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Tag:
Racketeering
Central Islip, NY
News
MS-13 Leader Gets Decades For Role In Killings Of Brentwood Girls, 6 Other Victims
A notorious MS-13 gang leader who led a bloody campaign of violence across Long Island — including the brutal slayings of two teenage girls in Brentwood — will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Alexi Saenz, 30, also known as “Blasty” and “Plaky,” was sentenced to 68 years in federal prison in Central Islip federal court Wednesday, June 3, for a violent crime spree that rocked Suffolk County in 2016 and 2017. Saenz, a high-ranking leader of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside clique of MS-13, pleaded guilty in 2024 to racketeering charges tied to eight murders, multiple attempted m…
Yonkers, NY
News
Sean Combs Found Guilty On 2 Of 5 Counts In NY Sex Trafficking Trial
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been found guilty on two of the five charges the embattled worldwide superstar faced following a federal trial in New York. The 55-year-old music mogul was found guilty of sex trafficking and transportation for the purpose of prostitution but not guilty of the more serious charges against him. The jury announced its decision on Wednesday morning, July 2. Here is a rundown of the charges and each verdict: Count 1: Racketeering conspiracy: Not guilty (maximum sentence: life) Count 2: Sex trafficking through force, fraud, or coercion (Victim 1): Not guilty Count…
Yonkers, NY
News
Jury Reaches Verdict On 4 Of 5 Counts In Sean Combs Trial
They reached four verdicts, but left the biggest one hanging. Click here for a new, updated story - Sean Combs Found Guilty On 2 Of 5 Counts In NY Sex Trafficking Trial Jurors in the federal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs told the court in New York they have reached decisions on four of the five charges facing the embattled music mogul, who remains detained in Brooklyn on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. The holdout count is Count 1: racketeering conspiracy, the most serious of the charges and the one that could carry a life sentence if Combs is convicted. Combs, age 55, has …
Hackensack, NJ
News
Sex Slave Sting: Women Held In NJ Homes, Forced Into Brothels, AG Says
Eight people have been charged with racketeering and human trafficking for running a prostitution ring out of several homes in Trenton and Camden, authorities said. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced the charges on Tuesday, July 1, following a months-long investigation that began in May 2024. At least 15 victims were located during raids at five properties, investigators said. According to the criminal complaints, Vilma Deleon Bracamonte, also known as “Janet,” 55, of Hamilton, and Maria Soledad Xec Chan, 42, of Trenton, were the alleged ringleaders. They face charges …
Paramus, NJ
News
BMWs, Benzes, Audis: 11 Charged In NJ Car Theft Ring that Shipped $3.65M In Rides To Africa
Eleven people have been arrested as part of an international high-end vehicle theft ring that stole millions in cars in New Jersey and shipped them to West Africa, authorities announced on Friday, April 25. Investigators determined 43 New Jersey vehicles, including Land Rovers, Mercedes Benzes and BMWs, valued at $3.65 million were stolen and then stored in two parking garages in The Bronx, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Click here for a complete list of defendants and charges. The thefts occurred in Morris, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex and Burlington counties, with the cars taken from …
Hoboken, NJ
Police & Fire
From Council Chambers To Nightclubs: Familiar NJ Faces Among 39 Charged In Mob Gambling Ring
The general manager of a Hoboken nightclub. The father of a prominent Paramus wrestler who was killed in a car crash. A Prospect Park councilman. It wasn't just mobsters among the 39 people arrested for their alleged roles in an underground gambling empire run by the members of the Lucchese Crime Family. It was familiar faces in the community. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced the arrests on Friday, April 11, following multi-agency raids at 12 locations across northern New Jersey earlier in the week. Among the sites: Four poker clubs operating out of Totowa, Garfield, an…
Elizabeth, NJ
Police & Fire
Newark Bloods Leader Ordered Shootings, Ran Open-Air Drug Market, 26 Charged: AG
The leader of the Queen Street Blood Gang and 25 other people have been arrested for their roles in an enterprise that used violence and intimidation to operate an open-air drug market in Newark, authorities said. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin made the announcement at a press conference on Tuesday, April 22. Rabiyah Sorey, the leader of the gang is charged with racketeering, conspiracy, weapons offenses, assaults and drug offenses, Platkin said. Other members charged in the conspiracy acted as supervisors, advisors, distributors of controlled dangerous substances and enfo…
Yonkers, NY
News
27 Suspected 'Terrorist' Gang Members Face Sex Trafficking, Gun, Drug Charges In NY
