NEWARK - An unidentified man was shot and killed tonight in Newark's Central Ward, authorities said. The victim was shot several times in the head and torso outside of 62 North 12th St., according to Katherine Carter, spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. She did not know if the victim died at the scene or later at University Hospital....
NEWARK - An unidentified man was shot and killed tonight in Newark's Central Ward, authorities said.
The victim was shot several times in the head and torso outside of 62 North 12th St., according to Katherine Carter, spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.
She did not know if the victim died at the scene or later at University Hospital.
Authorities did not immediately release information about a suspect or motive in the slaying, and the victim's identity was also not immediately available.
The death was Newark's second slaying in a 24-hour span. Earlier today, authorities said an argument between roommates at the Avenues Jassil Care Facility -- a boarding home for adults with mental illness -- turned deadly when a 23-year-old man allegedly strangled another man.
Maurice Thompson was arrested early this morning, according to the Prosecutor's Office, and charged with killing 50-year-old Dwayne Gun inside the 3rd Avenue facility.
OCEAN/MONMOUTH COUNTIES -- A Camden County man has been convicted in federal court of robbing three banks in central New Jersey while wearing a mask and waving a pistol as he warned tellers: “It’s not your money -- it ain’t worth dying for,” authorities said. Steven L. Baker, 39, of Magnolia, was convicted Tuesday by a federal jury in...
Google MapsSteven L. Baker, 39, of Camden County, has been convicted of bank robberies in Brick, Lakewood and Neptune.
OCEAN/MONMOUTH COUNTIES -- A Camden County man has been convicted in federal court of robbing three banks in central New Jersey while wearing a mask and waving a pistol as he warned tellers: “It’s not your money -- it ain’t worth dying for,” authorities said.
Steven L. Baker, 39, of Magnolia, was convicted Tuesday by a federal jury in Trenton of all six counts in an Indictment charging him with the robberies between September and January in Lakewood, Brick, and Neptune.
He faces a mandatory minimum of 57 years in prison, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald Chillemi.
Baker worked with a second man in the heists, Deshawn Clayton, 33, of Neptune Township. He pleaded guilty and testified during the six-day trial, saying Baker brandished the gun while Clayton vaulted counters and looted money from teller drawers.
After each robbery, they fled in a getaway car.
Chief United States District Judge Garrett E. Brown, Jr. scheduled Baker's sentencing for Nov. 15.
The number of arrests across New Jersey for drunken boating, an offense courts now treat as seriously as drunken driving, has seen a sharp decline this summer, according to a report on PressofAtlanticCity.com. There have been just three arrests this year for boating while intoxicated, police said, which could be credited to a new mandatory eight-hour safety course that...
Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerPolice boats, like the one pictured above in a 1997 file photo, have made fewer arrests this year for boating while intoxicated.
There have been just three arrests this year for boating while intoxicated, police said, which could be credited to a new mandatory eight-hour safety course that boaters must take. There were 19 arrests in 2009, and 24 in 2008, the report said.
Another possible cause for the downturn is that a drunken boating charge now results in loss of a driver's license, the report said.
Police were attempting to arrest a 60-year-old man on a domestic violence charge when he pointed a gun at officers
Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerThe exterior of a Franklin Boulevard home in Franklin Township, where police shot and killed a man during after he pulled a gun while police attempted to arrest him, authorities said.
FRANKLIN TWP. (Somerset) — A Somerset County man was shot and killed by a Franklin Township police officer Tuesday night after he pulled a gun on officers attempting to arrest him at his home on a domestic violence charge, authorities said today.
Arthur McDougald, 60, was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting outside his Franklin Boulevard home, said acting Somerset County Prosecutor A. Peter DeMarco Jr.
DeMarco said police received a 911 call at 8:45 p.m. from a woman saying her father was assaulting her mother. Officers found McDougald, outside the house near the backyard, DeMarco said. McDougald was upset at having been locked out by his wife and daughter, DeMarco said.
“The officers spoke to Mr. McDougald’s wife and after doing so advised Mr. McDougald that he was being placed under arrest for domestic violence,” DeMarco said. “At that time he became angry and fled from the police."
McDougald ran toward the front of the house and officers chased him, DeMarco said.
