Eliyahu 'Eli' Weinstein denies charges, contending the case rose from disgruntled partners who are already suing him over investment losses

LAKEWOOD — Eliyahu "Eli" Weinstein, charged with ripping off members of his Orthodox Jewish community from New Jersey to Israel in a $200 million real estate investment scheme, was ordered jailed without bail by a federal judge in Newark this afternoon after federal prosecutors argued that he is a flight risk.

Arrested by federal agents early this morning at his Lakewood home on bank and wire fraud charges, the 35-year-old former used car salesman sat silently, his hands cuffed, throughout most of his first hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Esther Salas. His attorney, Ephraim Savitt, denied the charges against Weinstein, contending the case rose from disgruntled former partners who are already suing him over investment losses.

But assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Coyne and Zach Intrater argued that the evidence against him is overwhelming and urged Salas to order him detained, contending he made nine trips abroad this year, including a trip to Israel last week, and poses a flight risk.

"The defendant could get a 50-year prison sentence," Coyne added.

Salas ordered Weinstein detained, but agreed to Savitt's request for a bail hearing next week, where the defense lawyer said family and friends of Weinstein will be ready to post whatever assets they have to support any release bond. He said Weinstein has a wife, who was in court, and six young children, and has not fled the country despite knowing an FBI probe was ongoing.

Vladimir Siforov, 43, of Manalapan, named in the complaint filed against Weinstein as a partner in the alleged scheme, remains at large, according to the FBI.

Federal authorities contend Weinstein, Siforov and others preyed since 2005 on members of the tightly-knit Orthodox Jewish community throughout the world, many of whom had known each other since childhood, capitalizing on their social and religious bonds to be introduced to more and more victims. The charges contend he duped investors to buy into bogus property ventures, in part, by overstating their value and misrepresenting the extent of his ownership interests in the properties.

“Weinstein is charged with offering an array of lucrative investment opportunities that served the single purpose of fattening his wallet," said U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman. "It is always offensive when someone steals from others to finance his own luxurious lifestyle, but it is especially galling to exploit a community with whom one shares an inherent trust.”

Weinstein already faces millions of dollars in outstanding judgments in a string of civil lawsuits over real estate transactions — lawsuits that Savitt called the "wellsprings" of the federal criminal charges. Records reviewed by The Star-Ledger also show that he was tied into at least one real estate deal with Solomon Dwek, the government informant behind a massive, high-profile federal sting that led to the arrests of more than 40 politicians and religious figures last summer.

Patti Sapone/The Star-LedgerFederal agents raid the office of real estate developer Eliyahu Weinstein after his arrest early this morning on charges connected to a giant Ponzi scheme.

The federal charges against Weinstein claim he never owned many of the properties he claimed to own and that he repeatedly sold his fake and real interests multiple times. Weinstein also drew up fraudulent leases, according to the charges, to entice people to invest in some properties by making it appear it had substantial rental income, when there was no tenant and no income. Federal authorities also claim he hid material information, such as zoning changes on the investment properties that would dramatically reduce their value.

The civil litigation by many of his former partners accuse him of being a scam artist. Florida real-estate mogul Harvey Wolinetz charged that Weinstein took nearly $80 million of his money involving the purchase of properties in New Jersey, Florida, New York, Tennessee, Georgia and Pennsylvania.

In a civil complaint filed in federal court, his attorneys charged that Weinstein, "engaged in a brilliant but diabolical pyramid scheme," that "forged or created multiple deeds, transfer documents, corporate documents and other financial records, and convinced his "investors" to loan or invest hundreds of millions of dollars to acquire interests in properties" that were never actually purchased.

MORRISTOWN — An Irvington truck driver found guilty of murdering a Morristown grandmother in 2003 will remain in prison, despite a state appeals court today reversing part of his conviction. The court reversed a murder conviction against James Howard Vaughn, 58, of Irvington, but let stand his conviction on a charge of felony murder in the death of Maxine...

Robert Sciarrino/The Star-LedgerJames Vaughn appears in Superior Court in Morristown on the first day of his murder trial.

MORRISTOWN — An Irvington truck driver found guilty of murdering a Morristown grandmother in 2003 will remain in prison, despite a state appeals court today reversing part of his conviction.

The court reversed a murder conviction against James Howard Vaughn, 58, of Irvington, but let stand his conviction on a charge of felony murder in the death of Maxine McCaden, 72.

The conviction on the murder charge was thrown out because a Morris County deputy medical examiner’s autopsy report said McCaden’s wound came from a gunshot "of undetermined range," but at the trial the judge allowed him to testify the shots probably came from "within one to two feet of the victim."

"The autopsy report did not provide fair notice to the defense ... on the issue of the firing distance," according to the court.

But in letting Vaughn’s conviction stand for felony murder, the court ruled that the prosecution met its burden by proving that Vaughn shot McCaden while committing another crime — burglary.

