Yoon-Hee Park, 57, of Flushing, N.Y., was sentenced Wednesdy by the U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden to 54 months in prison. Park was also sentenced to two years supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $423,367. Byung Jang, 47, of Fort Lee was sentenced by Hayden to 48 months in prison, two years supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $295,215. On Nov. 1, 2011, both defendants pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to unlawfully produce identification documents and to commit credit card fraud and one count each of aggravated identity theft.

On Feb. 15, Hayden sentenced Kyung-Ki Kim, 51, of Edison, to 11 months’ in prison and ordered him to pay $74,864.65 in restitution. On Nov. 1, 2011, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully produce identification documents and to commit credit card fraud. Hayden sentenced Sung-Rok Joh, 54, Palisades Park, to six months in prison and six months home confinement and ordered him to pay $79,333. On July 12, 2010, Joh pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully produce an identification document and to commit credit card fraud

Yoon-Hee Park, Byung Jang, Kyung-Ki Kim, and Sung-Rok Joh were arrested on Sept. 16, 2010, in a coordinated law enforcement takedown of 53 individuals in connection with widespread, sophisticated identity theft and fraud, including 40 other individuals charged with participating in one large-scale criminal enterprise.

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

Sang-Hyun Park, a/k/a “Jimmy,” is alleged to have been the leader of a criminal organization headquartered in Bergen County, that obtained, brokered, and sold identity documents to customers for the purpose of committing credit card fraud, bank fraud and tax fraud. As part of the scheme, the Park Criminal Enterprise obtained Social Security cards beginning with the prefix “586.” Social Security cards with that prefix were issued by the United States to individuals, usually from China, who were employed in American territories, such as American Samoa, Guam, and Saipan. The Park Criminal Enterprise sold these Social Security cards to its customers and then escorted the customers to various states to use the cards to obtain identification cards and driver’s licenses.

The Park Criminal Enterprise then engaged in the fraudulent “build up” of credit scores associated with these fraudulently obtained identities. They did so by adding the identity as an authorized user to the credit card accounts of various co-conspirators who received a fee for this service – members of the enterprise’s credit build-up teams. By attaching the identities to these existing credit card accounts, the teams increased the credit scores associated with the identities to between 700 and 800. The members of the build-up teams knew neither the real person to whom the identity belonged nor virtually any of the customers who had purchased the identities.

After building the credit associated with these identities, Park and his co-conspirators directed, coached, and assisted his customers to open bank accounts and obtain credit cards. Park and his co-conspirators then used these accounts and credit cards to commit fraud. In particular, Park relied on several collusive merchants who possessed credit card processing, or swipe, machines. For a fee, known as a “kkang fee,” these collusive merchants charged the fraudulently obtained credit cards, although no transaction took place. After receiving the money into their merchant accounts from the credit card elated to these fraudulent transactions, the collusive merchants gave the money to Park and his co-conspirators, minus their “kkang fee.”

Yoon-Hee Park, Byung Jang, and Kyung-Ki Kim, and Sung-Rok Joh were customers of the Park Criminal Enterprise. Sang-Hyun Park pleaded guilty on Jan. 9 and is awaiting sentencing.

As for the other alleged members of the Park Criminal Enterprise, the charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Fishman praised special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward in Newark; IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge JoAnn Zuniga; the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Andrew M. McLees; and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor John L. Molinelli and the Office’s Chief of Detectives Steven Cucciniello, for their work leading to the sentencings.

Karron Hinton-Lovelace, 26, and Garnet Hinton, 22, both of Union; Kurtis Steele, 22, of Irvington; and Hassan Childs, 25, Keonnah McLean, 22, Martell Arline, 21, Constance Bowles, 21, and Guy Hicks, 49, all of Newark; were charged by complaint with conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

Hinton-Lovelace, Steele, McLean and Bowles were arrested at their homes Wednesday morning by agents of the FBI and inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Arline and Hinton turned themselves in to the FBI. Childs was still being sought at the time of the announcement. Hicks was already in custody in the Union County Jail on unrelated state charges.

According to the complaint and other documents filed in this case:

The defendants and other co-conspirators allegedly stole from unsuspecting victims blank checks that were sent to the victims via the U.S. Mail. The defendants are then accused of fraudulently endorsing the blank checks and depositing them into legitimate bank accounts they and/or unnamed co-conspirators opened at the victim banks, which included TD Bank, Bank of America, Capital One Bank, Garden State Community Bank, Hudson City Savings Bank, PNC Bank and Valley National Bank.

Before the victims discovered their checks were stolen and/or the banks discovered checks were fraudulently endorsed, the defendants had allegedly withdrawn the funds, either via ATMs or by entering the bank and filling out a withdrawal slip. U.S. Postal Inspection Service and FBI agents were able to obtain bank video surveillance, which captured many of the allegedly fraudulent deposits and withdrawals.

The defendants allegedly deposited $1,478,695 in fraudulent checks stolen from 122 victims into 258 different bank accounts. The defendants’ alleged conduct resulted in $625,000 in losses.

If found guilty, the defendants each face a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison on the conspiracy charge and a maximum fine of $1 million or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense.

Fishman credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Philip R. Bartlett; and special agents of the FBI under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward for the investigation leading to the arrests.

The charges and allegations made in the complaint are merely accusations and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The four remaining GOP presidential candidates met in Mesa, Ariz., for another debate, and mauled a few facts. Rick Santorum claimed earmarks were done in an “open” process during his time in Congress. Mitt Romney said dispensing morning-after pills to rape victims was “entirely voluntary” for Catholic hospitals in Massachusetts. Newt Gingrich kept on claiming he balanced federal budgets that Congress approved after he resigned.

The debate was carried live by CNN on Feb. 22, and this time the candidates were seated.

Santorum’s Earmarks

Santorum made one false and one exaggerated statement when defending his earmarks — which are pet projects added to the annual spending bills at the request of members of Congress:

• Santorum said that when he was in Congress the members would “publicly request” earmarks in an “open process.” That’s not true. The rules requiring public disclosure did not pass until 2007 — after Santorum left office.
• He also called Rep. Ron Paul “one of the most prolific earmarkers in Congress today.” Paul does request earmarks, but he’s not close to being one of the most prolific in bringing home the bacon.

Romney attacked Santorum for securing earmarks for Pennsylvania, when Santorum was a member of Congress. This has been a recurring theme raised by Romney, a former Massachusetts governor who never served in Congress. In his defense, Santorum insisted that the process for requesting earmarks was transparent.