"While the Officers attempted to stop Mr. McDougald at the front of the residence, Mr. McDougald drew a small caliber handgun in his hand," DeMarco said. "Upon producing this handgun and pointing it at the officers, a 25-year veteran Franklin Township Police Officer fired one round from his service weapon at Mr. McDougald striking him.”
The officer's name was not released. After the shooting, the three Franklin officers were taken to a local hospital for evaluation and released.
“According to protocol, the officers involved in this incident have been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the completion of this investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office,” said Franklin police Lt. Robert Vornlocker.
Tuesday night’s shooting occurred as police union officials were asking the township council to reinstate some of the officers who have been cut due to budget concerns. Within the past 15 months, the department has lost 19 officers, including eight recent layoffs, said Franklin Detective Patrick Colligan, state delegate for Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local 154.
"We’ve been having overtime on almost every shift since the layoffs occurred,” Colligan said. “We have a real concern that things aren’t going to get better any time soon.”
While at the meeting, Colligan said he received several calls on his cell phone, and the union officials left for the hospital where the responding officers were taken for observation.
Three Franklin officers responded to the call, including a sergeant. “You have over 60 years of experience with the three officers,” Colligan said.
The officer who shot McDougald is a decorated, 25-year veteran, Colligan said. He is “an outstanding street cop,” Colligan said, and a calm, level-headed patrol officer who is well known in the community.
“For those people in the community that know him, I think they’re going to understand,” Colligan said. “I want them to see the results of the prosecutor’s investigation before anybody rushes to judgment.”
BOONTON TOWNSHIP — A Mountain Lakes High School student slated to play football for Villanova is being charged with breaking into his girlfriend's house and killing the family's dog, according to a report on DailyRecord.com. Donovan Allieri, 18, is accused of letting the chihuahua out of its cage and smashing it against the wall and floor, the report said....
Jim Pathe/The Star-LedgerA file photo of the Mountain Lakes High School football field.
Donovan Allieri, 18, is accused of letting the chihuahua out of its cage and smashing it against the wall and floor, the report said. Allieri's lawyer rejected a plea offer of probation and 364 days in Morris County jail.
His case will be presented to a grand jury for possible indictment, the report said.
CARLSTADT — The head of a New Jersey bulk mailing company has admitted bilking customers of more than $4.5 million by charging them for services the company never performed. Sixty-one-year-old Arthur Marino of Englewood pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Newark to wire fraud conspiracy. Prosecutors say his company, Carlstadt-based New Tech, contracted with clients to handle large...
CARLSTADT — The head of a New Jersey bulk mailing company has admitted bilking customers of more than $4.5 million by charging them for services the company never performed.
Sixty-one-year-old Arthur Marino of Englewood pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Newark to wire fraud conspiracy.
Prosecutors say his company, Carlstadt-based New Tech, contracted with clients to handle large mailings. They say New Tech dumped mail and created bogus postal forms to make it appear that the mail was sent out.
Marino faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, although the actual sentence is likely to be lighter under federal sentencing guidelines.
METUCHEN — Thieves hit four unlocked cars parked in Metuchen in one night, stealing more than $1,000 in property and cash. Two vehicles were targeted on Carson Avenue, another on McCoy Avenue, and another on Copperfield Avenue, police Officer David Liantonio said. All the thefts occurred between Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. and today at 10:45 a.m., and most of...
Google MapsA map view of Carson and McCoy Aves. in Metuchen, where money was stolen from several unlocked cars.
METUCHEN — Thieves hit four unlocked cars parked in Metuchen in one night, stealing more than $1,000 in property and cash.
Two vehicles were targeted on Carson Avenue, another on McCoy Avenue, and another on Copperfield Avenue, police Officer David Liantonio said.
All the thefts occurred between Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. and today at 10:45 a.m., and most of the vehicles were parked in driveways, Liantonio said. It was uncertain if the same people committed all four crimes, he said.
Police are urging people to lock their cars at night.
NEWARK — A 24-year-old Newark man was shot and killed early this morning, the city’s third homicide in a 24-hour period. The three killings are unrelated, investigators said, and include a drive-by shooting and a man who was strangled by his roommate at a boarding home. In the most recent homicide, Anthony Ravenel was shot at 2 a.m. this...
Google MapsMap view of the 100 block of Fairmount Avenue, where a 24-year-old man was shot and killed early this morning.
NEWARK — A 24-year-old Newark man was shot and killed early this morning, the city’s third homicide in a 24-hour period.
