Closter NJ, A Closter, New Jersey, man today admitted producing and selling fraudulent massage therapy training certificates for use in various New Jersey massage parlors that engaged in prostitution, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Naresh Rane, 64, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson to Count 1 of an indictment charging him with knowingly and intentionally using and causing the use of facilities in interstate commerce to promote, manage, establish, carry on, and facilitate the business of prostitution in violation of New Jersey law.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Rane owned and operated Axiom Healthcare Academy, which purported to provide classes in massage therapy training. Rane held himself out as a businessman who, for a fee that ranged from $1,000 to $2,600, could provide massage therapy training certificates to anyone who wished to obtain a massage license without the required training. Rane was also willing to provide phony transcripts listing classes and grades.
Between November 2013 and March 2014, Rane provided 10 fraudulent massage therapy training certificates and transcripts to a former Westwood, New Jersey, councilman who then gave them to prostitutes working in different massage parlors located in Union, Passaic, Hudson and Middlesex Counties. Rane admitted today that he knew the documents he was producing and selling were used to disguise prostitution activities as legitimate massage services.
The charge to which Rane pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 2, 2018.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Senior Litigation Counsel Mark J. McCarren of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.
Ridgewood NJ, ok so today is primary day and there is a little bit of action for ,NJ Congressional District 5 (CD5) , while Democrat Josh Gottheimer has no opposition from his own part on the GOP side there is former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan,vs attorney John McCann.
In the New Jersey Senate race Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez (incumbent), is being challenged by community news web site publisher Lisa McCormick The GOP has a three way race between Pharmaceutical executive Bob Hugin, construction company executive Brian Goldberg, and attorney Dana Wefer.
NJ’s Fifth Congressional District
What Makes up the District?
Parts of Bergen, Passaic, Sussex and Warren counties
Who is Running?
Democrats: Rep. Josh Gottheimer (Incumbent)
Republicans: Former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, attorney John McCann
Who carried the District in the 2016 Presidential Race?
Donald Trump won by 1 point
Why is this Race so Important?
Republicans see this as a seat they can regain in November. Josh Gottheimer defeated longtime republican representative Scott Garrett in 2016. In November, he will face Steve Lonegan – who has lost recent elections for Governor, Senate and the House – or John McCann who serves as the general counsel to the New Jersey Sheriffs Association.
New Jersey Senate Race
Who is Running?
Democrats: Sen. Bob Menendez (incumbent), community news web site publisher Lisa McCormick
Republicans: Pharmaceutical executive Bob Hugin, construction company executive Brian Goldberg, and attorney Dana Wefer
Why is this Race so Important?
This is Senator Menendez’s first election since he faced corruption charges. On the Republican side, pharmaceutical executive Bob Hugin has poured $7.5 million into his campaign.
Tenafly NJ, The Tenafly Police Department has received two reports that a bear has been sighted on the east side of town near the JCC on East Clinton Avenue, and then shortly thereafter on Leroy Street. Black bears are common in northern New Jersey, and we are likely to receive additional reports as local bears expand their traditional territories in search of food. Bears have an extremely keen sense of smell, and are usually attracted to garbage and other food residue, such as grease on barbeque grills. Please note that black bears are generally not known to be aggressive, and attacks on humans are extremely rare. However, you should be aware of their presence in our area and take precautions if you have small pets or plan to be outdoors. If you encounter a bear while hiking or walking, you should remain calm and slowly back away. Do not run. Avoid direct eye contact and make loud noises by yelling, using a whistle, or banging pots and pans. Make yourself look as big as possible by waving your arms above your head. If you see a bear in your neighborhood, it is not necessary to contact the police department. However, please do report sick, injured, or “nuisance” bears to us for further investigation. The Tenafly Police Department will continue to monitor reports of bear sightings in our area, but it is not our intention to repeat this notification if we receive additional reports. Finally, please visit the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife website for more information about what you can do if you encounter a bear, and what can be done to deter bears from scavenging on your property. Thank you.
Ridgewood NJ, RHS senior Griffin Fink was recently selected as a Merit Winner by the National YoungArts Foundation for Jazz/Double Bass. Selected from a very competitive pool of applicants from 47 states, YoungArts winners gain access to one of the most comprehensive programs for emerging artists in the United States, offering financial, professional and artistic development over the course of their careers. This year’s finalists had the opportunity to participate in the 37th annual National YoungArts Week in New York in April. Griffin plans to continue studying music at William Paterson University this fall. Griffin is pictured here with Principal Tom Gorman and arts Chair Chris McCullough.