Santorum: It’s really interesting, governor, because the process you just described of an open process where members of Congress put forth their suggestions on how to spend money, have them voted on individually, is exactly how the process worked. So what you just suggested as to how earmarks should work in the future is exactly how they worked in the past. …

You’re entitled to your opinions, Mitt. You’re not entitled to –

Romney: I’ve heard that line before. I’ve heard that before, yes.

Santorum: — misrepresent the facts, and you’re misrepresenting the facts. You don’t know what you’re talking about. What happened in the earmark process — what happens in the earmark process was that members of Congress would ask, formally, publicly request these things, put them on paper, and have them allocated, and have them voted on a committee, have them voted on, on the floor of the Senate.

Santorum, however, is the one misrepresenting the facts. Members of Congress did not have to publicly disclose their earmarks when he was in Congress. The requests were privately submitted to the relevant appropriations committees. Even earmarks that were inserted into spending bills did not carry the sponsors’ names. Public disclosure was left up to the individual members, many of whom took credit for projects in their districts or states.

That lack of transparency changed in 2007, when the House and Senate passed legislation requiring the disclosure of earmarks. Santorum was defeated in his bid to win reelection to the Senate in 2006.

In 2007, the Senate disclosed the sponsors of earmarks that were included in spending bills. The rules were later expanded, and now senators must disclose their earmark requests, too. They must post on their government websites “a description of the items proposed — including their purpose, location, the recipient of the funds, and an explanation of why the spending is in the interest of the taxpayers.” Senators also must certify that they or their immediate family members have no financial interest in the earmarks.

Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a group that tracks spending on earmarks, told us in an email: “Lawmakers didn’t ‘publicly request’ earmarks when Sen. Santorum was in office (unless they wanted to – that would be virtually none that I can remember.)”

In defending himself on earmarks, Santorum also said as an aside that Rep. Ron Paul is “one of the most prolific earmarkers in the Congress today.” But that’s an exaggeration.

Using earmark data compiled by Taxpayers for Common Sense, the Center for Public Integrity did ananalysis of fiscal year 2010 earmark requests. Paul sought 15 earmarks for a total of $17 million that year, ranking him 242 out of 435 House members. He was successful in obtaining 14 of those earmarks at a cost of $11.1 million, placing him 299 on the list of top earmarkers, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense. That year Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, requested 67 earmarks at a cost of $154 million — the most of any member. She was one of nine House members who requested more than $100 million, and she secured 63 of her requests for $116.6 million, placing her third on the list of top recipients. Now that’s prolific.

Paul ranked higher in the previous two years. He was 33rd on the list in fiscal year 2009 with 23 earmark requests at a cost of $80.7 million, and he was 163rd in fiscal year 2008 with eight earmark requests that cost $27 million. But the totals still pale compared with the most prolific earmarkers. In fiscal year 2009, when Paul requested $80.7 million, there were 16 House members who requested more than $100 million, including top earmarker Rep. David Loebsack, D-Ill., who sponsored 29 earmarks at a whopping $217 million.

“Ron Paul requested a lot of earmarks,” Ellis said. “He always defended it by saying he thought it was his constituents’ money and they should have as much of it back as possible. However he was never prolific in getting them. Mostly because he wasn’t on the appropriations committee where the money was being allotted.”

Santorum Spins What The Standard Said

Santorum misrepresented what a conservative magazine said about his record for conservatism on taxing and spending when he was a U.S. senator:

Santorum: The Weekly Standard just did a review, looking at the National Taxpayers Union, I think, Citizens Against Government Waste, and they measured me up against the other 50 senators who were serving when I did and they said that I was the most fiscally conservative senator in the Congress in the — in the 12 years that I was there.

That’s not quite true. The Weekly Standard said in a Feb. 15 analysis that Santorum was no spendthrift and that he got very good vote ratings from taxpayer groups, as we also did in a similar report on Feb. 18. But those groups didn’t rate Santorum the most conservative.

According to the Standard, Santorum’s average rating of “A-minus” from the National Taxpayer’s Union put him “in the top 10 percent of senators, as he ranked 5th out of 50.” The NTU itself calculates Santorum’s average at a “B-plus.” Either way, other senators rated more highly.

What Santorum is referring to is some political handicapping in the Standard article, which went beyond the vote ratings to give Santorum extra credit for being from a state that often votes Democratic. “[C]onsidering the state he was representing, one could certainly make the case that Santorum was the most fiscally conservative senator during his tenure,” the article said.

But making an argument is one thing, and making a flat statement is another. The Standard didn’t say Santorum was the most fiscally conservative senator, period. Santorum misquoted the article.

Gingrich vs. Romney on Morning-After Pill

Former House Speaker Gingrich was right in a back-and-forth with Romney over requiring Catholic hospitals to provide morning-after pills to rape victims in Massachusetts when Romney was governor.

CNN’s debate moderator, John King, asked Romney whether he “required Catholic hospitals to provide emergency contraception to rape victims.”

Romney: No, absolutely not. Of course not.

There was no requirement in Massachusetts for the Catholic Church to provide morning-after pills to rape victims. That was entirely voluntary on their report. There was no such requirement. …

Gingrich: Well, the reports we got were quite clear that the public health department was prepared to give a waiver to Catholic hospitals about a morning-after abortion pill, and that the governor’s office issued explicit instructions saying that they believed it wasn’t possible under Massachusetts law to give them that waiver. Now, that was the newspaper reports that came out.

As we wrote in January, Romney vetoed the law requiring the morning-after pill to be dispensed to rape victims at hospitals. His veto was later overridden by the Legislature. Romney then backed a state ruling that private hospitals, including religious hospitals, didn’t have to follow the requirement if they had moral objections. But he later flip-flopped on that position, saying that his legal counsel concluded that all hospitals would have to follow the new law. The Boston Globe also quoted Romney as saying: “My personal view, in my heart of hearts, is that people who are subject to rape should have the option of having emergency contraception or emergency contraception information.”

