Trenton NJ, West Nile Virus cases in New Jersey are reaching record highs with a total of 31 human cases reported statewide so far this year — two of which were deaths associated with the virus among Bergen County residents.
Ridgewood NJ, Syrian refugees recently placed in New Jersey Democrat run strongholds , are now fleeing the state because of high cost of living, low quality housing, high taxes and safety concerns, NorthJersey.com reports.
At Ktuf is a Syrian refugee who arrived in the United States in the summer of 2016, and planning on leaving New Jersey for Michigan next month. Ktuf told NorthJersey.com the reason she is leaving New Jersey for Michigan: “Over there, you can dream of buying a house, but here you can’t. Costs are so high, and taxes are so high.”
Ktuf’s brother in law moved to Dearborn last month, and was able to find a home with four bedrooms, a backyard and a garage for $1,200 a month.
Mohammad Hial is one of seven Syrian refugees telling the paper they are leaving or planning on leaving New Jersey this summer. Hial left New Jersey for Michigan last week. “This state (New Jersey) is very expensive,” Hial stated
The sanctuary state of New Jersey also presents other disadvantages .Sikander Khan, who head’s Global Emergency Response and Assistance said in addition to economic reasons, “Syrians are leaving Patterson because of safety concerns.”
Nour, a Syrian refugee who left the country after civil war broke out, was interviewed by The Bergen Record, but asked to only be identified by his first name for “safety concerns.” Last month Nour was hit over the head with a metal pipe and robbed of $2,800. Nour told caseworkers, he was “considering moving to Turkey because of crime.” Nour added his two daughters, 14 and 16, “no longer want to leave the apartment.”
Of the seven families interviewed, five are headed to Michigan. As refugees, where many Syrians are eligible for rent assistance for up to 24 months. It looks like after the rent assistance runs out, many Syrians are not happy with Democratic stronghold New Jersey, and fleeing to other states with better opportunities.
Washington DC, Illustrating the national security threats created by the nation’s immigration system, the overwhelming majority of individuals convicted of terrorism are foreigners who entered the United States legally through various federal programs. Three out of every four convicted terrorists between September 11, 2001 and December 31, 2016 are foreign born and came to the United States through our immigration system, according to a new report issued jointly by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ).
At least 549 individuals were convicted of terrorism-related charges in American federal courts since 2001 and 402 of them—approximately 73%–were foreign-born, the report says. Here’s the breakdown by citizenship at the time of their convictions; 254 were not U.S. citizens, 148 were naturalized and received American citizenship and 147 were U.S. born. Additionally, 1,716 foreigners with national security concerns were removed from the United States. The Trump administration stresses that figures include only those aliens who were convicted or removed and therefore do not represent the total measure of foreign terrorist infiltration of the United States. Statistics on individuals facing terrorism charges who have not yet been convicted will be provided in follow-up reports that will be made available to the public.
This DHS/DOJ report, issued this month, is disturbing enough and reveals that a significant number of terrorists entered the country through immigration programs that use family ties and extended-family chain migration as a basis for entry. Among them is Mufid Elfgeeh, a national of Yemen who benefitted from chain migration in 1997 and was sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for attempting to recruit fighters for ISIS. Sudanese Mahmoud Amin Mohamed Elhassan came to the U.S. in 2012 as a relative of a lawful permanent resident and eventually pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Pakistani Uzair Paracha was admitted to the U.S. in 1980 as a family member of a lawful permanent resident and in 2006 was sentenced to more than three decades in prison for providing material support to Al Qaeda. Khaleel Ahmed, a national of India, was admitted to the United States in 1998 as a family member of a naturalized United States citizen. Ahmed eventually became an American citizen and in 2010 was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.
