January 25, 2022
TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–Around 5:30 p.m. Trenton Fire Department was detailed to 42 Elmhurst Avenue for a house fire. Upon arrival firefighters found heavy fire and called for a 2nd Alarm. Firefighters had the bulk of the fire knocked down in a half hour. Firefighters remained on location for an extended time for extensive overhaul and knocking down hot spots. No further information is available at this time.
Photos by: Brian McCarthy, OnScene News
January 25, 2022
TRENTON, N.J. – A Burlington County, New Jersey, man was arrested today on charges that he distributed images and a video depicting child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Brian J. Crann, 37, of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (Joint Base MDL), in Burlington, New Jersey, is charged by criminal complaint with one count of distribution of child pornography. He was arrested today, appeared this afternoon by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Arpert, and was ordered detained.
According to documents filed in this case:
On Jan. 22, 2022, Crann transmitted a video and two images of child sexual abuse to another individual using an account on an instant messaging mobile application. Crann also transmitted a non-pornographic image of himself with a minor, who appeared to be the same minor victim depicted in the images and video of child sexual abuse.
The investigation revealed that the account was associated with an Android smartphone and that a short time before the user of the account sent the images and video, the account was accessed using a Wi-Fi Internet Protocol address assigned to an internet service account subscribed in Crann’s name at a residential address on Joint Base MDL. The contact number for the internet service account was a mobile telephone number subscribed in Crann’s name at the same residential address. On Jan. 25, 2022, law enforcement officials searched Crann and recovered an Android smartphone with the mobile telephone number subscribed in Crann’s name. A search of the smartphone revealed a copy of the non-pornographic image of Crann with the minor that had been sent from the account via the app on Jan. 22, 2022.
The distribution of child pornography charge is punishable by a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss caused by the offense, whichever is greatest.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI Newark Field Office Crimes Against Children Squad, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr., and Fort Dix Army CID Resident Unit with the investigation leading to today’s arrest.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Ramey of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
22-025
Defense counsel: Lisa J. Van Hoeck Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Trenton
Charges Stem from New Jersey State Police Investigation Where Detectives Recovered 6 Guns, High-Capacity Magazines, Ammunition, and Drugs from Party Bus
January 25, 2022
TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck today announced the indictment of 15 individuals after an investigation by the New Jersey State Police led to the seizure of six guns including two ghost guns, four high-capacity magazines, hollow-point ammunition, and drugs from a party bus traveling through Mercer County in October.
The charges stem from an investigation by the New Jersey State Police. On October 30, 2021, detectives with the Crime Suppression Central Unit learned that a party bus carrying multiple occupants in possession of weapons was traveling through Mercer County and that it would return to the Trenton area via Interstate 195.
In the early hours of October 31st, detectives with the Crime Suppression Unit and Opioid Enforcement Task Force along with members of the Trenton Police Department and Hamilton Police Department located and stopped the bus on Interstate 195 in Hamilton Township. As detectives approached the bus, they observed the occupants allegedly attempting to conceal several weapons within the bus.
The occupants of the bus were arrested and as a result of the investigation, detectives recovered three 9mm handguns, including two ghost guns, a .45 caliber handgun, a .40 caliber handgun, a .380 caliber handgun, four high-capacity magazines, hollow-point ammunition, and promethazine, a prescription syrup. A ghost gun is a firearm that is assembled from various parts that are not imprinted with a serial number registered with a federally licensed manufacturer, making them difficult for law enforcement to trace.
“These guns are a danger to public safety, and we in law enforcement are committed to stopping violence and preventing criminals from getting their hands on illegal weapons,” said Acting Attorney General Bruck. “Let this indictment be a warning to those engaging in criminal behavior: you will be held accountable.”
“This indictment is a great example of our commitment to keep illegal firearms out of our communities,” said Director Lyndsay V. Ruotolo of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners across all levels to hold those who break the law accountable and reduce the presence of illegal weapons to prevent gun violence in our state.”
“As a result of our detectives’ hard work and keen investigative skills, a cache of illegal weapons and ammunition was removed from the streets. Those in possession will now have to answer for their crimes,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “These indictments are a testament to the dedication and commitment the New Jersey State Police and our law enforcement partners share in order to make our communities safer for residents.”
The following defendants were indicted on January 24 on 2nd degree unlawful possession of a weapon, 3rd degree unlawful possession of a firearm without a serial number, 4th degree possession of hollow nose ammunition, 4th degree unlawful possession of large capacity ammunition magazines, and various first-, second-, third- and fourth-degree weapons offenses. Defendants with an asterisk also face 2nd degree certain persons not to have weapons charges:
McKinney, Harper, Johnson, and Chavis are also charged with 2nd degree possession, receipt, or transfer of a community gun in connection with one of the firearms seized. A “community gun” is a firearm that is transferred among, between or within any association of two or more persons who, while possessing that firearm, engage in criminal activity or use it unlawfully against the person or property of another.
The indictment is posted online here.
Deputy Attorney General Jaclyn Poulton is lead prosecutor on the case for the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau, under the supervision of Deputy Bureau Chief Cassandra Montalto, Bureau Chief Lauren Scarpa Yfantis, and DCJ Deputy Director Annmarie Taggart.
The investigation was conducted by detectives of the New Jersey State Police Crime Suppression Central Unit, including Detective Patrick Septer and Detective Anthony Pompei, working in collaboration with the Trenton Police Department, and Hamilton Township Police Department.
First-degree charges carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $200,000, while second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. Third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000, and fourth-degree charges carry a sentence of 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.
This investigation is another step towards reducing gun violence in New Jersey, one of Acting Attorney General Bruck’s key priority areas. In addition to long-term enforcement actions, the Attorney General’s Office and local, state, and federal law enforcement partners are establishing a statewide gun violence task force, holding a series of gun buyback programs around the state this summer, as well as performing targeted sweeps of fugitives with outstanding arrest warrants for violent offenses, as part of a comprehensive strategy to combat gun violence.
Defense Attorneys
Javon McKinney: Arun D. Lavine, Esq., Lawrenceville, N.J.
Jaquan Harper: Jarred S. Freeman, Esq., Edison, N.J.
Jahmel Johnson: Douglas A. Cole, Esq., Milford, N.J.
Tahvon Goss: Edward H. Heyburn, Esq., East Windsor, N.J.
Makai Brown: Brian McCauley, Esq., Red Bank, N.J.
Maurice Nance: Jacqueline A. Higueruela, Esq., Trenton, N.J.
Harold Ruiz: Christopher G. Olsen, Esq., Metuchen, N.J.
Khalil Glanton: Kerlin Hyppolite, Esq., Cinnaminson, N.J.
Daquane McRae: Terrell A. Ratliff, Esq., Cherry Hill, N.J.
Zaire Leary: Mark A. Fury, Esq., Mount Holly, N.J.
Daquan Lewis: Edward J. Hesketh, Esq., Clinton, N.J.
Aaron Turner: Andrew Seewald, Esq., New Brunswick, N.J.
Kena West: Peter V. Abatemarco, Esq., Lambertville, N.J.
For Others: Undetermined
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