Ridgewood NJ, The 8th Annual Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival continues Wednesday and Thursday, May 9-10 in downtown Ridgewood. This year’s theme The Impact of Film showcases human rights films, international subjects, women’s issues and how film impacts American culture.
Headlining the Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival on May 10, presented by the Ridgewood Arts Council as part of their Artists Talk Series, is a conversation with Hollywood producer Scott M. Rosenfelt. Rosenfelt is known for Home Alone, Mystic Pizza and Teen Wolf among others. Also on May 10, actress/director Cady McClain (All My Children, As the World Turns) will show her documentary on famous female filmmakers and will be part of a panel discussion entitled Women Behind the Camera Forecast: 2018. Foreign Film Night will be held at the Ridgewood Library on May 9 and 10. Admission to Foreign Film night is free.
On May 9, opening night starts at the festival’s base, the Art Deco Bow Tie Cinema on Ridgewood Avenue. The evening begins with a red carpet event with the filmmakers. The night will include a variety of student films, both foreign and American as well as foreign and American shorts. There will also be Q & A’s with New Jersey award-winning writer/director, Anthony Marinelli and Bergenfield High School film teacher, Ashley McKee talking about the roles and possibilities for young filmmakers.
The final night of the Festival, May 10, starts with a red carpet event with filmmakers and celebrities. Featured films of the evening include Butterflies, The Last Visit, and Silk City Artists and Musicians. The film Breaking Point will also be shown. This is the premiere screening of this film. Breaking Point was filmed in New Jersey and stars Real Housewife of New Jersey, Dolores Catania in her movie debut.
The Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival will also feature panel discussions, including Q & A’s with documentary filmmaker, Vince Parrillo , former Ridgewood resident and first time filmmaker; Brad Forenza (Breaking Point); and New Jersey director/producer Joe Paul. Six-time award winning Actor Jack Mulcahy (Brothers McMullen, Porkys, Sex and the City) will host a Q & A about his new short and his roles.
An after party and awards presentation will be held on the final night of the festival, May 10, at the Steel Wheel Tavern, 51 N. Broad Steet, Ridgewood. Festivities start at 10:45 and the public is invited to attend. After party admission is $15 per person.
Festival tickets are $10, $5 for those over age 62. Admission includes all films being shown that evening. Purchase tickets here. Tickets can also be purchased at Mango Jam, 41 North Broad Street, Ridgewood or at the door. View a complete schedule of films and get more Festival news. For more information, contact Tony Damiano at 201-493-9911.
Hackensack NJ, 5th District Republican candidate Steve Lonegan said he was stunned today to learn of allegations of possible illegal actions at the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office.
As reported in northjersey.com, the Sheriff’s Office is now the target of a lawsuit brought by former finance director, Omid Bayati, who says he was retaliated against after blowing the whistle on alleged unlawful activities, including “inappropriate vendor deals” and a plan to use $7.5 million in federal money “to keep the budget flat during County Executive James Tedesco’s reelection campaign.”
In a lawsuit, filed on April 20, 2018, in Bergen County Superior Court, it is alleged that in violation of State Law, that a meeting was held in “late 2017” in which “ a meeting was called by the County for all Department heads in relation to the budget. At that meeting, the County CFO noted that it was an election year for the County Executive and therefore there needed to be a zero percent increase in the budget. In order to accomplish this, they decided to rely upon funding from ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to partially fund the Sheriff’s Office
Bergenfield Mayor, and Bergen County Executive candidate Norman Schmelz has asked the United States Department of Justice to investigate the Bergen County Executive’s Office, including the Office of the Chief Financial Officer of Bergen County, for conspiring to use Federal Funds to aid in the reelection of Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco.
Lonegan noted ,“John McCann was the right hand man of Sheriff Michael Saudino, a Democrat, while these alleged activities were going on. He was his chief counsel and he is implicated in all of this,” Lonegan stated. “If Mr. Bayati is telling the truth, it means John McCann disregarded the evidence presented to him and failed to investigate his claims. His job was to protect taxpayers, not the Democrat he worked for and not the Democratic County Executive.”
“A disturbing pattern seems to be emerging here regarding John McCann. Is it incompetence or is it corruption? The people in District 5 deserve answers. What did John McCann know and when did he know it?”
Mayor Schmelz, wrote, “If these allegations are true, then the public needs to know, who was involved, what was agreed upon, and how much taxpayer dollars are being used for political purposes.”
Schmelz continued, “The allegations are clear that Federal Tax dollars (and possibly state and local tax dollars as well) are being used for political purposes, instead of providing essential services in a proper manner.”
