The kidnappers allegedly bound the victim with tape and stabbed the victim multiple times. Once reaching a house in Queens, NY the kidnappers covered victim’s eyes and bound the victims’ wrists and ankles with tape. The kidnappers tortured the victim, including, running a knife on the victim’s neck, holding a gasoline-soaked rag against the victim’s eyes, burning the victim with cigarettes, and beating the victim. One of the kidnappers also threatened the victim with a gun and rounds of ammunition. Aleman looked on and laughed while the victim was tortured.
March 29, 2023
NEWARK, N.J. – Three individuals from Brooklyn, New York, were charged today in connection with a kidnapping for ransom that left a teenager with stab wounds after a dispute over a drug transaction, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Dennis Reyes Mora, 37, Alexander Cruz, 26, and Cindy Aleman Fernandez, 27, all of Brownsville, Brooklyn, are each charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping. They appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court and were detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On March 17, 2023, after a failed drug deal in Delaware, Cruz, Reyes, Aleman, and another individual kidnapped the 18-year-old victim, who they drove through New Jersey and held for ransom in the basement of a house in Queens, New York. During the drive, the kidnappers bound the victim with tape and stabbed the victim multiple times. Once they reached the house in Queens, the kidnappers covered the victim’s eyes and bound the victim’s wrists and ankles with tape. While holding the victim captive, the kidnappers tortured the victim, including by running a knife on the victim’s neck, holding a gasoline-soaked rag against the victim’s eyes, burning the victim with cigarettes, and beating the victim. One of the kidnappers also threatened the victim with a gun and rounds of ammunition. Aleman looked on and laughed while the victim was tortured.
The kidnappers ultimately released the victim after the victim’s family, aided by law enforcement, paid a ransom. Before their arrest, the kidnappers tried to cover up their crimes by, among other things, removing and cleaning the seats of the car used in the kidnapping.
The charge of conspiracy to commit kidnapping carries a maximum potential penalty of life in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark; the Hackensack Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Raymond Guidetti; the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Mark Musella; the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety; the Clifton Police Department, under the direction of Chief Thomas Rinaldi; the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Richard Berdnik; and the New York Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Silane of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
23-080
Defense counsel: Reyes: Rahul Sharma Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark Cruz: Michael Calabro Esq., Newark Aleman: Roberto Espinosa Esq., Elizabeth, New Jersey
FREEHOLD – A Monmouth County Grand Jury has returned a superseding indictment against a man and his girlfriend for jointly attempting to bribe the victim of a violent sexual assault in order to prevent her from cooperating in his prosecution, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced Wednesday.
Kareem Lee, 32, and Erin Logan, 31, both of Keyport, are each charged with second-degree Conspiracy and second-degree Bribery of a Witness. Lee remains additionally charged with first-degree Armed Robbery, first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault, and two related second-degree weapons offenses.
Shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 21, 2022, members of the Tinton Falls Police Department were dispatched to a local motel on Route 33. Upon arrival, the victim told officers that she had been sexually assaulted at gunpoint by a man who had entered her room.
An investigation by members of the MCPO Special Victims Bureau and the Tinton Falls Police Department resulted in Lee being identified as a suspect in the case, and he was located and arrested by members of the Red Bank Police Department in Count Basie Park the next day.
Continued investigation revealed that on various dates in October and November 2022, Lee, Logan, and a third party offered a sum of cash to the victim in exchange for a signed and notarized document in which she would state that she did not wish to pursue the case against Lee. Logan was arrested in December 2022.
Investigators are actively seeking additional information about the activities of these defendants. Anyone with information regarding this matter is asked to contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Dawn Correia at 800-533-7443 or Tinton Falls Police Department Officer Christopher Mills at 732-542-4422.
The case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Danielle Zanzuccki, Director of the Special Victims Bureau. Lee and Logan both remain detained at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI) pending future court proceedings; he is being represented by Michael Kuhns, Esq., with an office in Lawrence Township, while she is represented by Taylor DiBenedetto, Esq., with an office in New Brunswick.
