TRENTON — The allegations were unthinkable, the outrage immediate, justice promised: A 7-year-old girl had been handed over to a group of men and boys by her older 15-year-old stepsister and gang-raped. "What happened to this 7-year-old angel ... by a group of depraved, animal pedophiles ranks in a place where I could never imagine. This is not the...

Martin Griff/The TimesFrom left, Trenton Police Detective Captain Joseph Juniak, Trenton Police Director Irving Bradley, Jr., and Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer talk about the case of a 7-year-old girl who was raped on Sunday night, during a press conference at City Hall on March 31.

TRENTON — The allegations were unthinkable, the outrage immediate, justice promised: A 7-year-old girl had been handed over to a group of men and boys by her older 15-year-old stepsister and gang-raped.

"What happened to this 7-year-old angel ... by a group of depraved, animal pedophiles ranks in a place where I could never imagine. This is not the Congo," said then-Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer three days after the March 28 party in a vacant apartment in one of Trenton's toughest neighborhoods.

Police said they were taking the case personally. Palmer vowed everyone in the apartment would "suffer the full weight of the legal system." Activists promised to patrol the neighborhood to protect the troubled public housing complex. The stepsister was immediately arrested and, within days, so were five males — three of them juveniles.

Nearly five months later, vows for legal vengeance are falling short and officials aren't talking. Calls for justice have quieted and defense attorneys are raising questions about what happened — or didn't happen — that day.

"The case is falling apart and I think it's time to address that," said Bruce Throckmorton, the attorney for one of the juvenile defendants.

The girls were outside their apartment building with other kids that Sunday afternoon. When they didn't come inside by 4:30 p.m., their parents called police, saying they were concerned the older girl had run away from home, taking her younger sister with her.

An officer arrived. Before long, so did the 7-year-old. She said she and her sister had been at Rowan Towers, the apartment complex next door.

Police said two women found the little girl crying outside an apartment and walked her home. The girl told her parents that her stepsister gave her money to let men touch her, which led to sexual assault.

Officers quickly located the 15-year-old and arrested her for promoting prostitution, aggravated sexual assault and other charges.

Police said they wanted to talk to everyone who had been in the apartment when the 7-year-old was there — as many as a dozen people — and warned they all could be culpable.

Within a week, five more arrests in the alleged assault had been made: Gregory Leary, 20; Tiemare Lewis, 19; and three juveniles ages 17, 14 and 13. Leary and the 13- and 14-year-old remain in custody.

The county prosecutor said he would move to have the underage suspects tried as adults, including the stepsister.

Police said they had DNA evidence and expected more arrests.

Yet no other arrests have materialized. The three juveniles haven't been moved up to adult court and instead have been offered plea deals in exchange for testimony against the two men.

And prosecutors have revealed in court papers that preliminary DNA tests showed no semen was found in samples taken from the girl.

Trenton police Sgt. Pedro Medina said police do not have enough probable cause to make any more arrests. He would not discuss other elements of the case.

Defense attorney Robin Lord, who represents Leary, said police "started from a false premise." At Leary's first court appearance, Lord bluntly told the judge that she doesn't believe the girl was raped at all.

"At this point, they should give up and apologize to Mr. Leary and the other defendants for this horrific false allegation," Lord later said.

Prosecutors say they plan to bring the case to a grand jury next month. In the meantime, they agreed to lower bail for Leary and Lewis. Lewis has made bail and the 17-year-old, his cousin, was released with a GPS monitoring bracelet.

Lord said the bail reduction indicates weak evidence.

"If they had physical evidence that was consistent with what they said, there is no way the prosecutor would consent to reducing the bail by more than a third," Lord said.

Mercer County prosecutor Joseph Bocchini declined to comment.

"Every decision we have made has been based upon the evidence as we knew it to be and the law governing the case," said his spokeswoman, Casey DeBlasio.

In an exclusive interview with the Associated Press from jail, Leary denied touching the young girl.

"I wouldn't hurt no baby. She's somebody's angel," Leary said.

Prosecutors said they have witnesses, including the juvenile suspects, who said they saw him "on top of her."

But Leary said the two youngest boys weren't at the party and Throckmorton said his client, the 14-year-old, told him he wasn't at the party.

Leary is charged with aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child. He is also accused of statutory rape of the 15-year-old.

Police and his attorney say he admitted having sex with the 15-year-old — he said she claimed to be 18 — but denied he had sex with the younger girl.

Attorneys for the youngest juveniles say they were pressured into talking to police and may have lied because they were scared.

Attorney Mark Fury, who represents the 13-year-old, said the police used "inappropriate methods" to get information from the younger boys.

"Every child has the right of access to their parent or guardian at every step of the judicial process."

Lewis also denies the charges. His mother, Tracy Lewis, has said he was in the apartment but "he didn't touch anyone" — a claim supported by the 7-year-old's stepfather.

The stepfather has defended the three oldest male suspects, saying they tried to help the little girl get out of the apartment. The Associated Press does not identify sex crime victims and is not naming the stepfather so as not to identify the sisters.

Lord said she will argue the rape never happened. She believes 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.

