Day: September 27, 2022

Mercer County, Trenton

Mayor, NJDOT, and Legislative Leaders Announce Route 129 Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project

September 27, 2022

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–Mayor Reed Gusciora joined New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Deputy Commissioner Joe Bertoni and the New Jersey 15th Legislative District representatives State Senator Shirley K. Turner, Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, and Assemblyman Anthony S. Verelli yesterday to announce the start of a Pedestrian Safety Improvement project along the state-controlled Route 129 corridor.

The project includes both short-term improvements and long-term solutions to improve safety for both pedestrians and cyclists at three signalized intersections on Route 129, at Lalor Street, Cass Street, and Hamilton Avenue.

“These are first steps that should have been taken a long time ago,” Mayor Gusciora said. “We’ve been imploring the State to take measures on this major artery since my days in the legislature. We’re far from finished and will keep seeking solutions to increase safety at these intersections.”

Initial short-term improvements will include a first-in-the-nation Red Clearance Extension system. This smart, predictive technology detects the speed of a vehicle approaching an intersection and automatically adjusts traffic signal changes. Additional improvements include revising the traffic signal timing at each intersection to provide pedestrians more time to cross, adding signal backplates to increase visibility, and installing upgraded, advanced warning signs over the roadway to replace ground-mounted signs. A project to make more extensive safety enhancements to these intersections is currently in the early stages of design.

“I want to thank Senator Turner and the members of the Fighting 15th who have always been in support of upgrades,” said Mayor Gusciora. “We’re still calling on the State to do more, and I think these investments show their willingness to partner for the wellbeing of all Trentonians.”

A small sampling of the MidJersey.News and OnSceneNews coverage that has brought attention to the dangers of Route 129 and Lalor:

Pedestrian Clings To Life After Being Struck In Hit And Run Crash At Most Dangerous Intersection In America
Trenton Police Bust Hit-And-Run Driver That Left Man In Critical Condition At America’s Most Dangerous Intersection, Lalor and Route 129
Intersection of Horror: Study Says Most Dangerous Intersection in America is State Route 129 and Lalor Street in Trenton, NJ
TAXPAYER WASTE: Trenton Gets $1.8 Million Dollar “Bridge to Nowhere” But Can’t Get Pedestrian Overpass Built at Dangerous Intersection on Route 129
BREAKING: Pedestrian struck by vehicle in Trenton
Update: 49 Year Old Hamilton Man Identified In Fatal Pedestrian Accident
Serious Accident At Dangerous Intersection
Crash At Rt 129 And Lalor, Vehicle Overturned Reported Victims Trapped
Trenton Cycling Revolution Rides for Safe Roads
At Long Last: NJDOT and Legislative Leaders Announce Route 129 Pedestrian Safety Improvement project in Trenton
Ewing, Ewing, Mercer County, Trenton

Ewing Township Couple and Business Owners Charged with Insurance Fraud and Failure to Pay and to Remit Taxes

Winnifred Olosunde, 66, and Taiwo “Peter” Olosunde, 55, both of Ewing, NJ, were each charged with one count of third-degree insurance fraud, nine counts of third-degree failure to file personal and employer tax returns, and nine counts of third-degree failure to pay personal and employer taxes, in connection with their business Two Enterprise, Inc. (Two Enterprise), which was also named as a defendant. 

September 27, 2022

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)– Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) announced that a Mercer County couple, and owners of a New Jersey non-emergency medical transportation company, have been charged with an alleged scheme to provide false payroll information in order to obtain lower premiums on workers’ compensation coverage.

Winnifred Olosunde, 66, and Taiwo “Peter” Olosunde, 55, both of Ewing, NJ, were each charged with one count of third-degree insurance fraud, nine counts of third-degree failure to file personal and employer tax returns, and nine counts of third-degree failure to pay personal and employer taxes, in connection with their business Two Enterprise, Inc. (Two Enterprise), which was also named as a defendant. The charges were contained in an indictment handed up by a state grand jury on September 16, 2022.

