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Athens Town Bookkeeper Tried Giving Himself Pay Raise, Police Say
A town employee in the region is facing charges after allegedly attempting to give himself an unauthorized pay raise.
Columbia County resident Donald Pierro, age 70, of Hillsdale, was arrested Friday, March 22, on suspicion of attempted grand larceny and related charges.
Greene County Sheriff’s officials said a Town of Athens employee contacted the agency on Monday, March 18, reporting a possible theft by Pierro, the bookkeeper to Town Supervisor Michael Pirrone.
An investigation found that Pierro altered town payroll records in an attempt to benefit himself, deputies said.
Official…
East Orange Officer Who Caused 22 Fractures In 9-Year-Old Son's Body Convicted: Prosecutor
A 53-year-old East Orange police officer faces up to 80 years in prison after being convicted of assaulting his 9-year-old son in 2018 on Friday, March 1, authorities said.
In February 2018, Devin Higgs, a West Orange resident, brought his son to the hospital for injuries that Higgs said were from a fall, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens, II said.
The child had suffered 22 fractures on his ribs and a fractured scapula bone, along with bruises, scars and marks on his body, a sign of child abuse, Stephens said.
Neither Higgs nor his son had explanations for his injuries, …
School Custodian Indicted For Urinating, Spreading Feces On Children's Food In South Jersey
A Cumberland County grand jury has indicted a school custodian on charges that he intentionally contaminated food and utensils with bodily fluids and bleach.
Giovanni A. Impellizzeri, 26, of Vineland, worked at Elizabeth F. Moore School in Upper Deerfield, where prosecutors say he put feces in food, rubbed his anus and genitals on bread, sprayed bleach on vegetables, urinated in mixing bowls, and performed sex acts with items at the school.
A Cumberland County grand jury indicted Impellizzeri on charges including official misconduct, aggravated assault, knowingly tampering with food product…
Ex-Fire Department Treasurer Steals $30K Of Malverne Government Funds, DA Says
A former fire department treasurer from Long Island is accused of using the department’s debit cards for personal use, withdrawing cash from out-of-state casinos.
Richard Bopp, age 45, of Malverne, faced his charges on Thursday, Feb. 8, the Nassau County District Attorney announced.
Bopp served as Chief of the Malverne Fire Department from 2019 to 2021; then, starting in April 2021, he became the department’s treasurer.
According to the DA’s Office, From July 2021 to May 2023, Bopp wrote and cashed five checks from the department to himself, totaling about $5,000.
He also is alleged t…
Former Ocean Gate Mayor Sentenced For Taking Money From Parking Meters, Government Auctions
A former mayor of Ocean Gate will spend time in state prison for pocketing money from government auctions, parking meter funds, and scrap metal sales, authorities said.
Paul Kennedy, 68, of Ocean Gate, was sentenced on Friday, Jan. 26 to three years in prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced. Kennedy pleaded guilty on Friday, Sept. 22 to pattern of official misconduct. As part of his plea deal, Kennedy is banned from holding public office or employment.
Investigators said that while he was mayor, Kennedy took money from borough assets sold on the government auc…
Nurse Working At Prison In East Meadow Gave Inmate Blade, Money: DA
A managing nurse working at a correctional center on Long Island was caught smuggling a blade to an inmate, discussing information about other inmates, and more, authorities said.
Yasmin Talbot, age 48 of Levittown, was arraigned on Thursday, Jan. 4 for her alleged monthslong relationship with an inmate, according to the Nassau County District Attorney.
Talbot, a nurse manager at Nassau County Correctional Center (NCCC), was the second-highest-ranking nurse at the facility when, according to the indictment, she started speaking to 37-year-old inmate Christopher Wright in January 2023.
Th…
Correctional Officer Charged With Taking Bribes To Smuggle Drugs, Tobacco, More Into NJ Jail
A New Jersey correctional police officer pocketed thousands of dollars in bribes from inmates in exchange for smuggling drugs, tobacco and other contraband into the Mercer County jail, authorities charged.
Tyree L. Hobbs, 39, of Hamilton, was on the take for nearly five years, beginning in 2017 -- less than a year after he joined the Mercer County Department of Corrections, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said.
And although he paid some inmates in cash, others paid the $300 to $2,500 fee per delivery through mobile apps, the attorney general said.
A grand jury in Trenton ind…
Clark Township Mayor Charged With Forging Signatures In 24 Towns To Benefit Landscaping Biz: AG
Clark Township Mayor Salvatore Bonaccorso was charged Monday, Nov. 20 with forging paperwork to nearly 24 New Jersey towns to allow his landscaping company to remove underground tanks, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.
Bonaccorso, 63, used township employees to help him run his private business, Bonaccorso and Son LLC, along with township devices like computers and fax machines, Platkin said following an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability Corruption Bureau.
While running his business, Bonaccorso posed as an engineer, using his name, license num…
School Janitor Contaminated Food, Utensils With Bleach, Bodily Fluids: Cumberland Prosecutor
An elementary school janitor in South Jersey faces multiple charges, including child endangerment, for allegedly contaminating food and utensils with bleach and bodily fluids.
UPDATE: Police Papers Detail Heinous Accusations Against NJ School Janitor, Parents Livid
Giovanni Impellizzeri, 25, of Vineland, also is charged with aggravated assault, tampering with food and official misconduct.
Impellizzeri was employed by the Elizabeth Moore School in the Upper Deerfield School District.
According to the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office, New Jersey State Police were contacted by scho…
Teacher Hit With New Charges In Case Involving Jersey Shore Student, Nude Photos: Prosecutor
A middle school teacher and high school advisor has been hit with new charges in a case involving a student and nude photos, authorities said.
Andrew Fantasia, 27, of Beachwood, originally was charged on Wednesday, Oct. 25 with aggravated criminal sexual contact, child endangerment and official misconduct, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Jackson Township Police Chief Matthew Kunz.
On Wednesday, Nov. 1, Fantasia was additionally charged with possession of child pornography and an additional count of child endangerment, Billhimer said.
A full forensic analy…
$15K Theft: Elmsford Police Officer Accused Of Stealing Cash Given To Department
A police officer in Westchester from the Hudson Valley faces grand larceny charges after allegedly pocketing $15,000 in cash that was turned in to his department.
Putnam County resident Douglas Ramirez, of Mahopac, age 44, who serves as a police officer with the Elmsford Police Department, was arraigned in Elmsford Village Court on grand larceny charges on Wednesday, Sept. 27, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office announced.
According to the DA's Office, on Thursday, July 27 around 3 p.m., Ramirez had accepted a sealed package turned in to the front desk of the El…
