).  AIP-ECS applied for, received, and received forgiveness of a PPP loan for $1,205,352.00, even though AIP-ECS was ineligible for a loan of that size, because other companies in the portfolio had already received loans that, together with the loan AIP-ECS received, would take the corporate group over $4 million in total second draw PPP loans.

Argosy fully cooperated in the investigation and resolution of this matter. In accordance with the terms of the settlement, Argosy Investment Partners V, L.P., Argosy Investment Partners Parallel V, L.P., and/or AIP-ECS agree collectively to pay the United States $1.5 million.

The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties, called relators, to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. In this matter, the relator is receiving $150,000 as his share in the recovery. 

U.S. Attorney Habba credits special agents of the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Supervisory Criminal Investigator Angelo Palmeri in New York, with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul W. Kaufman of the Healthcare Fraud Unit.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The qui tam case is captioned United States of America ex rel. Zachary Holtzman v. Argosy Capital Company, LLC, et al., Civil Action No. 24-8318.

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Counsel for Argosy and AIP-ECS Holdings: Suzanne Jaffe Bloom, Benjamin Sokoly, Alan Roth, and Christopher Douglass, Winston & Strawn, New York, New York

Relator’s counsel: Darth Newman Esq., Coraopolis, Pennsylvania

NEWARK, N.J. – A Venezuelan man has been charged in connection with possessing with intent to distribute over two kilograms of black tar heroin, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Reinaldo Rafael Belisario Mendoza (“Mendoza”), 29, of Venezuela, was charged by complaint with one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin. Mendoza appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge James B. Clark, III in Newark federal court on May 29, 2025, and was detained.

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

In May 2025, law enforcement officials received information that Mendoza was engaged in narcotics trafficking in New Jersey. On May 28, 2025, Mendoza met with a prospective buyer to sell two kilograms of heroin that he had stored in the trunk of his vehicle.  Mendoza drove to the sale with an adult and two minor family members in the car. 

The heroin distribution count carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine. 

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New York Division’s Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino, with the investigation leads to the arrest.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Ecker of the Criminal Division in Newark.

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

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Defense counsel: Adalgiza Nunez, Esq. 

NEWARK – A New Jersey man pleaded guilty today to tax evasion.

The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: for tax years 2015 and 2016, Matthew Tucci, of West Long Branch, filed tax returns that stated he owed more than $2 million in taxes for both years. Despite admitting that he owed those taxes, Tucci did not fully pay them when they were due. Instead, Tucci purchased real estate and engaged in a series of transactions designed to conceal his interest in those properties.

In 2017, the IRS sent notices to Tucci that he owed taxes, interest, and penalties for 2015 and 2016. After receiving these notices, Tucci transferred multiple properties to an entity owned by another individual, but he continued to exert control over at least two of them. Of the two properties Tucci continued to control, he sold one and refinanced the other. Tucci used the proceeds from these transactions to pay his personal expenses rather than his tax debts. In 2019, Tucci submitted documents to the IRS that falsely claimed that he had no connection to the entity that owned the 12 properties.

Tucci is scheduled to be sentenced on October 9, 2025. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison as well as a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI are investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Catriona Coppler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Belgiovine for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case.

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A New Jersey man pleaded guilty today to tax evasion.

The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: for tax years 2015 and 2016, Matthew Tucci, of West Long Branch, filed tax returns that stated he owed more than $2 million in taxes for both years. Despite admitting that he owed those taxes, Tucci did not fully pay them when they were due. Instead, Tucci purchased real estate and engaged in a series of transactions designed to conceal his interest in those properties.

In 2017, the IRS sent notices to Tucci that he owed taxes, interest, and penalties for 2015 and 2016. After receiving these notices, Tucci transferred multiple properties to an entity owned by another individual, but he continued to exert control over at least two of them. Of the two properties Tucci continued to control, he sold one and refinanced the other. Tucci used the proceeds from these transactions to pay his personal expenses rather than his tax debts. In 2019, Tucci submitted documents to the IRS that falsely claimed that he had no connection to the entity that owned the 12 properties.

Tucci is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 9. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison as well as a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI are investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Catriona Coppler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Belgiovine for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case.

TRENTON, N.J. – A Middlesex County, New Jersey man was sentenced to prison for defrauding victims in South Korea through a bogus investment scheme, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Mohammed Rahman, 64, of Iselin, New Jersey, was sentenced to 27 months in prison. Rahman previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner to an information charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

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

Rahman controlled a company, Caltech Trading Corporation, through which he purported to buy and sell commodities. Rahman and other individuals in South Korea persuaded approximately 60 victims there to invest funds purportedly toward the purchase of $1 million of sugar from Brazil, which Caltech would then sell for a substantial profit. Rahman and his associates memorialized the investment terms in a fraudulent investment agreement that falsely promised the victim investors that they would receive a one hundred percent return on their investment. The victims relied on Rahman’s misrepresentations about how their funds would be used to purchase sugar.  In reality, the funds were wired into Rahman’s bank account and used to pay his personal expenses, including his mortgage. Rahman also altered his bank account statement in an attempt to conceal the fact that he did not use the investors’ funds to purchase sugar.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Castner sentenced Rahman to two years of supervised release and to pay $1,393,200 in restitution to the victims. Judge Castner ordered forfeiture of $1,000,000, constituting proceeds derived from the conspiracy.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan, and special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel in Newark, with the investigation. She also thanked the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office for their assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Ecker of the Health Care Fraud & Opioids Abuse Prevention Unit in Newark.

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Defense counsel: Robert G. Stahl, Esq.

A Dallas County, Texas man was sentenced to 26 months in prison for a federal hate crime and for making violent interstate threats against various individuals based on their religion, including the employees of a Sikh nonprofit organization located in New Jersey, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey announced today.

Bhushan Athale, 49, of Dallas, Texas had previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel in Camden federal court to interfering with federally protected activities through the threatened use of a dangerous weapon and one count of transmitting an interstate threat to injure another person.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, on Sept. 17, 2022, Athale called the main number of an organization that advocates for the civil rights of Sikh individuals within the United States, leaving numerous messages over several hours threatening to injure or kill these individuals with a razor and other very specific acts of violence.