The Schmelz letter continued, “It is inconceivable and outrageous that such illegal activities are taking place in the offices of the Bergen County Executive. Each person who had knowledge of such activities should immediately come forward, divulge what they know, and resign forthwith. Anything less than that is unacceptable.”
Schmelz concluded, “I ask that the Department of Justice investigate these allegations presented in a court of law, that if true contain a clear and compelling picture of illegality at the highest levels of government. This breach of trust, is devastating to hard working taxpayers who demand their tax dollar be spent on essential government services, not for political agendas as is alleged.”
Candidate Alexandra Harwin Asked Me to Send You All This Note
Earlier this evening (April 23rd) I attended a meet and greet Alexandra Harwin held at a Downtown business. At the end of the evening she said that municipal election turnout is frequently light and because “people have a hard time processing information” that it would be helpful if we contacted our friends and neighbors and shared our impressions of the evening’s session.
Ok, not my idea but I always try to be helpful when someone asks me to do something for him or her.
My overall impression of Candidate Harwin was one of insufficient substance and a lack of familiarity with the issues to such a degree that I do not understand what she offers to the Village.
The candidate is clearly bright, but anyone who has been to more than 1 Village Council Meeting (a category that may not include Ms. Harwin) knows these are not Mensa conventions.
The platform consisted of only 4 planks, 3 of which came across as pure platitudes:
Lower taxes
Better Services
A revitalized downtown
These were presented as if the incumbent candidates support higher taxes, worse services and have downtown decay as a goal. Luckily they don’t, and they have the added benefit of an extensive command of the facts and a demonstrated willingness to do what’s right in a professional and civil way despite being relentlessly bullied and subjected to slanderous attacks.
Stylistically, there was a large amount of talking at people about the theoretical components of a problem like parking (eg it is because there is a multi-year “overall shift toward more a more parking intensive set of service oriented businesses like restaurants and nail salons”- mystery solved) but not much substance on solutions, nor any demonstrated familiarity with the history that preceded this moment in time. There was also a fair amount of ungracious Monday morning quarterbacking about things the Council had done to try and solve various issues (eg “the downtown valet experiment was ill conceived”). Those who cannot do teach; those who have not even tried commentate.
The one area in which Ms. Harwin spoke more passionately was about inclusion. I agree with her overall conclusion that the Council’s handling of the Pride Flag display was not good. I completely disagree with her theory as to the cause. There is no evidence in the record that the Mayor, Deputy Mayor or any other Council member was unsympathetic to the issues represented by the LGBTQ community. In prior years the Council authorized display of the flag but in this case the request got bogged down. If you have spent any time watching the Council work, the overall style was consistent with their usual methodical and process oriented mindset. But that missed the boat on the empathy and emotional side. In direct conversation with the Mayor, I know she feels similarly and she has expressed a resolve to do better this time around.
In summary, I was left with the impression of a candidate who has much less to offer the Village than the Village needs. We have capable and dedicated candidates in Susan Knudsen and Mike Sedon, who while human and imperfect, are the most engaged, capable and collaborative people on the ballot. I hope this helps you all if you are having trouble processing all the available information ☺.
Photo by Gail McLaughlin McCarthy yesterday 4/16/18
April 17,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood High School field flooded again , Readers Say Turf Fields Exacerbate Village Flooding, sounds familiar and yes it is ,from August 2,2014 ,
Is seems ever time it rains now , significance damage is done to our playing fields and Village property .We were told the turf fie;ds would drain faster , well yes they sure do but the water still needs some place to go like the Village Hall , the Ridgewood library .Since the Village Hall Rebuilding Fiasco , and the addition of turf fields along the Ho Ho Kus brook the 50 year flood has now become an almost yearly event .
Is it time to recognize the damage to the environment all this turf is doing ?The problem is not just the fields at Stevens ,Maple and the RHS Stadium but the many turf fields all along the banks of our rivers all over Bergen County . Again the water needs some place to go https://theridgewoodblog.net/readers-say-turf-fields-exacerbate-village-flooding/
Ridgewood NJ, Have facts ever mattered more in public conversations? There are some hard questions for the Village Council after reading the parking facts in the many reports Ridgewood has paid for from respected experts. The facts are clear and not in dispute: we have an excess of CBD parking, poorly priced, and poorly promoted.
Why is the council pushing to add parking when there are as many, if not more, open CBD parking spots as the proposed garage would add?
Why is the council ignoring these facts and Gerrymandering the results to try and say otherwise?
Why add more $10,000,000 in more parking when the failed valet project proved parking is plentiful and easy to find?
Where is the concern for the village taxpayer as they get set to double all parking revenue, a million dollars annually in new parking fees?
Why would the village council say there is a shortage of parking when the facts conclusively prove otherwise?
