Ridgewood NJ, what happens if they have primary and nobody shows? In a apparent thumbs down and no confidence vote to New Jersey politicians only 13.78% of Ridgewood registered voters came out and cast ballots .Democrat turn out was a bit higher with 30% and Republican turn out a paltry 18%.
While Trenton insider blamed the weather , the reality is Garden State politicians have long ago lost any shed of credibility. New Jersey voters seem to be voting with their feet instead of the ballot box and moving to greener pastures . The primary season was filled with a litany of promises no one believes and voters were left with the prospect of ever higher property taxes , more urbanization and an ever deteriorating quality of life.
A sense of doom and dread seemed to permeate the air on primary day because even the lest connected of residents feels that the party may finally be over for New Jersey with massive bills ,pensions and union contracts all be coming due. The huge tax increases needed may finally chase out the last bits of the tax base . New Jersey seems destined to follow neighboring state Connecticut policies that managed to chase out GE its largest tax payer and largest employer and now Aetna Insurance. What Trenton politicians have failed to grasp with their constant attacks on the private sector is that people with money and businesses can and will move out first .
What voters should be asking politicians during this election cycle is ; give me one good reason anyone want to live in New Jersey ?
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.
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].
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, 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, NJ TRANSIT is joining with the National Safety Council and numerous other organizations across the country in recognizing National Safety Month during the month of June. Safety is the utmost priority for the corporation and NJ TRANSIT recognizes that collaboration between the agency and the public is necessary to effectively promote safe choices around the public transportation system.
“The safety of our customers and employees remains our top priority,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Steven H. Santoro. “That’s why we have been so focused on having Amtrak perform critical infrastructure repairs at Penn Station New York to ensure the reliability of the tracks, which serve as the foundation of safety for tens of thousands of customers each and every day.”
“We can use this month to be reminded of some simple ‘do’s and don’ts’ which will further promote a safe environment for our customers and our employees,” Santoro said.
“NJ TRANSIT is spreading the message of safety everywhere,’’ said Office of System Safety Chief Gardner Tabon. “National Safety Month is a time when we reinforce our face-to-face engagements, inform and educate employees, customers, motorists and others of safety protocols and risky behaviors by visiting them at selected work sites, by printing messages on pay stubs and by hanging posters in visible locations. These reminders promote the idea that we all share in the responsibility of staying safe.’’
Following are some important safety tips for everyone:
Rail and Light Rail Safety:
Never take a short cut along, around or across rail tracks.
Only cross railroad tracks in clearly-identified, designated areas where there are lights, signs and grade crossings.
Always stand behind the yellow safety line when waiting on the station platform.
Do not lean on train doors and stand clear as the doors open and close.
No running or playing on platforms or around tracks.
Listen to train personnel and watch your steps when boarding and exiting a train.
Bus Safety:
When waiting for and riding a bus:
Use designated crosswalks and sidewalks to reach the bus stop.
Never run after a bus; you may slip and fall, or may be struck by another vehicle.
Wait for the bus at designated stops and stand two to three feet from the curb.
Hold handrails while boarding the bus.
Stand behind the white line when the bus is in motion.
NJ TRANSIT will be increasing safety advertising and handouts onboard bus, rail and light rail vehicles. During the month, NJ TRANSIT will be hosting employee safety day events at various work sites to remind employees of the importance of safety protocols.
Point is they developers and friends would sell out any sane limitations on scale,building heights,
location ,appropriateness of type of business or residential multi family units as they jet out of here with the cash in hand.no less impact on school Registration cost of supporting rental and new owned condo families.
Garazilla 2 is the opening door to other developments after ken smith gets its free pass during summer at the shore VC sweetheart deal on developer possibly contributing to Traffic Light Costs w town exposed on the total cost overruns and traffic nightmare,Transit Village would do nothing positive for long paying average homeowners and excessive tax levies for schools and lack of consolidation of area towns services
Open. Public. Records. Act. Designed to shine a light on the individual agendas of elected officials such as yourself Mr. Voigt. Remember you are a public SERVANT meaning you work for us. Not the other way around. I have never regretted a vote in any election as much as I regret the one I cast for you.
