A 25-year-old Federal contractor was charged Monday with leaking a top secret NSA report — detailing how Russian military hackers targeted US voting systems just days before the election.
The highly classified intelligence document, published Monday by The Intercept, describes how Russia managed to infiltrate America’s voting infrastructure using a spear-phishing email scheme that targeted local government officials and employees.
It claims the calculated cyberattack may have even been more far-reaching and devious than previously thought.
The report is believed to be the most detailed US government account of Russia’s interference to date.
Teaneck NJ, Field Station: Dinosaurs Summer Hours Start June 27th , Field Station: Dinosaurs is a world-class family attraction that combines cutting-edge science with the creative minds of great artists and teachers to create a one-of-kind experience that’s thrilling, educational and fun.
The Field Station is an oasis of natural wonder just minutes from New York City. Over thirty life-sized, realistic dinosaurs come to life thanks to the brilliant engineering of the world’s leading roboticists and the imagination of our artists.
The story of the dinosaurs is vividly presented on twenty acres of wild, unpredictable woods, mysterious pathways, and mountain trails. Scientists have worked to ensure that the exhibition encompasses the latest theories and discoveries in the fields of paleontology, geology, and environmental studies.
Workshops, games and activities connect the story of the dinosaurs to our world today, giving new relevance to their lives and power to the tale of their extinction.
And at the center of it all is the fun, the joy and the wonder of dinosaurs. Our expedition takes every family on a shared adventure – full of mystery, surprise and a sense of awe.
Walk along our trail, check out our 32 life-sized dinosaurs and participate in fun activities, which are all included in the Day Pass admission price, with the exception of Walking with Dinosaurs: Prehistoric Planet 3D, which is an additional $5 when purchased at the door. The movie is included in the Explorer’s Pass and Commander’s Pass.
The park is open rain or shine from 10 – 6pm on the following days: Saturdays and Sundays only from May 27 through June 25. We are also open Memorial Day, May 29, 10-6pm.
Tuesday through Sunday from June 27 through September 3. We are also open July 4 and Labor Day, September 4, 10-5pm.
Ridgewood NJ, Five men, including two individuals who formerly worked at scam call centers in India, each pleaded guilty within the past two weeks for their respective roles in a massive telephone impersonation fraud and money laundering scheme perpetrated by India-based call centers.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez of the Southern District of Texas, Executive Associate Director Peter T. Edge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Inspector General J. Russell George of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and Inspector General John Roth of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG) made the announcement.
From May 26 to June 6, Rajubhai Patel, 32, an Indian national most recently residing in Willowbrook, Illinois; Viraj Patel, 33, an Indian national most recently residing in Anaheim, California; Dilipkumar Ambal Patel, 53, an Indian national most recently residing in Corona, California; and Fahad Ali, 25, a Pakistani national and permanent U.S. resident most recently residing in Dyer, Indiana, each pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy before U.S. District Court Judge David Hittner of the Southern District of Texas. Hardik Patel, 31, an Indian national most recently residing in Arlington Heights, Illinois, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy before the same court on June 2. Sentencing dates are pending for all five defendants.
According to admissions made in connection with the plea agreements, the five men and their co-conspirators perpetrated a complex scheme in which individuals from call centers located in Ahmedabad, India, impersonated officials from the IRS and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and engaged in other telephone call scams, in a ruse designed to defraud victims in the U.S. Using information obtained from data brokers and other sources, call center operators targeted U.S. victims, who were threatened with arrest, imprisonment, fines or deportation if they did not pay alleged monies owed to the government. Victims who agreed to pay the scammers were instructed how to provide payment, including by purchasing stored value cards or wiring money. Upon payment, the call centers would immediately turn to a network of “runners” based in the U.S. to liquidate and launder the fraudulently obtained funds.
Based on the statements in his June 2 guilty plea, beginning in August 2012, Hardik Patel owned and managed the day-to-day operations of an India-based scam call center before later leaving for the U.S. While in India, in his capacity as a manager, Hardik Patel communicated extensively via email, text, and other means with various India-based co-defendants to operate the scheme and exchange scripts used in the scheme, coordinate the processing of payments from scammed victims, obtain and exchange lead lists used by callers to target U.S. victims, and exchange spreadsheets containing the personal identifying information (PII) of U.S. persons misappropriated by the scammers to register reloadable cards used in the scheme. Hardik Patel also managed worker payroll and kept detailed records of profits and expenses for various associated scam call centers. Hardik Patel continued to communicate with India-based co-defendants about the scheme and assist with the conspiracy after he moved to the U.S.