Twenty-seven suspected members and associates of the violent criminal organization Tren de Aragua are facing federal charges in New York. These charges follow a large-scale investigation into racketeering, sex trafficking, drug smuggling, robbery, and firearms offenses, authorities announced. The two indictments, unsealed this week in the Southern District of New York, accuse the defendants of participating in a broad range of crimes. The crimes include smuggling women from Venezuela into the United States, forcing them into commercial sex work, distributing a pink powdery drug…
Mount Vernon, NY
News
Diddy Pleads Not Guilty: Past Mount Vernon Resident Sean Combs Faces New Charges, Report Says
Embattled New York native and hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs has pleaded not guilty to the latest charges against him as he and his legal team rapidly approach his trial for sex trafficking, racketeering, and more. Combs, 55, pleaded not guilty to an expanded indictment against him during a hearing on Monday, April 14, according to a report by People. The disgraced music icon faces one more count each of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, which are both connected to a plaintiff only named as "Victim-2" in the indictment, the outlet reported. C…
Cape May, NJ
News
Lucchese Mob Ran Illegal Gambling Ring Across NJ; 39 Arrested Including Councilman: AG
A two-year investigation into an underground gambling empire allegedly run by members of the Lucchese Crime Family has led to charges against 39 individuals, including mob leaders, poker club managers, sportsbook agents — and even a sitting Prospect Park councilman, authorities said. Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced the takedown on Friday, April 11, following multi-agency raids at 12 locations across northern New Jersey earlier in the week. Among the sites: four poker clubs operating out of Totowa, Garfield, and Woodland Park, including two hidden behind functioning restaurants,…
Yonkers, NY
News
Iran Sent Hitmen To Kill NY Journalist: Two Mobsters Convicted In Foiled Plot
Two Eastern European mobsters were convicted in a chilling plot to assassinate an Iranian-American journalist on US soil—at the behest of the Iranian government. A Manhattan federal jury found Rafat Amirov, 46, of Iran, and Polad Omarov, 40, of Georgia, guilty on all five counts related to a murder-for-hire scheme targeting journalist and human rights activist Masih Alinejad on Thursday, March 20. The pair orchestrated the plan under orders from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), offering a hitman $500,000 to kill Alinejad outside her Brooklyn home, according to prosecutors. …
Hackensack, NJ
Police & Fire
20 Indicted In Fentanyl, Heroin Ring That Fueled Drug Use Across North Jersey: AG
Twenty people have been indicted in the sweeping takedown of opioid mills that fueled drug distribution across North Jersey, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Wednesday, March 5. ALSO SEE: 23 People Arrested In Another Massive NJ Drug Bust — Fentanyl, Guns, Seized, Prosecutor Says The indictment, handed down by a state grand jury, includes 53 charges ranging from racketeering and drug trafficking to weapons offenses and financial crimes. Authorities say the suspects were part of the Rodriguez, Sanchez, and Gutierrez Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO), which operated from A…
Mount Vernon, NY
News
Diddy's Attorney Steps Down: Can't 'Effectively Serve' Past Mount Vernon Resident, Reports Say
A member of the legal team for embattled New York native and hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs has stepped down from the case, according to reports. In a request submitted to the Southern District of New York on Friday, Feb. 21, attorney Anthony Ricco filed a motion to leave Diddy's case, according to a report by The Hollywood Reporter. In his filing, Ricco reportedly gave a short statement with a vague explanation, as reported by Deadline: "Although I have provided Sean Combs with the high level of legal representation expected by the court, under no circumstances can I con…
White Plains, NY
Politics
NY's Top Prosecutor Resigns After Orders To Drop Charges Against NYC Mayor Adams: Reports
Following orders to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Danielle Sassoon has decided to resign, according to reports. Sassoon, who took the position in January following the resignation of Damian Williams, announced her resignation in a short statement to her colleagues, NBC News and The New York Times reported on Thursday, Feb. 13. According to NBC, Sassoon, who resigned alongside two senior federal prosecutors in Washington, made the decision only three days after receiving a me…
Greenburgh, NY
News
Luchese Soldier From Elmsford, Associates Admit Role in Mafia Gambling Scheme
A high-ranking member of the Luchese crime family and several associates from Westchester have pleaded guilty to racketeering, money laundering, and illegal gambling as part of a sweeping federal case targeting organized crime, officials announced. Anthony Villani, a 60-year-old Elmsford resident and a soldier in the Luchese crime family, entered his guilty plea on Thursday, Jan. 30 in federal court in Brooklyn. As part of his plea deal, he will forfeit $4 million in illicit proceeds, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Villani was one of…
Gloucester Township, NJ
Police & Fire
Multi-Million Diesel Fuel Theft Ring Busted in Gloucester Township: AG
