Ocean County Corruption

Plainfield Pastor Accused Of Defrauding Immigrants

2010-01-14T08:21:00.002-05:00

From The Star Ledger

PLAINFIELD -- He told them he was a messenger from God who could save them from deportation, but he turned out to be nothing more than a smooth-talking scam artist, his immigrant victims said.

Enoc Tito Sotelo, 50, a former pastor who ran a church for the Salvation Army in Plainfield, surrendered to authorities in Elizabeth today, a month after being indicted for defrauding immigrants of thousands of dollars with the false promise of green cards,

Sotelo now faces up to 70 years in prison, if convicted of 14 counts of theft by deception. The Peruvian native, who relocated from Plainfield to Kinston, N.C,, forfeited his U.S. passport and was released after posting $2,000 cash bail yesterday.

Hours later, several of his alleged victims revealed how they had been scammed. About 130 immigrants paid Sotelo between $4,000 to $9,000 each for green cards, said Flor Gonzalez, the Hispanic advocate in Plainfield who had advised them to go to police.

Today, only about a dozen people who dared to come forward gathered in Gonzalez’ office to tell their stories. The alleged victims hailed from Paraguay, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador and Peru.

Ricardo Gil, 47, a Mexican who lives in North Plainfield, is a single father raising two sons, ages 12 and 16. He’s a maintenance man for a car dealership, and was desperate for a green card, he said. Sotelo told him he could get a special, achievement-based green card by saying he was a chef, Sotelo told him he knew an attorney in Florida who would fill out the application for him.

In exchange for Sotelo’s efforts, Gil gave the pastor his 1990 Nissan 240Z, a gold necklace, bracelet, ring and $4,200, of which $500 was supposed to go to an evangelical radio station that didn’t exist.

Gi said his fear of getting deported made him believe Sotelo was legitimate.

"We always have to hide," Gil said. "When I’m in my house and hear a car pull up, and someone knocks...I’m afraid."

Between June and December of 2005, Sotelo told the immigrants he would help them obtain green cards through a phony attorney named Oscar Ruiz, authorities said.

Sotelo traveled to Florida and met with Ruiz, who let him stay in his home overnight, bought him breakfast and gave him a Bible before they went to the immigration office, where Gil was fingerprinted.

It appears the phony attorney actually did apply on behalf of Gil and others, but failed to reveal the fee for such an application was about $150, not thousands. The receipts, apparently real and stamped with a faded image of the Statute of Liberty, were distributed to the applicants in Plainfield by a woman claiming to be the Florida attorney’s secretary.

The supposed secretary claimed she got her green card this way, Gil said. Soleto’s congregation grew exponentially after that.

He was charismatic, with a ready smile, able to convince a hard-working person to sign away their weekly paycheck, his victims said.

"He was a really nice guy, he would do favors for you," Michael Lopez said. "He had the ability to convince people quickly. He would see you wearing a gold cross around your neck and say ‘Take it off, that’s of the devil.’"

Yesterday, Lopez held out his two cupped hands to demonstrate how much jewelry Sotelo had collected from the alleged victims after only a year’s time.

Lopez, 24, from Honduras, was here on a temporary work visa but didn’t renew it because he believed he would get a green card through Sotelo.

Victims said Sotelo told them some of the money he collected would go to the Salvation Army, which the organization has denied, said Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow. In a statement yesterday, Nancy Wellbrock, a development director for the New Jersey division of the Salvation Army who serves as a media spokesperson, declined to comment.

"We were not aware of his arrest and therefore we have no comment," Wellbrock said of Sotelo, who she would not confirm was a Salvation Army employee.

One of Gil’s sisters, Maria, 44, also trusted Sotelo.

"If you have the hope, the dream of having something in this country, you believe," she said.

Report Church Fraud

Dr John Vaccaro Performs Surgery Without Consent Form

2010-01-12T15:47:00.004-05:00

Dr John Vaccaro MD a plastic surgeon 202 Rt. 37 West Toms River NJ and 146 Rt. 17 North Level 3 Hackensack NJ in conjunction with Meridian Health System, (Brick Hospital, Ocean Medical Center, Medical Center of Ocean County), performed an “elective” cosmetic surgery procedure on my then 2 year old child without a consent form.

This elective surgery was ordered by Carol Mead 1536 Dorsett Dock Road Point Pleasant NJ. Carol Mead, the grandmother, gave a verbal consent to Dr John Vaccaro to cut open my 2 year old little girl with Carol Mead having no legal rights to my child. Only a written consent is allowed by law by a legal guardian.

Not only is this criminal fraud but child abuse. Carol Mead works as a crossing guard for the Borough of Point Pleasant.

Those in Ocean County who knew about this crime and chose to cover it up because Dr John Vaccaro is politically connected are; Ocean County Family Court Judge James Blaney, DYFS Manager David Rudnitsky, DYFS Supervisor James Henning, DYFS Caseworker Anna Luibil, DYFS Rosalyn Blau, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Investigator Jason Steele.