In a May 28 court filing, Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Downing said other physical evidence in this case is consistent with sexual assault. Most of the state's cases are prosecuted without DNA evidence, she said.

BOSTON — A former medical student accused of killing a masseuse he met through Craigslist committed suicide in the Boston jail where he was awaiting trial, authorities said Sunday. Philip Markoff, 24, was found unresponsive in his cell Sunday morning in the Nashua Street Jail, the Suffolk County district attorney's office said in an e-mailed statement, and he was...

AP Photo/Bizuayehu TesfayeFormer Boston University medical student Philip Markoff, center, stands with his attorney John Salsberg, right, during his arraignment in Suffolk Superior Court on June 22, 2009 in Boston.

BOSTON — A former medical student accused of killing a masseuse he met through Craigslist committed suicide in the Boston jail where he was awaiting trial, authorities said Sunday.

Philip Markoff, 24, was found unresponsive in his cell Sunday morning in the Nashua Street Jail, the Suffolk County district attorney's office said in an e-mailed statement, and he was pronounced dead at about 10:15 a.m.

"Markoff was alone in his cell, and all evidence collected thus far indicates that he took his own life," the statement said.

Authorities will investigate to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding his death, the district attorney said.

Saturday would have been Markoff's first wedding anniversary, but his nuptials were canceled after his arrest.

Markoff, a former Boston University student, pleaded not guilty in the fatal shooting of Julissa Brisman, of New York City, and the armed robbery of a Las Vegas woman. Both crimes happened at Boston hotels within the span of four days in April 2009. Rhode Island prosecutors also accused him of attacking a stripper that week.

His trial in the Massachusetts cases was expected in March.

Markoff's lawyer, John Salsberg, said he was shocked and saddened about his client's death. He would not comment further.

Markoff had met the women through advertisements for erotic services posted on Craigslist, a classified advertising Web site, prosecutors said.

The Boston Police Department crime lab identified two blood stains taken from swabs on a handgun that was seized during a search of Markoff's apartment in Quincy, Mass., said prosecutors, who alleged Markoff used the weapon to bludgeon Brisman before she was shot three times at close range.

Investigators also found several other items in the apartment, including four pairs of women's underwear wrapped inside socks and hidden in a box spring, authorities said.

Markoff was engaged at the time of his arrest. His fiancee, Megan McAllister, ended the relationship with Markoff after visiting him in jail, and their wedding, scheduled for Aug. 14, 2009, was canceled.

In April 2009, Markoff, who had been arrested during a traffic stop as he drove to a Connecticut casino, was placed on suicide watch at the jail where he was being held. Newspaper reports said authorities had found shoelace marks on his neck.

Markoff's parents, Susan Haynes and Richard Markoff, didn't speak to reporters about their son at the time but said through his attorney they loved him very much and supported him. The attorney said then the parents were "very concerned about him," but he wouldn't discuss his client's condition.

Former Philadelphia KiXX soccer player Matt Maher visited 34 high schools and colleges to talk to students before his sentencing for fatal crash

Robert Sciarrino/The Star-LedgerMatt Maher, a inmate at the Mid-State Correctional Facility is serving a five and a half year term for causing the death of Hort Kap last year. Maher is a former pro soccer player who is devoting his life to informing teens on the dangers of drunk driving.

As a professional soccer player, Matt Maher could always protect the goal. But in the courtroom last January, he was without a defense.

Maher was wholly responsible for the drunk driving death of a Philadelphia man named Hort Kap. Under a cloud of remorse and shame, the best he could offer was a promise to honor the life he had taken.

Noun Ung, the third of Kap’s six children, would tell Maher how he destroyed his world in the early morning of March 7, 2009. But moments later, he threw Maher a lifeline of forgiveness and a long embrace amid a flood of tears. The families of offender and victim later joined in prayer.

Recalling that memory in his drab gray scrubs from a dark visitors room at the Mid-State Correctional Facility, Maher comes to light.

"The weight of the world had been lifted," he said. "I did not even care about anything else at that point. The judge could have said 10 years. I would have said, ‘Thank you.’"

Maher, 26, was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison under a plea agreement.

In the three months preceding his incarceration, he visited 34 high schools and colleges in southern New Jersey, to tell in stirring detail how one irresponsible decision can take and change lives. While imprisoned, he wants to continue living up to his word to Kap’s family by speaking to more New Jersey students.

The South Jersey Traffic Safety Alliance is urging the New Jersey Department of Corrections to allow Maher to take part in its Project P.R.I.D.E (Promoting Responsibility in Drug Education) program while his compelling story and impact are still fresh.

But under rules of the program, which allows minimum-custody offenders to warn of their experiences with drugs and alcohol to students, Maher will not be eligible to speak until he has 24 months left of his minimum sentence - which would be in August, 2012.

"At that point, it loses its power somewhat," said Teresa Thomas, program manager of the SJTSA. "He is a very popular figure in South Jersey and still at an age that kids can identify with him. They wait until 2012, it loses something."

Maher hopes somehow the authorities will reconsider.