Other convicted terrorists came to the U.S. through the controversial visa lottery program, the multi-agency probe found. Among them is Abdurasaul Hasanovich Juraboev, a national of Uzbekistan who was admitted into the country as a diversity visa lottery recipient in 2011. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to conspiring to support ISIS and in 2017 Juraboev was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Sudanese Ali Shukri Amin was admitted to the U.S. in 1999 as the child of a diversity visa lottery recipient and subsequently obtained American citizenship through naturalization. In 2015, he was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for conspiring to provide material support and resources to ISIS. Amin admitted to using social media to provide advice and encouragement to ISIS and its supporters and facilitated ISIS supporters seeking to travel to Syria to join the terrorist group. Amin also helped a Virginia teen named Reza Niknejad get to Syria to join ISIS in 2015.
“The United States faces a serious and persistent terror threat, and individuals with ties to terror can and will use any pathway to enter our country,” the new DHS/DOJ report states. “Accordingly, DHS has taken significant steps to improve the security of all potential routes used by known or suspected terrorists (KST) to travel to the United States to ensure that individuals who would do harm to Americans are identified and detected, and their plots are disrupted. These figures reflect the challenges faced by the United States and demonstrate the necessity to remain vigilant and proactive in our counterterrorism posture.”
San Francisco Ca, Jose Inez Garcia Zarate, the illegal immigrant who shot and killed Kate Steinle in San Francisco in 2015 as she walked on a pier with her father, has been found not guilty of murder. The San Francisco jury only found him guilty of a single gun possession charge.
Garcia Zarate, 45, a felon with 7 prior convictions related to heroin possession and manufacture, had been deported from the U.S. 5 times, yet kept sneaking back in. He was actually released from custody by San Francisco authorities just 2 months before the shooting, despite an order from federal immigration authorities requesting the city keep him in custody so they could pick him up and deport him.
San Francisco is a “sanctuary city” that does not cooperate with federal authorities on locating and deporting illegal immigrants. Garcia Zarate admitted to going to San Francisco to take advantge of its sanctuary city status. The case sparked national outrage and debate over sanctuary cities as well as border security.
He had faced 15 years to life on a second-degree murder charge in the Steinle shooting, though jurors, 3 of which were immigrants themselves, were also allowed to consider first-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. His defense argued that the gun, which he claims to have found in a dumpster, had gone off accidentally. The gun was later found to have been stolen.
photo Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr.,Senator Bob Menendez, Nellie Pou, and Jose “Joey” Torres.
November 15,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paterson NJ, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced that Jose “Joey” Torres, the former mayor of Paterson, N.J, was sentenced to prison today for directing that city employees perform work at a private warehouse leased by his daughter and nephew while the employees were being paid by the city. Three former supervisors in the Paterson Department of Public Works also were sentenced today.
Torres, 59, of Paterson, N.J., was sentenced today to five years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Sheila Venable in Hudson County. Torres pleaded guilty on Sept. 22 to a charge of second-degree conspiracy to commit official misconduct. As a result of his guilty plea, he forfeited his position as mayor and is permanently barred from public office and public employment in New Jersey. He is jointly and severally liable with his co-defendants for paying restitution of $10,000 to the City of Paterson for payments, including overtime payments, made to city workers for the time they spent working at the private warehouse.
The following three co-defendants pleaded guilty on Sept. 22 to third-degree conspiracy charges and each was sentenced today by Judge Venable to a three-year term of probation:
Joseph Mania, 51, of Randolph, N.J., Supervisor, Paterson DPW Facilities Division;
Imad Mowaswes, 53, of Clifton, N.J., Supervisor, Paterson DPW Traffic Division; and
Timothy Hanlon, 31, of Woodland Park, N.J., Assistant Supervisor, Paterson DPW Facilities Division.
Those men also forfeited their jobs with the city and are permanently barred from public employment.
Deputy Bureau Chief Jeffrey Manis and Deputy Attorneys General Cynthia Vazquez and Peter Baker prosecuted the case and handled the sentencing for the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau. The defendants were indicted in an investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau and the New Jersey State Police Official Corruption Bureau North Squad.
“Joey Torres corruptly used his vast power as mayor of New Jersey’s third-largest city to serve his own selfish ends, when he should have been serving the residents of Paterson,” said Attorney General Porrino. “Torres thought he was above the law and is now on his way to prison. This prison sentence demonstrates that nobody is above the law, least of all public officials who brazenly abuse the authority entrusted to them.”