Convictions on first-degree criminal charges can be punishable by up to 20 years in state prison, while second-degree crimes can result in terms of up to 10 years.
Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.
The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office reports the investigation into a two-car fatal crash involving a stolen vehicle, which occurred at approximately 6:25 a.m. on March 28, 2023 on Route 9 in the Town of Rhinebeck.
On the above date and time, Deputies responded to Route 9 near Closs Drive in the Town of Rhinebeck for the report of a serious crash. Preliminary investigation has revealed that a 2017 Chevrolet van operated by Jonathan A. Kiech (age 49 of Fords, NJ) was traveling northbound on Route 9 when it was struck head-on by a southbound 2015 Toyota 4Runner. The 4Runner is a confirmed stolen vehicle from the State of Connecticut, and its operator was a 14-year-old juvenile. Mr. Kiech was pronounced dead at the scene, and the juvenile was initially transported to Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries but has since been remanded to a secure detention facility pending further investigation/charges. Both operators were the sole occupants of their respective vehicles, and the juvenile operator will not be identified due to their age.
The 4Runner in this crash is one of several reported as stolen from the northern Dutchess County/Eastern Connecticut areas during the late-night hours of 3/27/23 or early morning hours of 3/28/23. Further investigation into those thefts is continuing, however at this time they are thought to be the work of an organized group which has previously operated out of Connecticut. As such the Sheriff’s Office would like to warn residents to always lock their vehicles, never leave valuables or the keys/fob inside, never leave the vehicle running unattended, and never confront the perpetrator(s) yourself as they should be considered armed and dangerous. If you observe a suspicious person or someone attempting to commit one of these thefts, please call 911 immediately and let law enforcement handle the matter.
The Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Dutchess County Medical Examiner’s Office, the New York State Police, the Town of Rhinebeck Fire Department, and the Hillside Fire Department. The investigation is continuing, and more information may be released at a later time as it develops.
CAMDEN, N.J. – A doctor was sentenced yesterday to 15 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $1.9 million and forfeiture of $54,000 for his role in two separate conspiracies to defrauding New Jersey state health benefits programs and accepting kickbacks in exchange for referring laboratory work. Dr. Daniel Oswari, 51, of Bordentown, New Jersey, pleaded on Dec. 16, 2019, in Camden federal court to two counts of an indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud and conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Travel Act.
Prior press relase from Monday, December 16, 2019:
Doctor and Pharmaceutical Representative Admit Health Care Fraud Conspiracies Targeting State Health Benefits Programs
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Trenton doctor today admitted his role in two separate conspiracies for defrauding New Jersey state health benefits programs and accepting kickbacks in exchange for referring laboratory work, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced. A pharmaceutical representative admitted his role in a separate health care fraud conspiracy and to obstructing justice by telling witnesses to lie to the grand jury investigating the scheme.
Dr. Daniel Oswari, 48, of Bordentown, New Jersey, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler in Camden federal court to two counts of an indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud (Count One) and conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Travel Act (Count 23). Mark Bruno, 45, of Northfield, New Jersey, also pleaded guilty before Judge Kugler to an information charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and obstruction of justice.
Oswari was charged in October 2019 along with Steven Monaco, Michael Goldis, and Aaron Jones, and charges remain pending against those three defendants.
According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in court:
Compounded medications are specialty medications mixed by a pharmacist to meet the specific medical needs of an individual patient. Although compounded drugs are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), they are properly prescribed when a physician determines that an FDA-approved medication does not meet the health needs of a particular patient, such as if a patient is allergic to a dye or other ingredient.
Between January 2014 and April 2016, Oswari participated in a conspiracy that discovered that certain insurance plans paid for certain prescription compound medications – a including vitamins and pain creams – from a Louisiana pharmacy, identified in the indictment as the “Compounding Pharmacy 1,” and a Pennsylvania pharmacy, identified in the indictment as “Compounding Pharmacy 2.” The conspirators targeted patients with these insurance plans that provided coverage for the compound medications, particularly New Jersey state and local government and education employees. An entity referred to in the indictment as the “Pharmacy Benefits Administrator” provided pharmacy benefit management services for the State Health Benefits Program, which covers qualified state and local government employees, retirees, and eligible dependents, the School Employees’ Health Benefits Program, which covers qualified local education employees, retirees, and eligible dependents, and other insurance plans. The Pharmacy Benefits Administrator paid prescription drug claims and then billed the State of New Jersey or the other insurance plans for the amounts paid.