Ridgewood NJ, Councilmen Voigt continues his attack of Village residents over the weekend with more posts on who is making legal OPRA requests .Voigt and his cronies on the Financial Advisory Committee clearly prefer to operate in a vale of secrecy .
While this is clearly an attempt to pressure residents , from exercising their legal rights and limit and restrict public access to information in the Village .
Councilmen Voigt continues to attempt to squash OPRA requests by pushing the idea of a vast Mayoral conspiracy against him. However years of running this blog would suggest that sunlight is still the best political sanitizer.
So what is OPRA:
SECTION 1 – OPRA DEFINED What is the Open Public Records Act (OPRA)? OPRA is the State statute that replaces the old “Right to Know Law” which governs thepublic’s access to government records in New Jersey. The law is compiled in the statutes as N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq.
In accordance with the Open Public Records Act, Village offices, officials and departments have to make available public records through formal requests. Requests may be submitted in writing by submitting a “records request form” by completing the online form below.
According to the Citizen’s Guide to the Open Public Records Act – State of New Jersey ; OPRA provides overriding public policies in the legislative findings (N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1) which must be considered during the handling of all OPRA requests for access to government records. Those public policies are:
Government records must be readily accessible for inspection, copying, or examination by its citizens, with certain exceptions, for the protection of the public interest.
Any limitations on the right of access to government records must be interpreted in favor of the public’s right of access.
A public agency has a responsibility and an obligation to protect a citizen’s personal information that is in the possession of a public agency when disclosure of that information would violate the citizen’s reasonable expectation of privacy.”
In fact, in Burnett v. County of Bergen, 198 N.J. 408 (2009), the Court held without ambiguity, that the privacy provision “is neither a preface nor a preamble.” Rather, “the very language expressed in the privacy clause reveals its substantive nature; it does not offer reasons why OPRA was adopted, as preambles typically do; instead, it focuses on the law’s implementation.” “Specifically, it imposes an obligation on public agencies to protect against disclosure of personal information which would run contrary to reasonable privacy interests.”
If you want to exercise your legal right to access records under the Open Public Records Act this is how you do it in Ridgewood :
How to Request Government Records?
1. All government records are subject to public access under the Open Public Records Act (“OPRA”), unless specifically exempt.
2. A request for access to a government record under OPRA must be in writing, hand-delivered, mailed, transmitted electronically, or otherwise conveyed to the appropriate custodian. N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5.g. The seven (7) business day response time does not commence until the records custodian receives the request form. If you submit the request form to any other officer or employee of the Village of Ridgewood, that officer or employee must either forward the request to the appropriate custodian, or direct you to the appropriate custodian. N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5.h.
3. Requestors may submit requests anonymously. If you elect not to provide a name, address, or telephone number, or other means of contact, the custodian is not required to respond until you reappear before the custodian seeking a response to the original request.
4. The fees for duplication of a government record in printed form are listed on the front of this form. We will notify you of any special service charges or other additional charges authorized by State law or regulation before processing your request. Payment shall be made by cash, check or money order payable to the Village of Ridgewood.
5. You may be charged a 50% or other deposit when a request for copies exceeds $25. The Village of Ridgewood custodian will contact you and advise you of any deposit requirements. You agree to pay the balance due upon delivery of the records. Anonymous requests in excess of $5.00 require a deposit of 100% of estimated fees.
6. Under OPRA, a custodian must deny access to a person who has been convicted of an indictable offense in New Jersey, any other state, or the United States, and who is seeking government records containing personal information pertaining to the person’s victim or the victim’s family. This includes anonymous requests for said information.
7. By law, the Village of Ridgewood must notify you that it grants or denies a request for access to government records within seven (7) business days after the agency custodian of records receives the request. If the record requested is not currently available or is in storage, the custodian will advise you within seven (7) business days after receipt of the request when the record can be made available and the estimated cost for reproduction.
8. You may be denied access to a government record if your request would substantially disrupt agency operations and the custodian is unable to reach a reasonable solution with you.
9. If the Village of Ridgewood is unable to comply with your request for access to a government record, the custodian will indicate the reasons for denial on the request form or other written correspondence and send you a signed and dated copy.