“By unlawfully using on-the-clock city workers to assist with a family business, Mayor Torres put his own interests ahead of the interests of city residents and compromised the integrity of his office,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “Public corruption takes many forms, but it always has the corrosive impact of undermining good government and public trust. We will continue to make these cases a top priority.”
“Torres betrayed many staff and colleagues who unknowingly believed in him, but his betrayal of the residents of Paterson, whom he was entrusted to serve, is by far the worst of all,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan, Acting Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “I commend the State Police Official Corruption North Bureau and their partners for bringing justice to the people of Paterson.”
The investigation revealed that, at Mayor Torres’ behest and under his supervision, Mania, Mowaswes and Hanlon performed work and/or assigned subordinate employees of the Department of Public Works (DPW) to perform work at a private warehouse facility at 82 East 15th St. in Paterson. The facility was leased by “Quality Beer,” a limited liability company formed by Torres’ daughter and his nephew. The tasks performed by the DPW workers included renovation, painting, carpentry, and electrical work. The work was performed on various dates between July 2014 and April 2015, while the three supervisors and other DPW workers were “on the clock” working for and being paid by the City of Paterson. The daughter and nephew intended to use the warehouse as a wholesale liquor distribution facility, but they ultimately terminated the lease after failing to obtain the necessary permits and license from the state.
The investigation further revealed that Mania, in his capacity as a DPW supervisor, caused false time-keeping records to be submitted to the city, including overtime verification forms and bi-weekly timesheets. These records falsely stated that Mania and other DPW employees were working overtime details on legitimate city projects, when, in fact, Mania knew that he and the other employees spent at least part of these overtime shifts working at the private warehouse. By submitting and signing off on these timekeeping records and authorizing the overtime details, Mania caused the city to make overtime payments to himself and other employees for hours spent performing private work for the mayor and his relatives, with no connection to any legitimate city business. Mania’s co-defendants, including the mayor, also were charged with falsifying these records as accomplices and co-conspirators.
David Henderson and the staff of the Ridgewood blog
North Bergen NJ, for those who don’t believe the system is being sucked dry by people who hate us, Ailina and Bella Tsarnaev, sisters of the Boston Marathon bombers, are living as unwed welfare mothers in North Bergen with Katherine Russell, widow of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was killed in the aftermath of the bombing.
Being on welfare hasn’t stopped Ailina from getting arrested on a counterfeiting charge for which she didn’t appear. and also making bomb threats..The 24-year-old, of North Bergen, New Jersey, is accused of threatening a woman who previously had a romantic relationship with her partner.
She also was arrested in 2009 on charges she left the scene of an accident, but the case was dismissed. Prosecutors also said Tsarnaeva failed to cooperate with a police officer investigating the passing of a counterfeit bill by a group of people eating at an Applebee’s restaurant in the South Bay Center, a mall in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, on April 16, 2010.
STOLEN VEHICLE ALERT: DO NOT LEAVE KEYS OR KEY FOBS IN YOUR VEHICLES
November 13,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Glen Rock NJ, Three vehicles have been stolen from residential driveways since October 31st. In each case the vehicles were unlocked and the key fobs were in the vehicles, making detection extremely difficult as no forced entry was involved. Two of the three vehicles have been recovered in Newark. A vehicle stolen this morning also had a credit card in it that was used at a fast food restaurant in Irvington. Surrounding towns have also been experiencing a rash of stolen vehicles overnight from driveways, in all of these cases key fobs were left inside unlocked vehicle.
In Glen Rock, the stolen vehicles include a 2016 Lexus GC from Windham Place on October 31st, a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee from Yardley Court on November 7th and 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee from Highland Road on November 13th. Detectives are investigating a limited number of leads, including video surveillance from a resident whose vehicles were locked and therefore not taken: https://ring.com/share/6487811261847961682
Any residents or business owners with video surveillance systems are asked to check overnight activity for any persons who may have entered their driveways or yards in a similar manner. Detectives are interested in viewing any of these images as the investigation progresses. Those with video surveillance are asked to contact Det. Jim Calaski at (201) 670-3948 or Det. Mike Trover at (201) 670-3947.