On March 21, 2024, Athale again called the same Sikh organization and left two more voicemails. In these voicemails, Athale again used violent, sexual imagery to express his hatred toward Sikhs as well as Muslims.

“The Department of Justice has no tolerance for hate-fueled threats of violence in our country, and we appreciate the strong efforts of U.S. Attorney Alina Habba and her team in working with us to bring this perpetrator to justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Kiel sentenced Athale to three years of supervised release and warned Athale not to contact any of the victims of his offenses.

U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey credited the special agents of the FBI Philadelphia Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara A. Aliabadi and Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden, New Jersey, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.

Newark, N.J. – A Passaic County man admitted to distributing approximately 500 pills of fentanyl, United States Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Angelo Restituyo-Garcia, 34, of Paterson, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden to one count of conspiring to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846, and one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B).

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

From in or about March of 2020 through May of 2020, Restituyo-Garcia conspired with others to distribute fentanyl.  On May 1, 2020, Restituyo-Garcia delivered nearly 500 pills of compressed fentanyl totaling more than 50 grams for which he accepted $2,750 in payment.

The conspiracy charge and the possession with intent to distribute charge are both punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 40 years in prison and a maximum $5,000,000 fine.    Each charge carries with it a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for October 1, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz in Newark, New Jersey as well as investigators with the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Prosecutor Camelia Valdes.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the Untied States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. McCarren of the Office’s Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

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Defense counsel: Adalgiza Nunez, Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark

NEWARK, N.J. – A Passaic County Correctional Officer admitted his role in assaulting a pretrial detainee and conspiring to obstruct justice, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Sergeant Jose Gonzalez, 46, pleaded guilty on May 28, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark federal court to a two-count indictment charging him with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.

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

On January 22, 2021, a pretrial detainee at the Passaic County Jail (“PCJ”) squirted a mixture containing urine onto a correctional officer.  The following day, on January 23, 2021, Sergeant Gonzalez admitted that he, along with Sergeant Donald Vinales, and Correctional Officer Lorenzo Bowden, who were also charged in this case, transported the detainee through an area of the PCJ that does not have a video surveillance camera, which Correctional Officers and inmates at the PCJ have referred to as a “blind spot.” While in that “blind spot,” Sergeant Gonzalez admitted that he and Sergeant Vinales assaulted the detainee, while he was handcuffed, when they knocked him to the ground and struck him multiple times.  One day after the assault, the detainee was taken to a local hospital, which documented injuries from the assault.

The defendants were required to submit documentation regarding their use of force.  None of them submitted any such reports.

In March 2022, Sergeant Gonzalez admitted that he made false statements to federal law enforcement officers during an interview in connection with this investigation.  Additionally, in April 2022, after receiving federal grand jury subpoenas in connection with this investigation, Sergeant Gonzalez, Sergeant Vinales, Officer Bowden, among others, met to discuss the federal investigation. During that meeting, the group agreed not to cooperate with the federal investigation and also agreed to say that nothing had happened to the detainee (referring to the assault). Thereafter, during an interview with federal investigators in October 2022, Bowden falsely stated that the detainee had not been assaulted and that there had not been any meeting or communication among those who participated in or witnessed the assault.

Officer Bowden pleaded guilty on April 18, 2024, before Judge Farbiarz to an information charging him with conspiracy to obstruct justice and is awaiting sentencing.

Sergeant Vinales pleaded guilty on May 21, 2025, before Judge Farbiarz to a two-count indictment charging him with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. He is also awaiting sentencing.

The charge of deprivation of rights under color of law carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and the charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Both charges carry a fine of up to $250,000. Gonzalez’s sentencing is scheduled for October 22, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark; and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office Division of Internal Affairs, under the direction of Sheriff Thomas Adamo.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin, Chief of the Narcotics/OCDETF Unit in Newark, and R. Joseph Gribko, Senior Trial Counsel in Trenton. 

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Defense Counsel:

Valerie Palma DeLuisi, Esq., Clifton, New Jersey 

TRENTON, N.J. –  A Florida man who previously resided in New Jersey was sentenced to 72 months’ imprisonment for defrauding approximately 33 victims out of more than $4.7 million through an “upfront-fee” scheme that spanned nearly a decade, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

John Sabo, 71, formerly of Spring Lake, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp to an information charging him with one count of wire fraud. 

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

From in or around November 2014 through at least in or around August 2023, Sabo fraudulently induced his multiple victims to collectively pay millions of dollars in “up-front” or advance fees to his company, Bankers Capital LLC, in exchange for the promise to provide various forms of collateral and/or secure millions of dollars in financing for each of the victims’ business projects.  However, neither Sabo nor Bankers Capital possessed or had access to the financing and collateral that Sabo promised.

Instead of using the victims’ money as promised, Sabo diverted millions of dollars out of Bankers Capital, primarily for personal expenses, which included payments to Sabo’s creditors, and to pay back other victims of the scheme.  Even after he was charged by complaint in November 2022 with engaging in the wire fraud scheme, Sabo continued to provide false assurances to victims that they would receive the promised collateral or financing.  In total, Sabo’s scheme resulted in $4,788,325 in losses to victims.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Shipp ordered Sabo to pay forfeiture and restitution to the victims of his scheme, each in the total amount of $4,788,325, and sentenced Sabo to 3 years of supervised release. 

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Kozar and Carolyn Silane of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.                                         

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Defense counsel:  Michael Robertson, Esq.

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Dallas County, Texas man was sentenced to 26 months in prison for a federal hate crime and for making violent interstate threats against various individuals based on their religion, including the employees of a Sikh nonprofit organization located in New Jersey, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey announced today.

Bhushan Athale, 49, of Dallas, Texas, had previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel in Camden federal court to interfering with federally protected activities through the threatened use of a dangerous weapon and one count of transmitting an interstate threat to injure another person.

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

On Sept. 17, 2022, Athale called the main number of an organization that advocates for the civil rights of Sikh individuals within the United States, leaving numerous messages over several hours threatening to injure or kill these individuals with a razor and other very specific acts of violence.