McCaden’s daughter, Ruth Bernadette Kennedy, had asked Vaughn to leave their Hillairy Avenue home after he turned "nasty" following a day of eating cold cuts and drinking beer. However, Vaughn returned uninvited and shot both McCaden and Kennedy, who survived seven gunshots.

Vaughn had visited the house almost daily for two or three years. While Kennedy said the two were friends, Vaughn testified to a romance that he said she tried to break off before her husband came home from prison.

The appeals court also ordered that a hearing take place on why the prosecution used a peremptory challenge to remove "the only qualified African-American juror from the jury." Vaughn and his two victims were all black.

"If the hearing does not disclose a constitutional violation, the remainder of defendant’s convictions are affirmed," the court ruled.

In a statement, Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi indicated he does not intend to retry the case. Bianchi pointed out that felony murder carries a life sentence with a range of 30 to almost 64 years before Vaughn would be eligible for parole. "Retrying him on the other murder charge is a distinction without a practical difference," Bianchi said.

Bianchi also said his office is "extremely confident" it will be able to show that the exclusion of the juror "was in no way based upon race, but rather, upon a legally acceptable basis."

The trial judge, Salem Ahto, had sentenced Vaughn to life without parole because he had murdered before — he killed a pregnant ex-girlfriend in 1980. He also gave Vaughn a separate 20-year sentence for shooting Kennedy.

A key eyewitness in the trial was neighbor Marjorie Forbes, who told of how she returned to the house after hearing one shot and, after passing a dying McCaden near the front door, entered the kitchen to find Vaughn standing over Kennedy, firing repeatedly.

Vaughn testified that he remembered nothing of the shooting, blaming a blackout from a day of heavy drinking.

ESSEX COUNTY — A U.S. District Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office by an Orange city police officer who alleged his civil rights were violated when he was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting an underage girl. In his Aug. 4 written opinion, Judge William Martini found the prosecutor’s office and its detective...

Essex County Prosecutor's OfficeA federal district court judge on Aug. 4 dismissed a civil rights suit by Orange police Detective Willie Coley, pictured in photo, against the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, which charged him in March 2007 with sexually assaulting an underage girl. The criminal charge against Coley was dropped when a grand jury decided not to indict the veteran officer.

ESSEX COUNTY — A U.S. District Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office by an Orange city police officer who alleged his civil rights were violated when he was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting an underage girl.

In his Aug. 4 written opinion, Judge William Martini found the prosecutor’s office and its detective who handled the 2007 case had sufficient evidence at the start "to support a valid arrest, thereby negating any claims for arrest-related purported constitutional violations."

Sexual assault and child endangerment charges were ultimately dropped against the officer, Willie Coley, after the girl recanted her prior allegation and a grand jury decided not to indict him.

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert Laurino said the office doesn’t regret pursuing the case.

"The fact that the grand jury decided not to indict him does not in any way mean that our original decision ... was wrong or a violation of his civil rights," he said Wednesday.

Paula Dow, now state attorney general, was prosecutor at the time. Laurino, who was appointed acting prosecutor in January, had led the office’s special victims unit, handling cases involving sexual violence.

Detective Coley was suspended from the Orange police after his March 2007 arrest, and spent nearly 40 days in jail. He returned to full duty after getting cleared, and remains on the force. The girl, who alleged Coley sexually assaulted her from the age of 8 to 15, was not identified.

In his civil suit filed in March 2008, Coley charged that the investigator on the case, Quovella Spruill — at the time a detective in the prosecutor’s office and now an acting captain — waited two weeks following the girl’s allegation before having her submit to a medical exam, which showed no evidence of sexual assault.

Coley’s attorney, Patrick Toscano, said he was disappointed with the judge’s decision, "especially in light of our experts’ numerous opinions relative to the gross negligence of the ECPO (Essex County Prosecutor’s Office) investigator assigned to the case."

Toscano said his client will appeal, adding, "the alleged victim herself stated she created the story shortly after detective Coley was arrested and incarcerated."

But Laurino said such recantations aren’t unusual. An investigator’s job, he said, is to "delve into whether it was truly a voluntary recantation on their part or in the case of children, whether they don’t want to hurt another party."

SAYREVILLE — A borough man, already in prison on drug charges, was sentenced today to an additional 12 years for holding up a cashier and stealing $1,330 from a borough convenience store in December 2007. Daniel Blazas, 39, will have to serve 85 percent, or 10 years and two months, of the term before he is eligible for parole, under...

SAYREVILLE — A borough man, already in prison on drug charges, was sentenced today to an additional 12 years for holding up a cashier and stealing $1,330 from a borough convenience store in December 2007.

Daniel Blazas, 39, will have to serve 85 percent, or 10 years and two months, of the term before he is eligible for parole, under the sentence given to him by Superior Court Judge Bradley Ferencz.