"I know I have to be here for what I’ve done - I want to be here for what I’ve done," he said. "But if I could be used now as a resource for a positive direction and reinforcement, then why not use me and take me right back?"

COLLISION

Two very different worlds collided on March 7, 2009.

Maher was a soccer star at Middle Township High School in Cape May County and later Temple University. After graduating from Temple’s Fox School of Business in 2008, he fulfilled his dream of playing professional soccer, first with the Carolina Railhawks of the North American Soccer League and then the New Jersey Ironmen, the Newark-based professional indoor team.

In January, 2009, Maher joined the Philadelphia KiXX of the Major Indoor Soccer League, playing alongside his brother, Anthony, But that shining moment fizzled on March 1, when he blew out his knee by making a simple turn.

The following Friday night, Maher found himself at a Philadelphia bar bemoaning a career in peril. He knocked down three shots and later decided on a whim to drive to Atlantic City with a friend.

Hort Kap escaped the killing fields of the violent Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia in 1980. After a brief stay in the Philippines, he and his wife emigrated to the Bronx before moving to Philadelphia in 1996. He was a factory worker. They raised six children on his wage.

"Because he struggled, he pushed us in school and gave us the hard-knock life stories," said Somaly Ung, Kap’s oldest child. "He thought we had the opportunities to go to school for free and we should take advantage of it, which we did. Growing up in New York public schools is tough, but he would always tell us to ignore the ignorance of other kids and just focus on our education."

According to State Police, Maher was driving his Cadillac Escalade more than 100 miles per hour on the Atlantic City Expressway in Hamilton Township when he struck Kapp’s minivan from behind. The minivan swerved, hit a guardrail and overturned. Kapp, who was wearing a seat belt, was declared dead at the scene. He was 55.

Maher’s blood-alcohol content was 0.21, nearly three times the legal limit. He didn’t realize anyone had died until he was in police custody.

"I thought it was just an accident," he recalled. "I was fine. My passenger was fine. Then I heard this terrible news and I was just blind sided. I still can’t wrap my head around it. It’s what eats me up."

HIS MESSAGE

As horrific as that moment was, Maher made it a focus point for the 7,000 students he addressed. The impact of his presentations isn’t quantifiable, but Maher did receive one telling e-mail from a Charter Tech student who chose to go home on a Friday night, rather than continue on with a driver whose speech started to slur.

That driver later crashed into a telephone pole. The student wrote that if Maher hadn’t spoken at the Somers Point school earlier that day he and his friend "would be in the ground."

Andrea Maher, mother of Matt, said she has received similar feedback from a website she runs called themattmaherstory.com, which chronicles Maher’s past, current and future stories. It has received over 30,000 hits since it opened on April 1.

"I can give you hundreds of messages from kids who say Matt’s story gives them pause about getting in a car after a drink," she said. "It’s amazing."

Ung said she was initially "furious" with how media outlets focused on Maher, the soccer star, more than her father, the victim. But she says Kap didn’t want his children "to live with anger." She now has a friendship with Andrea Maher and supports Matt Maher’s efforts to get his word out.

"I feel it may make a difference in the younger generations," she said. "The bad decisions we make, even that one time, can impact your life forever. Hopefully, that message will get across to all drivers."

Michael Ritter, Project P.R.I.D.E. coordinator for the New Jersey Department of Corrections, maintains only inmates with full-minimum status can apply for the program. He said there have been no previous exceptions and there will likely be no future exceptions.

"It’s a security issue and a custody issue," Ritter said.

In the meantime, Maher hopes for a change in policy. He does so knowing that there will be detractors skeptical of his mission.

"I get it," he said. "People out there might say, ‘I don’t want to hear this. What you did was terrible.’ And that’s fine, because I did was terrible.

"But there are a lot of kids out there who looked up to me. Those kids need to see someone owning up to a mistake and avoid making one on their own. They don’t see that often in today’s world. So that’s my own response to those people. I’m just trying to help others out."

Prosecutor to ask for 364 days in county jail for former Olympian

Hudson County Prosecutor's OfficeFormer figure skating champion Nicole Bobek, seen in her mugshot from last year will be sentenced today for her role in a New Jersey drug ring.

JERSEY CITY — Former U.S. figure skating champion Nicole Bobek faces sentencing today for her admitted role in a northern New Jersey drug distribution ring.

Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Lisa Ledoux says she won't press for prison time. She will ask for a penalty of 364 days in the county jail with no probation.

Bobek pleaded guilty in June to a charge of conspiring to distribute crystal methamphetamine.

The 32-year-old was among 28 people charged last July with running a network that allegedly distributed $10,000 worth of methamphetamine per week.

The alleged leader of the group, Edward Cruz Jr., was sentenced Aug. 12 to 16 years in prison.

Bobek, of Jupiter, Fla., won the U.S. figure skating title in 1995.