On March 21, 2024, Athale again called the same Sikh organization and left two more voicemails.  In these voicemails, Athale again used violent, sexual imagery to express his hatred toward Sikhs as well as Muslims.

“The Department of Justice has no tolerance for hate-fueled threats of violence in our country, and we appreciate the strong efforts of U.S. Attorney Alina Habba and her team in working with us to bring this perpetrator to justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Kiel sentenced Athale to three years of supervised release and warned Athale not to contact any of the victims of his offenses.

U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey credited the special agents of the FBI Philadelphia Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, with the investigation

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara A. Aliabadi and Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden, New Jersey, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.

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Defense Counsel: AFPD Maggie Moy

CAMDEN, N.J. – A New Jersey woman pleaded guilty to bank robbery, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Ciara Brascom, 38, of Newark, pleaded guilty to an information charging her with one count of bank robbery before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court.

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

On July 28, 2024, Brascom entered a bank in Princeton and demanded cash from a bank teller, while holding what appeared to be a black handgun. During the robbery, Brascom threatened that she would use the gun if the bank’s alarm was activated. Brascom fled from the bank after taking approximately $60,500.

The charge in the information to which Brascom pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for October 6, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Alina Habba credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges. She also thanked the Princeton Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Christopher Tash, and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey, for their assistance in the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard G. Shephard of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton. 

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Defense counsel: Andrea G. Aldana, Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Trenton

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Texas man admitted his role in a romance fraud scam in which he received money from elderly victims, including from New Jersey, and then transferred the money abroad, primarily to Ghana. His romantic partner admitted that she had served as an unlicensed money transmitter in accepting and transmitting some of the funds for profit, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Felix Clark, a/k/a “Joseph Moore,” a/k/a “Stanley Smith,” 36, of Keller, Texas, pleaded guilty on May 6, 2025, before the Hon. Renée Marie Bumb, Chief, U.S. District Judge, Camden, to a two-count information, charging conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud in connection with the romance fraud scam. Clark’s sentencing is scheduled for September 10, 2025.

Clark’s romantic partner, Esther Amppiaw, 33, of Keller, Texas, pleaded guilty on May 23, 2025, before the Hon. Renée Marie Bumb, Chief, U.S. District Judge, Camden, to a one-count information charging her with operating an unlicensed money transmitter business. Amppiaw’s sentencing is scheduled for September 23, 2025.

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

From June 2022 through September 2022, while a resident of Delray Beach, Florida, Clark conspired and agreed to receive the proceeds of fraud perpetrated by a co-conspirator in Ghana and then to transfer those proceeds overseas.  Over the course of the conspiracy, one or more of Clark’s co-conspirators went onto online dating sites and, using fake names, pretended to be romantically interested in mostly elderly victims, including stating that they wanted to marry the victims. Many of the victims, including Victim-1 (an elderly New Jersey-based victim) had recently lost their spouses.

The co-conspirators used electronic means to tell the victims a variety of lies to induce the victims to send money—for instance, claiming that there was a large amount of gold in Ghana, but in order to gain access, the victim needed to pay taxes, fees, or other sums. The co-conspirators directed the victims to send funds to Clark and others acting at his direction, including Amppiaw. Clark used fake names, including “Joseph Moore” and “Stanley Smith”—as well as financial accounts in those fake names—to commit and transfer the proceeds of fraud.

During his guilty plea hearing, Clark admitted that he was responsible for $501,071 in victim losses. He also admitted that he had attempted to obstruct justice by causing a falsified death certificate and funeral notice purporting to show the death and funeral of a family member to be submitted to the United States, for the purpose of obtaining his passport, which had been lawfully seized and to which he was not legally entitled.

Amppiaw admitted that she operated an unlicensed money transmitting business from January 2022 through June 2023, while a resident of Delray Beach, Florida. Amppiaw also admitted that she knowingly received checks, money orders, and electronic payments totaling $317,290 from individuals she did not know, and that she knowingly transmitted most of the funds to other individuals, including at least one recipient in New Jersey and also to recipients overseas, including Ghana. Amppiaw admitted that she now knows that the funds she transferred included the proceeds of unlawful activity—that is, fraud.

The counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud to which Clark pled guilty are each punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison. The sentences on each count may run consecutively. The count of operating an unlicensed money transmitter business to which Amppiaw pled guilty is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison. Each offense also carries a potential fine of the greater of $250,000,or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, and the defendants may be sentenced to a term of supervised release after any term of imprisonment imposed.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited agents of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division, South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Philadelphia Division, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher Nielsen, with the investigation leading to the guilty pleas.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisa T. Wiygul of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.

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Defense Counsel:

Felix Clark: Jeremy McLymont, Esq., Miami, Florida

Esther Amppiaw: James Maguire, Esq., AFPD, Camden, New Jersey

NEWARK N.J. – A New Jersey man was sentenced to 20 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining approximately $149,900 in federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDL”) loans, U.S. Alina Habba announced.

George Leguen, 51, of Paramus, New Jersey, previously plead guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to an information charging him with wire fraud and money laundering. Judge Arleo imposed the sentence in Newark federal court.

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

From August 2020 through January 2021, Leguen participated in a scheme to defraud and receive COVID-19 emergency relief funds meant for distressed small businesses under the EIDL program. Leguen applied to the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) on behalf of a business he owned and controlled. He falsified information that he submitted in support of that application, including the number of employees, annual gross revenue figures, and fraudulent federal tax returns. Based on this false information, Leguen was approved for and received an EIDL loan in the amount of $149,900. After receiving the EIDL funds, he diverted the proceeds for his personal gain.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Arleo sentenced Leguen to 3 years of supervised release, forfeiture was ordered in the amount of $149,900, and restitution in the amount of $174,426.37.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz of the New Jersey Field Division; special agents of the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron Hatley, Newark Field Office; and special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone, Northeast Region, with the investigation.

The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Fatime Meka Cano of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

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Defense counsel: Jeffrey Lichtman, Esq. and Matthew Cohan, Esq. 