The sentence is consecutive to the term he is currently serving, for which he would have become eligible for parole in December if today’s additional sentence had not been imposed.

Blazas represented himself during his nine-day trial in May, but he had help from an attorney assigned to him by the Middlesex County Public Defender’s Office.

In May, Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Michael Weiss said, Blazas was originally charged with armed robbery, two weapons violations and theft, but the jury found him guilty of robbery and acquitted him of the weapons charges.

READINGTON — Jurors today will continue weighing the evidence in the trial of a former police officer who is accused of having an arsenal of weapons and ammunition inside his sport utility vehicle while he slept in a bank parking lot in Readington Township last year. The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office charged Dustin Reininger, 37, of Rockport, Texas, with...

Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerDetective Gary Mayer of the Somerset County Prosecutors Office, a Forensics Ballistics Expert testifies Wednesday morning before Hunterdon County Superior Court Judge Stephen Rubin regarding his investigation of several firearms allegedly found inside the SUV of defendant Dustin Reininger, 37, of Rockport, Tx.

READINGTON — Jurors today will continue weighing the evidence in the trial of a former police officer who is accused of having an arsenal of weapons and ammunition inside his sport utility vehicle while he slept in a bank parking lot in Readington Township last year.

The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office charged Dustin Reininger, 37, of Rockport, Texas, with multiple offenses, including unlawful possession of a weapon for assault firearms and handguns, as well as possession of hollow-point bullets and hindering prosecution.

Reininger was a part-time officer for the Fryeburg Police Department in Maine from 2007 until 2008, Chief Philip Weymouth confirmed by phone today. If convicted of the weapon possession crime, the former lawman could face up to 10 years in state prison.

The two-day trial started Tuesday before Superior Court Judge Stephen Rubin in Flemington. While jurors had the chance to see the guns en masse, Reininger failed to show. He had been told that if he did not appear in court, the trial would proceed without him.

Assistant Prosecutor Bennett Barlyn said Reininger repeatedly claimed he didn’t have any weapons in the vehicle, but police found 23 — including 16 rifles, four of them assault weapons. There were also three handguns, one of them fully loaded with hollow-point bullets. And there were hundreds, if not thousands of rounds of ammunition stacked right next to guns, Barlyn said.

"The defendant denied that there were any weapons in the car at least four times," Barlyn said.

Defense lawyer Richard Gilbert told jurors the prosecution has failed to prove that the state has the right man. The only thing known is that someone presented a Texas driver’s license with the name Dustin Reininger and a sheet from the York County Sheriff’s Office in Maine indicating the weapons had been lawfully released to him, Gilbert said.

The man was moving to Texas, and it’s not against the law to transport legal weapons from one residence to another, Gilbert noted. "We know that these firearms were legally possessed there," in Maine, the defense attorney said.

Patrolman Gregory Wester was the first to encounter Reininger at about 3:30 a.m. on March 20, 2009, while the man was sleeping in the parking lot behind a Wachovia Bank branch, the state says. Reininger initially denied having any weapons, but later said he had the guns because he was moving.

It was an "arsenal" of weapons, Barlyn said, many of them tucked in felt "gun socks" that were 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 piled in Reininger’s backseat. "Does that look secure to you? It doesn’t to me."

When Wester woke Reininger, the officer immediately began asking about weapons, "not ‘Do you need assistance,’ " Gilbert said. "He was looking to arrest somebody for possession of firearms," the defense lawyer said.

Previous coverage:

• Jury deliberates fate of Texas man charged with having weapons in Hunterdon County

• Hunterdon County Democrat: Readington Police Seize 26 Firearms

LAKEWOOD — Eliyahu "Eli" Weinstein’s gigantic investment scams succeeded, federal authorities say, because his strategy was so simple: prey on those who trust you the most. Members of his own, tight-knit Orthodox Jewish community embraced him and his pitch, they said, only to pay dearly for it as the former used car salesman moved from one victim to another...

Patti Sapone/The Star-LedgerFederal agents raid the office of real estate developer Eliyahu Weinstein after his arrest early Thursday morning on charges connected to an international-wide Ponzi scheme.

LAKEWOOD — Eliyahu "Eli" Weinstein’s gigantic investment scams succeeded, federal authorities say, because his strategy was so simple: prey on those who trust you the most.

Members of his own, tight-knit Orthodox Jewish community embraced him and his pitch, they said, only to pay dearly for it as the former used car salesman moved from one victim to another in a $200 million global investment fraud.

Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Esther Salas in Newark Thursday, Weinstein, 35, sat quietly with his hands cuffed as federal prosecutors read a complaint charging him with bank and wire fraud. They called him the "mastermind" in a real estate investment scheme stretching from New Jersey, Florida and California to Israel. The judge ordered him detained without bail. The FBI was searching for an accused partner, Vladimir Siforov, 43, of Manalapan, who remains at large.