Report Ocean County Corruption

NJMVA Ocean County NJ Drake A. Williams Sentenced

2010-01-09T12:26:00.001-05:00

By The Star Ledger

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP -- A former testing supervisor for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission has been sentenced to three years in prison for taking bribes to allow driver's license applicants pass their written test.

Drake A. Williams, a 48-year-old Egg Harbor Township resident who worked in the Cardiff Motor Vehicle Agency, was sentenced today.

State prosecutors said Williams accepted cash payments ranging from $50 to $200 for giving passing grades to applicants who couldn't read English well or couldn't pass for other reasons.

Prosecutors said brokers steered customers to Williams, who administered the test on paper, rather than by computer as is standard.

He was arrested in May 2008 and pleaded guilty in August 2009.

Report Ocean County Corruption

Richard Maranitz Child Molester Brick Township NJ

2010-01-07T10:28:00.002-05:00

Richard Maranitz a child molester in Brick Township NJ sexually abused a 7 year old child and has yet to be brought to justice. Why?

It’s simple, Richard Maranitz is a criminal associate of Edward Murachanian a former assistant prosecutor from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and Brick Township lawyer who has people in authority who deflect law enforcement from himself and those he does illegal activity with.

Richard Maranitz is far too familiar with child abuse as Maranitz’s own daughters have stayed away from him for years because of his disgusting desires.

For parents who live in the vicinity of The Old Guard Building 170 Duchess Lane Brick Township NJ be aware and keep your children from coming into contact with this man.

Other’s in Ocean County who has allowed this sexual predator to stay free is Ocean County Family Court Judge James Blaney, Ocean County New Jersey DYFS Manager David Rudnitsky, DYFS Caseworker Anna Luibil, DYFS Supervisor James Henning, and DYFS Rosalyn Blau.

Report Ocean County Corruption

Ocean County NJ Man Sentenced To 20 Years

2010-01-07T08:54:00.003-05:00

By The Star Ledger

TOMS RIVER -- A New Jersey man who ran an investment scheme that bilked 37 investors out of millions of dollars is headed to state prison.

James Hankins Jr. of Island Heights received a 20-year term today and must serve half his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

He also must pay nearly $8 million in restitution to his victims. They include a soldier who was severely injured by a bomb while serving in Iraq.

Hankins pleaded guilty in October to several charges, including two counts of financial facilitation of a criminal activity.

Most of Hankins' investors came from Monmouth and Ocean counties. He told them he was buying rights of life-insurance policy beneficiaries, but instead used the money to pay earlier investors and for personal use.

Report Ocean County Corruption

Former Ocean County Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt Arraigned

2010-01-06T09:55:00.001-05:00

OCEAN TOWNSHIP -- A former assemblyman from Ocean County was set to be arraigned this morning for allegedly taking bribes from the FBI informant at the crux of last year's corruption sting, a report in PolitickerNJ.com said.

Daniel M. Van Pelt, a Republican elected to the Legislature in 2007, is charged with accepting $10,000 in exchange for promising to help the informant secure environmental approvals for a real estate project in Ocean Township.

Van Pelt, who resigned from the Legislature days after being arrested, was scheduled to be heard at 11 a.m. today at the Fisher Federal Building and Courthouse in Trenton before U.S. District Judge Joel Pisano, according to the report.

Van Pelt is among scores of defendants initially charged in July in the sting that hinged on a failed Monmouth County developer who began wearing a wire for federal investigators after being charged in 2006 with bank fraud.

Report Ocean County Corruption

Plenge Roofing Ship Bottom NJ Elder Abuse

2009-12-30T08:43:00.014-05:00

Many things get hidden south of the mason dixon line in Ocean County NJ. Andrew Plenge a roofer from Plenge Roofing Ship Bottom NJ is a very well respected contractor if you ask those holding public office in Ocean County NJ. Yet here is proof of how he sold a house with a “new roof” to an 80 year old elderly woman that was ready to cave in on her.

If you talk to many legitimate contractors they will tell you that a roof is constructed to lie on weight bearing walls, in other words outside walls. Check out these photos here from the house on 409 Dock Road West Creek NJ and you will see that the roof is lying on inside walls that do not have the construction to support the enormous amount of weight of the roof.

Now, not only is the roof lying on non weight bearing walls the beams meet and come together on top of these inside walls. Dangerous YES! And check out how the nails are not hammered in on many studs. What was this guy Andrew Plenge a roofer from Plenge Roofing Ship Bottom NJ thinking? Why would he do this to an elderly woman? Has he done this to other elderly people?

Report Elder Abuse

Ocean County Family Court Legal Kidnapping

2009-12-29T12:37:00.004-05:00

Legal Definition for Kidnapping is:

“The crime of unlawfully seizing and carrying away a person by force or “fraud”, or seizing and detaining a person against his or her will with an intent to carry that person away at a later time”.

Report Fraud Ocean County Family Court, Judge James Blaney, NJ DYFS Ocean County Manager David Rudnitsky, Ocean County DYFS Caseworker Anna Luibil, Ocean County DYFS James Henning, Ocean County DYFS Rosalyn Blau

Read Margaret A. Hagan's Whores of the Court

St. Paul's Christian School Brick Township NJ

2009-12-23T09:31:00.005-05:00

In Ocean County NJ there are criminals who understand that by pretending to be a good Christian is a great way to make money.