Previous coverage:

• Leader of Hudson County drug ring gets 16 years in prison after taking plea bargain

• Olympian Nicole Bobek was a hit at Hudson County jail, inmates say

• Former figure skating champ Nicole Bobek makes bail on drug charges

• Nicole Bobek's mother: Former skater arrested on meth charge liked to party

• Former skating champ Nicole Bobek is charged with 'significant role' in drug ring

HILLSBOROUGH — A former teacher has admitted she was drunk when she caused a three-car crash that seriously injured five people in Somerset County last year. Erin Markakis of Bridgewater pleaded guilty Friday to five counts of assault by auto in connection with the Aug. 18 crash in Hillsborough. Two adults and three children were hurt in the accident,...

Googlel mapsA map view of Dukes Parkway West in Hillsborough, where Erin Markakis was involved in an automobile accident that injured five. She plead guilty to assault by auto on Friday and faces up to 364 days in county jail.

HILLSBOROUGH — A former teacher has admitted she was drunk when she caused a three-car crash that seriously injured five people in Somerset County last year.

Erin Markakis of Bridgewater pleaded guilty Friday to five counts of assault by auto in connection with the Aug. 18 crash in Hillsborough. Two adults and three children were hurt in the accident, but all have since recovered.

In return, Somerset County prosecutors will recommended she serve a 364-day county jail term and 75 hours of community service.

The 27-year-old — who had been a fourth-grade teacher in Bedminster — also pleaded guilty to drunken driving and could get a separate 30-day term on that charge when she's sentenced Sept. 24.

Markakis — who has been arrested for drunken driving two more times since the crash — is now being treated for alcohol abuse.

Previous coverage:

• Suspended Bedminster teacher charged with DWI again

• Bedminster teacher accused of DWI faces more charges in Hillsborough crash

• Hillsborough woman charged in crash that injured six people is Bedminster teacher

• Hillsborough woman charged with DWI in crash that injured 6

Former Olympian was among 28 arrested in drug distribution network

Reena Rose Sibayan / The Jersey JournalFormer U.S. figure skater Nicole Bobek, pictured on the screen in this 2009 photo, was sentenced to five years probation for her role in a northern N.J. drug ring.

JERSEY CITY — Former U.S. figure skating champion Nicole Bobek has been sentenced to five years probation for her role in a northern New Jersey drug distribution ring.

Bobek choked up as she spoke of how sorry she was during sentencing in Jersey City today. The 32-year-old pleaded guilty in June to a charge of conspiring to distribute crystal methamphetamine.

She was among 28 people accused last July of running a network that allegedly distributed $10,000 worth of methamphetamine per week.

The alleged leader of the group, Edward Cruz Jr., was sentenced Aug. 12 to 16 years in prison.

The Jupiter, Fla., resident won the U.S. figure skating title in 1995, but finished 17th at the 1998 Winter Olympics.

Previous coverage:

• Leader of Hudson County drug ring gets 16 years in prison after taking plea bargain

• Olympian Nicole Bobek was a hit at Hudson County jail, inmates say

• Former figure skating champ Nicole Bobek makes bail on drug charges

• Nicole Bobek's mother: Former skater arrested on meth charge liked to party

• Former skating champ Nicole Bobek is charged with 'significant role' in drug ring

NEW BRUNSWICK — Three teenagers, ranging from 17 to 19, broke into a New Brunswick home early today, then fled when confronted by a resident, only to be apprehended minutes later, authorities said. Jonathan Ortiz, 19, of New Brunswick; Julio Torres, 19, of the Somerset section of Franklin Township; and a 17-year-old juvenile from Piscataway were arrested shortly before...

Google MapsGoodale Circle in New Brunswick, where a home was burglarized this morning.

NEW BRUNSWICK — Three teenagers, ranging from 17 to 19, broke into a New Brunswick home early today, then fled when confronted by a resident, only to be apprehended minutes later, authorities said.

Jonathan Ortiz, 19, of New Brunswick; Julio Torres, 19, of the Somerset section of Franklin Township; and a 17-year-old juvenile from Piscataway were arrested shortly before 3 a.m., Lt. J.T. Miller said.

He said officers developed evidence from an earlier break-in in Piscataway, and police from that township were already investigating the three suspects.

At 2:40 a.m., police received a 911 call from a resident of Goodale Circle, in the Rutgers Village section of New Brunswick, Miller said.

Minutes later, officers stopped a car matching the victim's description, the lieutenant said.

Ortiz and Torres were each charged with burglary and underage consumption of alcohol after officers found an open alcoholic beverage container in the car, Miller said.

Both suspects were being held on $35,000. The juvenile faces the same charges under the juvenile delinquency statutes, the lieutenant said.

FORT LEE — An appeals court panel has ruled that Fort Lee police should have obtained a search warrant in 2003 before they searched a vehicle they said belonged to suspects in robberies in four counties. The failure to obtain a warrant led to the judges overturning the robbery convictions in Middlesex County of an East Orange woman and a...

FORT LEE — An appeals court panel has ruled that Fort Lee police should have obtained a search warrant in 2003 before they searched a vehicle they said belonged to suspects in robberies in four counties.

The failure to obtain a warrant led to the judges overturning the robbery convictions in Middlesex County of an East Orange woman and a Linden man. Their cases were remanded for new trials.