"One of the hallmarks of this particular fraud was the extent to which the individual took advantage of the trust he enjoyed in his own community," U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said.

The complaint cited a 2007 property deal in Brooklyn. But the court document outlined a broader, five-year scheme that appeared to mirror accusations filed in a string of lawsuits over the years.

Weinstein’s defense attorney, Ephraim Savitt of New York, disputed the federal charges, claiming they were fueled by Weinstein’s creditors.

"We are denying the charges," said Savitt, calling it a civil matter.

Weinstein has been the subject of millions of dollars in court judgments, including a $34 million award filed against him last week in Pennsylvania. He was arrested in a raid Thursday morning on the Lakewood home he shares with his wife and six children.

He never owned many of the properties he told unsuspecting investors he owned, and he sold both fake and real interests multiple times, according to the federal charges. Weinstein also drew up fraudulent leases, prosecutors said, to entice investors by making it appear properties had substantial rental income, when there was no tenant.

Authorities additionally claim he hid key information, such as zoning changes on investment properties, that would dramatically reduce their value as he collected people’s money.

Documents obtained by The Star-Ledger show Weinstein’s transactions with the Orthodox Jewish community led him into a real estate deal with Solomon Dwek, the accused swindler and government informant behind the massive, high-profile federal sting that led to the arrests of more than 40 politicians and religious figures last summer. His creditors include Miami real estate tycoon Harvey Wolinetz, who filed a lawsuit last year claiming Weinstein bilked him of $80 million through property deals in New Jersey, Florida, New York, Tennessee, Georgia and Pennsylvania.

"Mr. Wolinetz is a lender of mine. He’s made $50 million in interest. There is no basis for any fraud at all," Weinstein told The Star-Ledger in an interview earlier this year, calling himself a victim of a real estate downturn who was now trying to "rebuild my empire to what it was."

Savitt, the defense attorney, said his client plans to fight the charges, He also said Weinstein should be freed on bail. He said has been overseas nine times in the past several months, knowing he was the subject of an FBI probe, but always returned to "his only home."

"I don’t want to see my client locked up in jail," Savitt added. He successfully convinced the judge to hold a bail hearing next week, where he said friends and family will put up assets to post a bond.

U.S. Attorneys Zach Intrater and Mark Coyne told Salas the evidence of criminal conduct is "overwhelming." "The defendant ... could get a 50 year prison sentence," Coyne said.

The victims money was spent, in part, to help Weinstein amass a "substantial collection"of art, jewelry, manuscripts and antique Judaica worth about $6.2 million, prosecutors said. They cited a $7.2 million jewelry and clock collection, and a watch collection, including brands such as Cartier, Patek Phillipe and Omega.

When confronted by one investor, according to court documents, Weinstein compared himself to the investor’s wife.

"We both (screwed) you," the victim recalls Weinstein saying, according to the court document.

PEQUANNOCK — A Morris County judge declined to dismiss the charge against a Pompton Plains man accused of trying to drown a squirrel in a municipal lake, according to a report on DailyRecord.com. Judge B. Theodore Bozonelis said squirrels are among the animals that the state Division of Fish and Wildlife Regulations says can't be killed by private citizens....

Google mapsA map view of Woodland Lake in Pequannock, where John Amore is accused of trying to drown a squirrel.

PEQUANNOCK — A Morris County judge declined to dismiss the charge against a Pompton Plains man accused of trying to drown a squirrel in a municipal lake, according to a report on DailyRecord.com.

Judge B. Theodore Bozonelis said squirrels are among the animals that the state Division of Fish and Wildlife Regulations says can't be killed by private citizens. Eric Weiss, the lawyer for John J. Amore, 47, argued the disorderly persons is a "de minimis" matter — too trivial to prosecute.

Amore denied trying to drown the animal, saying it escaped from a cage when he was trying to release it.

NEWARK — The Rutgers University doctoral student who pleaded guilty to ducking under a security barrier at Newark Liberty International Airport in January to kiss his girlfriend goodbye — prompting a partial shutdown of the airport — was fined by the Transportation Security Administration, a report on NorthJersey.com said. TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis did not say in the report...

John O'Boyle/The Star-LedgerHaisong Jiang leaves Newark municipal court after a hearing on his trespassing charges earlier this year

NEWARK — The Rutgers University doctoral student who pleaded guilty to ducking under a security barrier at Newark Liberty International Airport in January to kiss his girlfriend goodbye — prompting a partial shutdown of the airport — was fined by the Transportation Security Administration, a report on NorthJersey.com said.

TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis did not say in the report how much Haison Jiang, 28, was fined, but she said it reflects all the violations. Jiang plead guilty in March to a disorderly conduct charge, and he completed 100 hours of community service in Newark as well as pay a fine of $500, the report said.

Previous coverage:

• Rutgers student who caused Newark airport security breach completes community service

• Airport security breaches bill advances in N.J.