As long as your audience hears you pray and you make sure you praise God while talking to a Christian, you basically can guarantee your deception will go un-noticed.

At the St. Paul’s Christian School the principal there is Donna Kozlowski. Donna is a friend of former assistant prosecutor from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Edward Murachanian who owns Fellow Chapel Point Pleasant NJ incorporated as Fellowship Chapel of Jersey Shore. Donna Kozlowski being the great friend and awesome Christian that she is has found it in her heart to employ many of Edward Murachanian’s friends, who are not even qualified to be working in their position.

As you know from earlier posts there is big money to made pretending that you’re a Christian. John Emmanuel the secret president of Fellowship Chapel Point Pleasant NJ has a recorded estimated income of $150,000 - $174,999 a year. The secret vice president of Fellowship Chapel Point Pleasant NJ Richard Bergstrom has a combined household income of $300,000 - $350,000 a year.

Donna Kozlowski the principal for the St. Paul’s Christian School has an estimated household income of $300,000 - $375,000 a year.

Report Church Fraud to FBI Washington DC

Watch school board corruption movie The Cartel

Subject Details:

KOZLOWSKI, DONNA | New Search

Person # 1
Title of Respect	MS
First Name	DONNA
Middle Name	J
Last Name	KOZLOWSKI
Primary Address	1698 FORGE POND RD
City	BRICK
State	NJ
ZIP Code	08724
ZIP +4	2948
Latitude	40.0712662
Longitude	-74.1358414
Phone Number	(732) 840-1295
Do Not Call	YES
Date of Birth	N/A
Age	48
Gender	FEMALE
Marital Status	MARRIED
Education	SOME COLLEGE
Estimated Income	$100,000 - $124,999/YR
Presence of Credit Card	YES
Estimated Current Home Value	297,000
Home Purchase Price	$215000
Home Purchase Date	2003-09-23
Full Name	MS DONNA J KOZLOWSKI
Race	EASTERN EUROPEAN
Presence of Children	NO
County Code	029
Mailing Responder	MULTI
Refinance Term in Months	36
Refinance Amount In Thousands	313
Culinary Interests Magazine	1
Delivery Point Check Digit	989
Computer Owner	YES
Census Tract	713402
Political Contributor	R
Refinance Rate Type	VARIABLE
Mortgage Lender Name	CHASE MANHATTAN MTG
Refinance Lender Name	CHASE BK USA NA
Wealth Rating	40TH PERCENTILE
Home Year Built	1970
Length of Residence	05 YEARS
Mortgage Loan Type	CONVENTIONAL
ISPSA	5
Carrier Route	C086
Book Reader	YES
Refinance Loan Type	CONVENTIONAL
Contributes to Charities	YES
Census Block	1
Health And Fitness Magazine	2
Presence of Premium Credit Card	YES
Mortgage Rate Type	FIXED
State Code	34

Person # 2
Title of Respect	MS
First Name	JILLIAN
Middle Name	D
Last Name	KOZLOWSKI
Primary Address	1698 FORGE POND RD
City	BRICK
State	NJ
ZIP Code	08724
ZIP +4	2948
Latitude	40.0712662
Longitude	-74.1358414
Phone Number	(732) 840-1295
Do Not Call	YES
Date of Birth	N/A
Age	29
Gender	FEMALE
Education	BACHELOR'S DEGREE
Estimated Income	$100,000 - $124,999/YR
Presence of Credit Card	YES
Estimated Current Home Value	297,000
Home Purchase Price	$215000
Home Purchase Date	2003-09-23
Full Name	MS JILLIAN D KOZLOWSKI
Race	EASTERN EUROPEAN
Presence of Children	NO
County Code	029
Mailing Responder	MULTI
Refinance Term in Months	36
Refinance Amount In Thousands	313
Culinary Interests Magazine	1
Delivery Point Check Digit	989
Computer Owner	YES
Census Tract	713402
Political Contributor	R
Refinance Rate Type	VARIABLE
Mortgage Lender Name	CHASE MANHATTAN MTG
Refinance Lender Name	CHASE BK USA NA
Wealth Rating	40TH PERCENTILE
Home Year Built	1970
Length of Residence	05 YEARS
Mortgage Loan Type	CONVENTIONAL
ISPSA	5
Carrier Route	C086
Book Reader	YES
Refinance Loan Type	CONVENTIONAL
Contributes to Charities	YES
Census Block	1
Health And Fitness Magazine	2
Presence of Premium Credit Card	YES
Mortgage Rate Type	FIXED
State Code	34