According to his June 6 guilty plea, Rajubhai Patel operated as a runner and assisted a co-defendant in managing the activities of a crew of other runners, based primarily out of Illinois, who liquidated victim funds in various locales in the U.S. for conspirators from India-based call centers. Rajubhai Patel communicated about the liquidation of scam funds via electronic WhatsApp communications with domestic and India-based co-defendants, purchased reloadable cards registered using the misappropriated PII of U.S. citizens that were later used to receive victims’ funds, and used those cards to purchase money orders and deposit them into various bank accounts of co-defendants and others as directed. Rajubhai Patel also admitted to creating and maintaining spreadsheets that detailed deposits, payments to co-conspirators, expenses and profits from the scheme.
According to admissions made in his June 2 guilty plea, Viraj Patel first became involved in the conspiracy between April and September 2013, prior to entering the U.S., when he worked at and assisted with overseeing the operations of a call center in India engaging in scam activity at the behest of a co-defendant. After entering the U.S., beginning in December 2014 Viraj Patel engaged in additional activities in support of the scheme in exchange for a cut of the profits, including serving as a processor of scam victim payments and as a runner engaging in the purchase and liquidation of cards loaded with victim scam funds. Viraj Patel communicated with various India-and U.S.-based co-defendants in furtherance of the conspiracy, and also obtained and circulated lead lists to his co-conspirators containing the PII of U.S. citizens for use by the call centers in targeting victims of the various fraud schemes and to register reloadable cards used to launder the proceeds of the schemes.
Based on the admissions made in his May 26 guilty plea, since late 2013, Dilipkumar A. Patel operated as a runner in and around Southern California, along with other co-defendants based in the region. At the direction of India-based co-conspirators, often via electronic WhatsApp communications, Patel admitted to participating in the purchase of reloadable cards registered with the PII of U.S. citizens, and the subsequent liquidation of victim scam funds loaded to those cards by co-conspirators, while keeping a percentage of the victim funds on the cards for himself.
According to his guilty plea, also on May 26, beginning in or around 2013, Fahad Ali worked as a member of a crew of runners operating in the Chicago, Illinois area, the Southern District of Texas and elsewhere throughout the country. Ali admitted that he first served as a driver for an Illinois-based co-defendant engaging in activities in furtherance of the conspiracy. Ali later operated at the direction of that co-defendant and others, via various means of communication, including text messages, to purchase reloadable cards, and then liquidate victim scam proceeds placed on those cards by India-based co-conspirators, in exchange for recurring payments. Ali also admitted to using false identification documents to receive wire transfers from victims of the fraud.
To date, Hardik Patel, Rajubhai Patel, Viraj Patel, Dilipkumar A. Patel, Fahad Ali, 51 other individuals and five India-based call centers have been charged for their roles in the fraud and money laundering scheme in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Texas on Oct. 19, 2016. Including the most recent pleas, a total of nine defendants have pleaded guilty thus far in this case. Co-defendants Bharatkumar Patel, Ashvinbhai Chaudhari, Harsh Patel and Nilam Parikh previously pleaded guilty on April 13; April 26; May 11; and May 18, respectively.
The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
HSI, DHS-OIG and TIGTA led the investigation of this case. Also providing significant support were: the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs; Ft. Bend County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; police departments in Hoffman Estates and Naperville, Illinois, and in Leonia, New Jersey; San Diego County District Attorney’s Office Family Protection and Elder Abuse Unit; U.S. Secret Service; U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General; IOC-2; INTERPOL Washington; USCIS; U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service; and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in Northern District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, District of Colorado, Northern District of Florida, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Indiana, District of Nevada and District of New Jersey. The Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau also provided assistance in TIGTA’s investigation.
Senior Trial Attorney Michael Sheckels and Trial Attorney Mona Sahaf of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, Trial Attorney Robert Stapleton of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Mark McIntyre and Craig M. Feazel of the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
A Department of Justice website has been established to provide information about the case to already identified and potential victims and the public. Anyone who believes they may be a victim of fraud or identity theft in relation to this investigation or other telefraud scam phone calls may contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) via this website.