A sophisticated operation that stole credit card information and used cloned cards to purchase diesel fuel, and then resold it for millions in illicit profits has been dismantled, authorities announced on Thursday, Jan. 16. The scheme involved 25 people and four companies operating in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. The enterprise used credit card skimmers installed at gas pumps to steal data and create cloned cards, Platkin said. The group used modified vehicles with auxiliary fuel tanks to store and tran…
Drexel Hill-Upper Darby, PA
News
Two Men Plead Guilty In Deadly Shooting Of Philadelphia Police Sgt. James O’Connor
Two men pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder and racketeering charges in the March 2020 shooting death of Philadelphia Police Sgt. James O’Connor IV in Frankford, federal authorities announced. Hassan Elliott, 26, and Khalif Sears, 23, admitted their roles in the death of Sgt. O’Connor during a federal court hearing on Jan. 15, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said. O’Connor, a 23-year police veteran and SWAT officer, was fatally shot on Friday, March 13, 2020, as police served a warrant at Elliott’s apartment on Bridge Street near Duffield Street, authoriti…
Central Islip, NY
News
MS-13 Leader Admits To 7 Brutal Murders, Including Brentwood High School Students
An MS-13 leader formally confessed to his role in seven murders and other violent crimes that devastated Long Island. Jairo Saenz, 28, also known as “Funny,” pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in Central Islip federal court on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Saenz, a high-ranking member of the MS-13 gang’s Brentwood/Central Islip Sailors clique, admitted to taking part in a reign of terror that included the murders of 14-year-old Nisa Mickens and 15-year-old Kayla Cuevas in September 2016, prosecutors said. The Brentwood High School students were brutally attacked with a machete and baseball bats af…
Commack, NY
Politics
Joseph Nocella Named United States Attorney For Eastern District Of New York
Joseph Nocella, Jr., a veteran prosecutor and judge with an extensive legal background, has been named the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, according to a statement from former President Donald J. Trump. “Judge Nocella has a strong record of bringing Law and Order to the incredible people of New York,” Trump said in the announcement. “Congratulations, Judge Nocella!” Nocella served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District from 1991 to 1995, prosecuting cases involving racketeering, extortion, and fraud. His work earned recognition from the FBI direc…
Jersey City, NJ
Police & Fire
Jersey City Man Shot Rival Gang Members: Feds
A 33-year-old Jersey City man was charged on Thursday, Dec. 19 with shooting rival gang members, authorities said. Micah Reid is a member of the Rutgers neighborhood street gang which operates in Triangle Park in Jersey City, US Attorney Phillip Sellinger said. On Sunday, Oct. 1, 2003, Reid, driving a stolen vehicle, shot at members and associates of rival street gangs who were exiting a nightclub on Culver Avenue in Jersey City, Sellinger said. Six people suffered gunshot wounds, Sellinger said. Reid was charged with one count of violent crime in aid of racketeering …
Arnold, MD
News
Ex-Defense Official Who Electrocuted Dogs Learns Fate For Role In Vicious DMV Dogfighting Ring
A Maryland man who used to serve as a Department of Defense deputy chief will spend time behind bars after admitting earlier this to his role in a violent dogfighting ring that involved him electrocuting animals who lost, federal authorities confirmed. Frederick Douglass Moorefield, Jr., 64, pleaded guilty in September to federal charges that include conspiracy to engage in animal fighting, specifically the fighting of dogs, and interstate travel in aid of racketeering. On Friday, Dec. 13, officials announced that Moorefield has been sentenced to serve 18 months in federal prison,…
Jersey City, NJ
Police & Fire
Three Members Of Jersey City Gang Face Life After Murder Convictions: Feds
Three members of the Jersey City based Marion street gang were convicted in Newark federal court on Wednesday, Dec. 11 for their role in a racketeering conspiracy that included three murders, authorities said. Myron Williams, a 31-year-old Newark residnt, Khalil Kelley, a 25-year-old Jersey City resident and Roger Pickett, a 24-year-old Jersey City resident were involved in three murders in 2021 and 2022, US Attorney Philip Sellinger said. On March 29, 2021, Kelley and other gang members lured a rival gang member outside by sending him Instagram messages pretending to be the vict…
New Rochelle, NY
News
Leaders Of Gang Involved In New Rochelle Drive-By Shooting Get Decades In Jail
Two high-ranking leaders of a violent gang involved in multiple violent incidents throughout Westchester will spend decades in prison, officials announced. Bronx resident Dwight Reid, age 52, and Brooklyn resident Christopher Erskine, age 41, were both sentenced to 35 years in prison for their leadership of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation Bloods Gang, a violent street and prison organization that has operated in Westchester County, other parts of New York State, and across the country, the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Tuesday, …