"Under the circumstances presented here, the warrantless search of the (vehicle) was unconstitutional," the judges said in the 21-page published decision. "The vehicle was in police custody, and there was no danger that the evidence would be lost, compromised, or destroyed."

The judges said the police should have obtained a search warrant while they had possession of the SUV and before searching it.

The judges said the evidence obtained from the red SUV, including classified advertising sections from several additions of The Star-Ledger that listed massage parlors, should have been suppressed and not used against Alnesha Minitee and Darnell Bland.

The pair, along with two others, were arrested in January 2003 in Fort Lee. Authorities said they attempted to flee an armed robbery of another massage parlor in Fort Lee.

Minitee, then 26, Bland, then 32, Almustafa Baldwin, then 29, and Lakesha Jones, also 29 when arrested, were charged with armed robberies out of Bergen, Middlesex, Essex and Somerset counties.

Baldwin pleaded guilty to the three Somerset County robberies in 2005 and Bland pleaded guilty to the Middlesex County robberies, but reserved his right to appeal the denial of his motion to suppress the evidence in the SUV. Jones either was convicted or pleaded guilty to robbery and other charges out of all four counties and is not eligible for parole until 2022.

Minitee went to trial in 2006 before Superior Court Judge Melvin Gelade who ruled the search of the SUV, which belonged to her, was legal. She was convicted and is not eligible for parole until 2014.

Tom Rosenthal, a spokesman for the state Public Defender's office which represented Minitee and Bland, said today's decision applies to the indictment in Middlesex County, not to the charges in the other counties.

"Any other application (of the decision) has not been determined," Rosenthal said.

EATONTOWN — The former head of construction for the electronics store chain P.C. Richard & Son pleaded guilty in federal court in Newark today today to accepting $80,000 in bribes from a New Jersey construction company. John Pietsch, 49, of Suffolk County, N.Y., told a federal judge he took the money in exchange for steering jobs to the firm,...

Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-LedgerA Star-Ledger file photo of the federal courthouse in Newark.

EATONTOWN — The former head of construction for the electronics store chain P.C. Richard & Son pleaded guilty in federal court in Newark today today to accepting $80,000 in bribes from a New Jersey construction company.

John Pietsch, 49, of Suffolk County, N.Y., told a federal judge he took the money in exchange for steering jobs to the firm, Designline Construction Services, of Eatontown.

The president of Designline, David Slabon, pleaded guilty last month to paying the bribes and over billing P.C. Richard by $2.5 million for his firm's work on a warehouse and office facility in Carteret. Three other Designline employees have also pleaded guilty in connection to the scheme.

Slabon also admitted paying bribes to the company that runs Charlie Brown’s chain of restaurants.

He remains free on $100,000 bail. U.S. District Judge Dickinson R. Debevoise scheduled his sentencing for Nov. 15.

Under the terms of his plea deal, Slabon faces up to two years in prison, according to Christopher J. Kelly, an assistant U.S. attorney.

WOODBRIDGE — A father charged with killing his 3-month-old daughter by throwing her into the Raritan River had hours earlier brutally beaten the maternal grandmother, according to an indictment handed up today. Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem was indicted on charges of murder, kidnapping, attempted murder, endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated assault in the killing of Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem,...

Tony KurdzukThe Star-LedgerSeen on a video conference screen from the Essex County Jail, Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem, right, 21, of Galloway Township, Atlantic County appears with his defense attorney Richard "Red" Barker (left) for his arraignment at the Middlesex County Courthouse in this March 2010 photo.

WOODBRIDGE — A father charged with killing his 3-month-old daughter by throwing her into the Raritan River had hours earlier brutally beaten the maternal grandmother, according to an indictment handed up today.

Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem was indicted on charges of murder, kidnapping, attempted murder, endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated assault in the killing of Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem, and the attack on the woman, the state Attorney General’s Office said.

Attorney General Paula Dow, whose office is handling the prosecution, said the indictment "represents important progress in our quest for justice for Baby Zara," whose death she called "a heartbreaking case of domestic violence."

Abdur-Raheem, 22, of Galloway Township, allegedly forced his way into the grandmother’s home in East Orange on Feb. 16, according to the seven-page indictment of a state grand jury. He then struck Leno Benjamin, 60, "in the head and face, choking her neck and banging her head against the floor," states the indictment. In her desperation to save the child, the woman followed him and got in front of his Dodge Caravan, which struck her as it accelerated away, the indictment read.

Abdur-Raheem drove to the Driscoll Bridge in Woodbridge Township, where he threw or dropped Zara out the front passenger window into the river, the attorney general’s office said.

The infant fell an estimated 140 feet from the bridge; divers searched the area for several days but could not find her. The body was discovered more than two months later on the riverbank, near the Route 35 Victory Bridge.

A woman who identified herself as Abdur-Raheem’s mother described her son as "very depressed."

In a brief phone conversation today, the woman, who would not give her name, said she supports her son, but would not do so "if I thought he was evil. Unfortunately this situation happened. He was stressed to that point," she said.

The woman wouldn’t address the allegations against her son except to say Leno Benjamin ran into her son’s vehicle. "If he wanted to run her over, he would have."