Person # 3
Title of Respect	MR
First Name	STANLEY
Middle Name	P
Last Name	KOZLOWSKI
Primary Address	1698 FORGE POND RD
City	BRICK
State	NJ
ZIP Code	08724
ZIP +4	2948
Latitude	40.0712662
Longitude	-74.1358414
Phone Number	(732) 840-1295
Do Not Call	YES
Date of Birth	N/A
Age	58
Gender	MALE
Marital Status	MARRIED
Education	SOME COLLEGE
Estimated Income	$100,000 - $124,999/YR
Presence of Credit Card	YES
Estimated Current Home Value	297,000
Home Purchase Price	$215000
Home Purchase Date	2003-09-23
Full Name	MR STANLEY P KOZLOWSKI
Race	EASTERN EUROPEAN
Presence of Children	NO
County Code	029
Mailing Responder	MULTI
Refinance Term in Months	36
Refinance Amount In Thousands	313
Culinary Interests Magazine	1
Delivery Point Check Digit	989
Computer Owner	YES
Census Tract	713402
Political Contributor	R
Refinance Rate Type	VARIABLE
Mortgage Lender Name	CHASE MANHATTAN MTG
Refinance Lender Name	CHASE BK USA NA
Wealth Rating	40TH PERCENTILE
Home Year Built	1970
Length of Residence	05 YEARS
Mortgage Loan Type	CONVENTIONAL
ISPSA	5
Carrier Route	C086
Book Reader	YES
Refinance Loan Type	CONVENTIONAL
Contributes to Charities	YES
Census Block	1
Health And Fitness Magazine	2
Presence of Premium Credit Card	YES
Mortgage Rate Type	FIXED
State Code	34

Former Lakewood NJ Property Manager Pleads Guilty

2009-12-22T08:02:00.002-05:00

For Immediate Release

December 14, 2009

United States Attorney's Office

District of New Jersey
Contact: (973) 645-2700

Former Lakewood Property Manager Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Extortion

TRENTON—Charles Amon, a former property manager in Lakewood, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit extortion, admitting he agreed to arrange meetings between Jeffrey Williamson, then a Lakewood Township housing inspector, and a cooperating witness, where at such meetings Williamson accepted a total of $1,500 in corrupt cash payments from the cooperating witness in return for Williamson exercising his future official authority in favor of the cooperating witness, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Amon, 33, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan to a one-count criminal Information charging him with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right. Judge Sheridan continued Amon’s release on a $25,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for Feb. 18.

At his plea hearing, Amon, admitted that in April through May of 2007, he arranged meetings between Williamson and the cooperating witness, with the understanding that Williamson would accept corrupt cash payments from the cooperating witness with the understanding that Williamson would then perform favorable inspections on Lakewood properties owned by the cooperating witness. Amon also admitted that he had previously made corrupt cash payments to Williamson to perform lenient housing inspections on Amon’s behalf. Charges against Williamson are pending.

Amon’s guilty plea stems from a two-track undercover FBI investigation into political corruption and international money laundering which resulted in charges against 44 individuals via criminal Complaints on July 23.

Fishman said the political corruption and money laundering investigations are continuing.

The charge to which Amon pleaded guilty carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

In determining an actual sentence, the judge will consult the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which recommend sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offenses, the defendant’s criminal history, if any, and other factors, including acceptance of responsibility. The judge, however, has discretion and is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

The prosecution and defense have agreed that, under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Amon faces a possible sentence of between 10 and 18 months in prison. Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Defendants who are given custodial terms must serve nearly all of that time.

Fishman credited Special Agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Weysan Dun, for the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. The case against Amon is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

Defense Counsel: Paul B. Brickfield, Esq., River Edge

Report Ocean County Corruption to FBI Washington DC

Fellowship Chapel Clown Ministry Scam

2009-12-21T09:46:00.003-05:00

Con artists are cowards. They seek easy prey to steal what they want. The elderly are prime targets for these low life leaches of the world.

Fellowship Chapel Point Pleasant NJ had a clown ministry that would go into retirement communities to “minister” to the elderly. This clown ministry was run by the secret president of Fellowship Chapel Point Pleasant NJ John Emanuel. John Emmanuel used this form of ministry to target the vulnerable elderly men and women who he knew fit the criteria put in place by former assistant prosecutor Edward Murachanian from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

John Emanuel and Fellowship Chapel of Jersey Shore vice president Richard Bergstrom would make their rounds putting on a great act in hopes of finding just the right senior citizen who fit the scam criteria set forth by Edward Murachanian lawyer Brick Township.

Due to a situation where the phony clown ministry was almost exposed it has since been shut down and the scammer’s efforts have stopped.

Report Church Fraud to FBI Washington DC

Former New Jersey Assemblyman Daniel M. Van Pelt Indicted

2009-12-20T09:55:00.001-05:00

For Immediate Release

December 10, 2009

United States Attorney's Office
District of New Jersey
Contact: (973) 645-2700

Former New Jersey Assemblyman Indicted for Allegedly Accepting $10,000 Cash Bribe

TRENTON—Former New Jersey Assemblyman Daniel M. Van Pelt was indicted today in connection with Van Pelt’s acceptance of a corrupt $10,000 cash payment made in exchange for Van Pelt’s official assistance on real estate development matters before the State of New Jersey and Ocean Township, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

The Indictment charges that Van Pelt, while a member of the New Jersey General Assembly and its Committee on the Environment and Solid Waste, accepted $10,000 in cash from a government cooperating witness (CW), in exchange for the promise of helping the CW obtain development approvals from New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, among other things.