Old Refrains

As to be expected, the candidates repeated some well-worn claims from previous debates:

• Santorum wrongly said the federal health care law amounted to “a couple trillion dollars in spending over the next 10 years.” Not true. Spending alone under the law would be $1.4 trillion over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. And that doesn’t include $732 billion in spending reductions and $520 billion in revenue-producing measures in the law. Even without those, the figure is well short of “a couple trillion.” Romney has made similarly wrong claims about the cost of the law.
• We’ve lost track of the number of times Gingrich has taken credit for balancing the budget for four years, even though he was only in office for two of those years. But he said it again tonight: “When I was speaker … we balanced the budget for four consecutive years.” Gingrich was speaker when Congress passed balanced budgets for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, but he had left the House before the balanced budgets for fiscal 2000 and 2001 were passed.
• Santorum also said that “Romneycare … was the model for Obamacare and the government takeover of health care.” But neither the federal law nor the Massachusetts law is a “government takeover.” We’ve heard this claim from conservatives many times, but repeating it doesn’t make it true. While both laws expanded access to Medicaid, they also increased business for private insurance companies, which stand to gain millions of new customers under the federal law.
• Paul continued to downplay the possibility of Iran building a nuclear weapon, saying: “We don’t know if they have a weapon. As a matter of fact, there’s no evidence that they have it.” The International Atomic Energy Agency did not say in a Nov. 2011 report that Iran was definitely building a weapon, but it expressed strong concern that the country could do so. IAEA said that its information indicated that “Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device.”

Originally published by FactCheck.org; reprinted with permission.

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum (Photo credit: Gage Skidmore)

Rick Santorum grossly mischaracterized euthanasia practices in the Netherlands during an appearance at a faith conference. He overstated the rate of euthanasia and falsely claimed that the elderly are being killed against their will and wear “do not euthanize me” bracelets:

• Santorum claimed legal euthanasia is responsible for “10 percent of all deaths for the Netherlands.” Government statistics show euthanasia is climbing, but represented only 2.3 percent in 2010, according to the most recent data.
• Santorum added that half of the people euthanized were killed “involuntarily.” A representative of the Royal Dutch Medical Association said “there are no forced cases of euthanasia.” Dutch euthanasia review boards found nine cases in 2010 where doctors “had not acted in accordance with the due care criteria,” mostly for how the procedure was performed — not because it was against anyone’s will.
• Santorum claimed the Dutch elderly wear bracelets that say “do not euthanize me,” but the Dutch government and medical association say no such bracelets exists. Santorum “might be confused with a ‘do not resuscitate’ bracelet or necklace” worn by some patients, a medical association representative said.

Santorum discussed euthanasia in the Netherlands during a Feb. 3 forum at the Grace Bible Church in Columbia, Mo. Dr. James C. Dobson, who has endorsed Santorum, moderated the discussion. Dobson is the founder of Focus on the Family, a Christian organization.

The former Pennsylvania senator described the current situation in the Netherlands with alarm:

Santorum, Feb. 3: In the Netherlands people wear a different bracelet if you’re elderly and the bracelet is ‘do not euthanize me.’ Because they have voluntary euthanasia in the Netherlands, but half the people who are euthanized every year, and it’s 10 percent of all deaths for the Netherlands, half of those people are euthanized involuntarily at hospitals because they are older and sick. And so elderly people in the Netherlands don’t go to the hospital, they go to another country, because they are afraid, because of budget purposes, that they will not come out of that hospital if they go in with sickness.

These comments “prompted a furious backlash” in the Netherlands, the International Business Times reported. And for good reason.

First, let’s review the law. The 2001 Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide (Review Procedures) Act allows Dutch citizens to end their lives if they are suffering from a medical condition that causes “unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement.” There are two end-of-life procedures: euthanasia, where a doctor administers a fatal drug, or assisted suicide, where the doctor prescribes the fatal drug and the patient administers it. The law took effect on April 1, 2002.

According to a publication distributed by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, doctors must be satisfied that the patient’s request is “voluntary and well-considered,” and that there is “unbearable suffering with no prospect for improvement.” The patient’s doctor must consult at least one other independent doctor, who is responsible for ensuring the “due care criteria” is met.

After the termination of a patient’s life, the death must be reported to the government and reviewed by regional committees composed of, at a minimum, a doctor, ethicist and legal expert.

Now, let’s look at Santorum’s three claims. We’ll begin with a stunning claim that the elderly are so afraid of being euthanized for “budget purposes” that they wear “do not euthanize me” bracelets. We were told by a government official and a representative of a Dutch physicians’ association that this is simply not true.

When we contacted the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, public health spokeswoman Inge Freriksen told us that “a bracelet asking not to be euthanized doesn’t exist.” Patients would only be euthanized after they followed the set of guidelines as outlined above.

Gert van Dijk of the Royal Dutch Medical Association told us the same thing.

“There are no bracelets for people who don’t want to be euthanized. Mr. Santorum might be confused with a ‘do not resuscitate’ bracelet or necklace,” van Dijk told us in an email. (That may be, but we don’t know. The Santorum campaign did not get back to us.)

The government recognizes a DNR medallion, which includes the name, date of birth, signature and photograph of the bearer, as fulfilling “all the statutory requirements for a written directive,” a government website says.

“These are sometimes worn by people who do not want to be resuscitated when they for instance have a heart attack in the street. Surely you must have these in the U.S. as well?” van Dijk said. “Recently, there is one hospital which is experimenting with this type of DNR bracelet for patients who do not want to be resuscitated whilst they are in the hospital. So people are not afraid of euthanasia, they are sometimes afraid of being resuscitated against their will.”

Santorum’s statistics aren’t close to being true, either.

His claim that euthanasia accounts for 10 percent of all deaths in the Netherlands brought an audible gasp from some in the audience. But that’s more than four times the actual rate.

In 2010, there were 3,136 cases of euthanasia, assisted suicide or a combination of both, according to the 2010 annual report by the Regional Euthanasia Review Committees. That’s 2.3 percent of the136,058 total deaths in the Netherlands in 2010, government statistics show.

The 3,136 euthanasia cases represented a 19 percent jump from the previous year and the first time that the rate has exceeded 2 percent since the law took effect. “The cause of this continuing increase in the number of [right-to-death] notifications from year to year is not known,” the report said.

Van Dijk, of the medical association, emailed us a chart that showed the rate had been below 2 percent for the first eight years that the law had been in place. It was 1.32 percent in 2002. But by 2009, 2,636 people, or 1.96 percent of all deaths, chose to terminate their lives, the medical association’s data show. That was a record high — until 2010.

Still, Santorum was way off base in claiming it was 10 percent of all deaths.