A day before the abduction, the baby’s mother, Venetta Benjamin, had gone to East Orange police for a temporary restraining order against Abdur-Raheem, her estranged boyfriend. Venetta Benjamin claimed the officers told her to file the next day, citing the Presidents’ Day holiday. Hours before that order could be served, Abdur-Raheem went to the East Orange home where Benjamin, 23, and her daughter had recently moved.

In May, Mitchell Liebowitz, who is Benjamin’s lawyer, gave notice of his client’s intention to file a lawsuit. Neither Liebowitz nor the Benjamin family would comment.

The killing gained widespread attention and also raised questions about the state’s Amber Alert guidelines and how they applied to family abductions. It led to new guidelines giving law enforcement a clear set of questions to ask callers reporting a domestic abduction.

After allegedly tossing the baby, Abdur-Raheem had gone to see his imam in Atlantic City, and the imam drove him to the home of a relative, who called police.

Abdur-Raheem, who authorities say admitted to tossing the baby, has pleaded not guilty. He is being held at Essex County Jail with bail set at $2 million.

Richard P. Klein, Abdur-Raheem’s attorney said "we will explore every legal option available to my client." Klein, of East Brunswick, said the case will be heard in Middlesex County and arraignment is expected to take place within the month.

BRIDGEWATER — The son of a Bridgewater woman is suing the three men authorities have charged with sexually assaulting and killing his mother. Charles Stone Jr. of Branchburg says David Granskie Jr., Gary Wilson and Rocky DiTaranto engaged in conduct so negligent and reckless that it caused the death of Carolyn Stone, 45, on May 24, 2009. The complaint...

Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerGary Wilson,left, Rocky DiTaranto, center, and David Granskie Jr., right, are accused of sexually assaulting and killing Carolyn Stone, 45, in her backyard on May 24 in Bridgewater. They appear before Somerset County Superior Court Judge Robert Reed this morning for an arraignment and status conference.

BRIDGEWATER — The son of a Bridgewater woman is suing the three men authorities have charged with sexually assaulting and killing his mother.

Charles Stone Jr. of Branchburg says David Granskie Jr., Gary Wilson and Rocky DiTaranto engaged in conduct so negligent and reckless that it caused the death of Carolyn Stone, 45, on May 24, 2009.

The complaint filed Aug. 11 in Superior Court in Somerville also names Grankie’s father, David Granskie Sr., as a defendant. The elder Granskie was Carolyn Stone’s boyfriend and he owned the home on Oak Street in Bridgewater, where the woman lived and where her partially clothed body was found during the Memorial Day Weekend, authorities have said.

The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office has charged Granskie, 23, Wilson, 27, and DiTaranto, 24, with first-degree murder, aggravated sexual assault and conspiracy to commit murder as well as second-degree conspiracy to commit aggravated sexual assault. They could face life in prison if convicted. David Granskie Sr. was not charged with her death. The criminal matters are still pending before Superior Court Judge John Pursel, and Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Rocchietti is handling the case for the state.

While the trials are still pending, attorney Beverly Wurth, of the Bridgewater-based firm Radom & Wetter, filed the complaint last week. With multiple defendants and attorneys in the criminal matter, "it’s possible that this might not get tried until past next May, which would put us past the statute of limitations," Wurth said.

Stone, 18, is the youngest of three childrenHe filed the suit with the consent of his sisters, Kelly, 20, and Christina, 23.

So far, the trio have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Public defender Christopher Kazlau represents Wilson and declined comment today. DiTaranto’s lawyer James Wronko said he and his client will not discuss the civil case until he is served with the complaint.

Katharine Errickson represents Granskie in the criminal case. "It’s too soon to say whether I would be representing David in any civil suit that’s currently pending," she said. "As you know, the criminal matter is priority."

David Granskie Sr. declined comment.

IRVINGTON - An unidentified man was killed by gunfire in Irvington late last night, authorities said. The only details available last night were the victim died around 10:30 p.m. after being shot at least once in the 100 block of Florence Avenue, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Information regarding a suspect...

IRVINGTON - An unidentified man was killed by gunfire in Irvington late last night, authorities said.

The only details available last night were the victim died around 10:30 p.m. after being shot at least once in the 100 block of Florence Avenue, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Information regarding a suspect or motive was not not available, but anyone with information is asked to call the Prosecutor’s Office anonyomous tips line at (877) 847-7432.

IRVINGTON— A 24-year-old man was fatally shot late Monday night outside his Irvington home, two days after getting shot in a separate burst of gunfire in Newark on Sunday morning, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said today. Investigators are looking at whether the two shooting were related. David Bravo was shot multiple times at 10:19 p.m. Monday as he...

Google Maps100 block of Florence Avenue in Irvington

IRVINGTON— A 24-year-old man was fatally shot late Monday night outside his Irvington home, two days after getting shot in a separate burst of gunfire in Newark on Sunday morning, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said today.

Investigators are looking at whether the two shooting were related.