Anyone who wants additional information about telefraud scams generally, or preventing identity theft or fraudulent use of their identity information, may obtain helpful information on the IRS tax scams website, the FTC phone scam website and the FTC identity theft website.
Newark NJ, from the Presidents desk ,the United States Air Traffic Control (ATC) system is one of the most important and vibrant elements of our Nation’s infrastructure. Every day, the dedicated men and women of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safely and efficiently guide thousands of aircraft to and from their destinations, collectively carrying millions of passengers and tons of cargo. Yet, the FAA’s ATC operations are currently mired within a Federal bureaucracy that hinders innovative operations and the timely introduction of new technology. In order to modernize our ATC system, the Administration supports moving the FAA’s ATC operations into a new non-governmental entity. This will enable ATC to keep pace with the accelerating rate of change in the aviation industry, including the integration of new entrants such as Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Commercial Space Transports. A more nimble ATC entity will also be able to more quickly and securely implement Next Generation (NextGen) technology, which will reduce aircraft delays and expand the availability of the National Airspace System (NAS) for all users.
ATC reform presents an exciting infrastructure improvement opportunity, and its completion will demonstrate early progress toward much needed infrastructure reform across all sectors. The Administration’s principles for reforming ATC will drive legislation that will reduce delays, further improve aviation’s leading safety record, protect access to rural communities, and accelerate much needed capital investment. These principles insulate one of our most important national assets from political interferences and the crippling effects of budget uncertainty, while keeping intact FAA’s critical safety oversight. Additionally, they preserve essential working relationships and interoperable capabilities with the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and law enforcement agencies that are critical to ensuring the safety and security of the Nation.
This proposal demonstrates that the Federal Government does not have to supply all of the resources required to develop and maintain our Nation’s vast infrastructure. Often, it simply needs to remove obstacles hindering investment and innovation. The new ATC entity envisioned in these reform principles will be self-sustaining, financed through fees paid by the users of the NAS. These fees will be more efficient and less burdensome than the patchwork of aviation taxes that supports the system today.
The time has come to embrace a bolder vision of what our Nation’s ATC system can be and how best to move forward to achieve it. In 2016, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster introduced the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act to move ATC from the Government to a not-for-profit, independent entity. The Administration supports the proposed AIRR Act as a good foundation for reforming the ATC system, and believes the legislation can be improved. Accordingly, the Administration supports the enactment of legislation that incorporates the principles detailed in this document
The Principles
Safety: The FAA’s appropriate role is the inherently governmental function of safety regulator. Removing ATC operations from the FAA would further this principle, and bring it in line with the recommended practice of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) and the approach used by the majority of developed aviation states around the world. Aviation safety regulation would remain within the Department of Transportation, and the FAA would migrate to a performance-based framework responsible for providing effective oversight of the new ATC entity.
National Security: Protecting our Nation’s security is of paramount importance. Accordingly, the new ATC entity must provide airspace access, prioritization, integration, cooperation, navigation, and information management services and support at levels of quality that ensure sustained national security and law enforcement capabilities. This must be done at no cost to the Federal Government. The new entity must develop interoperability plans, procedures, policies, and programs that ensure it can operate effectively, under all circumstances, with DoD. The new entity must also be able to work under DHS control in exigent circumstances involving physical, adversarial, and technological threats and circumstances. The Federal Government would indemnify the new entity for costs incurred in connection with operations that support Federal national security and law enforcement activities.
Cybersecurity: The new ATC system must be secure, robust, and resilient. Components will fail, but those failures must not significantly affect the ATC system’s ability to provide safe and effective operation at peak capacity. Additionally, as part of our Nation’s critical infrastructure, the new ATC system must be able to detect and defeat malicious cyber-based efforts to manipulate or degrade its operations.
Access: The new ATC entity must maintain open access for all users of the airspace and, specifically, those in rural communities, general aviation users, and the military.
Open Access: All users, including the general aviation industry and emerging new entrants, must have open access to our Nation’s airspace. The FAA would continue to certify new entrants (such as Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Commercial Space Transports) as part of its responsibility to oversee safe use of the NAS. The new ATC entity would grant FAA-certified users access to the NAS, subject to their participation in the system’s user fees, their being equipped, as necessary, to fly in controlled air space, and their compliance with other applicable rules and regulations.