Even further off the mark is Santorum’s claim that “half the people who are euthanized every year … are euthanized involuntarily.” According to the regional review board’s 2010 annual report, only nine doctors “were found not to have acted in accordance with the criteria.” In five of those cases, it was the way in which euthanasia or assisted suicide was performed that caused concern — not whether the patient had properly consented. The report also says that 81 percent of the Dutch who decided to end their lives in 2010 were suffering from cancer.

“There are no forced cases of euthanasia,” van Dijk said. “Euthanasia can only be performed when there is a voluntary request from the patient and the patient is suffering unbearably. An independent physician has to check this beforehand, and an independent commission checks afterwards. There are very stringent criteria in place.”

As in other countries, doctors who kill patients against their will are criminally prosecuted.

We take no position on euthanasia in the Netherlands or anywhere else. But the facts are clear: Santorum grossly misrepresented the practice of euthanasia in the Netherlands when making his case against it.

Originally published by FactCheck.org; reprinted with permission.

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (Photo credit: Gage Skidmore)

by Robert Farley / FactCheck.org 

With Rick Santorum attacking Mitt Romney for “hypocrisy” regarding his requests for Olympic earmarks, competing claims about taxpayer support for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics are flying from all sides. But when it comes to presenting the facts, none of them stick the landing.

• A Romney spokeswoman downplayed Romney’s efforts as “seeking money for post-9/11 security at the Olympics.” But there was a lot more to it than that. The Salt Lake City Organizing Committee under Romney requested — and got — hundreds of millions of federal dollars for the games before 9/11.
• In a web video, the Democratic National Committee slams Romney for heading up “the most expensive games in U.S. history” that “got more taxpayer dollars than any previous Olympics.” The DNC put the cost to federal taxpayers at $1.3 billion. Well, yes and no. Most of that figure was for highways, transit systems and other capital improvements that federal and state officials assert eventually would have flowed to Salt Lake City regardless of the games, but was accelerated to accommodate them. The DNC’s figures include both direct and indirect costs of the Salt Lake City Games, but compare that with only the direct costs of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
• Sen. John McCain, who has endorsed Romney, was a vocal critic of the spending on the Salt Lake City Games at the time. He now claims he opposed the earmarks but would have supported the funding if it had gone through proper channels. But that doesn’t jibe with comments McCain made at the time, calling the amount of federal funds going to Salt Lake City a “rip-off of the American taxpayer” and “a disgrace.”

On the campaign trail, Romney has repeatedly boasted that his years heading up the Salt Lake City Organizing Committee “helped save the Olympics” in 2002. Before Romney took over, the committee was tainted by a bribery and corruption scandal. But Santorum used that experience as an attack pointthis week.

Santorum, who has been criticized repeatedly by Romney for his past support of earmarks, accused Romney of hypocrisy on that issue when it came to the Olympics.

Santorum, Feb 18: One of Mitt Romney’s greatest accomplishments, one of the things he talks about most, is how he heroically showed up on the scene and bailed out and resolved the problems of the Salt Lake City Olympic Games. He heroically bailed out the Salt Lake City Olympic Games by heroically going to Congress and asking them for tens of millions of dollars to bail out the Salt Lake games — in an earmark, in an earmark for the Salt Lake Olympic games … Does the word ‘hypocrisy’ come to mind?

Earmarks More Than Post-9/11 Security

Responding to Santorum’s comments, Andrea Saul, a Romney spokeswoman, said there is a difference between the earmarks supported by Santorum and those sought by Romney for the Olympics.

Saul, Feb. 18: Sometimes when you shoot from the hip, you end up shooting yourself in the foot. There is a pretty wide gulf between seeking money for post-9/11 security at the Olympics and seeking earmarks for polar bear exhibits at the Pittsburgh Zoo.

But a U.S. Government Accounting Office report in November 2001 shows that it was much more than post-9/11 security funding that was sent Salt Lake City’s way. In all, the GAO found the federal government planned to cover about $342 million of the total direct cost of the games.

Of that total, the GAO reported, “not including additional security costs that may be incurred as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the federal government plans to spend about $185 million on safety- and security-related activities.”

So there was $185 million in federal funds for security planned even before the 9/11 attacks. Moreover, an additional $157 million was promised for such things as temporary spectator transportation (such as construction and operation of park-and-ride lots), temporary housing for athletes, construction of access roads to some venues, and $19 million to support “staging-and-operations activities” during the games.

Under Romney’s leadership, the Salt Lake City Olympic Committee hired five lobbying firms, according to Senate lobbying records. Together with its in-house lobbying shop, the Salt Lake committee spent more than $3.5 million and, according to AP, sought federal dollars “to support a tree planting program, anti-doping educational programs, cultural outreach, communications and Weather Service funding, among other areas.”

The GAO did not perform a post-Olympic analysis of the total cost to taxpayers, but Romney once put the sum at $400 million, and once boasted that he “got record funds from the federal government.”

Competing Olympic Figures

A DNC web video that proclaims “the real savior of the Games” was “the American taxpayer” put the federal government’s contributions much higher, at $1.3 billion. It was, the ad says, “more federal dollars than spent on all previous Olympics [in the U.S.] combined.”

Again, according to a November 2001 GAO report, the federal government spent $342 million on direct costs related to the Salt Lake City Games. The $1.3 billion figure cited in the DNC ad comes from a September 2000 GAO analysis of Olympic spending, undertaken at the request of Rep. John Dingell and Sen. John McCain. It included about $1.1 billion in indirect funding for the 2002 games, including such things as highways, transit systems and other capital improvements.

The 2001 report notes, “According to federal and state officials, these projects would eventually have been undertaken regardless of the Olympic Games, but they were prioritized or accelerated so that they could be completed in time for the Games.”

In an Aug. 18, 2000, letter to the GAO, Romney said, “In our view, the emphasis should be placed on Olympic required activities, not on spending which would have otherwise occurred.”

But Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan earmark watchdog, said it’s hard to say if money “accelerated” to Salt Lake City would have gone there without the games. Even with projects in the federal government’s pipeline, he said, many fall through because justification for them erodes over time, or plans are scrapped because cost estimates rise.

“Anything Mitt Romney was able to get from the federal government, or from state and local government, for the Olympic Committee, that’s bonus cash,” Ellis said. “At the time, he wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t try to get every dollar he could get.”

The Salt Lake City Organizing Committee ended up turning a $100 million profit.