Please email the council and ask if the parking facts matter.
Bergenfield NJ, Bergenfield Mayor Norman Schmelz made it official on Sunday with his as promised announcement that he is running for Bergen County Executive. The announcement comes on the heels Steven Lonegan’s declaration of war with the Bergen GOP .
Over 150 people showed for event ,noticeable absent was embattle Bergen GOP Chair DiGaetano . In fact, no leaders from the current BCRO or Bergen County Republican Organization attended the event.
Only John McCann who is running for the GOP spot to face U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer put in an appearance. Steve Lonegan was at State Senator Gerald Cardinale’s birthday party , the Senator and his wife have endorsed Lonegan in his race against McCann to represent the GOP against Gotteimer.
(Photo above Jim Arakelian with Michael Homaychak, Norman Schmelz and Fernando Alonso.)
Fellow Republicans,
We have them on the run. The so-called “moderates” of the GOP’s Whitman-wing who run the Bergen County Republican Organization (BCRO) have shown us how weak they really are.
It’s now official. The BCRO has suspended their own rules, suspended the process of endorsing a candidate, and instead of a county convention the BCRO chairman will “give” the endorsement to the “moderate” of his choice.
The BCRO chairman is a figure from the Whitman-era who presided over the loss of Republican control in the Legislature nearly two decades ago and then came back to preside over the demise of the BCRO last year. Now he wants to ensure that Nancy Pelosi is the next Speaker by putting together a ticket that will tank in November.
It is the first time in memory that a BCRO chairman has played the authoritarian and taken away from the members of the Republican county committee, the right to choose which candidates they will endorse. The BCRO chairman has done this because he knows that his candidate for Congress, John McCann, doesn’t have the support to win a county convention.
The BCRO chairman has taken away the county committee’s rights because he knows that its members don’t want McCann — the consigliore of the elected Democrat who is responsible for losing Republican control in Bergen County, Sheriff Michael Saudino. And the members know that McCann began his campaign for Congress while on the payroll of this Democrat.
You all know me. No matter what you think of me, you all know where I stand on the issues. Some of you might accuse me of being too unwavering, unwilling to compromise, but nobody has ever doubted where I’m coming from.
As we watch the Christie era in the rear-view mirror, we need to decide on what kind of party we intend to be. We need to chart a course for the road ahead.
That’s very easy for someone like me. The course is free market conservatism, defending freedom at home, and our interests abroad. It is the message of our Republican Party Platform. Simple enough. If you call yourself a Republican, you should value Republican principles.
Unfortunately, that is not who is leading the Republican Party in Bergen County these days. There are too many who look to cut deals with the Democrats — and not for idealistic policy aims — but for their personal benefit. Their vision of the Republican Party is a defeatist one, where they seek to benefit from the crumbs swept from the Democrat table. The policies they advocate consist of slavishly mimicking a watered down version of the Democrats’ own post-Western, post-Christian, anti-Freedom agenda.
You’ve probably heard it around the county, and around the state, that a conservative cannot win — anything. The fact is that the only Republican to win statewide office in over twenty years was both Pro-Life and Pro-Second Amendment. The fact is that those Republicans who get the most votes in New Jersey are consistently the most conservative. The liberal wannabe Republicans can’t turnout their base and those they want to convince have someone better to vote for — a Democrat.
This “moderate” nonsense is like a religion with some of our so-called “leaders” — those who practice the Janus-faced religion of being all things to all voters. Even though every study and every poll shows that they will not convince a Democrat to vote Republican in this starkly divisive climate, they hold true to the faith that turning-off a dozen conservatives is worth every liberal vote they pick-up.
The way forward is clear for 2018: Maximum Republican and conservative turnout. A full effort.
Of course, there are some within our party who are working against this. Some who are personally enmeshed with the Democrats. It’s happening in other parts of the state as well. Democrats are playing in our primary. In every congressional battleground in the state, there is a former Democrat running as a Republican or a liberal Republican with Democrat-ties claiming to be a conservative. Every one.
They are there for one reason: To make us spend money so we won’t have it to hit the Democrats in the General Election. Here in Bergen County, I am facing an opponent who was described by the Bergen Record as the “right hand man” to Democrat Sheriff Michael Saudino. Let’s not forget that it was Saudino’s feud with the Republican County Executive that lost us control of our county. Saudino, followed that up by joining Hillary Clinton and Josh Gottheimer on a ticket that crushed the BCRO. Through it all, my opponent remained employed by Sheriff Saudino, as his trusted consigliore, and actually started his campaign while still on the Democrat’s payroll.