• Newark airport TSA officer who left post during 'goodbye kiss' breach to be disciplined

• N.J. man admits Newark Liberty airport security breach for goodbye kiss

• Port Authority installs camera alarms at Newark airport after security breach

• Newark airport security breach video shows man giving goodbye kiss to girlfriend

Related videos:

LAKEWOOD — Three Lakewood men and an Elizabeth man have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a Lakewood man Thursday morning, one of four shootings in an eight-hour period in the township, according to a report by APP.com. Rodney Cutler, 40, was found dead in a parking lot when police responded to a call at South...

New Jersey Department of CorrectionsRodney Cutler, left, who was killed in a shooting Thursday night, and Keary Bradley, who is listed in critical condition.

LAKEWOOD — Three Lakewood men and an Elizabeth man have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a Lakewood man Thursday morning, one of four shootings in an eight-hour period in the township, according to a report by APP.com.

Rodney Cutler, 40, was found dead in a parking lot when police responded to a call at South Clover Street and Cedar Bridge Avenue around 12:36 a.m. Thursday, the report said. They also found Steven Rosado, 19, with a gunshot wound to his leg.

Hours earlier, at 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, Keary J. Bradley, 37, was found with bullet wounds in his neck and leg on Ronald Road. Rosado and Bradley are listed in critical condition, according to a separate report by APP.com.

Two other shooting incidents were reported at 5:30 a.m. and 5:51 a.m., according to the report. No injuries were reported in either incident.

Previous coverage:

• Lakewood shooting leaves one man dead, another injured

MORRISTOWN — An illegal alien from Guatemala received five years in prison today for fondling a 2-year-old Morristown girl under her diaper, according to a report on DailyRecord.com. Melgen Alvarade Gramajo, 19, must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence and register with police as a convicted sex offender under Megan's Law, the report said. Gramajo is expected to...

MORRISTOWN — An illegal alien from Guatemala received five years in prison today for fondling a 2-year-old Morristown girl under her diaper, according to a report on DailyRecord.com.

Melgen Alvarade Gramajo, 19, must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence and register with police as a convicted sex offender under Megan's Law, the report said. Gramajo is expected to be deported upon his release, the report said.

EDISON — Vandals damaged six vehicles at an Edison Lexus dealership, scratching swastikas into the side of two cars and other graffiti into the other cars, police said. Authorities alerted the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office to the damage that was discovered when employees came to work at the Route 1 dealership Thursday morning, Lt. Salvatore Filannino said. Tires were...

Google MapsLocation of the Lexus dealership in Edison along Route 1.

EDISON — Vandals damaged six vehicles at an Edison Lexus dealership, scratching swastikas into the side of two cars and other graffiti into the other cars, police said.

Authorities alerted the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office to the damage that was discovered when employees came to work at the Route 1 dealership Thursday morning, Lt. Salvatore Filannino said.

Tires were stolen off one of the two cars marked with swastikas, and that vehicle was left on blocks, Filannino said. He said that while the swastikas are being investigated as bias crimes, the other graffiti was not in that category.

The crime occurred sometime late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, Filannino said.

ELIZABETH — A Pennsylvania man was sentenced today to 43 years in prison for fatally shooting a teenage drug dealer from Union County during a dispute over the amount of heroin in his order. Dante Wilson, 28, of Pittsburgh will be required to serve 30 years of his term before becoming eligible for parole under the sentence imposed by...

Google MapsMarshall Street in Elizabeth, where Cage Suttle was shot and killed in 2004.

ELIZABETH — A Pennsylvania man was sentenced today to 43 years in prison for fatally shooting a teenage drug dealer from Union County during a dispute over the amount of heroin in his order.

Dante Wilson, 28, of Pittsburgh will be required to serve 30 years of his term before becoming eligible for parole under the sentence imposed by Superior Court Judge Joseph Donohue in Elizabeth, said Assistant Union County Prosecutor James Donnelly.

Originally charged with murder, Wilson was convicted in May of aggravated manslaughter, weapons offenses and conspiracy to distribute heroin in the April 8, 2004, death of Cage Suttle, 16, of Elizabeth, who authorities described as a known drug dealer.

During the trial, prosecutors contended that Wilson and Eurie Nunley, who was 20 at the time, went to Elizabeth from their homes in Pittsburgh to get a supply of heroin.

Donnelly said they met Suttle in Elizabeth and drove him in a rented Ford Explorer to Marshall Street, where they started discussing a drug deal. The Elizabeth suppliers did not have the full amount of heroin that Wilson and Nunley were looking for, but Suttle tried to get the full price before giving them the complete order, Donnelly said.

During the argument, Suttle ran up Marshall Street while Wilson fired a handgun at him, striking him once in the arm, the upper back and the lower back, Donnelly said. A gun was not recovered, but investigators believe it was a .38- or a .357-caliber weapon that Nunley bought in Pittsburgh, the assistant prosecutor said.