All motorist and residents are reminded that there is no place, including your driveway, where it is safe to leave a vehicle with the keys or key fob inside. Lock your vehicle and take the keys with you at all times. Do not leave valuables in plain sight.
Glen Rock NJ, The Glen Rock Police Department warns residents that Glen Rock as well as the surrounding towns have again been experiencing a rash of stolen vehicles overnight from driveways. All vehicles that are being stolen have the KEY FOBS LEFT INSIDE making it extremely easy for thieves to steal them. Please remember to remove your key fobs from your vehicles and lock the doors.
You say: “That is not why I voted for him though. I am always willing to pay a little more as long as there are children in this state going to bed hungry every night.” You either are joking or are super naive. How is Murphy better than Guadagno or Christie with regards to poverty? Do you really think handouts work well for the poor? You have never tasted socialism. I come from such a country and it sucks, BADLY. I hope you or your kids don’t get to see it for yourself. You can’t erase poverty by forcefully taking $$ from one side and giving it to the poorer side. Doesn’t work. It only makes it worse for both sides and in the end nobody is better off. By the time you realize it didn’t work all has gone to ruins. To me it seems like people are bored with what they have and want to experiment. Good luck with that.
While “high taxes” and “opioid crisis” where the key issues, residents voted in overwhelming numbers for the person or persons who promised to raise taxes on everything and create a sanctuary state. From yesterday results it does appear the state has committed fiscal suicide .
Saddle River NJ, Saddle River police report that Saddle River and several neighboring jurisdictions have experienced high end auto thefts and auto burglaries. If everyone removes the keys and key FOB’s from their vehicles these thefts will stop. Locking your vehicle when its in the driveway prevents car burglaries from occurring and deters criminals from our area.
If you see suspicious activity call the Saddle River Police desk anytime at 201-327-5300 or call 9-1-1
There has been an uptick in residential burglaries countywide. It’s getting dark earlier and that can provide thieves the cover of darkness they like to operate in. If you have an alarm system make sure you activate it, even if you’re just running out for a few minutes. Remove your valuables from the master bedroom and it’s closet. If you have a safe make sure it is securely bolted in place. Even large safes have been carried out of homes during burglaries. Adjust your light timers accordingly to illuminate your residence to help deter an intruder. Security cameras are a great tool. Check your system now to make sure its functioning properly before an incident may happen.
Most crimes are prevented or criminals are caught when the public assists the Police by reporting suspicious persons and activity. Discuss this with your neighbors, family and friends. Advise them to secure their homes and to report suspicious activity when it is observed, not the following day. The eyes and ears of the community are of great assistance in preventing and solving crimes. Any suspicious activity can be reported to the police desk @ 201-327-5300 or by calling 9-1-1
For additional information or assistance please call Saddle River Police headquarters anytime at 201-327-5300.
Also be aware that the Felony Lane Gang is active in our area. They break into vehicles and steal identities. They target areas that women and mothers attend hoping to steal a purse that has been left behind by a busy women. This gang targets gyms, parks, daycare centers, and sporting events likely to be frequented by women and increasing the chances of finding purses left in vehicles; they conduct surveillance at these locations and unlawfully enter vehicles through unlocked doors or by using a window punch to break the window of a locked vehicle; and they specifically look for identification such as driver licenses, checks, and debit cards. Make sure any valuables and purses aren’t left in a vehicle to be stolen by these criminals.
Just a few simple steps will reduce your chances of being victimized by these criminals.
For additional information or assistance please call Saddle River Police headquarters anytime at 201-327-5300.
New Milford NJ, we are sorry to report that Darren Drake, a New Milford native and former school board president, was among those killed in Tuesday’s terror attack in Lower Manhattan. Drake, 33, was a project manager at Moody’s Investors Service at Seven World Trade Center.