NEWARK, N.J. – On May 14, 2025, U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz entered a final judgment forfeiting to the United States approximately $7 million in fraud and money laundering proceeds, as well as a real property purchased with laundered fraud proceeds that has an estimated market value of nearly $2 million, United States Attorney Alina Habba announced.

On May 6, 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a civil forfeiture complaint against approximately $7 million in seized and frozen U.S. currency, as well as a real property in Cresskill, New Jersey, that was purchased with nearly $1 million in laundered fraud proceeds, alleging that the assets were the proceeds of fraud and money laundering offenses. As alleged in the complaint, between April 2020 and August 2020, Jae H. Choi (“Choi”) fraudulently obtained Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loans totaling approximately $8,971,457, and then laundered those fraud proceeds through various financial accounts held in the names of Choi’s nominees, including Choi’s relative and various corporate entities that Choi controlled. According to the civil forfeiture complaint, Choi then spent the laundered fraud proceeds on personal expenses and purchased the Cresskill real property.

United States Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Internal Revenue Service –Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan, special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General’s Boston New York Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Amy Connelly, postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen, and special agents of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General’s Eastern Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Braithwaite, with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter A. Laserna of the Bank Integrity, Money Laundering, and Recovery Unit of the Criminal Division in Newark.

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NEWARK, N.J. – A Sussex County, New Jersey woman and a Texas man admitted to exploiting a child and producing child pornography, as well as to other child pornography offenses, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Dominique Saczawa, 34, of Sparta, New Jersey, and Russell Lynn Davis, Jr., 47, of Heller, Texas, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel in Camden federal court.  Saczawa pleaded guilty to production of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, advertisement of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.  Davis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce child pornography, production of child pornography, and receipt of child pornography.

According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in Court:

Saczawa admitted to sexually exploiting a then-four-year-old by engaging in sexual contact and then producing images and videos of that sexual contact.  Saczawa also admitted to sharing these videos and/or images with others, including Davis. Davis admitted to conspiring with Saczawa to sexually exploit the victim, including instructing Saczawa in a video message to perform oral sex on the victim.

Saczawa also admitted to running a group chat within an online messaging application in which participants discussed and shared content and/or images of child pornography.  As an administrator of this group, Saczawa solicited participants to share such content.  The images Saczawa shared included images of toddlers potentially as young as one year old being sexually assaulted.

Davis had previously been convicted in Texas of indecent contact with a child.

“Protecting small children, the most vulnerable of our community, is among the most important work that we can do.  Every child deserves to be in a home free of sexual exploitation, and we will prosecute those that threaten this right.  When predators target children, we are committed to unmasking and holding them accountable.” 

- U.S. Attorney Alina Habba 

"There are truly no words to describe how grotesque the behavior in this case is. A woman admitting to using a prepubescent child to create child sexual assault material is beyond the bounds of any acceptable human behavior – and it always will be. Our FBI Newark Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, alongside our partner agencies, do the work of superheroes each and every day, saving children from monsters and preventing evil from harming more victims," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited FBI Newark’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, with the investigation.

The charge of production of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison, or in the case of a defendant who has previously been convicted of a sex offense, a mandatory minimum penalty of 25 years and a maximum potential penalty of 50 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.  The charge of receipt of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison, or in the case of a defendant who has previously been convicted of a sex offense, a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years and a maximum potential penalty of 40 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.  The charge of possession of child pornography carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.  The charge of advertisement of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.

Saczawa and Davis are both scheduled for sentencing on September 22, 2025.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc.

The government is represented by Assistant United States Attorney Rachelle M. Navarro of the Bank Integrity, Money Laundering, and Recovery Unit in Newark.

                                                           ###

Defense counsel for Saczawa: Stephen Natoli, Esq.

Defense counsel for Davis: Anthony Iacullo, Esq.

NEWARK, N.J. – Five pharmacies located in Jersey City, Bayonne, and Elizabeth have agreed to pay $1,935,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly billing federal health care programs for medications that they never dispensed, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced today.

According to the contentions of the United States in the settlement agreements, inventory records showed that the below listed pharmacies did not purchase enough medications from wholesalers to fill the prescriptions billed to the federal health care programs.

• 2818 JFK Pharmacy LLC agreed to pay $1,000,000 to resolve allegations that from January 2, 2020, through January 24, 2022, it caused the submission of claims for reimbursement to the Medicare Part D Program and the New Jersey Medicaid Program for drugs that were never dispensed to beneficiaries.
• 518 Summit Care Pharmacy LLC agreed to pay $600,000 to resolve allegations that from January 2, 2020, through March 28, 2022, it caused the submission of claims for reimbursement to the Medicare Part D Program and the New Jersey Medicaid Program for drugs that were never dispensed to beneficiaries.
• 1850 Greenville Pharmacy LLC agreed to pay $133,000 to resolve allegations that from January 2, 2020, through April 11, 2022, it caused the submission of claims for reimbursement to the Medicare Part D Program and the New Jersey Medicaid Program for drugs that were never dispensed to beneficiaries.
• 327 Alexandria Pharmacy LLC agreed to pay $101,000 to resolve allegations that from March 26, 2020, through April 2, 2022, it caused the submission of claims for reimbursement to the Medicare Part D Program and the New Jersey Medicaid Program for drugs that were never dispensed to beneficiaries.
• 516 Broadway Care Pharmacy LLC agreed to pay $101,000 to resolve allegations that from January 2, 2020, through April 4, 2022, it caused the submission of claims for reimbursement to the Medicare Part D Program and the New Jersey Medicaid Program for drugs that were never dispensed to beneficiaries.

“All pharmacies that bill federal programs must ensure accurate billing and may not bill for medications they never dispensed.  The Office will continue to pursue entities that fail in their essential responsibilities and engage in fraud, waste, or abuse.”

- U.S. Attorney Alina Habba

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kruti Dharia and Robert Toll of the Health Care Fraud & Opioids Abuse Unit and Senior Trial Counsel Jennifer Cihon in the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section).