Oswari and members of his staff tried to persuade patients to receive the prescription compound medications, even if the patients did not have a medical necessity for the medications. Oswari signed printed prescription forms from Compounding Pharmacies 1 and 2 that had pre-selected the highest number of refills to obtain the highest possible insurance reimbursement. Oswari signed some prescriptions without seeing or evaluating the individuals, including for individuals who were not his patients. Oswari signed approximately 285 prescriptions for compounded medications, and the Pharmacy Benefits Administrator paid Compounding Pharmacies 1 and 2 approximately $1.9 million for the prescriptions he signed. In exchange for signing the prescriptions, Oswari received cash kickbacks.
Oswari also pleaded guilty to a separate conspiracy to take kickbacks for referring laboratory work and signing prescriptions. Oswari had a laboratory hire his medical assistant as a phlebotomist. The medical assistant continued to work for Oswari, but laboratory paid her salary for over two years. In return, Oswari referred his blood and urine samples to the laboratory for testing. This lab work was insured by Medicare, New Jersey Medicaid, and other insurance companies.
Bruno worked for a company that marketed compounded medications and received a percentage of the insurance payments. Bruno introduced a doctor to the company and received a percentage of the payments for prescriptions that the doctor wrote. Bruno and others paid the doctor to reward him for signing prescriptions. Bruno recruited individuals covered by New Jersey state insurance plans because he knew that those plans paid thousands of dollars for certain compounded medications. Bruno paid several of these individuals to see his doctor and receive prescriptions for compounded medications. Bruno received $68,872 from the company and caused $524,935 in losses.
Bruno learned in 2018 that the federal grand jury was investigating him. In 2019, two individuals paid by Bruno to receive compounded medications told him that they had received subpoenas to testify in the grand jury, and another two told Bruno that they were contacted by the FBI. Bruno told the first two to lie in the grand jury and deny that he paid them. Bruno told the other two to tell the FBI that he had not paid them.
The health care fraud and wire fraud conspiracy count to which Oswari pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gain or loss from the offense. The kickbacks conspiracy count to which Oswari also pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. The heath care fraud conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges to which Bruno pleaded guilty each carry a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gain or loss from the offense.
Sentencing for Oswari is scheduled for March 23, 2020, and sentencing for Bruno is scheduled for March 24, 2020.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited agents of the FBI’s Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark; IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John R. Tafur in Newark; and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, New York Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael C. Mikulka, with the investigation leading to the guilty pleas. He also thanked the Division of Pensions and Financial Transactions in the State Attorney General’s Office, under the direction of Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and Division Chief Aimee Nason, for its assistance in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. David Walk Jr. and Christina O. Hud of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment against Monaco, Goldis, and Jones are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
MAYS LANDING, NJ – Raul Virella, 30, of Bordentown, NJ, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 to second-degree aggravated assault, in exchange for a seven-year term in New Jersey State Prison, subject to the No Early Release Act, meaning that he must serve 85% of that sentence before he is eligible for parole.
On February 8, 2022, Officer D. Fabrizio of the Galloway Township Police Department, responded to an altercation in the area of Federal Court in Galloway. Investigating officers made contact with a victim suffering from severe stab wounds. The victim was transported to the hospital where he underwent lifesaving emergency surgery.
Defendant, Raul Virella, was placed under arrest nearby. During a statement to law enforcement, Defendant admitted to stabbing the victim.
Sentencing will be on May 9, 2023, before the Honorable W. Todd Miller, J.S.C. Assistant Prosecutor David Little represents the state in this matter.
WILDWOOD — Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today announced a state grand jury has returned a 12-count indictment against Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron, former Mayor Ernest Troiano Jr., and current City Commissioner Steve Mikulski in connection with their allegedly fraudulent participation in the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP).