The three killings are unrelated, investigators said, and include a drive-by shooting and a man who was strangled by his roommate at a boarding home.
In the most recent homicide, Anthony Ravenel was shot at 2 a.m. this morning, while standing on the 100 block of Fairmount Avenue, two blocks from University Hospital, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said. He appeared not to have any identification on him, and his name wasn’t released until later in the afternoon.
Hours earlier, on Tuesday night, Mirad Robbins, 27, was the victim of a drive-by shooting on the 60 block of North 12th Street.
A vehicle pulled up to Robbins at around 8 p.m. and someone inside opened fire, striking him multiple times in the head and torso, said Katherine Carter, the prosecutor’s office spokeswoman. Robbins, of Newark, was taken to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Last week, two men were fatally shot in similar drive-by shootings in Newark that happened minutes apart, one on Abbotsford Avenue and the other on Chadwick Avenue. The prosecutor’s office said the three drive-by killings are also unrelated.
Meanwhile, Newark police early Tuesday morning charged a 23-year-old man with strangling his 50-year-old roommate at a boarding home for adults with mental illness.
METUCHEN — A Metuchen woman was arrested for drunken driving three times in less than four weeks in the borough, police said today. Lorraine Arrington, 54, was first arrested July 21 when police responded to reports of a woman slumped over the wheel of a car on Route 27 at Central Avenue, authorities said. The woman awakened as officers approached...
METUCHEN — A Metuchen woman was arrested for drunken driving three times in less than four weeks in the borough, police said today.
Lorraine Arrington, 54, was first arrested July 21 when police responded to reports of a woman slumped over the wheel of a car on Route 27 at Central Avenue, authorities said.
The woman awakened as officers approached her car, and police found beer cans on the front seat, Officer David Liantonio said. Police did not attempt a sobriety test because of the woman’s condition, but instead had her taken to JFK Hospital in Edison as a precaution, the officer said.
He said Arrington was arrested again and taken to a hospital on Aug. 1, after a man flagged down an officer to report a woman appearing intoxicated had just entered a car in a parking lot on Pearl Street. Police found cans of beer in a plastic bag in the car, the officer said.
On Sunday, Arrington was arrested a third time after she was seen making an illegal U-turn on Hillside Avenue at Main Street, Liantonio said. He said she admitted leaving a beer can on the curb where she had been parked.
In addition to the drunken driving charges, Arrington was arrested for failing to appear in court after the first two arrests, the officer said.
NEWARK — Authorities are searching for a veteran corrections officer at Northern State Prison who is wanted on sexual assault charges involving a female prison employee, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said today. An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday night for Devere Hatchett, 52, who allegedly assaulted a female prison contract worker inside the facility. Hatchett, who did not show...
NEWARK — Authorities are searching for a veteran corrections officer at Northern State Prison who is wanted on sexual assault charges involving a female prison employee, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said today.
An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday night for Devere Hatchett, 52, who allegedly assaulted a female prison contract worker inside the facility. Hatchett, who did not show up for work as scheduled Tuesday night and never called in, may have been tipped off about his pending arrest, the prosecutor’s office said.
Authorities have been unable to locate him and are asking for the public’s help in his apprehension. He has been a corrections officer for 18 years and is authorized to carry a gun.
Hatchett, of Newark, is charged with one count of sexual assault and criminal restraint, and three counts of criminal sexual contact. He is described as black, 6 foot 1, weighing 210 pounds and wearing eyeglasses. A bulletin has been issued for his vehicle, a green 2005 Dodge Durango.
The Northern State Prison special investigations unit is also handling the case.
The prosecutor’s office is asking anyone with information on Hatchett’s whereabouts to call the tip line at (877) 847-7432.
NEW YORK — New York City has filed a lawsuit against A New Jersey real estate developer for trying to sell priceless watercolors of the city's parks, according to a report by NYPost.com. Sam Buckley says he received the illustrations from his father, who had found them in a Dumpster, the report said. Recent New York City coverage: theFeed();
Ed Murray/The Star-LedgerA file photo of Bryant Park in New York City.
ATLANTIC COUNTY — An Atlantic City man who admitted killing an Egg Harbor Township man was sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to a report by PressofAtlanticCity.com. Terryn Kelsey, 20, agreed to the plea deal after two juries could not unanimously convict him because the victim was an alleged drug dealer, the report said. More Atlantic County news: theFeed();
Terryn Kelsey, 20, agreed to the plea deal after two juries could not unanimously convict him because the victim was an alleged drug dealer, the report said.