One can argue whether it’s appropriate to include the $1.1 billion that may or may not have been sent to Salt Lake City without the Olympics in the total tally of the costs of the 2002 games. But when the DNC cites the $1.3 billion for the 2002 games, it compares it to $75 billion for the 1984 Los Angeles Games. That’s not an apples-to-apples comparison. The federal government spent $78 million in direct costs for the 1984 Olympics as opposed to $342 million in direct costs for the 2002 Olympics.

One other caveat, the GAO report notes that the federal government’s share of the total overall direct cost of hosting Olympic Games in U.S. cities generally decreased over time, from a high of 50 percent for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y., to 8 percent for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. For the Salt Lake City Games, the federal government share was 18 percent.

McCain Flip-Flop?

Asked about the 2002 Olympic earmarks on ABC’s “This Week” on Feb. 19, McCain — who has publicly endorsed Romney — downplayed his criticism of the spending back in 2000.

McCain, Feb. 19: Well, my reaction is that I, of course, oppose earmarks, and I’ve opposed them of all kinds. All I wanted them to do was go to Congress and go through the normal process of authorizing and then appropriating. I certainly wanted to save the Salt Lake Olympics, as most other Americans did.

… Of course, I opposed an earmark. But if they had gone and authorized it, I would have supported it, because I believe that the Olympics was very important to the United States of America.

But McCain’s comments at the time suggest he was concerned not just about process — though he certainly was critical of the money coming largely through earmarks — but also that the cost of the Olympics to American taxpayers was spiraling.

The DNC video includes footage of McCain in 2000 calling the $1.3 billion spent by the federal government “outrageous” and a “disgrace” and “a rip-off of the taxpayers.”

In a Sept. 19, 2000, speech, McCain said the argument that Salt Lake City eventually would have received the money anyway “doesn’t pass the laugh test” and “is a shell game of the greatest magnitude.”

McCain, 2000: This figure [$1.3 billion] is breathtaking. The American taxpayer is being shaken down to the tune of nearly a billion-and-a-half dollars for Salt Lake City to host the Winter Olympics.

… No one would dispute that the federal government should provide whatever support necessary to ensure that the Games are safe for everyone. However, the American taxpayer should not be burdened with building up the basic infrastructure necessary to a city to be able to pull off hosting the Olympic Games.

Originally published by FactCheck.org; reprinted with permission.

Photo credit: John Morgan

If you make eligible contributions to an employer-sponsored retirement plan or to an individual retirement arrangement, you may be eligible for a tax credit, depending on your age and income.

Here are six things the IRS wants you to know about the Savers Credit:

1.      Income limits The Savers Credit, formally known as the Retirement Savings Contributions Credit, applies to individuals with a filing status and 2011 income of:

·        Single, married filing separately, or qualifying widow(er), with  income up to $28,250

·        Head of Household with income up to $42,375

·        Married Filing Jointly, with incomes up to $56,500

2.      Eligibility requirements To be eligible for the credit you must be at least 18 years of age, you cannot have been a full-time student during the calendar year and cannot be claimed as a dependent on another person’s return.

3.      Credit amount If you make eligible contributions to a qualified IRA, 401(k) and certain other retirement plans, you may be able to take a credit of up to $1,000 ($2,000 if filing jointly). The credit is a percentage of the qualifying contribution amount, with the highest rate for taxpayers with the least income.

4.      Distributions When figuring this credit, you generally must subtract distributions you received from your retirement plans from the contributions you made. This rule applies to distributions received in the two years before the year the credit is claimed, the year the credit is claimed, and the period after the end of the credit year but before the due date – including extensions – for filing the return for the credit year.

5.      Other tax benefits The Retirement Savings Contributions Credit is in addition to other tax benefits you may receive for retirement contributions. For example, most workers at these income levels may deduct all or part of their contributions to a traditional IRA. Contributions to a regular 401(k) plan are not subject to income tax until withdrawn from the plan.

6.      Forms to use To claim the credit use Form 8880, Credit for Qualified Retirement Savings Contributions.

For more information, review IRS Publication 590, Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs), Publication 4703, Retirement Savings Contributions Credit, and Form 8880. Publications and forms can be downloaded at www.irs.gov or ordered by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

Dining To Donate • Feb. 23 from 2-8 p.m. – Broadway Bistro, 26 North Broadway, South Amboy, will hold a Dining To Donate fundraiser for the Dowdelll Library Foundations. If patrons present a flier for the event, 10% of their check will be donated. Fliers are available from the bistro and the library. Info: 1-732-316-1078.

Black History Month • Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m. – The Plainfield Area NAACP will hold a Black History Month program/awards night honoring the city’s “Middle School Over-Achievers” at 1st Park Baptist Church/New Covenant Christian Academy, 315 W. Sevent St., Plainfield. Free admission, light refreshments. Info: 1-908-230-9319.

Book Signing • Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m. – Author Cristina Guarneri will sign copies of her novel “See No Evil” at Rock N Joe, 339 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell. Info: 1-888-361-9473

History Lecture • Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. – Stephen Schoeman, Ph.D., will lecture on the history of the U.S. Presidency from colonial times to the present at the Union Public Library, 1980 Morris Ave. Info: 1-908-851-5450 ext. 5452.

Concert • Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m. – The Joan Osborne Duo will perform live at the Methodist Church, 59 Main St., Woodbridge. Tickets are $30 in advance from www.woodbridgartsnj.org or $35 at the door. Info: 1-732-596-4048.

Elizabeth AARP • Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. – Elizabeth AARP Chapter 5439 will hold their monthly meeting at the Stephen Sampson Senior Center, 800 Anna St., Elizabeth. New members welcome. Info: 1-908-342-6920.

Black History Month • Feb. 24 from 6:30-9 p.m. – United Way’s African-American Leadership Initiative’s “Making A Mark” event will celebrate A Journey of Black Dance, with a performance by the Plainfield High School Dance Ensemble with special guests, The New Jersey Orators Group. Tickets for the event, which will be held at Kean University’s University Center Little Theater, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, are $25. Info: 1-908-353-7171 ext. 136.

Religion • Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. – The Church of St. Anne, 325 Second Ave, Garwood, will partner with Apostolica Ministries for a Lenten Parish Mission, “Journey to the Cross: An Intimate Walk With Jesus.” Info: 1-908-789-0280 ext. 10.

Art Workshop • Feb. 25 – Arts Guild NJ, 1670 Irving St., Rahway, will present an Encaustic Painting Workshop. Fee: $70 + $25 materials fee. Registration required; call 1-732-381-7511.