The grand jury has decided criminal charges should be filed against Byron, 67, Troiano, 72, and Mikulski, 57, all residents of Wildwood. They are each facing four counts: second-degree official misconduct, second-degree theft by unlawful taking, third-degree tampering with public records and fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records. The defendants were charged by complaint in June 2022 in an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) that began with a referral from the New Jersey Division of Pensions and Benefits. All three defendants pleaded not guilty during their arraignment in state Superior Court in Cape May County before Judge Bernard DeLury, Jr.
Since 2010, New Jersey law has required elected officials to be full-time employees “whose hours of work are fixed at 35 or more per week” in their elected positions to be eligible to participate in the SHBP and receive publicly funded healthcare. The investigation revealed that Byron, Troiano, and Mikulski were never eligible because they were never “full-time” employees as defined by state law. They did not receive vacation, sick, or personal days, and maintained no regular schedule. It is alleged, however, that all three fraudulently enrolled in the SHBP and received publicly funded health benefits.
Troiano and Byron were elected to Wildwood’s three-member City Commission in 2011, and Troiano was sworn in as mayor. Both men voted in 2011 to pass a resolution that declared themselves full-time employees working “a minimum of 35 hours per week” for Wildwood. They subsequently enrolled in the SHBP. While Troiano and Byron did not work a regular full-time schedule or work at least 35 hours per week, they allegedly falsely signed and submitted timesheets to the city indicating they worked full days Monday through Friday. As a result, Wildwood and the SHBP paid over $286,500 in premiums and claims on behalf of Troiano from July 2011 through December 2019, and paid over $608,900 in premiums and claims on behalf of Byron from July 2011 through October 2021.
Mikulski became a member of Wildwood’s Commission in 2020. He enrolled in the SHBP and has since received publicly funded health benefits. Wildwood and the SHBP have paid over $103,000 in premiums and claims on his behalf through October 2021. It is alleged that he knowingly made false statements in a “Health Benefits Enrollment and/or Change Form” submitted to the City of Wildwood.
Deputy Attorney General Brian Uzdavinis is prosecuting the case for the OPIA Corruption Bureau under the supervision of Bureau Chief Peter Lee and OPIA Deputy Director Anthony Picione, with the assistance of Detectives of the New Jersey State Police Official Corruption South Unit. Attorney General Platkin thanked the New Jersey Division of Pensions and Benefits for their referral.
Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000, while third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000. Fourth-degree offenses could lead to up to 18 months in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Defense Attorneys
For Troiano: Brian A. Pelloni, Esq., Bensalem, Pa.
For Byron: Eric Shenkus, Esq., Deputy Public Defender, Cape May Court House
For Mikulski: David A. Stefankiewicz, Esq., North Wildwood
The alleged offences occurred about 25 years ago between 1998 and 2000 at his Ewing Township residence.
March 29, 2023
HAMILTON, NJ (MERCER)–A former teacher at Steinert High School in Hamilton has been arrested and charged with one count of second-degree sexual assault and one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri reported today.
Joseph DePuglio, 76, of Ewing, was arrested on Monday, March 27, 2023, following an investigation conducted by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit and the Ewing Police Department. He was released pending future court proceedings.
The victim, now an adult, reported the allegations to Ewing police at the end of 2022 and an investigation ensued. DePuglio is accused of having a sexual relationship with the victim while having supervisory or disciplinary power over her. The offenses occurred at DePuglio’s Ewing Township residence between the years of 1998 and 2000, when he was actively employed as the victim’s teacher at Steinert High School.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Prosecutor’s Detective Jonathan White at (609) 989-6399 or Ewing Detective Andrew Condrat at (609) 882-1313 ext. 7583.
Despite having been charged, every defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Joseph DePuglio, 76, of Ewing, was arrested on Monday, March 27, 2023, following an investigation conducted by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit and the Ewing Police Department. He was released pending future court proceedings.
The alleged offences occurred about 25 years ago between 1998 and 2000 at his Ewing Township residence.
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