MONMOUTH COUNTY — A 53-year-old Montvale man who set up a produce business intending for it to go bankrupt received six years in prison Wednesday for money laundering and witness tampering, according to a report on APP.com. Michael Fava bought, sold and shipped produce but planned for Packed Fresh Produce to go bankrupt to avoid paying creditors, shippers and suppliers,...
Michael Fava bought, sold and shipped produce but planned for Packed Fresh Produce to go bankrupt to avoid paying creditors, shippers and suppliers, authorities said. Fava has also been ordered to reimburse the people he didn't pay.
Two other men involved in the plan had been previously convicted and sentenced, the report said.
FRANKLIN TWP. (Somerset) — A veteran Franklin Township police officer fired a single shot, killing a man who pulled a loaded handgun on police who responded to a domestic violence call Tuesday night, authorities said. Now that officer and two others are on paid administrative leave while the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office investigates. Arthur McDougald, 60, was pronounced dead...
Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerThe exterior of a Franklin Boulevard home in Franklin Township, where police shot and killed a man during after he pulled a gun while police attempted to arrest him, authorities said.
FRANKLIN TWP. (Somerset) — A veteran Franklin Township police officer fired a single shot, killing a man who pulled a loaded handgun on police who responded to a domestic violence call Tuesday night, authorities said. Now that officer and two others are on paid administrative leave while the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office investigates.
Arthur McDougald, 60, was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting outside his home on Franklin Boulevard, said acting Somerset County Prosecutor A. Peter DeMarco Jr.
"I’ve committed a sizable amount of my detective bureau to making sure this is properly and thoroughly investigated on a very fast track," DeMarco said.
The incident unfolded Tuesday at 8:45 p.m. with a 911 emergency call from a woman who said her father was assaulting her mother, DeMarco said. Police found McDougald outside and said he was upset because his wife and daughter had locked him out.
Police spoke to the wife and then told McDougald he was being arrested for domestic violence, DeMarco said. He became angry and ran.
"While the officers attempted to stop Mr. McDougald at the front of the residence, Mr. McDougald drew a small-caliber handgun," DeMarco said. When he pointed the gun at police, a 25-year veteran officer fired one round from his service weapon at McDougald.
According to one of the detectives, DeMarco said, "that bullet caused the fatality."
The investigation will determine whether the shooting was justified, but DeMarco noted the evidence. "The gun that Mr. McDougald possessed, a .22-caliber, five-shot pistol, was loaded with three live rounds of ammunition," he said.
The officers did not see any physical injuries on McDougald’s wife, and she refused medical treatment, DeMarco said.
Wednesday, a small group of people gathered in front of the large, two-story home that sits atop a hill. A man who only identified himself as McDougald’s son said he had no comment as per his mother’s wishes. Another man, who also declined to be identified, said McDougald was a good neighbor who shoveled the snow from other residents’ driveways and occasionally mowed lawns.
"He seemed like a very, very nice person," he said. "He was always working on his yard. We really admired it."
According to protocol, the officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the completion of the prosecutor’s investigation, said police Lt. Robert Vornlocker.
It is not unusual for three officers to respond to a domestic violence call, DeMarco said. "This was a call that was in progress, so the police didn’t know what they were going to face," he said.
The officers brought a combined 60 years of experience to the scene, said Franklin Detective Patrick Colligan, state delegate for Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local 154. The officer who fired is a decorated "street cop" who is calm, level-headed and well known in the community.
"For those people in the community that know him, I think they’re going to understand," Colligan said. "I want them to see the results of the prosecutor’s investigation before anybody rushes to judgment."
The fatality follows two, unrelated weekend shootings in Franklin Township that left three men injured. Witnesses in those cases have proven uncooperative, the prosecutor has said.
Tuesday night’s shooting occurred as union officials were asking the township council to reinstate some of the officers who have been cut from the force. Within the past 15 months, the department has lost 19 officers, including eight recent layoffs, Colligan said. They are down to 104.
"We’ve been having overtime on almost every shift since the layoffs occurred," he said. "We have a real concern that things aren’t going to get better any time soon."
While the council would love to have the funds to afford more officers, the $52 million budget is still coming up short in terms of revenue, said Township Manager Kenneth Daly. "The chief is managing with the manpower that he has," he said. "It’s unfortunate that these incidents happened, but they’re not happening because of the force level of the police."