Book Signing • Feb. 25 from 9 a.m. – noon – Author Jennifer Lynn Pereyra will sign copies of her juvenile fiction book, “Mommy and Daddy Work to Make Some Dough” at The Cupcakery (Homestead Plaza II), 23203 Columbus Rd., Columbus. Info: 1-888-361-9473.

Black History Month • Feb. 25 from 1-3 p.m. – The Union County College S.I.G.N. Club invites the public to a forum with Claudia Gordon, the first deaf African-American lawyer from Washington, D.C. The free event will be held at the Roy Smith Theater on the college’s Cranford campus, 1033 Springfield Ave. A reception will follow. Info: www.ucc.edu.

Jazz Concert • Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. – LightSoundSpace, 1591 Irving St., Rahway, will host a jazz concert by bassist Gregg August and pianist Alex Brown. Tickets are $20 at www.hamiltonstage.org.

Blood Drive • Feb. 26 from 7 a.m. – 1 p.m. - Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 300 Central Ave., Mountainside, will host a blood drive. Info: 1-800-933-2566.

Blood Drive • Feb. 26 from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Liberty Tax Service of Parsippany and the American Red Cross will hold a roadside blood drive at 92 North Beverwyck Rd., Lake Hiawatha. Liberty Tax Service will offer free tax preparation services to blood donors at the event. Info: 1-973-917-3661

Spaghetti Dinner • Feb. 26 from 4-8 p.m. – Middlesex County 4-H will host a spaghetti dinner fundraiser at the County 4-H Center, 645 Cranbury Rd., East Brunswick. Tickets are $8 per person, and proceeds will help pay for needed repairs at the Middlesex County 4-H Center. The Hub Kings will play soul/jazz music during part of the evening. To reserve your seat, call 1-732-398-5261.

UCC Alumni Volleyball Night • Feb. 27 from 6-9:30 p.m. – The Union County College Alumni Association will host a volleyball night for all alumni and past students. Alumni members may bring friends to the event, at the gym on the college’s Cranford campus. Teams will be chosen prior to the start of games. For info or to RSVP, call Rebecca may at 1-908-709-7495.

Green Living Group Meeting • Feb. 27 from 7-9 p.m. – Rutgers professor Dr. Joseph Heckman will present “Anonymous Commodity Producer or Artisan Farmer with a Face: Who is Your Farmer and Why? At the East Brunswick Public Library, 2 Jean Walling Civic Center, in meeting room 1. Info: www.friendsebec.com.

African Art Presentation • Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. – The Newark Museum Speakers Bureau will offer a PowerPoint presentation on “Exploring African Art” at the Cranford Community Center, 220 Walnut Ave. Free admission. Info: 1-908-709-7272.

Women’s History Month Film Festival • March 1-3 – Women in Media-Newark will present “FootPrints in the City” with a kickoff event at the Newark Public Library and films at the Paul Robeson Student Center, Rutgers-Newark, on March 2 & 3. Info: www.wim-n.com

Clark Seniors • March 1 at 1 p.m. – The Clark Senior Monthly Meeting will be held at the Brewer Senior Center, 430 Westfield Ave., Clark. Refreshments. Info: call Phyllis at 1-732-382-7134.

Book Discussion Group • March 1 at 7 p.m. – The Springfield Public Library’s (Really Good) Book Discussion Group will meet in the Palmer Museum to discuss Tea Obreht’s “The Tiger’s Wife.” Refreshments are served, and new members are welcome. Info: 1-973-37604930 x229.

Gift Auction • March 2 at 7:30 p.m. – The Parents Guild of Mother Seton Regional High School. Valley Road, Clark (GSP Exit 135) will sponsor a “Bon Voyage” Gift Auction. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Admission: $15. No tickets sold at the door. For tickets and info, call 1-732-382-1952.

Religion • March 2 at 7:30 p.m. – The Church of St. Anne, 325 Second Ave, Garwood, will partner with Apostolica Ministries for a Lenten Parish Mission, “Journey to the Cross: An Intimate Walk With Jesus.” Info: 1-908-789-0280 ext. 10.

Circus • March 3-18 – The Big Apple Circus will hold a limited engagement at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater. Tickets range from $15-$50; call 1-888-541-3750.

Craft & Vendor Fair • March 3 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. – Middlesex County 4-H will hold a craft fair fundraiser at the 4-H Center on Cranbury Rd., East Brunswick. Info: 1-732-723-9968.

Art Workshop • March 3 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Arts Guild NJ, 1670 Irving St., Rahway, will present an Alla Prima Painting Technique Workshop. Fee: $70. Registration required; call 1-732-381-7511.

Book Reading • March 3 at 7 p.m. – Author Suzann Brocato will read from her book, “Matriarch: A Journey Through Tradition” at the Kathryn Barnett School of Dance, 37 East Front St., Red Bank. Signed books will be available for purchase. Refreshments. Open to adults only. Registration suggested; email MatriarchJourney@mindspring.com.

Atlantic City Bus Trip • March 4 – The Union County College Alumni Association is organizing a bus trip to Atlantic City’s Showboat Casino. The cost is $30, which includes $30 in casino slot play and a light continental breakfast on the bus. Pickups are at 8 a.m. at the Elizabeth campus in front of the Kellog Building and 8:30 a.m. in the Cranford campus’ Parking Lot #1. For info or to RSVP, call Rebecca May at 1-908-709-7495.

Book Signing • March 4 from 1-4 p.m. – Author Dominick Mazzagetti will sign copies of his book, “True Jersey Blues” at the Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, 45 Macculloch Ave., Morristown. Museum admission required. Info: 1-973-538-2404.

Gift Auction • March 4 at 2 p.m. (snow date: March 11) – Divine Mercy Parish, 213 Pershing Ave., Carteret, will host its annual gift auction. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. Admission: $8 (no one under 18 admitted.) For info or tickets, call Lori at 1-732-541-5616 or Debbie at 1-732-541-5736.

Widows Or Widowers • March 5 at 7 p.m. – Middlesex East Widows Or Widowers will hold a business meeting at the Carteret Community Center, Pershing & Cooke Aves. All widows or widowers are invited to attend. Info: 1-732-969-2228 or 1-908-757-0515.

Theatre • March 6 at 10 a.m. – “Astonishment – A Life in the Slow Lane” by Jan Slepian will be performed at the YM-YWHA of Union County, 501 Green Ln., Union. Open to the community. Info: 1-908-289-8112 ext. 34.