Now we all know where Sheriff Saudino stands on this election. He’s backing fellow Democrat Josh Gottheimer for re-election this year. So are Mayors Harry Shortway of Vernon and Harry Shortway of Midland Park. They held an event for my opponent at their family bar in Passaic County. Did you follow that? They are endorsing Democrat Josh Gottheimer in the General Election but held an event to help my opponent in the Republican primary. Meanwhile, in a neighboring district, the insider-backed “Republican” candidate wouldn’t tell a room full of Republicans how he voted for President in 2008 (Obama vs. McCain), 2012 (Obama vs. Romney), or 2016 (Clinton vs. Trump). And like my opponent, this fellow seems to be allergic to voting in a Republican primary.
Our party faces an existential threat from those who cut deals with Democrats and then preach the religion of “moderation” while pushing fake Republican candidates on us. We must resist them, whether they are well-meaning and stupid or slick and treacherous. It is time to use the Republican Party Platform and our conservative principles as the measure by which we judge our candidates. If some of our so-called “leaders” don’t like that platform or our principles, they are free to leave the party and start their own. I, for one, am sick and tired of being dictated to by a small group of professional political “leaders” who are totally out of touch with the thoughts and views of most Republicans. It is time for them to go.
A party that knows what it is about, is a party that can convince people to get involved, contribute, and win. This holds true up and down our ticket. The message of lower taxes, less government, and individual freedom is a winning one. The Democrats’ warmed-over socialism, leavened with coarse identity politics has, in the end, always lost.
Thank you for your time and I hope I will have your support to secure our primary in June and defeat the Democrats in November. If you have any insights you would like to share with me, please feel free to send me an email at [email protected].
Nice letter in the Ridgewood News from Mr. Halaby…in order to keep the CBD viable in 30 years, we should build the garage, which in turn will revitalize the CBD and make our grandchildren proud. Funny that some are willing to spend $10 million plus on a garage but will debate and attack the Schedler plans to no end( I am neither pro or con at the moment). Give me a break. Welcoming the future is not looking 5 years out sir….even looking out 2 years, it’s very clear that this town needs to adapt to the dominance of online shopping and the increased use of car services like Uber. This garage is not the future. In listening to Mr McCandless at the council meeting, where he clearly and concisely pointed out that this town does not have a parking shortage, i find it incredible how one can argue that this garage will solve an imminent problem in this town. This council needs to deal in the world of facts, not unicorns and rainbows….taxes are already high and agreeing to build this garage on the belief that it will solve a non existent problem is not what you were voted onto the council to do. The argument that this has been debated for 40 years and so we should build it is laughable. In 1980, maybe they should have built one, and we’d probably be arguing today on how to get rid of it. The current and future council members have got to be way more fiscally responsible then they have been, this towns tax base is not a piggy bank for special interests and backdoor dealmakers.
Ridgewood NJ, at the Wednesday evening meeting resident Bill McCandless called the Walker analysis deeply flawed , he went on ” the facts are very clear the Walker report is a reference point we all use , page 15 shows multiply lots weekday day time under 85% , page 16 weekday evenings shows open parking throughout the entire Village , page 19 weekend nights we have an empty parking lots , Walker shows large surplus parking exist in the Village .”
“Weekday existing conditions 57% parking occupied , and weekends 194 spaces go empty .There is no parking deficit , we paid for it twice . to hear this from Walker the fact is the parking Garage unnecessary and unneeded in Ridgewood.”
Hackensack NJ , The Lonegan for Congress campaign is questioning if Democrats have infiltrated the ranks of the Republican Party in the 5th District now that a prominent New Jersey family with ties to Democrat Josh Gottheimer is publicly supporting John Mcann in the Congressional race.
Harry Shortway is the Mayor of Vernon Township, in Sussex County. His father, also named Harry Shortway, is the Mayor of Midland Park, in Bergen County.
Harry Shortway of Vernon was the most prominent Republican in Sussex County to endorse liberal Democrat Josh Gottheimer for Congress. His father, who held a patronage position with the Democrat Sheriff of Bergen County, recently told GOP officials that he too was supporting Democrat Gottheimer.
On Sunday, February 25th, the Shortways will be hosting a campaign event for John McCann’s congressional campaign committee. The event will be held at the family business: Shortway’s Barn, in Hawthorne. McCann claims to be a loyal Republican, but why are two Republican supporters of the Democrat incumbent supporting him?
McCann was also in the employ of the Bergen County Democrat Sheriff Michael Saudino until announcing his run for Congress last September.
Are the Democrats attempting to pick the winner of the Republican primary for Congress in the 5th District?
FACEBOOK LINK: McCann-Shortway Meet & Greet see photo