Overtime always increases with summer vacations, he said. This year, more officers are taking their vacations now in case the Legislature limits the amount of time that retiring officers can take with them as part of their pay.
New Jersey Local News Service reporter Tiffani N. Garlic contributed to this report.
LAKEWOOD -- One man was killed and another injured in an early morning shooting in Lakewood, according to a report on APP.com The report identified the man killed as Rodney Cutler. The name of the injured man was not released, the report said. Additional details were not immediately available from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. More Lakewood news: theFeed();
Google MapsA shooting in Lakewood early this morning left one man dead and another injured, according to a report on APP.com.
The report identified the man killed as Rodney Cutler. The name of the injured man was not released, the report said. Additional details were not immediately available from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.
NEWARK — A 32-year-old man was shot and killed Wednesday night, moments after leaving a surprise party at a South Ward bar, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said this morning. Trevor Banton, 32, of East Orange, was shot multiple times after walking out of the Atmosphere Bar and Lounge on Wainwright Street, around 10:30 p.m., authorities said. He was...
Google mapsA map view of Wainwright Street in Newark, where an East Orange man was shot to death after leaving a bar Wednesday night.
NEWARK — A 32-year-old man was shot and killed Wednesday night, moments after leaving a surprise party at a South Ward bar, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said this morning.
Trevor Banton, 32, of East Orange, was shot multiple times after walking out of the Atmosphere Bar and Lounge on Wainwright Street, around 10:30 p.m., authorities said. He was taken to University Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The homicide was the fourth in the last 48 hours in Newark, and the eighth so far this month, the prosecutor's office said. Last year, there were seven homicides for all of August, according to prosecutor's office statistics.
READINGTON — A jury in Hunterdon County is deliberating the fate of a Texas man who was accused of having nearly two dozen weapons – including a loaded handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition -- – inside his sport utility vehicle last year in Readington. Dustin Reininger, 37, of Rockport, is charged with multiple offenses, including second-degree possession...
Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerThe firearms allegedly found inside the SUV of defendant Dustin Reininger, 37, of Rockport, Tx. sit on the floor of Hunterdon County Superior Court Judge Stephen Rubin's courtroom on Wednesday.
READINGTON — A jury in Hunterdon County is deliberating the fate of a Texas man who was accused of having nearly two dozen weapons – including a loaded handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition -- – inside his sport utility vehicle last year in Readington.
Dustin Reininger, 37, of Rockport, is charged with multiple offenses, including second-degree possession of assault firearms and handguns, and third-degree hindering his own prosecution. A conviction on a second-degree offense could mean up to 10 years in state prison.
Deliberations started this morning, and while the jurors have seen the guns displayed en masse in the Flemington courtroom, they have not gotten to see the defendant. Reininger failed to show for the two-day trial that started Tuesday before Superior Court Judge Stephen Rubin. He had been told that if he didn’t appear in court, the trial would proceed without him.
Patrolman Greg Wester first encountered Reininger at about 3:30 a.m. on March 20, 2009, while the man was sleeping in the parking lot behind the Wachovia Bank on Route 22, Assistant Prosecutor Bennett Barlyn told jurors.
Reininger, a former law enforcement officer, told Wester that he was moving from Maine to Texas. But instead of a back seat crowded with luggage, there was an “arsenal” of weapons, including assault rifles, many of them tucked in felt “gun socks,” no more secure than Barlyn’s own socks, the prosecutor said.
The guns were stacked like cords of wood, Barlyn said, and he pointed to pictures of the guns in Reininger’s backseat. “Does that look secure to you? It doesn’t to me.”
But defense lawyer Richard Gilbert told jurors that there is no proof that the state has the right man. “The state has utterly failed to prove that the man under indictment is the one Officer Wester stopped,” Gilbert said. “All we know is that on March 20, 2009, someone presented a Texas driver’s license with the name Dustin Reininger to Officer Wester.”
Officials said the guns in the car were legal. The man gave Wester a sheet from the York County Sherriff’s Office in Maine indicating the firearms had been released to someone named Reininger. It’s lawful to transport legal weapons during a move from one state to another, Gilbert insisted.