Rural Access: The new entity must maintain access and services to rural communities and general aviation users.
Military Access: To ensure safe and effective execution of military missions, the new ATC entity must ensure continued military access to delegated Special Activity Airspace (e.g., Military Training Routes, Military Operating Areas, Warning Areas, and Restricted Areas); be capable of enforcing temporary airspace restrictions; and meet national security airspace requirements for DoD training, testing, and exercises.
Noise: Efficient use of the airspace requires new technology and efficient air routes. The new ATC entity must have the authority, after seeking public comment, to adjust airspace routes. The proposed route change would only be subject to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review if the change exceeds the FAA-established noise threshold. The FAA would still be responsible for ensuring—within a reasonable period of time, like 120 days—that any proposed route change does not create a safety hazard.
New Entity: America’s growing aviation system demands a new, independent, non-government organization to operate our Nation’s airspace. The new entity should have access to capital markets in order to spur capital investment, technology adoption, and innovation faster, more effectively, and securely. Over the last 20 years, more than 50 countries have already successfully transitioned their ATC operations.
Transition Period: The transfer of ATC operations from the FAA to the new entity should be completed within an established 3-year transition period overseen by the Secretary of Transportation. The transition period should be marked by milestones developed and monitored by the Secretary of Transportation, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, to ensure adequate progress. The transition period may be extended only with the approval of the President.
Not-For-Profit Entity: The new ATC entity should be a not-for-profit, non-governmental entity.
Fees: The new ATC entity should be financially self-sufficient through the collection of user fees that cover both its costs of operations and recapitalization. The aviation taxes that currently cover these costs should be sunset, except for those necessary to continue to fund the Airport Improvement Program. General fund revenues should fund the rest of the FAA. Users should have input in the fees and their structure, which should be guided by ICAO principles and be consistent with the international obligations of the United States. Except national-security users (including DoD aircraft, DoD-contracted flights, and foreign military aircraft), diplomatic users (including non-commercial United States Government and foreign sovereign State aircraft), and public safety users, all users should pay their fair share. To ensure that rates are just and reasonable, however, users should have the ability to request review by the Secretary of Transportation, rather than the Congress. Any determination by the Secretary of Transportation should be final.
Financial Authority: The new ATC entity should have the authority to borrow funds and enter into contracts, leases, and other arrangements during and after the transition period. The new entity should also have the authority to procure goods and services, hire employees, and to bond or pledge future revenues to fulfill the terms of financial arrangements and other transactions. Additionally, the new entity should have the authority to sell or transfer its assets.
Assets: All assets currently owned by the FAA and used in the operation of ATC should be transferred, at no charge, to the new ATC entity. The users of the ATC system have already paid for those assets and should not be charged for them again. The assets should be transferred along with any environmental liabilities associated with them. Accordingly, sufficient funds to account for those liabilities should also be transferred to the new entity.
Governance: A professional Board of Directors should manage the new ATC. The members of the Board should have a fiduciary responsibility solely to the new ATC entity and be free of any financial conflict of interest. Board seats should not be reserved for any entity, except for the ATC entity’s Chief Executive Officer, who would serve as a representative of the new entity. The new entity should represent all users impartially, and no group should have even the appearance of influence over the Board. The Board should ensure that DoD and national-security equities are adequately represented and that the entity maintains appropriate relationships with national and international air navigation service providers and forums. To establish the initial Board, the Secretary of Transportation should select eight members from candidate lists provided by five nominating groups. The nominating groups should be airlines, unions, general aviation, airports, and the Department of Transportation. Each nominating group would provide lists of six to ten qualified persons to the Secretary.
United States-based carriers with annual revenues greater than $10 billion should develop the airline list.
Unions representing at least 50 percent of FAA employees that would transfer to the new ATC entity or representing more than 10,000 United States commercial pilots should develop the union list.
The two largest trade groups representing general aviation (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)), should jointly develop the general aviation list.
Two members should be selected from the airline list, two members should be selected from the union list, one member should be selected from the general aviation list, one member should be selected from the airport list, and two members should be selected from the Department of Transportation list. Those eight initial Board members would then select a Chief Executive Officer. Those nine Board members would then select four independent Board members. The 13-member Board would be constituted for at least the transition period, plus the first year of operation. After this time, decisions about Board constitution and members’ terms should be left to the discretion of the Board. Once the initial Board members are nominated, no group should have an exclusive right to name successor Board members.