Children’s Health Seminar • March 6 from 4-5:30 p.m. – St. Joseph’s Healthcare System will present a seminar, “Children and Obesity: An Alarming Epidemic” at William Paterson University, 1600 Valley Rd., Wayne. Fee: $20. Pre-register at www.wpunj.eu/cpe. Info: 1-973-720-2354.

Library Book Sale • March 7 from 4-7:30 p.m, March 8 & 9 from 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and March 10 from 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Friends of the Cranford Public Library will hold a used book sale in the “Friendly Book Cellar at the library, 224 Walnut Ave. Prices range from a quarter to $2 for most items. Saturday is bag day; fill a bag for $8. Info: 1-908-709-7281.

Business Seminar • March 7 from 7-9 p.m. – The state Bar Foundation will hold a free public seminar, “Starting and Succeeding with a New Business” at the New Jersey Law Center, One Constitution Square, off Ryders Lane in New Brunswick. To register, call 1-800-FREE-LAW.

Singles • March 9 from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. – The Professional and Business Singles Network will hold a casual singles social at Snuffy’s Famous Steak House, 250 Park Ave. at Rte. 22 in Scotch Plains. $18 admission, cash bar. Sharp casual business attire. 40+ age group. Info: 1-610-348-5544.

Dance • March 9 from 7:30-11:30 p.m. – Middlesex East Widows Or Widowers, Carteret Chapter, will hold a dance at the American Legion Hall, 1155 Roosevelt Ave., Carteret. Admission: $10 members, $12 guests. Info: 1-732-969-2228 or 1-908-757-0515.

Religion • March 9 at 7:30 p.m. – The Church of St. Anne, 325 Second Ave, Garwood, will partner with Apostolica Ministries for a Lenten Parish Mission, “Journey to the Cross: An Intimate Walk With Jesus.” Info: 1-908-789-0280 ext. 10.

Gift Auction • March 9 at 8 p.m. – The St. John the Apostle Parent Faculty Guild is sponsoring a gift auction at the school’s auditorium. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $12 at the door or $10 in advance. The school is located on Valley Road, Clark. Info: 1-908-276-0498.

Art Workshop • March 10 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. – Arts Guild NJ, 1670 Irving St., Rahway, will present a Dynamic Figure Drawing and Anatomy Workshop. Fee: $95. Registration required; call 1-732-381-7511.

Farmers Market • March 10 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. – The first East Brunswick Winter Farmers Market will be held a the East Brunswick Community Arts Center, 721 Cranbury Rd.

ONE VOICE Coalition Breakfast • March 10 at 10 a.m. – The Italian-American ONE VOICE Coaltion will hold a special breakfast for new members at Brix Tapas Bar & Grill, 371 Franklin Ave., Belleville. Breakfast is $25; ONE VOICE membership is $60. Info: 1-973-759-9259.

CD & Record Show • March 11 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – The Greater NJ Record Show returns to Hotel 304 West on Route 22 West in Springfield. Dozens of music dealers will sell records, CDs, DVDs and memorabilia. Admission: $6 for adults, $3 for kids. Info: GNJRecordShows@yahoo.com

Purim Carnival • March 11 from noon-3 p.m. – The Jewish Community Center of Middlesex County, 1775 Oak Tree Rd., Edison, will hold a Purim Carnival Extravaganza. Free admission and games. Come in costume & receive two prize tickets. Info: 1-732-494-3232 ext. 621.

Blood Drive • March 13 from 12:30-6:30 p.m. – The Linden Public Library, 31 East Henry St., will host a blood drive in the Columbia Bank Room. Info: 1-908-298-3830 ext. 11 or 1-800-NJBLOOD.

Technology Presentation • March 13 from 6-7 p.m. – Dave Marra, a senior systems engineer for Apple, will talk about iPads and iPhones and provide cool tips for users at the Carteret Public Library, 100 Cooke Ave. Info: 1-732-541-3830

St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon • March 14 – St. Genevieve’s Leisure Group will hold their St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon at the Kenilworth Inn, at a cost of $32. Reservations may be made by calling 1-908-352-6942.

Health Seminar • March 14 from 5:30-7 p.m. – Learn about colon cancer prevention from a Trinitas Regional Medical Center doctor at the Center for Regional Education (CORE), Trinitas Regional Medical Center, 1164 Elizabeth Ave., Elizabeth (enter from South Broad St., next to fire house.) Light dinner, complimentary parking. Reservations required. Call 1-908-994-8939.

Library Meeting • March 14 at 6 p.m. – The Carteret Public Library Board of Trustees will meet at the library, 100 Cooke Ave., Carteret. Info: 1-732-541-3830.

Gardening Workshop • March 14 at 6:30 p.m. – Middlesex County’s Rutgers Cooperative Extension office will present a workshop on “Attracting Birds & Butterflies To Your Garden” at the EARTH Center in Davidson’s Mill Pond Park, 42 Riva Ave., South Brunswick. Fee: $20. Registration deadline: March 9. Call 1-732-398-5262.

Pet Behaviorist Presentation • March 14 at 7 p.m. – Pia Silvani, CPDT-KA, will speak about pet behavior modification at the Union Public Library, 1980 Morris Ave. Free admission. Info: 1-908-851-5450 ext. 5452.

Health Seminar • March 15 from 5:30-7 p.m. – Learn about the effects of sleep on childhood learning from Vipin Garg, MD, medical director of the Trinitas Comprehensive Sleep Disorders Center at Echo Executive Plaza, Suite 1A, 899 Mountain Ave., Springfield. Light dinner will be served. Reservations required, call 1-908-994-8939.

Landlord/Tenant Issues Seminar • March 15 from 7-9 p.m. – The state Bar Foundation will sponsor a free public seminar on Landlord-Tenant Issues at the New Jersey Law Center off Ryders Lane in New Brunswick. To register, call 1-800-FREE-LAW.

St. Patrick Happy Hour • March 16 from 5-7 p.m. – Ken Vercammen is inviting Central Jersey business owners and professionals to a St. Patrick Happy Hour at Bar Anticipation, 703 16th Ave., Lake Como / Belmar. RSVP to VercammenLaw@Njlaws.com and bring a canned food donation.

Tricky Tray • March 16 at 6 p.m. – Saints Mary & Elizabeth Academy, 170 Hussa St., Linden, will host its 9th annual tricky tray fundraiser. Advance tickets are $15 ($50 for advanced value pack.) Must be 18+. Info: 1-908-486-2507.