The government’s pursuit of these matters illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services, at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

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NEWARK, N.J. – Five Amtrak employees recently admitted participating in a health care fraud scheme to defraud Amtrak, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Kevin Frink, 53, of Willingboro, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court to an Indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Michael Toal, 35, of Hazlet, New Jersey, David McBrien, 37, of Levittown, Pennsylvania, Damany Walker, 41, of Irvington, New Jersey, and David Lonergan, 65, of Rockaway Park, New York, in recent weeks also pleaded guilty before Judge Arleo in Newark federal court to the Indictment charging conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

The Indictment also charges four other co-conspirators in connection with the scheme: Quinton Johnson, 53, of Irvington, New Jersey; Gregory Richardson, 35, of Roosevelt, New York; Timothy Bogen, 59, of Hamden, Connecticut; and Dion Jacob, 50, of Brooklyn, New York.  Defendant Rodolfo Rivera, 41, of Clayton, Delaware, previously pleaded guilty to the Indictment, and co-conspirator Anthony Saloka, 44, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty to an Information.

“The defendants admitted to colluding with corrupt health care providers in a scheme to defraud Amtrak’s health care plan for personal financial gain.  My office is committed to holding accountable those who profit from health care scams, like this one, that harm the public and the health care system.”

- U.S. Attorney Alina Habba

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

From January 2019 through June 2022, Frink, Toal, McBrien, Walker, Lonergan, and their co-conspirators—who were also Amtrak employees—engaged in a scheme to obtain cash kickbacks from health care providers in return for their agreement to allow their health insurance plan to be billed for services that were never provided and were not medically necessary. In total, as a result of the conspiracy, the Amtrak health care plan paid over $11 million in fraudulent claims associated with providers connected to the scheme.

Each defendant received thousands of dollars in cash kickbacks from health care providers in return for their participation in the scheme, including from Punson Figueroa, an acupuncturist.  Defendants Frink, McBrien, Walker, and Lonergan also received cash kickbacks from Michael DeNicola, a podiatrist. Figueroa previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and was sentenced on September 24, 2024 to 34 months in prison. DeNicola previously pleaded guilty on June 29, 2022 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, among other offenses. His sentencing remains pending.

The health care fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Walker’s and McBrien’s sentencings are scheduled for July 24, 2025.  Lonergan’s sentencing is scheduled for August 20, 2025.  Toal’s sentencing is scheduled for October 23, 2025. Frink’s sentencing is scheduled for October 9, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Amtrak Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Waters, the Amtrak Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Sam Dotson, and special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III in New York, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica R. Ecker and Katherine M. Romano of the Health Care Fraud and Opioid Abuse Prevention Unit, and Senior Trial Counsel Barbara Ward of the Bank Integrity, Recovery, and Money Laundering Unit, in Newark.

The charge and allegations contained in the Indictment against Johnson, Richardson, Bogen, and Jacob are merely accusations, and they are each presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

                                                                       ###

Defense counsel:  Sarah Sulkowski, Esq. (for Kevin Frink)

    Michael Chazen, Esq. (for Michael Toal)

                            Michael V. Calabro, Esq. (for David McBrien)

                            Michael Rosas, Esq. (for Damany Walker)

                            Bruce S. Rosen, Esq. and Sarah Fehm Stewart, Esq. (for David Lonergan)

CAMDEN, N.J. – An Albanian national was charged with marriage fraud, and he and his wife, an American citizen, were both charged with making false statements on forms submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Elvis Harizaj, 25, of Cherry Hill, and Natasha Flores, 27, of Newark, were both charged with making false statements to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”).

According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in Court:

Harizaj is a citizen of Albania and entered into a sham marriage with Flores for the purpose of obtaining permanent residence in the United States.  On forms submitted to USCIS, Harizaj falsely stated that he lived with Flores and Flores falsely stated that she had never been married before.  Flores, in fact, had previously been married to a Brazilian national who obtained U.S. citizenship based on his marriage to Flores. In addition, Harizaj was charged with marriage fraud.

The counts of false statements and marriage fraud both have a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel, with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph McFarlane in Camden.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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NEWARK, N.J. – A Passaic County Correctional Officer admitted his role in assaulting a pretrial detainee and conspiring to obstruct justice, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Sergeant Donald Vinales, 39, pleaded guilty on May 21, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark federal court to a two-count indictment charging him with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.

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

On January 22, 2021, a pretrial detainee at the Passaic County Jail (“PCJ”) squirted a mixture containing urine onto a correctional officer.  The following day, on January 23, 2021, Sergeant Vinales admitted that he, along with Sergeant Jose Gonzalez, and Correctional Officer Lorenzo Bowden, who were also charged in this case, transported the detainee through an area of the PCJ that does not have a video surveillance camera, which Correctional Officers and inmates at the PCJ have referred to as a “blind spot.” While in that “blind spot,” Sergeant Vinales admitted that he and Sgt. Gonzalez assaulted the detainee, while he was handcuffed, when they knocked him to the ground and struck him multiple times.  One day after the assault, the detainee was taken to a local hospital, which documented injuries from the assault.

The defendants were required to submit documentation regarding their use of force.  None of them submitted any such reports.

In April 2022, after receiving federal grand jury subpoenas in connection with this investigation, Sergeant Gonzalez, Sergeant Vinales, Officer Bowden, among others, met to discuss the federal investigation. During that meeting, the group agreed not to cooperate with the federal investigation and also agreed to say that nothing had happened to the detainee (referring to the assault). Thereafter, during an interview with federal investigators in October 2022, Bowden falsely stated that the detainee had not been assaulted and that there had not been any meeting or communication among those who participated in or witnessed the assault.

Officer Bowden pleaded guilty on April 18, 2024, before Judge Farbiarz to an information charging him with conspiracy to obstruct justice and is awaiting sentencing.

The charge of deprivation of rights under color of law carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and the charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Both charges carry a fine of up to $250,000. Vinales’s sentencing is scheduled for September 30, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark; and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office Division of Internal Affairs, under the direction of Sheriff Thomas Adamo.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin, Chief of the Narcotics/OCDETF Unit in Newark, and R. Joseph Gribko, Senior Trial Counsel in Trenton.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment against Sergeant Gonzalez are still pending, are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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Defense Counsel:

Eric V. Kleiner, Esq., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 

NEWARK, N.J. – A Newark, New Jersey man admitted his role in an armed robbery of a U.S. Postal Service employee as well as firearms and drug trafficking offenses, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Troy D. Corbett, Jr., 29, of Newark, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to one count of conspiring to interfere with commerce by robbery, one count of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Sentencing is scheduled for October 8, 2025.