10. Except as otherwise provided by law or by agreement with the requester, if the agency custodian of records fails to respond to you within seven (7) business days of receiving a request, the failure to respond is a deemed denial of your request.
11. If your request for access to a government record has been denied or unfilled within the seven (7) business days required by law, you have a right to challenge the decision by the Village of Ridgewood to deny access. At your option, you may either institute a proceeding in the Superior Court of New Jersey or file a complaint with the Government Records Council (“GRC”) by completing the Denial of Access Complaint Form. You may contact the GRC by toll-free telephone at 866-850-0511, by mail at PO Box 819, Trenton, NJ, 08625, by e-mail at [email protected], or at their web site at www.state.nj.us/grc. The Council can also answer other questions about the law. All questions regarding complaints filed in Superior Court should be directed to the Court Clerk in your County.
12. Information provided on this form may be subject to disclosure under the Open Public Records Act.
Ridgewood Nj, so it was opening day at Graydon 2017 and it could have been a bit warmer, but otherwise an almost picture perfect opening day.
While many fought the traffic on the Garden State Parkway , worried about e.coli on the beaches , fights at bars, Uber issues , sharks ,parking and beach fees Ridgewood residents got their first taste of summer 2017 closer to home.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood PD, FD, and Emergency Services personnel responded to a “tree into house” incident at 58 Phelps Road, Ridgewood on Saturday morning, 06/03. No injuries were reported; all occupants of the home safely evacuated prior to the arrival of PD & FD personnel. Damage to the single family home was assessed as light to moderate. Electric service to at least two (2) homes in the area was interrupted.
Ridgewood NJ, Renowned artist Kenn Backhaus will be giving a nocturne demonstration following our Annual Members Meeting on Sunday, June 11th at 2pm.
“The Evocative Light of the Night”
Kenn has always stated that, “everything under the sun and moon is fair game” when it applies to the creative arts.
Kenn will lecture on and show through a demonstrating examining the principals of the nocturne subject.
For decades artists have been enthralled by the effects of the evening light upon the landscape. Understanding that color usually becomes a minimal consideration in a nocturne, the explanation of the importance of developing a strong design pattern within the composition is critical.
Kenn will explain that your creativity is revealed through your own experiences and the use of your knowledge comes the developed skill to create something that may not be revealed in your reference. He will use a reference of a day lite subject and convert the effect to a nocturne atmosphere. Click Here for more information
Ridgewood Art Institute
12 East Glen Avenue
Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
Glen Rock NJ, Glen Rock PD Patrol Officer Sarah Orsita evaluates damage to a 4-door pickup truck caused by a fallen tree limb. No injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred on Friday afternoon, 06/02, on Concord Avenue near Rutland Road in Glen Rock. The downed limb also took out a cable TV wire and damaged the roof of a detached garage.
Ridgewood NJ, Tickets are available on community pass for the 4th annual Michael Feeney’s Best Day Ever event June 10th 2017 from 10am to 3pm at BF Middle School. Proceeds to Benefit Tackle Kids for Cancer, Go 4 the Goal, JDRF and the Ridgewood Jr.Police Academy. It’s a great day of family fun for a good cause.
To Michael, everything was a “the best ever”…Come celebrate this brave young man at the 4th Annual Michael Feeney’s BEST DAY EVER! Saturday, June 10th at Ben Franklin Middle School Field – Zip Line, Color run @ 10am, Canrival Games, Face Paintiing, Food & Drink, Dunk Tank, BDE Band Fest, DJ , and more….
“Glen Rock Makes the List of 19 hottest real estate markets in N.J.”
https://theridgewoodblog.net/glen-rock-makes-the-list-of-19-hottest-real-estate-markets-in-n-j/
Quote : A common thread? Trains The most easily identifiable trend among NJ’s hottest towns is clear — access to transit. Each of the towns are within minutes of an NJ Transit station, which despite the transit service’s recent woes, remains a tremendous draw for prospective home buyers.
Developers in RIDGEWOOD are trying to crack the safe in RIDGEWOOD, With build sell cut and run tactics leaving behind Traffic,Garagezillas, Water and service impacts to Homeowners.wake up property owners