WOODLAND PARK — A Newark man was convicted today of attempted sexual assault after he drove to meet what he thought was a 12-year-old girl he met on the Internet at a parking lot on Route 46, according to a report on NorthJersey.com. The "girl" was actually an undercover investigator, the report said. Abel Oderanti was found guilty of luring,...
The "girl" was actually an undercover investigator, the report said. Abel Oderanti was found guilty of luring, attempted sexual assault and attempted child endangerment, according to the report. His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 12.
PERTH AMBOY — Perth Amboy’s former human services director was released from the Middlesex County jail today so he can get medical treatment and testify at the federal trial of the city’s former mayor, Joseph Vas. Jeffrey Gumbs, 50, will have to serve the remainder of his 364-day sentence beginning in February for using city money to buy clothing...
Patti Sapone/The Star Ledger Attorney Robert Gluck, left, speaks with his client defendant Jeffrey D. Gumbs Sr. as he is handcuffed after being sentenced for his part in a corruption scandal before Judge Frederick DeVesa in Superior Court, New Brunswick, Friday, June 18, 2010.
PERTH AMBOY — Perth Amboy’s former human services director was released from the Middlesex County jail today so he can get medical treatment and testify at the federal trial of the city’s former mayor, Joseph Vas.
Jeffrey Gumbs, 50, will have to serve the remainder of his 364-day sentence beginning in February for using city money to buy clothing and other services for himself and Vas, who is also a former assemblyman. Gumbs has already served 56 days.
Superior Court Judge Frederick De Vesa, who originally sentenced Gumbs on June 18 as part of a negotiated plea with the state Attorney General’s Office, made the ruling after a hearing in New Brunswick this afternoon.
Gumbs’ attorney, Robert Gluck, asked the judge to modify the sentence for several reasons, including Gumbs’ medical condition.
Gluck told the judge that his understanding of the plea agreement was that the state would make a recommendation on the jail sentence depending upon how well Gumbs cooperated in testifying against Vas in state court. He said neither he nor Gumbs ever thought Gumbs would receive the full 364-day sentence because he was cooperating fully.
The sentence also calls for Gumbs to be placed on probation for five years.
Gluck told the judge Gumbs had a procedure last year that placed a lap band around his stomach, reducing its size, to help him lose weight. But the band also prohibits Gumbs from eating certain foods and his doctors have recommended further surgery to deflate the band so Gumbs can eat jail food without pain, Gluck said.
De Vesa dismissed Gluck’s argument about the plea agreement, but said he was concerned Gumbs should get the medical care he needs.
The judge said his main reason for releasing Gumbs was to allow him to be available to federal prosecutors for Vas’ Sept. 13 trial in Newark.
"I do believe the need for federal authorities to have access to this defendant is very important as is the medical issue," De Vesa said. "He must be free to consult with his attorney and federal authorities."
He said he would not modify the actual length of the sentence because Gumbs was a "public official," when he committed the offenses.
Gumbs, who also served as Perth Amboy’s recreation director under Vas, pleaded guilty in March 2009 to theft, tampering with public records and misapplication of the city’s property between April 2004 and November 2005. Gumbs said he billed the city for clothing and summer basketball camp sessions for his son and Vas’ son, and then falsified records to hide the theft.
Vas is awaiting trial on two state indictments and the federal indictment alleging the use of city funds to pay for personal expenditures during his mayoral terms and money laundering in his congressional campaign.
No date has been set yet for the state charges which will be tried in Monmouth County by Superior Court Judge Anthony Mellaci.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — A judge has dismissed some charges against a man accused of fatally shooting an Atlantic City casino cocktail waitress and her daughter. Nicholas Nigro III remains charged with murder in the deaths of 48-year-old Maryjane Buri-Mulder and 21-year-old Paula Mulder in their Egg Harbor Township home in October. Nigro had been dating the younger woman. Superior...
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — A judge has dismissed some charges against a man accused of fatally shooting an Atlantic City casino cocktail waitress and her daughter.
Nicholas Nigro III remains charged with murder in the deaths of 48-year-old Maryjane Buri-Mulder and 21-year-old Paula Mulder in their Egg Harbor Township home in October.
Nigro had been dating the younger woman.
Superior Court Judge Michael Donio today dismissed two counts of burglary and two counts of felony murder stemming from the burglary charges.
He ruled that Nigro did not burglarize the home because there was no forced entry and Nigro had permission to be there.
Nigro has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He remains jailed on $2 million bail.