The Indictment stems from an undercover FBI political corruption and international money laundering investigation that became public on July 23. Van Pelt was charged in a criminal complaint on that day.

Fishman said the corruption and money laundering investigations are continuing.

Van Pelt will have to appear for arraignment on the Indictment on a date to be determined.

According to the Indictment, Van Pelt met with the CW at a restaurant in Waretown on Feb. 11, 2009, and suggested to the CW, “you should hire me as a consultant.” On Feb. 21, 2009, according to the Indictment, Van Pelt and the CW met at a restaurant in Atlantic City. During the meeting, Van Pelt asked the CW, “what do you want me to do for you?” When the CW responded that he was concerned about his ability to obtain Coastal Area Facilities Act (CAFRA) permits from the State of New Jersey, Van Pelt stated that he had “a pretty good relationship with the State . . . long before [he] became an Assemblyman.” Later during this meeting, Van Pelt accepted $10,000 in cash from the CW. When the CW reiterated that he needed assistance with the DEP and CAFRA, Van Pelt replied, “Alright. Well you call me anytime.”

The Indictment further alleges that Van Pelt deposited the $10,000 in cash into his personal bank account shortly after receiving the money from the CW, utilizing separate deposits of $5,500 and $4,400. The Indictment alleges that in a subsequent meeting on May 15, 2009, the CW queried Van Pelt as to what Van Pelt would do if the CW’s permit applications were among many other such applications. Van Pelt responded to the CW that he would ask that the applications be moved “to the top of the pile” and further that Van Pelt would “sit down and physically meet” with the DEP.

The Indictment charges Van Pelt with one count of attempted extortion under color of official right, which carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; and one count of accepting corrupt payments in connection with a business or transaction or series of transactions with the State of New Jersey, an entity receiving more than $10,000 in federal funds during a specified one-year period, which carries a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Fishman credited Special Agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Weysan Dun, and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge William P. Offord, for the investigation of Van Pelt and the other defendants. Fishman also thanked the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin, for their assistance in the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Bocian of the Special Prosecutions Division.

Report Corruption to FBI Washington DC

Why Con Artists Scam

2009-12-07T09:18:00.003-05:00

Con artists scam because it gives them infinite pleasure to "put one over" on anyone who stands still long enough. The compulsion to scam is so strong that a con artist will produce a scam even if he/she gains no money out of it. Con artists even scam each other!

An unusually sick group

Quoting a study by Richard Blum Chuck Whitlock points out that most con artists are:

... Impulsive, amoral, uncontrolled and detached from normal

The essential feature of Antisocial Personality Disorder is a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others...

This pattern has also been referred to as psychopathy, sociopathy or dissocial personality disorder...

Individuals with Antisocial Personality Disorder frequently lack empathy and tend to be callous, cynical, and contemptuous of the feelings, rights, and sufferings of others."

Chuck Whitlock, Chuck Whitlock's Scam School, © 1997, macmillan, New York, NY, pages 20, 21; Richard H. Blum, Deceivers and Deceived: Observations on Confidence Men and Their Victims, Informants and Their Quarry, Political and Industrial Spies and Ordinary Citizens, (Springfield: Charles C. Thomas, 1972), pp 49-50.

The danger of the missing gene

There is no guilt associated with a scam, not even the slightest twinge. A con artist is quite simply missing that particular gene. The con artist has no inbred stops, no conscience. That's what it means to be a sociopath. If anything, the con feels justified in taking your money, "You deserved to be taken. You asked for it."

Why is this dangerous? Because it means that the con artist will pressure you to the end of your resources, regardless of the pain and grief it causes you. Neither children, nor the elderly, nor the fragile of health are immune from his attack. It does not matter to the con that he may be taking your last dime, nor does it matter to him that you may need the promised wealth to pay for a dire need. This criminal will take your money to the detriment of your health by selling fake cures and false hopes, even knowing that his scam may ultimately cause your death.

What sets the con artist apart?

Scammers come from diverse backgrounds. They may come from a broken home or the most stable and well-adjusted of families. They may have been afforded an excellent education, or very little. Such backgrounds do not set them apart.

Nor are they set apart by their country of origin, sexual preferences, political bent, religious beliefs, or ingrained social values. Actually, pertaining to those last three, the con artist is a free spirit. His or her own personal welfare far outweighs standard social considerations.

What does set the scammer apart is the natural ability, often discovered at a very young age, to manipulate the people around them. Added to this is the fact that such manipulation leaves them without any feeling of guilt or remorse. On the contrary, it leaves them with an intense feeling of satisfaction - a particular glow that encourages them to continue manipulating to get whatever they want, regardless of the cost to the giver.

Report Fraud to FBI Washington DC

FBI Press Release Executive Director Democratic Party

2009-12-04T17:32:00.002-05:00

For Immediate Release

United States Attorney's Office District of New Jersey
Contact: (973) 645-2700
December 3, 2009

Executive Director of the Ocean County Political Party Pleads Guilty to Promoting and Facilitating Bribery

TRENTON—The executive director of the Ocean County Democratic Party pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he accepted two corrupt cash payments from a cooperating government witness in exchange for a promise to make introductions to public officials who might assist the cooperating witness with development interests, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Alfonso L. Santoro, 70, of Beachwood, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano to a one-count Information that charges him with a violation of the federal Travel Act. Judge Pisano released the defendant on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for March 1.