Assemblymen Bob Auth District 39 issued the following statement , “I am deeply saddened by the attack of our fellow neighbors in New York City yesterday afternoon. My prayers, and the prayers of my family, go out to the victims and their families. I am especially saddened to hear that New Milford council candidate, Darren Drake, was among those who succumbed to his injuries. He had been elected to the New Milford school board and eventually became president of body. He will be missed by many. ”
Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi District 39 said , “I just heard that one of those killed in yesterday’s terrorist attack was a Bergen County resident. I am someone who is a realist on immigration issues. I believe in a pathway to citizenship for people who have built their lives in the US while working, paying taxes and providing for their children. However, if we turn NJ into a Sanctuary State, game over. We are literally advertising to every single person who comes into the US illegally, to every person who has a nefari…ous purpose for being here, that we as a State will not only welcome them but we will provide them with driver’s licenses and benefits, we will refuse to cooperate with Homeland Security and ICE and we will HARBOR TERRORISTS. As a legislator representing Bergen and Passaic counties, counties that the terrorist directly impacted and lived in, I say NO. If you care about the future of this State you must vote against us being a Sanctuary State and you must vote for representatives who pledge to fight against it. Make you voices heard on November 7th.”
Ridgewood NJ, in the Tax Foundation’s annual comparison of state business climates New Jersey has once again ranked at the bottom of U.S. states as it has since at least 2015.
While neighboring states Delaware 15, Pennsylvania 26, Connecticut 44 , and New York 49.
The think tank ranked New Jersey 36th in unemployment insurance tax, 42nd in corporate business taxes, 46th in sales taxes, 48th in individual income taxes and dead last in number 50 in property taxes.
Joining New Jersey at the bottom of the ranking were New York, California, Vermont, Minnesota, Ohio, Connecticut, Maryland, Louisiana and Rhode Island.
Over two million people left New Jersey between 2005 and 2014, taking billions of dollars in income and economic activity with them, according to a state business group that blames high taxes for the exodus. Is anybody listening ?
Old Bridge NJ, Democratic Chairman Mark Razzoli emphatically says no way.
“While I respect the views of many of the Democratic candidates running for office in New Jersey, our focus as a local party and my focus as a councilman will be to hold the line on property taxes, ensure good quality services for children and seniors, and protect the Old Bridge quality of life we have all come to enjoy – not address federal issues we have no power to legislate.
My 25 years in law enforcement gives me a unique understanding and perspective of the issues we face as a state and as a nation. However, I do disagree with the proposal to make New Jersey a sanctuary state and any implication to the contrary is categorically false. Thank you for all of your support!” – Mark Razzoli, Old Bridge Democratic Chairman
Paramus NJ, Bill Clinton is coming to Paramus to campaign for Phil Murphy The Democratic front-runner in New Jersey’s governor’s race today . This coincides with the latest Judicial Watch announced of the release of more than 200 conflict-of-interest reviews by State Department ethics advisers of proposed Bill Clinton speaking and consulting engagements during Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state. The documents were obtained as result of a federal court order in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed against the State Department on May 28, 2013 (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:13-cv-00772)). The lawsuit is ongoing.
June 2011 documents show that the State Department approved a consulting arrangement with a company, Teneo Strategy, led by controversial Clinton Foundation adviser Doug Band. The Clintons ended the deal after only eight months, as criticism mounted over Teneo’s ties to the failed investment firm, MF Global.
Mr. Clinton’s office proposed 215 speeches around the globe. And 215 times, the State Department stated that it had “no objection.”
Mr. Clinton’s speeches included appearances in China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Central America, Europe, Turkey, Thailand, Taiwan, India and the Cayman Islands. Sponsors of the speeches included some of the world’s largest financial institutions—Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, American Express and others—as well as major players in technology, energy, health care and media. Other speech sponsors included a car dealership, casino groups, hotel operators, retailers, real estate brokers, a Panamanian air cargo company and a sushi restaurant.