Labor: The new ATC entity should honor existing labor agreements. Employees who transition to the new entity will no longer be Federal employees, but they should be held harmless and have similar rights to those they had as Federal employees at the FAA. Consistent with those rights, employees of the new entity should not be permitted to strike.
Spectrum: The new ATC entity should not be charged for its use of spectrum, as the FAA is not charged for spectrum use today. The new entity will occupy spectrum shared with Federal entities. The new entity, however, could be required to vacate existing spectrum band (at some point) and move to another frequency along with other Federal entities. In any future spectrum reallocation, the new entity should be treated as a Federal entity, including with respect to the use of any reallocation auction proceeds to finance relocation expenses. Relocation expenses could include those associated with the development, procurement, and installation of new radar systems that are interoperable with government systems on a different spectrum band.
Ridgewood NJ, The New Jersey Choral Society invites singers to join them in “Summer Sings,” featuring the vibrant and dramatic Verdi Requiem. These events will be held on June 13, June 20 and June 27, 2017 from 7-10pm at St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church, 169 Fairmount Road, Ridgewood, NJ. The Summer Sings will be conducted by Artistic Director, Eric Dale Knapp, with Linda Sweetman-Waters, accompanist. Participants may attend individual evenings or all three. Bring your own Verdi Requiem score and pay at the door with check or cash. The admission fee for Summer Sings is $10 per rehearsal or $25 for all three sessions.
Summer Sings are an open reading of world-renowned masterworks. Attending NJCS Summer Sings are a great way to meet current members, especially for those who may be considering auditioning for the regular season. Established in 1980, the New Jersey Choral Society is one of the state’s most prestigious choral groups, well-known for presenting outstanding and unique programs. Under the direction of Eric Dale Knapp, NJCS performs three major concerts annually in Bergen and Essex counties. They have performed at Carnegie Hall and the White House and have toured internationally in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, China, Australia, England, France and, this summer, in Italy. For more information on Summer Sings, email [email protected].
Hackensack NJ, Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal announced today the identities of two deceased males discovered on Sunday, June 4, 2017 at 5 Linden Street, Hackensack, NJ. The investigation was conducted by members of the Hackensack Police Department under the direction of Officer in Charge Captain Francesco Aquila, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department under the direction of Sheriff Michael Saudino.
At approximately 9:17 AM on June 4, 2017, the Hackensack Police Department received a 9-1-1 call reporting gunshots and a man down in the lobby area of 5 Linden Street. Police officers arrived and located the body of JAMES BELLAMY (DOB: 9/6/50) next to the building’s elevator. Bellamy had been shot multiple times and was declared deceased at the scene. A building resident directed officers to the rear parking lot of the building and the path taken by the alleged gunman, later identified as ARTHUR HILLMAN (DOB: 9/20/53). The officers located HILLMAN’S deceased body in a 2011 Honda Civic in the rear parking lot; he was the victim of a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound and was found to be in possession of a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun, which is believed to be the weapon used in the murder/suicide. Detectives also located a loaded .38 caliber weapon on Hillman’s body. The investigation revealed that no one else was involved in this incident.
Subsequent investigation revealed that both men were residents of 5 Linden Street. Bellamy resided in Apartment 4J and Hillman resided in Apartment 3J. Hillman had made repeated complaints to the Hackensack Police Department regarding the noise emanating from Bellamy’s upstairs apartment.
Prosecutor Grewal would like to thank the Hackensack Police Department and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance in this investigation.
Trenton NJ, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced that two former executives of Birdsall Services Group (“BSG”) were sentenced to jail today for participating in a criminal scheme in which more than $1 million in corporate political contributions were illegally made through firm employees to evade New Jersey’s pay-to-play law. Eight former executives, shareholders and managers of BSG have pleaded guilty in the scheme, along with the engineering firm itself, which is no longer in business.
These defendants were sentenced today by Superior Court Judge James Den Uyl in Ocean County. Each man was sentenced to 270 days in the county jail as a condition of a term of two years of probation:
Robert Gerard, 56, of Wall, N.J., former Chief Marketing Officer for BSG, and
James Johnston, 55, of New Brunswick, N.J., former President of the Environmental Services Group within BSG.