Santoro had not been previously charged, and today was his first appearance in court. His guilty plea comes as part of the same investigation that resulted in bribery and money laundering charges against 44 individuals on July 23.

At his plea hearing, Santoro admitted that, on May 18, 2008, he accepted a $5,000 corrupt cash payment from a government cooperating witness (“CW”) at a Toms River restaurant. Santoro said the payment was in exchange for his anticipated assistance in facilitating introductions and corrupt payments to public officials in Ocean County who could purportedly exercise their influence in favor of the CW’s real estate development interests.

Santoro admitted that, during a phone call on July 17, 2008, he arranged for the CW to meet with a political party official (“the Individual”) who Santoro said could assist the CW in obtaining certain development approvals on a property located in the Waretown section of Ocean Township. Santoro admitted that he accepted an additional $1,500 cash payment from the CW on Aug. 10, 2008, in Atlantic City. During this meeting, Santoro informed the CW that he and the Individual would arrange for the CW to meet an elected official who served in the New Jersey General Assembly and could assist the CW in obtaining development approvals.

The charge to which Santoro pleaded guilty—using interstate facilities (a cell phone) in furtherance of a bribery scheme—carries a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

In determining an actual sentence, Judge Pisano will consult the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offense, the defendant’s criminal history, if any, and other factors, including acceptance of responsibility. The judge has wide discretion and is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Defendants who are given custodial terms must serve nearly all of that time.

Fishman credited Special Agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Weysan Dun, and IRS Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge William P. Offord, for the investigation of Santoro and the other defendants. Fishman also thanked the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin, for their assistance in the investigation.

The case against Santoro is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Gramiccioni of the Office’s Special Prosecutions Division.

Report Corruption to FBI Washington DC

Ocean County Democrat Alfonso Santoro Bribery

2009-12-04T09:05:00.002-05:00

By Joe Ryan/The Star-Ledger

December 03, 2009, 5:39PM

The federal corruption and money-laundering sting that led to scores of arrests this summer expanded further into central New Jersey today as the former executive director of the Ocean County Democratic Party admitted taking bribes from a government informant.

Alfonso L. Santoro, 70, of Beachwood, had not been previously charged in the case. He appeared in court for the first time today and told a federal judge in Trenton he accepted $6,500 in bribes, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said. In exchange, Santoro said he agreed to introduce the informant to public officials to secure development approvals, including then-Assemblyman Daniel M. Van Pelt, a Republican from Waretown.

Van Pelt, who served 11 years as mayor of Ocean Township, was charged in July with accepting $10,000 from the informant in exchange for helping obtain environmental permits. His lawyer declined to comment today.

Santoro, a commissioner for the Ocean County Board of Elections, is the 46th person to be charged in the case, which revolved around a failed Monmouth County developer who became a government informant after being charged in 2006 with bank fraud.

Solomon Dwek spent more than two years secretly working for federal prosecutors, targeting rabbis who supposedly laundered money and public officials who allegedly took bribes. They include two state assemblymen and mayors from Hoboken, Secaucus and Ridgefield.

The majority of public officials caught in the sting hailed from Hudson County; more than a dozen were from Jersey City alone. Santoro is the fourth defendant from Ocean County on the public corruption side of the case, joining Van Pelt, Jeffrey Williamson, a Lakewood housing inspector, and Charles Ammon, one of Dwek’s former employees.

Santoro pleaded guilty to violating the federal Travel Act, saying he took two bribes from Dwek: $5,000 at a Toms River restaurant in May 2008 and $1,500 at an Atlantic City hotel in August 2008.

U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano released Santoro on a $50,000 bail and scheduled his sentencing for March 1. He faces up to five years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine.

Report Corruption to FBI Washington DC

Election Fraud

2009-12-03T11:33:00.001-05:00

At polling locations during an election a person from each party is placed to assist voters, and to be a representative for the person running in the election.

A long time election fraud technique is for one of the persons from a particular party arriving early to crank out a couple hundred votes for the person they are working for in the election.

This gives the person running for office a big head start and easily gains an advantage especially if the race is determined to be close.

I discovered this when I was volunteering for the campaign to elect Brian Delahunty who was running for mayor in Brick Township New Jersey. Brian Delahunty was running against the Brick Township incumbent mayor Daniel F Newman.

When I arrived at the polling center which was at the Veterans Memorial Elementary School I immediately went to look at the counters on the voting machines. The voting machines are required to be open so that each representative could see that all the counters were set at zero. The voting machines were closed and locked, so that neither I nor the republican representative could inspect the machines.

APP.com

TRENTON — State prosecutors have indicted five more campaign workers, including the winning candidate’s husband, on election fraud charges in connection with a 2007 state Senate race in northern New Jersey.

In all, 10 people have been indicted in the investigation into whether campaign workers submitted absentee ballots in the Essex County-based 29th District for residents who never received them.