Fishing Flea Market • March 17 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. – The Rahway Fishing Flea Market, now in its 16th year, returns to St. Thomas Church Hall, 1400 St. Georges Ave. Saltwater & freshwater fishing items and boating items will be for sale. Admission: $4 (Children under 12 free) Info: 1-732-381-2165.

St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Dance • March 17 from 7:30-11:30 p.m. – Knights of Columbus #4815, 61 Pine St., Old Bridge, will hold a St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Dance. Tickets are $25 (advance only) and include a traditional dinner, wine/beer/soda, and desserts. Cash bar. DJ music by Tony V. Info: 1-732-251-0970.

Cancer Presentation • March 21 at 7 p.m. – The Northern NJ Affiliate of the Young Survival Coalition will sponsor an event, “Reinventing Your Life After Cancer,” with guest speaker Gail Tyrrell, executive director of the Ruby Heals Foundation, at Morristown Memorial Hospital’s Carol G. Simon Cancer Center. To register, call 1-201-843-6695.

Fish Fry • March 25 from 4-6 p.m. – Trinity Episcopal Church, 650 Rahway Ave., Woodbridge, will hold their annual fish & chip dinner in the Parish Hall. If you would prefer chicken, call the Parish Office and leave your name and phone number. Takeout orders available. Advance sale tickets may be purchased from the Parish Office. Adults: $14; children under 8: $8. Info: 1-732-634-7422 ext. 10

Nonviolent Communication Workshop • March 31 from 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. – The Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Rd., Morristown, will host “Moving Beyond Enemy Images in Peace & Justice Work” presented by Eliane Geren, CNVC Trainer. Registration is $60 and participants should bring a bagged lunch. Info: 1-973-838-8576.

Health Seminar • April 2 from 2-4 p.m. – Trinitas Regional Medical Center will present a seminar for cancer caregivers, “Caregivers: Learning to Care for Ourselves,” at the first floor conference room at Trinitas Comprehensive Cancer Center, 225 Williamson St., Elizabeth. Reservations required, call 1-908-994-8535.

Health Seminar • April 4 from 5:30-7 p.m. – Learn about the basics of colon cancer, how it’s diagnosed and treated, and the importance of screening, at the Center for Regional Education (CORE), Trinitas Regional Medical Center, 1164 Elizabeth Ave., Elizabeth (enter from South Broad St., next to fire house). Light dinner will be served. Info: 1-908-994-8939.

Disabilities Awareness Day • April 15 from noon-4 p.m. – The North Brunswick Abilities Council will host its 4th annual Disabilities Awareness Day at North Brunswick Township High School, 98 Raider Rd. Free admission; refreshments. Info: 1-732-247-0922 ext. 619.

Students, faculty, alumni and community residents rolled up their sleeves and donated on several campus locations, including the College Avenue Recreation Center, Sonny Werblin Recreation Center on the Busch Campus, the Livingston Recreation Center and the Cook/Douglas Gym.

Tagged as a “Pint for a Pint” blood drive, donors received a “RU pint glass,” and enjoyed a post donation snack of Thomas Sweets ice cream. In addition, a $2.00 donation was made for each pint of blood collected to Rutgers Against Hunger (RAH).

“Rutgers University has always been significant in donating to our blood supply,” said NJBS Director of Recruitment & Donor Retention Marie Forrestal. “We commend their efforts in supporting our need for blood and we are also grateful to staff and the residents of the nearby communities who donated.”

New Jersey Blood Services, which supplies blood products and services to 60 hospitals throughout the state, says that the need for blood has increased beyond expectations.

“Every day in the U.S. approximately 39,000 units of blood are required in hospitals and emergency treatment facilities to treat patients with cancer and other diseases, to support organ transplant recipients and accident and trauma victims,” noted Forrestal. “Everyone has an obligation to donate blood, at least once a year and Rutgers University is certainly doings its part to meet the need.”

Eligible donors should be 17 years of age, or 16 with parental permission, show photo or signed ID, weigh 110 pounds, and be in good health. Persons with questions of medical eligibility should call 1-800-2566 or visit www.nybloodcenter.org

Lee, 23, pleaded guilty to the Nov. 12, 2007 fatal shooting of 13-year-old Elijah Henderson and the Nov. 14, 2007 fatal shooting of homeowner Celso Pedra, said Assistant Prosecutor Bruce Holmes who prosecuted the case. Lee will be sentenced to 23 years in prison on April 20.

A co-defendant in the case, Edariel “Riddic” Melendez, was previously tried, convicted and sentenced to approximately 90 years in prison for the deaths of Henderson and Pedra, said Holmes.

According to the investigation, Melendez shot Henderson as the teenager rode his bike on the 200 block of Fulton Street in the early morning hours of Nov. 12, 2007 with friends. Another teen was injured in the shooting and a third escaped without injury.

Two days later, Melendez, a member of the Crips street gang, shot Pedra, 54, of Fulton Street in Elizabeth.

In both cases, the deaths were a result of mistaken identity, prosecutors said. Melendez was seeking retaliation against rival gang members for the November 11, 2007 murder of Rahshad Thomas.

Thomas, who prosecutors identified as a member of the Crips gang known as “Twin,” was killed at Ella’s Lounge in Elizabeth following a dispute.

In connection with the same homicides, prosecutors also arrested and charged Lee.

Investigators determined that Lee received the .40 caliber gun used by Melendez in the murders and later sold it to another resident in Elizabeth.

Cernadas commended Elizabeth Detectives Thomas Dubeau, Paul Pasternak and Louchan Holmes and Union County Prosecutor’s Office Detectives Michael Manochio and Patricia Gusmano for their roles in the investigation. Prosecutors also thanked victim witness advocates Elaine O’Neil and Maria Esteves for their help in counseling the victims’ family members.

Customers are being advised to boil their tap water used for drinking for a period of one minute, not including the time it takes to come to a complete boil, let cool, and to do so before drinking over the next 48-hours. Customers should boil their water for one minute for the following: drinking, cooking or baking, making ice cubes, taking medication, brushing teeth, washing food, mixing baby formula or food, mixing juices or drinks, feeding pets and all other consumption. Water does not have to be boiled for the following activities: showering, washing dishes or clothes.

Individuals with severely compromised immune systems, infants, or the elderly may be at increased risk and should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Middlesex Water crews are working to restore water service to the area, however in the interim, customers may experience lower than normal water pressures. Customers seeking more information may call the company at 1-732-634-1500 or check the company’s website home page at www.middlesexwater.com.