Gerard and Johnston pleaded guilty on April 12 to fourth-degree charges of making prohibited corporate political contributions through employees. Gerard was required to forfeit $86,200 to the state, and Johnston, $93,720. Each man is debarred for 10 years from personally bidding on public contracts in New Jersey or holding an interest of 5 percent or more in any company that bids for such contracts.
Deputy Attorney General Anthony A. Picione, Chief of the Corruption Bureau, and Deputy Attorneys General Mallory Shanahan and Brian Faulk prosecuted Gerard and Johnston and handled the sentencing hearings for the Division of Criminal Justice. The charge was contained in a March 26, 2013 indictment, which also charged BSG and six other executives and shareholders. The indictment stemmed from an investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau, which found that the defendants allegedly conspired to avoid the restrictions of New Jersey’s Pay-to-Play Act by disguising illegal corporate political contributions as personal contributions of employees.
“The many guilty pleas we have secured in this case hammer home an important message that criminal schemes aimed at evading New Jersey’s pay-to-play law will be met with stern punishment,” said Attorney General Porrino. “Our law prevents politically connected firms from garnering public contracts based on campaign contributions, but Birdsall’s executives gamed the system and secured millions of dollars in contracts for which they should have been disqualified.”
“My office recently announced two anti-corruption programs – a reward program offering up to $25,000 for tips about public corruption, as well as a whistleblower program that allows lower-level participants in a corruption scheme to potentially avoid prosecution by self-reporting,” Attorney General Porrino added. “I urge people to help us and help themselves by taking advantage of these programs, which expire on August 1.”
“New Jersey’s pay-to-play law seeks to ensure fair and open public contracting, free of the sway of political interests,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “By criminally prosecuting this firm and its executives, we have given the law real teeth.”
Individuals may report information and apply for the Anti-Corruption Reward Program or Anti-Corruption Whistleblower Program by August 1 by one of the following methods:
Call the DCJ hotline 866-TIPS-4CJ to speak with detectives 24 hours/7 days a week; or
Visit www.njdcj.org to submit an online report.
BSG pleaded guilty on June 13, 2013 to charges of first-degree money laundering and second-degree making false representations for government contracts. As a result of its plea, BSG paid two major criminal penalties: a $500,000 public corruption profiteering penalty and a $500,000 anti-money laundering profiteering penalty. In each instance, the penalty was the maximum amount authorized by law. BSG also paid the state $2.6 million to settle a civil forfeiture action filed by the Attorney General’s Office in connection with the criminal case.
Six other executives, shareholders and managers of the Birdsall firm previously pleaded guilty:
On April 22, 2016, Howard Birdsall, formerly CEO and largest shareholder of BSG, was sentenced to four years in prison on a charge of second-degree misconduct by a corporate official. He paid $49,808 to the state in forfeiture of his illegal political contributions.
On June 10, 2016, Thomas Rospos, formerly executive vice president of BSG and its second largest shareholder, was sentenced to three years in prison on a charge of third-degree tampering with public records or information. He paid $150,000 in forfeiture of his illegal contributions.
On July 11, 2016, William Birdsall, formerly senior vice president and a large shareholder of BSG, was sentenced to 270 days in the county jail and two years of probation on a charge of third-degree misconduct by a corporate official. He paid $129,115 in forfeiture of his illegal contributions, as well as a $75,000 public corruption profiteering penalty.
On Jan. 6, 2016, Scott MacFadden, former chief administrative officer of BSG, pleaded guilty to third-degree misconduct by a corporate official. He faces a recommended sentence of up to 364 days in jail and a term of probation. He must pay $30,000 in forfeiture of his contributions.
On Nov. 30, 2012, Philip Angarone, the former marketing director for BSG, pleaded guilty to third-degree tampering with public records or information and fourth-degree making prohibited corporate political contributions through employees. He is awaiting sentencing and faces a sentence of up to 364 days in jail and a term of probation. He must forfeit $26,775.
On Feb. 12, 2013, Eileen Kufahl, a former marketing manager for Birdsall, pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree charge of making prohibited corporate contributions through employees. She forfeited $17,119 and was admitted into the Pre-Trial Intervention Program.