After the shooting, a witness gave police the license plate number, which investigators traced to the sport utility vehicle rented by Nunley, Donnelly said. The vehicle was found on fire in Pittsburgh later that night.

The case took years to be resolved because authorities in Pennsylvania first had to address two separate homicide charges against Nunley and one against Wilson in their jurisdiction, Donnelly said. Those charges eventually were dropped because witnesses either disappeared or were killed, he said.

In the Elizabeth matter, Nunley was acquitted in May of murder but convicted of conspiracy to possess heroin with the intent to distribute and weapons offenses, Donnelly said. Nunley, who is awaiting sentencing, faces up to 20 years in prison.

EVESHAM — Township police took down a Facebook page posting the name and mugshots of people arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated, a report on CourierPostOnline.com said. The site was taken down Thursday after three days because DUI is a motor vehicle offense, not a criminal one in New Jersey, and the department needs to find out if the...

Facebook.comA screengrab of the Evesham Township police department's Facebook page.

EVESHAM — Township police took down a Facebook page posting the name and mugshots of people arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated, a report on CourierPostOnline.com said.

The site was taken down Thursday after three days because DUI is a motor vehicle offense, not a criminal one in New Jersey, and the department needs to find out if the practice is legal, according to the report. Police in the Burlington County township have already been posting up video surveillance clips, mugshots in other crimes, police reports, missing persons, and other policing initiatives, the report said.

RED BANK — A financial adviser in New Jersey who stole more than $700,000 from dozens of clients and spent the money himself is headed to state prison. Stephen Severio of Fair Haven received a seven-year term Friday. He also must make restitution to his victims. Severio pleaded guilty in February to commercial bribery and two counts of theft...

AP Photo/Mark LennihanMerill Lynch logo in a 2007 photo.

RED BANK — A financial adviser in New Jersey who stole more than $700,000 from dozens of clients and spent the money himself is headed to state prison.

Stephen Severio of Fair Haven received a seven-year term Friday. He also must make restitution to his victims.

Severio pleaded guilty in February to commercial bribery and two counts of theft by deception. His lawyer blamed Severio's actions on a severe gambling addiction, for which he is now receiving treatment.

Prosecutors say the 41-year-old Severio stole the money between July 2007 and December 2008 while working at Merrill Lynch's office in Red Bank. He persuaded at least 34 investors to withdraw funds from their Merrill Lynch accounts and reinvest the money through him.

Previous coverage:

• Former Merrill Lynch financial adviser admits stealing $700K from clients

• Former Monmouth County Merrill Lynch financial adviser accused of stealing $500K from clients

NEWARK — Since Friday night, Newark has seen four separate shootings in a bloody weekend spree, but authorities say none of the incidents were fatal. Newark Police declined to respond to inquiries surrounding the shootings, but law enforcement officials tonight confirmed that since 10:30 p.m. there have been four shootings, leaving four victims with serious injuries. Starting at 10:30...

Google MapsThe sites of four shootings that occurred in Newark in 24 hours.

NEWARK — Since Friday night, Newark has seen four separate shootings in a bloody weekend spree, but authorities say none of the incidents were fatal.

Newark Police declined to respond to inquiries surrounding the shootings, but law enforcement officials tonight confirmed that since 10:30 p.m. there have been four shootings, leaving four victims with serious injuries.

Starting at 10:30 p.m. Friday, law enforcement officials reported shootings at 288 Sussex Ave, 2 Roanoke Court and 972 South Orange Ave. All were within a span of three hours.

Tonight, another shooting was reported at 8 p.m. at 35 Van Vechten Street.

None of the shootings were fatal but the weekend's violence comes amid an increase in homicides this year over last.

NEWARK — Three more people were shot after midnight today in two separate incidents, continuing a violent weekend in the city, law enforcement officials said. The latest shootings brings to seven the number of people shot in a span of just over 24 hours, including three on Friday night and one Saturday . All of the victims survived. In...

Google MapsThree people were shot in two separate incidents early this morning in Newark.

NEWARK — Three more people were shot after midnight today in two separate incidents, continuing a violent weekend in the city, law enforcement officials said.

The latest shootings brings to seven the number of people shot in a span of just over 24 hours, including three on Friday night and one Saturday . All of the victims survived.

In the most recent burst of gunfire, a 17-year-old was shot on the 70 block of Crane Street, officials said. About the same time, two people were shot on the corner of Ivy Street and Sanford Avenue.

No further details were available and Newark Police declined to respond to inquiries surrounding the latest shootings.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, who was taken in for outstanding warrants, is second 'Jersey Shore' cast member arrested in 2 weeks

Andrew H. Walker/Getty ImagesRonnie Ortiz-Magro attends the "Jersey Shore" album release party at Marquee on July 13 in New York City.