“These documents are a bombshell and show how the Clintons turned the State Department into a racket to line their own pockets,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “How the Obama State Department waived hundreds of ethical conflicts that allowed the Clintons and their businesses to accept money from foreign entities and corporations seeking influence boggles the mind. That former President Clinton trotted the globe collecting huge speaking fees while his wife presided over U.S. foreign policy is an outrage. No wonder it took a court order to get these documents. One can’t imagine what foreign policy issues were mishandled as top State Department officials spent so much time facilitating the Clinton money machine.”
Under established protocols of the State Department, and supplemented by a December 2008 Memorandum of Understanding between the Clinton Foundation and Obama Presidential Transition Team, a designated ethics official from the State Department’s legal office was assigned to review any “potential or actual conflict of interest” for Mrs. Clinton while she served as secretary of state. Copies of all decisions were sent to a top adviser to Secretary Clinton, Cheryl Mills, who served as counselor and chief of staff at the Department of State.
The Washington Examiner published a report today on the documents by Judicial Watch Chief Investigative Reporter Micah Morrison and Examiner Senior Watchdog Reporter Luke Rosiak. Morrison and Rosiak note that Mr. Clinton “earned $48 million while his wife presided over U.S. foreign policy, raising questions about whether the Clintons fulfilled ethics agreements related to the Clinton Foundation during Mrs. Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State.”
According to the State Department documents:
Mr. Clinton spoke before a UBS Wealth Management audience in Chicago in April, 2012. The State Department document notes that attendees would be “approximately 300-400 ultra-high net worth clients, prospective clients, and UBS Financial Advisers.”
Mr. Clinton spoke to an event hosted by Wells Fargo in San Francisco in October, 2011. The State Department document notes that the event is “being held for Wells Fargo Private Bank and Wells Fargo Family Wealth Group clients, which are clients that have at least $5 million and $50 million in assets respectively.”
At a “mutually agreeable date” in April 2010, Mr. Clinton was due to speak at Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. “This would be a private speech of up to 350 friends and patrons on Mohegan Sun,” the State Department document noted. “The event will not be open to the public. The event will not be publicly advertised.”
For a speech in Moscow in June 2010 sponsored by the investment bank Renaissance Capital, Mr. Clinton would address the theme of “Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States: Going Global.” The document notes that “Renaissance Capital is an investment bank focused on the emerging markets of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and sub-Saharan Africa.”
At the Ritz Carlton in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, Mr. Clinton spoke at a March 2011 ticketed event targeting “the business community in Grand Cayman.”
The potential for conflicts of interest between Hillary Clinton’s role as Secretary of State and Bill Clinton’s international ventures grew increasingly controversial in late 2008 when the former president released a list of donors to his library and foundation in what he termed “a deal between” Obama “and Hillary.” According to an AP wire story, “Saudi Arabia gave $10 million to $25 million to the foundation. Other government donors include Norway, Kuwait, Qatar, Brunei, Oman …” CNN at the time warned that Clinton’s “complicated global business interests could present future conflicts of interest that result in unneeded headaches for the incoming commander-in-chief.”
The controversy deepened further when it was revealed that among those vetting Mrs. Clinton for the job of Secretary of State was Bill Clinton’s former deputy White House counsel Cheryl Mills, a longtime Clinton family confidant, who, the Washington Postwrote in 1999 “endeared herself to the Clintons with her never-back-down, share-nothing, don’t-give-an-inch approach …” After clearing Mrs. Clinton for the DOS job, Mills was named the incoming Secretary’s Chief of Staff. Ms. Mills was a featured speaker at Bill Clinton’s 2012 Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting.
In an April 28, 2008, ruling relating to Ms. Mills conduct as a White House official in responding to concerns about lost White House email records, Judge Royce C. Lamberth called Cheryl Mills’ participation in the matter “loathsome.” He further stated Mills was responsible for “the most critical error made in this entire fiasco… Mills’ actions were totally inadequate to address the problem.” Ms. Mills is currently on the Board of Directors of BlackRock, a leading investment firm. BlackRock is run by Larry Fink who reportedly wanted to be Treasury Secretary for Barack Obama and now, according to another report, is “angling for the job” in a Hillary Clinton administration.