Jersey City, NJ
News
Feds: Hudsonite Nabbed Accepting Mail-Order Fentanyl From Mexico Pleads Out Feds: Hudsonite Nabbed Accepting Mail-Order Fentanyl From Mexico Pleads Out
Feds: Hudsonite Nabbed Accepting Mail-Order Fentanyl From Mexico Pleads Out A Hudson County man admitted accepting mail-order fentanyl destined for New Jersey’s streets that shipped to his home from Mexico, federal authorities said. Miguel Polanco, 31, even watched a how-to video on how to handle the shipment, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said following a plea hearing in Newark on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Polanco became the focus of an investigation after U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted the package from Mexico City on its way to his Union City apartment, Sellinger said. He had previously received a video from a conspirator “exp…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Bergenfield, NJ
News
Bergen Prosecutor: NYC Pair Nabbed In Violent Armed Gas Station Robbery In Bergenfield Bergen Prosecutor: NYC Pair Nabbed In Violent Armed Gas Station Robbery In Bergenfield
Bergen Prosecutor: NYC Pair Nabbed In Violent Armed Gas Station Robbery In Bergenfield One of two Bronx men charged with pistol-whipping a Bergenfield gas station attendant during a robbery earlier this year was captured by Bergen County prosecutor’s detectives and federal agents as he arrived at Newark Airport on a flight from Honduras. Nixon Francisco-Colon, 34, was seized with help from U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents last Sunday, July 16, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. He has remained held in the Bergen County Jail ever since, records show. Charged with Francisco-Colon is Melvin R. Inoa, 25, who was arrested at his apartment on Clay Street and rem…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Rutherford, NJ
News
NJ Celebrity Hairstylist Charged With Trafficking Child Porn, Worked On 'Mrs. Maisel,' More NJ Celebrity Hairstylist Charged With Trafficking Child Porn, Worked On 'Mrs. Maisel,' More
NJ Celebrity Hairstylist Charged With Trafficking Child Porn, Worked On 'Mrs. Maisel,' More A Bergen County hairstylist to the stars is charged with trafficking more than 450 child sex abuse images, authorities said. Daniel Koye, 40, of Rutherford, was seized by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on Jan. 28 in Atlanta after detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office obtained a warrant for his arrest, they said. He's been held since then in the Clayton County Jail in Jonesboro, GA pending extradition to New Jersey, records show. Authorities began looking for Koye following a warranted search at his Ettrick Terrace apartme…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Ashburn, VA
News
Bones Of Giraffe, Zebra Seized From Traveler's Bag At Dulles Airport After Africa Trip Bones Of Giraffe, Zebra Seized From Traveler's Bag At Dulles Airport After Africa Trip
Bones Of Giraffe, Zebra Seized From Traveler's Bag At Dulles Airport After Africa Trip US Customs and Border Protection agents at Washington Dulles International Airport had a bone to pick with some souvenirs a Virginia woman attempted to bring home from a trip to Africa. During a secondary baggage exam from a recent flight from Kenya back to the DMV region, agriculture specialists discovered bones that a Fauquier County woman admitted were giraffe and zebra bones she found during her trip and kept as keepsakes. The bones were recovered by the specialists and checked by US Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors, according to officials. They were ultimately found to be in vio…

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by Zak Failla
Egg Harbor Township, NJ
News
South Jersey Pair Bilked Victim Out Of $600K, Laundered Money: Prosecutor South Jersey Pair Bilked Victim Out Of $600K, Laundered Money: Prosecutor
South Jersey Pair Bilked Victim Out Of $600K, Laundered Money: Prosecutor A pair of South Jersey residents has been indicted on money laundering and theft charges, authorities said. Wei Song, 59, and Botao Liu, 52, both of Egg Harbor Township were indicted on Thursday, Nov. 17 for charges stemming from a multi-year social engineering scheme that resulted in financial losses of over $600,000 from one victim, millions of dollars in bad checks, and identity theft damages, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. Song was indicted for money laundering – a first-degree offense; theft by deception – a second-degree offense; identity the…