Among those indicted Tuesday was Samuel Gonzalez, the husband of state Sen. Teresa Ruiz. Gonzalez, an Essex County freeholder, did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.

The charges include election fraud, tampering with public records and forgery.

Report Fraud to FBI Washington DC

Lawyer Brick Township Church Scam

2009-12-02T08:07:00.002-05:00

Former assistant prosecutor from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Edward Murachanian is an expert on church fraud. The best way to commit church fraud is by owning a church number one, and number two have your people become elders and officers in your church which include president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary.

Edward Murachanian is the incorporator for Fellowship Chapel Point Pleasant NJ officially incorporated as Fellowship Chapel of Jersey Shore. It’s easy to run a scam out of a church when you own it. The agent for Fellowship Chapel of Jersey Shore is long time buddy John Boyle who is an ex elder. The vice president is long time friend and Toms River neighbor Richard Bergstrom who is an elder. The president John Emmanuel is also an elder and long time friend of Edward Murachanian. Secretary William Doolittle aka Bill Doolittle finishes up the group of fraudulent officers in Fellowship Chapel Point Pleasant NJ. Bill Doolittle is also an elder.

Former assistant prosecutor from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Edward Murachanian deceived church members into believing that he was just a loving Christian attending Fellowship Chapel Point Pleasant NJ, never revealing that Fellowship Chapel is his church, his business. Yes, business. Owning a church is a great money making business and Edward Murachanian has his people in authority to prevent anyone from finding out.

Report Church Fraud to the FBI

Diploma Mills

2009-11-30T16:23:00.001-05:00

As you have seen on television and internet commercial advertisements there are a high number of so called educational institutions that will teach you online and hand you over a degree in a short period of time. Why such a drastic increase for these online degrees? Well, for one it gives people the opportunity to obtain a quick degree that will allow them to be perceived as a legitimate professional even though they never spent the time educating themselves the right way.

These online degrees are known as “diploma mills” which are bogus universities that confer degrees for little or no study. The use of diploma mills is exploding as the Internet makes bogus degrees easier to get than ever before. More workers are buying these degrees because they're looking for an edge in the competitive job market. Many online degrees are not accredited. It's hard to determine whether a degree earned long distance is actually legitimate. In addition, many diploma mills adopt names that are similar to bona fide universities or colleges.

Those involved with this so called church planting movement obtain online theological or divinity degree’s that make them appear as real pastors to church members. Many people have blinders on when referring to the word degree or diploma and instantly look at that person as being legitimate even though they obtained their credentials falsely.

Fraud Definition By Law

2009-11-29T08:21:00.000-05:00

Fraud is generally defined in the law as an intentional misrepresentation of material existing fact made by one person to another with knowledge of its falsity and for the purpose of inducing the other person to act, and upon which the other person relies with resulting injury or damage. Fraud may also be made by an omission or purposeful failure to state material facts, which nondisclosure makes other statements misleading.

To constitute fraud, a misrepresentation or omission must also relate to an 'existing fact', not a promise to do something in the future, unless the person who made the promise did so without any present intent to perform it or with a positive intent not to perform it. Promises to do something in the future or a mere expression of opinion cannot be the basis of a claim of fraud unless the person stating the opinion has exclusive or superior knowledge of existing facts which are inconsistent with such opinion. The false statement or omission must be material, meaning that it was significant to the decision to be made.

Sometimes, it must be shown that the plaintiff's reliance was justifiable, and that upon reasonable inquiry would not have discovered the truth of the matter. For injury or damage to be the result of fraud, it must be shown that, except for the fraud, the injury or damage would not have occurred.

To constitute fraud the misrepresentation or omission must be made knowingly and intentionally, not as a result of mistake or accident, or in negligent disregard of its truth or falsity. Also, the plaintiff must prove that the defendant intended for the plaintiff to rely upon the misrepresentation and/or omission; that the plaintiff did in fact rely upon the misrepresentation and/or omission; and that the plaintiff suffered injury or damage as a result of the fraud. Damages may include punitive damages as a punishment or public example due to the malicious nature of the fraud.

There are many state and federal laws to regulate fraud in numerous areas. Some of the areas most heavily litigated include consumer fraud, corporate fraud, and insurance fraud.

Report Fraud to FBI Washington DC

Church Embezzelment

2009-11-28T08:51:00.001-05:00

If you do a search for the keyword phrase “church embezzlement” you will see many facts proving that this is one of the easiest forms of corruption that con artists take part in.

Church members can be particularly vulnerable, experts say, because of the level of trust given to church employees and volunteers.

Guide One Insurance, which insures about 45,000 churches in the United States, has paid out an average of $2.9 million on about 1,800 theft claims in each of the last five years, according to Emily Abbas, a company spokeswoman. Those figures include theft by outsiders as well asembezzlement by people inside the church.

Most cases of church fraud and embezzlement goes unreported due to the congregation’s embarrassment and fear of retaliation by church staff.

At one congregation, said Kent Egging, pastor of Bethany Covenant Church in Mount Vernon, Washington, the church's treasurer stole more than $45,000. The money was in an account separate from a building fund that had been put on hold. That separate account gave the treasurer two things that an embezzler needs to succeed -- access and no accountability, Egging said. "He could transfer funds into this separate account and then withdraw them," said Egging, "and absolutely nobody knew."