David Bravo was shot multiple times at 10:19 p.m. Monday as he stood on his porch on the 100 block of Florence Avenue in Irvington, said Katherine Carter, the prosecutor's office spokeswoman. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Bravo was one of three people shot around 1 a.m. Sunday at a Getty gas station in Newark, at Sanford Avenue and Mount Vernon Place. He received minor injuries, and was treated and released from the hospital.

PASSAIC — A 21-year-old Paterson man has been charged with aggravated assault and two weapons offenses after an early Monday morning incident in which he waved a machete at two people, according to a report on NorthJersey.com. Fernando Guerrero, 21, is being held on $75,000 bail, but a second man escaped in a light-colored vehicle. No one was injured....

Google mapsA map view of the intersection of Hammond Avenue and Oak Street in Passaic.

PASSAIC — A 21-year-old Paterson man has been charged with aggravated assault and two weapons offenses after an early Monday morning incident in which he waved a machete at two people, according to a report on NorthJersey.com.

Fernando Guerrero, 21, is being held on $75,000 bail, but a second man escaped in a light-colored vehicle.

No one was injured.

SOUTH AMBOY — South Amboy officials today said they have finally succeeded in closing down the Delilah's Den all-nude juice bar on Route 35 after a more than 10-year battle. Mayor John O'Leary, in a statement released today, said a settlement was reached with the current owner, S.A. Holding LLC, on July 29 to end all litigation surrounding the...

Google MapsA map view of Delilah's Den in South Amboy, which is closing down.

SOUTH AMBOY — South Amboy officials today said they have finally succeeded in closing down the Delilah's Den all-nude juice bar on Route 35 after a more than 10-year battle.

Mayor John O'Leary, in a statement released today, said a settlement was reached with the current owner, S.A. Holding LLC, on July 29 to end all litigation surrounding the last adult nightclub in the city.

"The city has fought this entity at every turn, from First Amendment challenges to bankruptcy court. We're happy to finally be rid of the all-nude operation," O'Leary said in a statement.

The owners could not be immediately reached.

South Amboy reached an agreement with the then-owner, Jerry Shamy, in 2001 to close the establishment, but he later filed a federal court suit saying the city had interfered with development rights and zoning for the property.

In 2005, Shamy also filed for bankruptcy, and a judge ruled the business could continue until the zoning issues were resolved.

O'Leary, in his statement, said all the litigation was settled, and the property is zoned for high commercial use along a highway.

MOUNTAINSIDE — The former information technology chief of a Mountainside-based photography company was sentenced today to three years and four months in prison for bilking the firm out of $900,000 to pay for Caribbean cruises and other personal extravagances. Robert Gonzalez, 37, admitted in 2009 that he conspired with co-workers to steal the money from Comstock Images, an international supplier...

MOUNTAINSIDE — The former information technology chief of a Mountainside-based photography company was sentenced today to three years and four months in prison for bilking the firm out of $900,000 to pay for Caribbean cruises and other personal extravagances.

Robert Gonzalez, 37, admitted in 2009 that he conspired with co-workers to steal the money from Comstock Images, an international supplier of professional photographs that is now part of Getty Images.

“You cant just allow people to steal with impunity," U.S. District Judge Dennis M. Cavanaugh said. “This was pure greed."

Gonzalez, of Lake Mary, Fla., faced up to three years and five months under the terms of his plea agreement, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Lorraine Gerson.

He was among three former Comstock employees sentenced today in federal court in Newark.

The firm's former chief financial officer, Geraldine Manuel, 58, of Elmwood Park, was sentenced to 20 months. She admitted stealing $116,815 from the firm, which she spent on trips to Florida, Hawaii and the Bahamas.

Philip McKenna, 36, of Rahway was the firm's financial officer prior to Manuel. He was sentenced to three months of house arrest.

Andrew Edwards, 32, of Parlin, worked for the firm's information technology department. He was sentenced to two years probation.

Previous coverage:

• Bergen County woman admits embezzling $100K from N.J. photo company

• Former N.J. technology company chief admits to $900K scheme

• Ex-official at Mountainside company accused of bilking firm

FAIRTON — A pharmacist in a federal prison in New Jersey has admitted stealing a powerful pain drug and hypodermic needles so he could get high. Brian Walters, of Dorchester, could face up to 10 years as an inmate in federal prison when he's sentenced on Dec. 1. The 47-year-old pleaded guilty today to theft of government property. Authorities...

Google MapsA map view of Fairfield Township in Cumberland County, where a federal prison pharmacist admitted stealing drugs.

FAIRTON — A pharmacist in a federal prison in New Jersey has admitted stealing a powerful pain drug and hypodermic needles so he could get high.

Brian Walters, of Dorchester, could face up to 10 years as an inmate in federal prison when he's sentenced on Dec. 1.

The 47-year-old pleaded guilty today to theft of government property.

Authorities say between July 2008 and July 2009, Walters repeatedly stole Nalbuphine Hydrochloride from the Federal Correction Institution in Fairton.

Walters was the prison's pharmacist from 1991 until he took a leave after being arrested in October 2009.

Walters' lawyer, Michael Testa, did not immediately return a call for comment.