Under the alleged scheme, instead of Birdsall Services Group making corporate political contributions to campaigns and political organizations that would disqualify it from public contracts awarded by certain government agencies, shareholders and employees of the firm made personal political contributions of $300 or less, which are deemed unreportable. Multiple personal checks were bundled together at Birdsall Services Group and sent to the appropriate campaign or political organization. The shareholders and employees were then illegally reimbursed by Birdsall Services Group, directly or indirectly, through added bonus payments, and the firm falsely omitted the illegally reimbursed contributions in documents filed with the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) and with government agencies that awarded the firm engineering services contracts. The scheme continued for more than six years and involved more than $1 million in contributions.
Ridgewood NJ, the staff has noticed since Mayor Knudsen’s election the nastiness and disrespect has risen to a new level . While no one should expect anything better form the likes of Paul Aronsohn and his wood-be flunkies , we have noticed a particular animus toward the new Mayor. Recent attacks on other female residents including Anne Loving have lead us to believe that the Aronsohn cadre has serious women’s issues .
Weather it be the continued personal attacks by Councilmen Jeff Voigt , misleading and dishonest editorials by Alfred Doublin of the Record ,the constant rumor mongering and bogus attacks by members of the Financial Advisory Committee or certain attacks leveled against the Mayor at public meetings by members of Aronsohn’s flunky peanut gallery .
One can only conclude ,there seems to be a serious “Misogynists” problem in the Village .
a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against women. synonyms:woman-hater;
We have always found real “Misogynists” are week men ,who have over sized ego’s with little of nothing to show for it . While the word is so often over used today, it has become virtually meaningless.
In the case of the Mayor it started with the very personal and childish attacks by Ridgewood Guild President Tony Damiano . The Doublin opinion pieces went further and looked worse than a hatchet job clearly demonstrating a hate and disrespect for women .The FAC and their supporters continued attempts to paint the mayor and council as inexperienced and incompetent(run by a women) ,when members of the FAC simply have no financial qualifications what so ever .FAC members continue to spin the same yarn used against Mayor Killion and Ken Gabbert and blast this blog with anonymous comments filled with lies and anti women rhetoric .Then there is the down the rabbit hole attacks of the Village Mad Hatter Councilmen Jeff Voigt ,Jeff clearly has a women problem focusing his attacks on OPRA requests ,by the “Mayors friends and supporters ” naming mostly women .
These people clearly hate women and need to seek help,.
Ridgewood NJ, according to the PATCH ,Glen Rock Mayor Bruce Packer is joining with nearly 190 other mayors across the United States in the fight against global warming.
Politico tells us that three Democratic candidates for governor have pledged that, if elected, New Jersey will keep following the requirements of the Paris climate accord regardless of President Trump’s decision last week to withdraw the United States from the international pact.
Former U.S. ambassador Phil Murphy, Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), and former U.S. Treasury official Jim Johnson all said last week that they would follow the lead of California, Massachusetts, New York, Washington and other states that have committed to keep following the Paris agreement in the wake of Trump’s decision.
Our questions is has anyone of these politicians read the “Paris Accord” ? Did you miss the part where American taxpayers will be sending over a $100 billion dollars over seas in a massive transfer of wealth with almost no impact on climate at all?
The Clean Power Plan and oil fee taken together would have an effect comparable to a $30-per-ton carbon tax, which would cost households in the lowest income quintile $20 billion annually. That is equivalent to raising their federal tax burden more than 160 percent. Crushing the poor whom energy is a far larger part of their overall expenses.
Sorry climate alarmist , the sum of many pledges to do nothing is: nothing. When the Massachusetts Institute of Technology compiled the pledges and compared them with its own preexisting projection, it found a temperature reduction by 2100 of only 0.2°C and when the analysts compared the pledges with the projection created by the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change back in 2000, they found no improvement at all.
This is all before you discuss weather “climate change” is not science but nothing more than a hoax ,like Y2K to generate subsidies for a handful of rich and powerful ,destroying the American middle class and make themselves even richer off taxpayer funded mandates.