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

In November 2023, four individuals – including Corbett – conspired to rob a U.S. Postal Service employee at gunpoint in Newark, New Jersey. The assailants stole the victim’s cell phone, keys, and wallet – including a credit card and debit card.  The robbery impeded the victim from delivering mail, which interfered with interstate commerce.  Following the robbery, Corbett attempted to use the employee’s stolen property to make purchases.

On January 18, 2024, in Newark, New Jersey, Corbett – who was convicted of a felony offense in 2018 – possessed a Polymer80, Inc. Model PF940V2 9mm caliber privately made pistol, bearing no identifiable serial number, loaded with 16 rounds of 9mm Luger ammunition that was manufactured outside of New Jersey.  Corbett possessed at the same time approximately 162 pills of methamphetamine, which he intended to distribute.

The count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  The count of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  The count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.  The count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years in prison, which term must run consecutive to any other term of imprisonment that Corbett is ordered to serve, and a maximum penalty of life in prison.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited postal inspectors with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Philadelphia Division, under the direction of Christopher A. Nielsen, with the investigation.  She also thanked special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark, deputies of the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of United States Marshal Juan Mattos Jr., police officers and detectives of the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda, officers of the New Jersey State Parole Board, under the direction of Chairman Samuel J. Plumeri, Jr., and special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli Jacobs of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark.

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Defense counsel: John J. McMahon, West Orange, New Jersey

TRENTON N.J. – A New Jersey and Florida husband and wife were sentenced to 12 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining approximately $790,000 in federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) loans, U.S. Alina Habba announced.

Diana Valteri, 42, and Edmond Haxhillari, 43, of Sparta, New Jersey, and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, previously plead guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch to informations charging the couple with wire fraud and money laundering. Judge Kirsch imposed the sentences in Trenton federal court.

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

From in or around June 2020 through August 2020, Valteri and Haxhillari participated in a fraudulent scheme to receive $790,000 in COVID-19 emergency relief loans and cash advances meant for distressed small businesses under the EIDL program. Valteri and Haxhillari submitted fraudulent loan applications on behalf of several businesses that purported to have employees and revenue but were actually shell companies with no business operations. After receiving the EIDL funds based on their fraud, Valteri and Haxhillari diverted the proceeds for their own personal gain.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI, Newark Field Office under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Terrence G. Reilly; special agents of Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan; special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Boston-New York Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Amy Connelly, and special agents from the Small Business Administration, Office of the Inspector General under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Eastern Regional Office, with the investigation leading to the charges.

The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Fatime Meka Cano and Aja Espinosa of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

                                                                       ###

Defense counsel: William Tunkey, Esq. and Joseph Nascimento, Esq. 

Five individuals were charged in a 19-count indictment for their participation in a scheme to trade securities on the basis of material nonpublic information about the merger between two companies that resulted in profits of over $600,000, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

According to court documents, between May and June 2023, Rouzbeh “Ross” Haghighat, 61, of West Newbury, Massachusetts, Behrouz “Bruce” Haghighat, 60, of Laguna Niguel, California, Kirstyn Pearl, 35, of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, Seyedfarbod “Fabio” Sabzevari, 31, of North Hollywood, California, and James Roberge, 70, of Westford, Massachusetts, allegedly profited more than $600,000 by unlawfully purchasing the securities of a biopharmaceutical company in Seattle, Washington (Company-1), where Ross Haghighat served as a director. As alleged, the defendants traded securities based on material nonpublic information about another pharmaceutical company’s (Company-2) proposed acquisition of Company-1. The indictment alleges that, in May 2023, Company-2 madea confidential proposal to acquire Company-1 at a price per share above the then current market value. The two companies then negotiated an agreement for the acquisition, which was announced in June 2023, causing the share price to spike.

“Our office is committed to protecting the integrity of the market and holding accountable those who attempt to gain unfair advantages through trading on insider information.” 

- U.S. Attorney Alina Habba

“The defendants were charged for allegedly trading on inside information and reaping hundreds of thousands in illicit profits,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Securities fraud and insider trading distort our financial markets and disadvantage Americans who play by the rules. These charges demonstrate that the Criminal Division is committed to maintaining the integrity of markets by holding accountable all those who defraud investors.”

“This case makes one thing clear: if you think you can game the system using insider information, think again,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Group. “Ross Haghighat and his associates thought they were above the law and colored outside the lines for financial gain, but the indictment proves no one is above the law. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will not hesitate to pursue and bring to justice anyone who tries to corrupt the integrity of our financial markets.”

In his position as a director on the board of Company-1, Ross Haghighat allegedly obtained material nonpublic inside information about its acquisition, including sensitive deal terms. He then purchased securities, and tipped others — including Bruce Haghighat, Pearl, Sabzevari, and Roberge — for personal benefit with the expectation that they would purchase securities, which the defendants allegedly did.

Ross Haghighat was charged with one count of securities fraud, 16 counts of insider trading, and two counts of conspiracy. He was previously charged with one count of conspiracy to commit insider trading.

Bruce Haghighat was charged with one count of securities fraud, one count of insider trading, and one count of conspiracy.

Pearl was charged with one count of securities fraud, one count of insider trading, and one count of conspiracy.

Sabzevari and Roberge were both charged with one count of securities fraud and seven counts of insider trading.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison on the securities fraud charge and 20 years in prison on each of the insider-trading charges. If convicted of conspiracy, Ross Haghighat, Bruce Haghighat, and Pearl face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating the case.

Trial Attorney John J. Liolos of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mezzanotte for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

                                                                        ###

TRENTON, N.J. – An El Salvador national was arrested and charged with possessing firearms as an illegal alien, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Jose Manuel Menjivar Viera, a/k/a Jose Manuel Mejiva, 35, a citizen and national of El Salvador and most recently of Long Branch, New Jersey, was charged by complaint with one count of being an illegal alien in possession of firearms. Viera made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Brendan Day in Trenton federal court and was detained.