SEASIDE HEIGHTS — The "Jersey Shore" cast members’ forays into the Jersey Shore legal system continued this weekend, according to Seaside Heights police.

Ronald “Ronnie” Ortiz-Magro, 24, was arrested at noon today for outstanding warrants from Annandale and Stewartsville.

Ortiz, of the Bronx, was taken into the Seaside Heights Police Department, where he was processed and released this afternoon after satisfying the conditions of the warrants.

Ortiz was also arrested last September by Seaside Heights officers after a brawl on the boardwalk.

Two weeks ago, fellow castmember Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi was arrested last month by Seaside Heights police for disorderly conduct.

Police could not be reached for further comment.

MTVThe eight original housemates from "Jersey Shore" reunited in South Beach for season 2 of the reality TV show.

Previous coverage:

• Snooki arrested in Seaside Heights: Jersey Shore update

• Christie calls 'Jersey Shore's' Snooki 'negative for N.J.'

• 'Jersey Shore' producers agree to tone down Italian-American references

• Snooki, 'Cake Boss' create a stir at Bayonne restaurant

LONDON — The regrets of a cancer expert who assessed the only man ever convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie jetliner bombing have intensified the anger felt by victims' relatives over Scotland's decision to release the Libyan on compassionate grounds. Professor Karol Sikora and other experts had said Abdel Baset al-Megrahi probably had only three months to live when he...

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerU.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, left, steps up to the microphone as U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, right, embraces Kathleen Flynn, of Montville, during a news conference at Newark Liberty International Airport on Aug. 2 to detail the senators latest efforts to understand the circumstances surrounding the release of convicted Lockerbie bomber.

LONDON — The regrets of a cancer expert who assessed the only man ever convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie jetliner bombing have intensified the anger felt by victims' relatives over Scotland's decision to release the Libyan on compassionate grounds.

Professor Karol Sikora and other experts had said Abdel Baset al-Megrahi probably had only three months to live when he was freed from a Scottish jail last August and allowed to return home to Libya. But one year later, Al-Megrahi, who is being treated for prostate cancer, is still alive.

Sikora, one of three experts who assessed al-Megrahi's health for Libyan authorities, was quoted by Britain's Observer newspaper today as saying he should have been more cautious about the chances of survival.

"If I could go back in time, I would have probably been more vague and tried to emphasize the statistical chances and not hard fact," Sikora was quoted as saying.

"In medicine we say 'Never say never and never say always,' because funny things happen. All you can do is give a statistical opinion," said Sikora, dean of the School of Medicine at Buckingham University, in central England.

Scottish authorities deny that the opinions of Sikora and the other experts who advised Libya entered into the decision to release al-Megrahi, though families contend that the advice must have played a role.

"It's obvious the whole thing was flawed," said Frank Duggan, president of the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, an advocacy group that represents some of the families of those killed.

Duggan said Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill had rejected a U.S. government request to commission an independent medical examination of al-Megrahi, and also has declined demands from families to publish in full the advice Scotland received from consultants.

"The Scottish government should be embarrassed and the U.K. government should be embarrassed," said Duggan, a retired lawyer from Rehoboth, Del., who advises some bereaved families. "It's no surprise to us that these doubts are coming out."

Al-Megrahi is the only person to have been jailed for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 above the small Scottish town of Lockerbie, which killed 259 people — mostly Americans — onboard and 11 on the ground.

He was convicted in 2001 and sentenced to serve at least 27 years in a Scottish prison, but released in August 2009 on compassionate grounds.

A report made public by Scottish authorities shows the Scottish Prison Service's medical chief, Andrew Fraser, was advised by four specialists at the time of al-Megrahi's release. The report described the three-month prognosis for al-Megrahi as "reasonable," but confirmed that none of those consulted ruled out that al-Megrahi might live longer.

Sikora said he was not taking responsibility for al-Megrahi's release. "No one asked me, 'Should we let him out?' All they said was, 'When do you think he will die?'" he was quoted as saying.

Rev. John Mosey, from Worcestershire, England, whose daughter Helga, 19, died in the bombing, said it was wrong to criticize those who had assessed al-Megrahi.

"The doctors in the case have been dragged through the mud, when really it is very difficult to assess how long someone will survive," he said. "It was a difficult decision to make and was made in good faith."

Susan Cohen, of Cape May Court House, N.J., whose 20-year-old daughter, Theodora, died in the attack, said Sikora's comments were the latest insult to the victims' loved ones.

"This is an added kick in the face and another example of them throwing rocks in the face of the families," Cohen said today. "This whole thing is about business interests, money and making profits," she said, referring to allegations that oil giant BP pressured Scotland to free al-Megrahi so it could win access to Libyan oil reserves.

MacAskill has denied BP had any role in the release of al-Megrahi. Former BP chief executive John Browne, who stepped down in 2007, said Saturday he held two meetings with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi but never discussed the release of prisoners.