The FBI is still searching for Weinstein's accused partner

LAKEWOOD — A judge has postponed a bail hearing scheduled for today in federal court in Newark for Eliyahu Weinstein, a Lakewood man accused of targeting members of his own tight-knit Orthodox Jewish community to perpetrate a $200 million global investment fraud.

The 35-year-old former used car salesman remains jailed after being arrested at his Ocean County home Thursday on charges of wire and bank fraud for the alleged real estate scheme, stretching from New Jersey, Florida and California to Israel.

Weinstein's defense attorney, Ephraim Savitt, said he needed more time to finalize his proposed $5-million bail package.

“I would love to get my client out today. On the other hand I can't do it this minute,” Savitt said. His proposed bail package would also call for Weinstein to be confined to his home and wear an electronic monitoring device.

Weinstein faces up to life in prison and travels regularly to Israel. Federal prosecutors argued that nothing short of jail would prevent him from trying to escape overseas.

"The defendant has a profound motivation to flee,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Zach Intrater.

The FBI continues to search for one of Weinstein's accused partner, Vladimir Siforov, 43, of Manalapan, who remains at large.

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 never owned many of the properties he described to unsuspecting investors, 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.

FBI agents remove Eliyahu Weinstein from his Seton Circle home in Lakewood about two hours after an early morning raid.

Previous coverage:

• Authorities say Lakewood real estate developer preyed on community's trust in Ponzi scheme

• Lakewood real estate developer charged in alleged Ponzi scheme is jailed without bail

• Lakewood real estate developer is charged in alleged Ponzi scheme

NEWARK — Authorities swept through a Newark hotel where two people were recently killed and arrested 28 people wanted for outstanding warrants today, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. The arrests took place at the Hotel Riviera on Clinton Avenue early this morning, said Katherine Carter, the department’s spokeswoman. The outstanding warrants were issued for crimes ranging from...

Saed Hindash/The Star-LedgerEssex County Acting Prosecutor Robert Laurino holds a press conference in this file photo.

NEWARK — Authorities swept through a Newark hotel where two people were recently killed and arrested 28 people wanted for outstanding warrants today, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

The arrests took place at the Hotel Riviera on Clinton Avenue early this morning, said Katherine Carter, the department’s spokeswoman. The outstanding warrants were issued for crimes ranging from traffic violations to drug charges.

The hotel was also the location of a double homicide last month. Adrian Price, 55, and Towanna Freeman, 42, were found dead in a hotel room after guests complained of a foul odor.

The killings are still under investigation, Carter said.

Bail for some of the defendants arrested today has been set at $5,000, Carter said.

"In addition to rounding up and removing fugitives, such operations can be beneficial in developing criminal intelligence," said Robert Laurino, acting Essex County prosecutor.

The defendants and their charges are: Windell Simmons, drugs; Damon Murdaugh, drugs; Jeffrey Jackson, traffic; Michael Wance, assault; Gerald Allen, assault; James Smith, theft; Eric Pate, theft; Rodney Bullock, traffic; Charles Norton, theft; James Edwards, traffic; John Davis Jr., traffic; Brian Taylor, theft; Ahmad Watson, burglary; Jason Rivers, traffic; Rufus Hughes, drugs; Carlos Mano, theft; John l. Williams, contempt court; Marvin Watkins, traffic; Deshawn Graham, drugs; William Blunt, drugs; Shirley Wright, theft; Annie Marius, burglary and traffic; Joann Morris, drugs; Mary Shoulders, drugs; Lakisha Good, burglary and traffic; Sandra Wilson, prostitution and theft;Kimberly James, theft; Kim Pickett, contempt court/theft.

Editor's Note: The name of the hotel where the arrests were made was misspelled. Its correct name is Hotel Riviera.

BOUND BROOK — Five children from Bound Brook today were charged with starting a fire at a local apartment building that was under construction, authorities said. Four boys, ages 10, 11, and 12, and a 12-year-old girl, were charged in juvenile court with third-degree arson for the blaze that was reported at 7:19 p.m. Sunday, said acting Somerset County...

Google MapsA vacant apartment building at Tea Street and Route 28 was damaged by fire Sunday night.

BOUND BROOK — Five children from Bound Brook today were charged with starting a fire at a local apartment building that was under construction, authorities said.

Four boys, ages 10, 11, and 12, and a 12-year-old girl, were charged in juvenile court with third-degree arson for the blaze that was reported at 7:19 p.m. Sunday, said acting Somerset County Prosecutor A. Peter DeMarco Jr.

Police and firefighters were dispatched to the Carriage Park apartment building, located at 1100 Tea St. When they arrived, authorities saw flames on the third and fourth floors, DeMarco said. The prosecutor’s Arson Task Force was mobilized and determined that someone had set the fires at multiple points of origin. The building was unoccupied, DeMarco said. The fire so compromised the building's structural integrity that investigators were concerned for their safety, but they were able to determine that the blaze was the result of a human act, the prosecutor said.

The investigation was turned over to detectives from the prosecutor's Major Crimes Squad and Bound Brook, and is ongoing, DeMarco said.

Previous Coverage:

• Five-alarm blaze damages vacant Bound Brook apartment building