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

On December 11, 2024, at approximately 3:00 a.m., law enforcement officers in Long Branch responded to multiple calls for service regarding gunshots fired in a suburban neighborhood. Shortly after officers arrived, they observed an individual, later identified as Jose Manuel Menjivar Viera, riding a bicycle and carrying a large black bag. Officers followed Viera before he dismounted from the bike and fled into the exterior property of a nearby residence. Officers searched the area where Viera fled and eventually recovered his bicycle and the bag he was carrying. The bag contained two firearms, a semiautomatic rifle and a loaded handgun, firearm magazines, ammunition, and a machete. A short time later, officers discovered Viera hiding in the truck-bed of a pickup truck parked in the driveway next to the residence. Viera was subsequently identified by agents with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as being an El Salvador national and citizen and without any legal status to be in the United States.

The alien in possession of a firearm charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited deportation officers of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations Newark, under the direction of Field Office Director John Tsoukaris, with the investigation leading to the charges. She also thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark, the Long Branch Police Department, under the direction of Officer-in-Charge Jorge Silverio, and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago, for their assistance in the investigation.

The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Garelick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.

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

                                                                       ###

Defense counsel: Benjamin West, Federal Public Defenders

NEWARK, N.J. – A Bloomfield resident admitted participating in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute opioids, as well as unlawful distribution of opioids, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Danielle Molinari, 51, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court to an information charging her with one count of drug conspiracy and one count of distribution of, and possession with intent to distribute, oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance.

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

Between February 2019 and March 2023, Molinari participated in a conspiracy to obtain medically unnecessary prescriptions for oxycodone, an opioid pain medication.  Once Molinari obtained the oxycodone through a prescription, she then sold the oxycodone to another individual in exchange for money. Over the course of the conspiracy, Molinari unlawfully distributed approximately 4,665 oxycodone pills.

The two charges of drug conspiracy and distribution of oxycodone each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $1 million. Sentencing is scheduled for November 4, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chelsea D. Coleman and Jenny Chung of the Health Care Fraud and Opioids Abuse Prevention Unit in Newark.

                                                           ###

Defense counsel: Joel Silberman, Esq., Jersey City, New Jersey

Five individuals were charged in a 19-count indictment yesterday for their participation in a scheme to trade securities on the basis of material nonpublic information about the merger between two companies that resulted in profits of over $600,000.

According to court documents, between May and June 2023, Rouzbeh “Ross” Haghighat, 61, of West Newbury, Massachusetts, Behrouz “Bruce” Haghighat, 60, of Laguna Niguel, California, Kirstyn Pearl, 35, of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, Seyedfarbod “Fabio” Sabzevari, 31, of North Hollywood, California, and James Roberge, 70, of Westford, Massachusetts, allegedly profited more than $600,000 by unlawfully purchasing the securities of a biopharmaceutical company in Seattle, Washington (Company-1), where Ross Haghighat served as a director. As alleged, the defendants traded securities based on material nonpublic information about another pharmaceutical company’s (Company-2) proposed acquisition of Company-1. The indictment alleges that, in May 2023, Company-2 made a confidential proposal to acquire Company-1 at a price per share above the then current market value. The two companies then negotiated an agreement for the acquisition, which was announced in June 2023, causing the share price to spike.

“The defendants were charged yesterday for allegedly trading on inside information and reaping hundreds of thousands in illicit profits,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Securities fraud and insider trading distort our financial markets and disadvantage Americans who play by the rules. These charges demonstrate that the Criminal Division is committed to maintaining the integrity of markets by holding accountable all those who defraud investors.”

“Our office is committed to protecting the integrity of the market and holding accountable those who attempt to gain unfair advantages through trading on insider information,” said U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey.

“This case makes one thing clear: if you think you can game the system using insider information, think again,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Group. “Ross Haghighat and his associates thought they were above the law and colored outside the lines for financial gain, but yesterday’s indictment proves no one is above the law. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will not hesitate to pursue and bring to justice anyone who tries to corrupt the integrity of our financial markets.”

In his position as a director on the board of Company-1, Ross Haghighat allegedly obtained material nonpublic inside information about its acquisition, including sensitive deal terms. He then purchased securities, and tipped others — including Bruce Haghighat, Pearl, Sabzevari, and Roberge — for personal benefit with the expectation that they would purchase securities, which the defendants allegedly did.

Ross Haghighat was charged with one count of securities fraud, 16 counts of insider trading, and two counts of conspiracy. He was previously charged with one count of conspiracy to commit insider trading.

Bruce Haghighat was charged with one count of securities fraud, one count of insider trading, and one count of conspiracy. 

Pearl was charged with one count of securities fraud, one count of insider trading, and one count of conspiracy.

Sabzevari and Roberge were both charged with one count of securities fraud and seven counts of insider trading.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison on the securities fraud charge and 20 years in prison on each of the insider-trading charges. If convicted of conspiracy, Ross Haghighat, Bruce Haghighat, and Pearl face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating the case.

Trial Attorney John J. Liolos of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mezzanotte for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

TRENTON, N.J. – A Mercer County, New Jersey, man was sentenced to 15 months in prison for transmitting, via the internet, a post containing threats to injure members of the white community by shooting them with a firearm, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Joshua Cobb, 24, of Trenton, New Jersey, had previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.

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

On December 17, 2022, Cobb used a social media application to post a message, stating:

“I want to cause mayhem on the white community. The reason i specifically want to target white people is because as a black male, they will NEVER understand my struggles. Same way I will never understand their struggles, but I don't care to. I want to erase them. All of them really, but in this case as many as I possibly can.

As of today I have officially began planning my attack. It is going to take place in 2023 in the state of New Jersey, I have not chosen a exact date but I am going to be sure it is close to an important holiday to their race. I have a location in mind already which I have frequented for the past year and I am certain nobody there is armed to be able to stop me from spraying them to the ground. I have already acquired 2 of the 4 firearms I plan to use for my attack, and I also know my entry and exit points already after the mayhem…

White people are going to feel my pain in 2023. I will be certain I send as many as I possible can to the deepest pits of hell. I am going to wipe those ugly smiles completely off their faces. I dream of a day of pure evil on them. I plan to allow every evil spirit to work entirely through me and kill as many as i can. Some will get extra rounds through their head.