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by Jon Craig
Hackensack, NJ
News
BENE(PHISH)IARY: Scam FBI Email Says You’re Owed $4.1M — And Are Suspected Of Tax Evasion BENE(PHISH)IARY: Scam FBI Email Says You’re Owed $4.1M — And Are Suspected Of Tax Evasion
Bene(Phish)Iary: Scam FBI Email Says You’re Owed $4.1M — And Are Suspected Of Tax Evasion This one’s rich (no pun intended): A familiar phishing scam that claims federal authorities have seized $4.1 million intended for you from a shady foreign diplomat is again making the rounds. A surety bond for the princely sum was found in two consignment boxes seized at JFK Airport in Queens, NY, along with documents bearing YOUR name, according to the hoax email. The author, who claims to be FBI Deputy Director Paul M. Abbate in Washington, D.C., then offers to “walk you through the process of clearing and claiming the money.” That’s the good news. “After questioning the diplomat t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Massapequa, NY
News
NY Man Accused Of Smuggling Snakes In His Pants Into US From Canada NY Man Accused Of Smuggling Snakes In His Pants Into US From Canada
NY Man Accused Of Smuggling Snakes In His Pants Into US From Canada A 36-year-old man from New York is accused of smuggling three snakes in his pants across the United States-Canadian border. Calvin Bautista, a resident of Richmond Hill in Queens, was arraigned on Tuesday, Oct. 4, on an indictment charging him with smuggling three Burmese pythons into the United States at the Champlain Port of Entry, according to United States Attorney Carla Freedman. The US Attorney's Office said Bautista smuggled the snakes in his pants during a bus ride across the border. The charge filed against Bautista carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fin…

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by Nicole Valinote
Egg Harbor Township, NJ
Police & Fire
Suspects Stole $3.6M From Victim In ID Theft Scam: Police Suspects Stole $3.6M From Victim In ID Theft Scam: Police
Suspects Stole $3.6M From Victim In ID Theft Scam: Police A pair of Egg Harbor Township residents have been charged with defrauding a victim out of more than $3.6 million in ID theft transactions. Following a year-long investigation into fraud, theft by deception, bad checks, and conspiracy to commit these crimes, Wei Song and Botao Liu were arrested by the Bensalem Township Police Department, in Pennsylvania, Galloway police said. They were subsequently extradited and were being held in the Atlantic County Justice Facility. The investigation revealed that Song defrauded one victim of over $600,000 cash, wrote millions of dollars in bad checks, a…

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by Jon Craig
Fairfax, VA
News
Man Wanted For Continually Sexually Abusing a Child Picked Up By Border Patrol At Dulles In DC Man Wanted For Continually Sexually Abusing a Child Picked Up By Border Patrol At Dulles In DC
Man Wanted For Continually Sexually Abusing a Child Picked Up By Border Patrol At Dulles In DC A wanted Texas man got an unwelcome home present when he was apprehended by US Customers and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Washington Dulles International Airport in DC after landing on a flight from Austria, authorities announced. San Antonio resident Florentin Stefan Dita, 36, who is wanted on felony sex crimes in his native Texas, was arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 31, according to a spokesperson for CBP following his arrival from his flight. Dita is wanted by the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office in San Antonio for felony continuous sex abuse of a child, officials said. Officers verifi…

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
News
Two Salvadoran Men Wanted In Maryland For Sex Crimes Apprehended At Dulles Airport In DC Two Salvadoran Men Wanted In Maryland For Sex Crimes Apprehended At Dulles Airport In DC
Two Salvadoran Men Wanted In Maryland For Sex Crimes Apprehended At Dulles Airport In DC Two Salvadorian nationals living in Maryland - one of whom was reportedly fleeing prosecution - wanted for sex crimes were busted by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Washington Dulles International Airport, according to authorities. The agency announced on Wednesday, Aug. 31 that this month, officers apprehended Jose Efrain Mejia Alas, 34, who had been living in Germantown, and Juan Anitportan Lara Ramos, 50, an Essex resident, who are both wanted in Maryland for sexual abuse claims. Alas was arrested on Sunday, Aug. 21 as he attempted to board a flight to El Salvador, whi…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
News
Maryland Couple Stripped Of Trusted Traveler Status Over Nearly $100K In Goods Maryland Couple Stripped Of Trusted Traveler Status Over Nearly $100K In Goods
Maryland Couple Stripped Of Trusted Traveler Status Over Nearly $100K In Goods A Maryland couple will no longer be Global Entry trusted travelers members after they violated duty laws at Dulles International Airport, officials said. On August 14, the couple repeatedly failed to declare nearly $100,000 in designer brand items that they purchased overseas, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Upon arriving at Dulles from Paris, the couple told a CBP officer that they declared only what they had, which they claimed was between $300 and $900 in merchandise, authorities said. Once law enforcement sensed the couple was not being honest, they checked their bags …

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by AJ Goldbloom
Allentown, PA
Police & Fire
Allentown Man Wanted In 2020 Homicide Arrested At Philadelphia International Airport Allentown Man Wanted In 2020 Homicide Arrested At Philadelphia International Airport
Allentown Man Wanted In 2020 Homicide Arrested At Philadelphia International Airport An Allentown man wanted in a 2020 homicide was arrested Friday, Aug. 12 at Philadelphia International Airport, officials said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested 31-year-old Francisco Alfredo Romero-Encarnacion after he arrived on a flight from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, they said. Romero-Encarnacion was turned over to Allentown police. He had been wanted on charges of homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, and recklessly endangering another person, among other offenses. The charges are related to a deadly crash that happened on May 10, 2020, at Mart…

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by Nicole Acosta