Winnifred Olosunde is charged with insurance fraud for allegedly knowingly providing false information in connection with applications to renew insurance policies with New Jersey Manufacturer’s Insurance Group (NJM) and Amguard Insurance Company between 2019 and 2021. The indictment alleges that the payroll documents submitted to the insurance providers contained material misrepresentations regarding the number of Two Enterprise medical transportation drivers, and the duties and payroll of several of the drivers. Taiwo Olosunde is charged with insurance fraud in connection with records that were submitted in 2019.

The couple is also charged with failing to file New Jersey personal income tax returns for the years 2016 through 2020 and failing to pay $27,597 in personal income taxes for those years. In addition, together with their company, the couple is also charged with failing to file New Jersey employer payroll tax returns for the years 2017 through 2020, and failing to remit $5,889 in employer payroll taxes to the New Jersey Division of Taxation for those years.

The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000.00.   

Deputy Attorney General Melvina D. Fennell presented the case to the State Grand Jury for the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor. Detective Brian Bunn coordinated the investigation with Investigator Anthony Mihalow.

Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Tracy M. Thompson thanked the Department of Treasury for its assistance with the investigation.

Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Thompson noted that some important cases have started with anonymous tips. People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-877-55-FRAUD, or visiting the Web site at www.NJInsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit a reward to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to an arrest, prosecution and conviction for insurance fraud.

To report suspected tax fraud, please call the NJ Treasury, Division of Taxation 24-Hour Recorded Tip Line at 609-322-6057.

Defense Attorneys:

For Winnifred Olosunde: Unknown

For Taiwo Olosunde: Unknown

olosunde-indictmentDownload
Mercer County, Middlesex County, North Brunswick, Trenton

Acting AG Platkin Announces 11-Year Prison Sentence for Middlesex County Man Convicted of Illegally Transporting Guns from Georgia into New Jersey

Investigation by NJSP and ATF Led to Seizure of Five Handguns and an Assault Weapon

Barrett R. Griffin, III, 33, of North Brunswick, NJ, was sentenced to an aggregate term of 11 years in prison, including a period of 6.8 years of parole ineligibility

September 27, 2022

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)– Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today announced that a Middlesex man was sentenced to 11 years in state prison for illegally transporting handguns into New Jersey for unlawful sale. The conviction stems from an investigation by the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) that led to the seizure of five handguns and an assault rifle transported to New Jersey from Georgia. 

Barrett R. Griffin, III, 33, of North Brunswick, NJ, was sentenced to an aggregate term of 11 years in prison, including a period of 6.8 years of parole ineligibility, in a hearing before Superior Court Judge Mark P. Tarantino in Burlington County on September 9, 2022. Griffin pleaded guilty on July 18, 2022 to second-degree transporting firearms into the state for unlawful sale or transfer and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

“Keeping illegal weapons out of our state and off our streets is paramount to public safety,” said Acting Attorney General Platkin. “We are aggressively targeting those responsible for the proliferation of guns and gun violence in our communities, and that includes gun traffickers who illegally transport weapons into our state and put them in the hands of criminals.”

“The prison sentence handed down to this defendant sends a clear message that we have zero tolerance for gun trafficking in New Jersey,” said Director Pearl Minato, of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We will continue to work with law enforcement partners throughout New Jersey and beyond to stop the illegal flow of firearms into our state and hold accountable all those who profit from it.”

Griffin was arrested earlier this year following an investigation by NJSP and the ATF. During the course of the investigation, a motor vehicle stop was made on the car Griffin was driving on the New Jersey Turnpike in Mount Laurel, NJ on February 7, 2022. Following a search of the vehicle, detectives seized five handguns, one assault rifle, and four large capacity ammunition magazines from the vehicle’s trunk.

Deputy Attorney General Karen M. Bornstein prosecuted the case for the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau, under the supervision of Deputy Bureau Chief Cassandra Montalto and Bureau Chief Lauren Scarpa Yfantis.

The investigation was conducted by the New Jersey State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Defense Attorney

Fatima Agosto, Esq., Burlington County Public Defender’s Office.