The treasurer created a false financial statement that covered up the transactions. Since he kept the books and reconciled the bank account, it was easy to avoid detection.

Lisa Curtis of the Denver District Attorney's Office economic crime unit urges churches and nonprofits to report any embezzling immediately.

"If you do not prosecute embezzlers," she said, "they will get away with stealing from charity -- and they will continue their thefts at other organizations."

Report Church Fraud to FBI Washington DC

New Jersey Voters Personally Embarrassed

2009-11-28T07:27:00.000-05:00

Almost all New Jersey voters say corruption is a serious problem in the state, and more people associate Democrats with political bribery than they do Republicans, a Quinnipiac University poll found.

Two-thirds of voters said the July 23 federal corruption arrests of 44 people in New Jersey embarrasses them as residents of the state.

“Is corruption a big problem? Wow, is it!” Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac polling institute, said in a statement. “Almost everyone in New Jersey thinks so. And two- thirds feel personally embarrassed to live in a state where politicians are pictured in handcuffs.”

Report Corruption to FBI Washington DC

Florida Lawyer Scott Rothstein's Ponzi Scheme

2009-11-27T15:14:00.002-05:00

Scott Rothstein's Ponzi scheme went through a `supersonic' boom in October as he moved more than $100 million out of investor accounts, lawyers say.

BY JAY WEAVER, SCOTT HIAASEN AND AMY SHERMAN

JWEAVER@MIAMIHERALD.COM

Perched in his bunker-like Fort Lauderdale office, attorney Scott Rothstein raided hundreds of millions of dollars from the trust accounts of more than 20 investment groups with a few keystrokes on his computer -- all within the last three months, according to court records and sources familiar with an FBI investigation.

Wielding unusual authority over his clients' bank accounts, Rothstein stole the money held at two Toronto Dominion bank branches while forging financial letters and statements indicating the money was available on deposit when it wasn't, according to a U.S. government court filing and sources.

Rothstein's uncle, Bill ``Brock'' Boockvor -- who traveled with Rothstein in late October to Casablanca as the investment scandal unfolded -- also had access to secret computer passwords for the investors' bank accounts, as did two other employees at Rothstein's now-defunct law firm, Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler, sources said.

FBI and IRS agents are scrutinizing the trio's potential supporting roles in the massive Ponzi scheme, as they try to untangle Rothstein's financial web.

The agents are focusing on a litany of bank accounts Rothstein used to move money between August and October, as his scheme started to implode.

Investigators believe Rothstein may have hidden money in Venezuela, Switzerland and Morocco, while using dummy corporations in Delaware to conceal his stake in more than $20 million in Broward County real estate and business ventures.

`PRESERVATION'

A federal complaint filed when agents seized Rothstein's assets last week says the attorney used ``multiple bank accounts'' to perpetuate the scheme, and created myriad corporations in Florida and Delaware as a ``wealth preservation mechanism.''

Months before investigators started probing his law firm, Rothstein transferred more than a dozen pricey real-estate parcels worth more than $20 million -- including a home once owned by Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams.

Rothstein has not been charged with wrongdoing. He and his attorney, Marc Nurik, declined to comment. Boockvor could not be reached.

Although FBI and IRS agents trace Rothstein's sale of employment-discrimination settlements to 2005, sources say the attorney stole vast sums of investor money during the past year, especially in October. Several investors -- led by Banyon LLC, a Nevada company owned by entrepreneur George Levin -- complained to the U.S. attorney's office and FBI that their scheduled settlement payments had stopped.

The FBI's special agent in charge, John Gillies, said last week the scope of Rothstein's Ponzi scheme may exceed $1 billion, as he urged investment victims to come forward.

Several investors and their lawyers have told The Miami Herald that Rothstein provided them letters purportedly written in recent months by Frank Spinosa, a Toronto Dominion Bank vice president. Spinosa's letters purportedly said that Rothstein's authority over the trust accounts was limited solely to transferring payments directly to the investors -- not to anyone else.

But many investors now believe that Rothstein forged some of the Spinosa letters, which include the banker's signature, phone numbers and e-mail address, sources said.

Investors also told The Miami Herald that Spinosa and Rothstein met with them on multiple occasions, showing them printouts of their account statements to assure them their money was in the Fort Lauderdale branch.

Definition Of Corruption

2009-11-27T08:26:00.002-05:00

noun

1- the act of corrupting or state of being corrupt.

2- moral perversion; depravity.

3- perversion of integrity.

4- corrupt or dishonest proceedings.

5- bribery

6- debasement or alteration, as of language or a text.

7- a debased form of a word.

8- putrefactive decay; rottenness.

9- any corrupting influence or agency.

Synonyms:

2. dissolution, immorality.

8. rot, putrefaction, putrescence, foulness, pollution, contamination.

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He Who Does Not Bellow Out The Truth

2009-11-26T11:13:00.002-05:00

“He who does not bellow out the truth when he knows the truth makes himself the accomplice of liars and forgers.”

Charles Peguy (1873-1914)