Ho Ho Kus NJ, No injuries were reported in a Monday morning, 06/05, crash on Route 17 southbound at Hollywood Avenue, Ho-Ho-Kus involving a white colored Toyota Camry and a tractor trailer. The Toyota became partially wedged under the trailer and had to be freed by a flatbed tow truck. Ho-Ho-Kus PD investigated the crash and provided traffic control while the tow truck operator worked to free the passenger vehicle and remove it from the scene.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood PD Patrol Officers Patrick Elwood and Douglas Christopher responded to multiple reports of bear sightings in residential areas surrounding the Valleau Cemetery and the Route 17 Park & Ride Facility on Monday morning, 06/05. Here, officers Elwood and Christopher arrive at a home on Albin Court, Ridgewood, where a bear was reportedly spotted in a back yard. Elwood is photographed loading a weapon with rubber bullets. Ho-Ho-Kus PD also received numerous calls from residents near the intersection of Race Track and Arbor Roads, Ho-Ho-Kus who spotted what is believed to be the same roving bear.
Ridgewood NJ, According to the NJ Department of Homeland Security the election infrastructure subsector is complex and includes both physical and cyber assets, including voter registration databases, voting machines, and other systems to manage elections and report results, as well as storage facilities, polling places, and centralized vote tabulation locations.
In advance of the New Jersey primary on June 6, Erin Henry, Principal Planner in the Preparedness Bureau at NJOHSP, sat down with Michael Geraghty, State Chief Information Security Officer, and Robert Giles, Director of the State Division of Elections, to discuss New Jersey election systems security and efforts in New Jersey to keep these election assets secure and the voting process free from interference.
Although there are no specific or credible threats to election systems in New Jersey, the FBI confirmed cyber attacks on voter registration systems in Arizona and Illinois in 2016.
New Jersey’s primary elections will be held on Tuesday, June 6, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Your polling location is listed on the front of your sample ballot, which you will receive by mail prior to each election. Only registered voters are issued a sample ballot.
Primary elections, held in New Jersey each June, are the only elections where party affiliation affects the candidates for which someone can vote. In all other elections, a voter’s party affiliation is not even listed in the poll book.
New Jersey has “closed” primaries. This means that only Republican voters can nominate Republican candidates, and only Democratic voters can nominate Democratic candidates. Voters registered with any of the other political groups recognized by the State of New Jersey (Libertarian, Green Party, etc.) cannot vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary.
Unlike some other states with closed primaries, voters in New Jersey who are unaffiliated with any political party or group can declare either Republican or Democrat at the polls on the day of the primary and vote in that party’s primary.
Asbury Park NJ, Tairod Pugh, a former US Air Force mechanic who was arrested in Asbury Park (Monmouth County) in January 2015 for attempting to provide material support to ISIS, was sentenced in federal court in Brooklyn last week to 35 years in prison. His conviction, in March 2016, was the first in a trial by jury for attempting to travel to Syria to join ISIS. Pugh’s military experience, which dated back more than 25 years, would have been of limited value to ISIS. However, his experience as an aircraft mechanic and an avionics technician was current, and could have been of value to the group in planning a terrorist attack.
New Jersey municipal cops now earn about 16 percent more than they did seven years ago, public employee salary data shows.
That hike of about $14,400 bumped the median cop salary to more than six figures.
However, experts say that spike is actually much slower than in years past due to police salary caps that were set in 2011.
Still, the median police officer salary in some towns increased more dramatically in the past six years than others.
NJ Advance Media compared each town’s most current active pension data from the end of 2016 to active pension data from March 2010 gathered by The Star-Ledger.
The towns with the biggest median cop salary increases have smaller, more experienced police forces with little turnover. The more veteran cops employed in a department, the more it drives up the median salary.
For example, in 2010, only two officers in Saddle River had more than 25 years of experience as public servant. As of 2016, there were five.
Below, we ranked the top 20 towns with the largest spike in median cop salaries.
Chris Jordan , @ChrisFHJordanPublished 7:41 p.m. ET June 2, 2017 | Updated 12:00 p.m. ET June 3, 2017
MTV is coming back to the Jersey Shore.
A new version of the “MTV Beach House,” last in Seaside Heights more than 10 years ago, will be filmed in the Loveladies section of Long Beach Township on Long Beach Island later this month, MTV has announced.
Filming will take place in a Loveladies house for less than a week. An MTV Beach House Festival featuring MisterWives and Kyle and more will take place June 8 at a park on LBI to kick off filming. Elements of the fest will be shared on MTV social and digital channels. Fans must follow @MTV on Twitter and retweet the designated sweepstakes tweets to win tickets.