BP has acknowledged that it lobbied the U.K. government as Britain and Libya were negotiating a prisoner transfer agreement — known as a PTA — in autumn 2007, but said it had not raised al-Megrahi's case. Al-Megrahi was not released under the deal, as he was freed on compassionate grounds rather than transferred to serve out his sentence.

"The PTA happened after I left the company. I went to see Col. Gadhafi twice and I think I moved things forward, but there was no discussion about the PTA and no agreement for exploration made at that time," Browne said, speaking Saturday at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Last week, four Democratic U.S. senators — Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer of New York and Bob Menendez and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey — sent a letter to Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond asking that al-Megrahi's full medical records be disclosed.

"We've never seen that medical evidence. We now know from the prison doctor that the cancer experts were not absolute in their view that al-Megrahi only had three months to live, so there is a lot of confusion here," Annabel Goldie, a Conservative Party lawmaker in Scotland's Parliament, said today.

Duggan said Scottish authorities have repeatedly cited patients' confidentiality as their reason for not disclosing the records.

Sikora told the Observer he remains certain al-Megrahi will die of cancer, "I suspect in the next few weeks. To tell the truth, I'll be quite glad because we can move on."

ATLANTIC CITY — Several charges have been filed against a Pennsylvania man accused of attacking two lifeguards at an Atlantic City beach. Authorities say 26-year-old Travis Beaston of Lewiston was on a potentially dangerous rock pile around 2:30 p.m. Saturday when a lifeguard blew his whistle and told him to come down. Beaston ignored several warnings, then began arguing with...

ATLANTIC CITY — Several charges have been filed against a Pennsylvania man accused of attacking two lifeguards at an Atlantic City beach.

Authorities say 26-year-old Travis Beaston of Lewiston was on a potentially dangerous rock pile around 2:30 p.m. Saturday when a lifeguard blew his whistle and told him to come down. Beaston ignored several warnings, then began arguing with the lifeguards.

He allegedly punched one lifeguard and then struck the other before fleeing, but was captured by police a short time later. He faces two counts each of aggravated assault and assault on an emergency services worker.

Neither lifeguard was seriously injured.

A telephone listing for Beaston could not be located today.

TRENTON — Gregory Leary, one of the five men and boys charged with gang-raping a 7-year-old girl, says he never touched the girl and is unsure anything criminal happened to her that day. "I wouldn't hurt no baby. She's somebody's angel," Leary told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview from the Mercer County Correctional Center, where he has...

Alex Zdan/Trenton TimesExterior shot of Rowan Towers apartments on West State Street in Trenton, New Jersey, where a 7-year-old girl was sexually assaulted.

TRENTON — Gregory Leary, one of the five men and boys charged with gang-raping a 7-year-old girl, says he never touched the girl and is unsure anything criminal happened to her that day.

"I wouldn't hurt no baby. She's somebody's angel," Leary told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview from the Mercer County Correctional Center, where he has been locked up since April.

Police say the 7-year-old was prostituted out by her 15-year-old stepsister, who watched as the youngster was raped by as many as seven men and boys at a party in a vacant Rowan Towers apartment on March 28. Investigators said as many as a dozen people were at the party in the crime-plagued public housing complex a mile away from the dome of the New Jersey statehouse.

Authorities arrested the 15-year-old stepsister, Leary, 20, Tiemare Lewis, 19, and his 17-year-old cousin, and two boys ages 13 and 14.

From behind a plexiglass window at the jail, Leary said he went to Rowan Towers after getting a tattoo on his lower forearm in memory of his friend, Roger Gonzalez. The big bubble letters of the tattoo read "RIP Poppy," a tribute, he said, to the 31-year-old who was shot in the head on Feb. 5 in a dispute between two factions of the Bloods street gang.

Leary said there were seven or eight people hanging out at the apartment besides the two sisters. The two youngest boys charged in the case were not there, he added.

The 7-year-old repeatedly annoyed them by asking her sister to go home, he said. He gave her a few dollars for the vending machine downstairs to get her out of the apartment because he thought it was inappropriate for her to be there.

He stressed that he was not paying her to let anyone touch her.

The girl didn't leave, but waited in the living room as he and a few other friends went into a back bedroom with her 15-year-old sister. He said several people had sex with the 15-year-old, whom he said seemed very willing. Leary wouldn't say who was in the room or who had sex with her, but police and his lawyer have said he admitted to having sex with the 15-year-old.

He said the 7-year-old didn't come into the room while he was there and that he never saw anyone touch her — a claim that muddies a theory his attorney, Robin Lord, plans to present at trial.

Lord said she thinks the little girl was describing sex acts she saw her sister participate in, telling police and her parents it happened to her so she wouldn't get into trouble for staying out too late.

He said he had never met the girls before that day. In fact, he claims he still doesn't know the name of the 15-year-old.