And you guys can think I'm a troll all you want. Just pay close attention the news, you will see my aftermath. And I will be sure I kill myself after I finish my terrorism.

White men and women in New Jersey, get ready. You are going to feel my pain very fucking soon. I put that on my life. From here on out I don't want to talk, my rounds are going to, after they exit the back of all your heads. Get ready New Jersey. The devil is coming.”

Cobb subsequently joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2023 and began basic training in June 2023. Cobb was stationed in California until his discharge in May 2024 when the U.S. Marine Corps learned about this case from law enforcement. Cobb admitted to writing the above-described post and that he understood that the message would be threatening towards certain individuals. Cobb provided detailed information to law enforcement on locations he had considered as possible targets for his attack, including a gym and an Aldi grocery store in Robbinsville, New Jersey. Cobb also discussed his access to guns and idolization of other mass shooters.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Kirsch sentenced Cobb to 3 years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI and task force officers of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence Reilly in Newark, with the investigation. He also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, under the direction of U.S. Attorney Bilal A. Essayli, agents of the FBI Field Office in Los Angeles, California, under the direction of Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis; the Hamilton Police Department, under the direction of Chief Kenneth R. DeBoskey; the Robbinsville Police Department, under the direction of Chief William G. Swanhart, III; and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vera Varshavsky of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s National Security Unit, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division. 

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Defense counsel: Saverio Viggiano, Office of the Public Defender

NEWARK N.J. – A New Jersey man pleaded guilty to fraudulently seeking more than $1.4 million from the IRS by filing false tax returns claiming COVID-19-related employment tax credits, for laundering the proceeds from that scheme, and for stealing more than $180,000 from an elderly customer at the car dealership where he worked, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

James J. Mastrogiovanni, 44, of Washington Township, pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of mail fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of access device fraud.  Sentencing is scheduled for November 6, 2025.

During the pandemic, Mastrogiovanni engaged in a scheme with Leon Haynes, a tax preparer, to exploit COVID-19 relief programs to line his own pockets.  From in or around March 2021 through in or around December 2022, Mastrogiovanni and Haynes prepared and filed with the IRS false and fraudulent Forms 941 on behalf of Mastrogiovanni, his family members, and others, claiming tax refunds intended to help struggling small businesses by reducing employment taxes owed.  All of the Forms 941 prepared in furtherance of the scheme were false and fraudulent because they listed employees and wages that, in fact, did not actually exist. Neither Mastrogiovanni nor any of his family members owned or operated a business, let alone had paid employees.  Mastrogiovanni claimed at least $1,443,409 in tax credits, and as a result of the scheme, the U.S. Treasury disbursed at least $545,692 to Mastrogiovanni and his family members.

Haynes has been charged separately in a 63-count indictment for allegedly preparing and submitting more than 1,600 false employment tax returns on behalf of himself and clients totaling more than $150 million. He also allegedly defrauded some of his own clients by using their identities to submit these applications without their permission or knowledge.  Trial is scheduled to begin on September 25, 2025 in that matter.  The charges and allegations against Haynes are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 From on or about June 19, 2023 through on or about December 7, 2023, Mastrogiovanni engaged in a separate scheme to steal more than $180,000 from an 85-year old victim. The victim presented a check to Mastrogiovanni to purchase a vehicle at the car dealership where Mastrogiovanni worked.  Mastrogiovanni later used the routing and checking account numbers on the check to make unauthorized personal transactions from the account until the account was empty. 

The count of conspiracy to defraud the United States carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine; the mail fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; and the money laundering and access device fraud counts each carry a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan; special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction Acting Special Agent in Charge Corwin Rattler; postal inspectors from the U.S. Postal Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher Nielsen, Philadelphia Division; and officers of the Mahwah Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy O’Hara, with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Stark and Fatime Meka Cano of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. 

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

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Defense Counsel for Mastrogiovanni: Frank Agostino, Esq.

NEWARK, N.J. – A former caseworker for the New Jersey Department of Children and Family Services, Division of Child Protection and Permanency, was sentenced to 109 months in prison for possessing and transporting child pornography, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Trent Collier, 58, of Kearny, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to an indictment charging him with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of transportation of child pornography.

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

On or about September 28, 2021, Collier arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport aboard a flight from the Dominican Republic. Upon his arrival, law enforcement searched Collier’s cellular phone and identified at least two images of child pornography. In a statement to law enforcement, Collier admitted that he had previously sent child pornography to at least one other individual using his cellular phone and that that individual also sent child pornography to Collier’s cellular phone. A further search of Collier’s cellular phone uncovered multiple additional videos of child pornography, including videos depicting the sexual exploitation of toddlers.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Collier to 5 years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel in Newark, and the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, under the direction of Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, with the investigation.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren D. Kober of the Criminal Division in Newark.

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Defense counsel: Carol Dominguez, Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark, NJ 

TRENTON N.J. – A Somerset man was charged with receipt and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Elliott Souder, 51, was charged by complaint and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rukhsanah L. Singh in Trenton federal court on May 6, 2025.

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

From at least September 20, 2021 through November 16, 2021, Souder, via his home computer, connected to an Internet-based peer-to-peer network and requested three videos depicting child sexual abuse. When members of law enforcement executed a search warrant at Souder’s Somerset residence in March 2022, they found over 1,000 images and videos of child pornography on Souder’s computer’s hard drive, including two of the aforementioned videos previously requested over the peer-to-peer network. Some of the images and videos depicted prepubescent children, toddlers and infants, and sadomasochism on children.

The charge of receipt of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. The charge of possession of child pornography carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, specifically the Violent Crimes Against Children Unit, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, with the investigation. This investigation was conducted under FBI’s Operation Restore Justice. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Agnew of the Criminal Division in Trenton.

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

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Defense counsel: Steven D. Altman, Esq., New Brunswick, NJ