Mount Vernon, NY
News
Lawsuit Alleges Mount Vernon's Sean Combs Sexually Assaulted 10-Year-Old: Report
The latest lawsuits filed against hip-hop mogul and New York native Sean Combs are accusing him of sexually assaulting both a 10-year-old and a 17-year-old boy in separate incidents, according to reports. The two civil lawsuits were filed against Combs on Monday, Oct. 28, according to a report by ABC News. The outlet reported that the first of the lawsuits alleges that the parents of a 10-year-old boy beginning a music career brought him to New York from Los Angeles to meet with Combs so he could meet people in the industry. Once there, Combs allegedly told the family's consultan…
Mount Vernon, NY
News
Here's How Mount Vernon's Sean Combs Broke Social Media Silence After Sex Trafficking Arrest
Almost a month after his arrest for federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges, hip-hop mogul and New York native Sean Combs has broken his silence on his social media pages. On Tuesday, Oct. 15, a post appeared an on Instagram page belonging to Combs, a 54-year-old New York City native who grew up in Westchester County's Mount Vernon and will stand trial in May for federal charges. Although the post is the first to be made following Combs's arrest, it does not address the allegations against him; instead, it celebrates the birthday of the embattled star's young 2-yea…
Wyckoff-Franklin Lakes, NJ
Police & Fire
Rhonj
Ex-Husband Sentenced For Hiring Mobster To Rough Up Wife’s New Man: Feds
It sounds like a juicy plotline from "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." Thomas Manzo, a Franklin Lakes resident and the ex-husband of Dina Manzo, one of the former cast members on the hit Bravo reality show, was sentenced to seven years in prison on Tuesday, Oct. 15, after being convicted of hiring a mobster to assault Dave Cantin, Dina's now current husband, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. In the spring of 2015, Manzo, 59 and a co-owner of The Brownstone, a Paterson catering hall, hired Lucchese Crime Family member John Perna to assault Cantin, Dina's then-boyfriend, paying for the …
Mount Vernon, NY
News
Here's When Mount Vernon's Sean 'Diddy' Combs Will Stand Trial For Sex Trafficking: Report
Hip hop mogul and New York native Sean Combs has learned when he will stand trial on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges, according to a report by The New York Times. Combs, a 54-year-old New York City native who grew up in Westchester County's Mount Vernon, will stand trial in May 2025 following his arrest on Tuesday morning, Sept. 17 on a three-count indictment, The New York Times reported. The trial's starting date, Monday, May 5, was set by Judge Arun Subramanian of the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York, the newspaper ad…
Mount Vernon, NY
News
Mount Vernon's Sean Combs' Mom Calls Allegations Against Him 'Lies': Report
As New York native and hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs faces federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges, his mother is coming to his defense while also admitting he has made mistakes, according to reports. Combs's mother, Janice Small Combs, released a statement defending her son, who was arrested on Tuesday, Sept. 17 on a three-count indictment accusing him of running a criminal enterprise that involved sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice, BBC reported on Monday, Oct. 7. Earlier Report - Mount Vernon's Sean 'D…
Uniondale, NY
News
6 Members of MS-13 Charged In ‘Brutal’ Slaying Of 21-Year-Old At Uniondale Park
A half dozen members of the notorious MS-13 gang were slapped with federal charges in the murder of a 21-year-old man who was found dead at a Long Island park. The group is named in a 17-count superseding indictment that was unsealed in Central Islip federal court on Thursday, Oct. 3. It includes multiple racketeering offenses, including two murders, one attempted murder, and drug trafficking. Prosecutors laid out their case more than two years after Walter Ochoa, age 21, was shot in the chest and then stabbed to death by several MS-13 members at Uniondale Park on July 19, 2022. Ochoa was …
Central Islip, NY
News
MS-13 Member 'Little Devil' Gets 50 Years For Gruesome Quadruple Murder In Central Islip
An MS-13 gang member who lured four men to a Long Island park where they were brutally murdered will spend decades behind bars. Leniz Escobar, age 24, of Islip Terrace, was sentenced to 50 years in prison in Central Islip federal court on Thursday, Oct. 1. It followed her April 2022 conviction for murder and related charges in the deaths of Justin Llivicura, Michael Lopez, Jorge Tigre and Jefferson Villalobos. According to prosecutors, Escobar – known by fellow gang members as “Diablita,” or “Little Devil” – helped lure five young men, including the four victims, to Central Islip Community…
Mount Vernon, NY
Lifestyle
50 Cent's Docuseries On Mount Vernon's Sean 'Diddy' Combs Coming To Netflix: Report
Amid hip hop mogul and New York native Sean "Diddy" Combs' ongoing legal battles, fellow rapper 50 Cent has found a new way to take a shot at his longtime rival. In a social media post on Wednesday, Sept. 25, famous rapper 50 Cent hinted at his upcoming docuseries focusing on Combs' alleged criminal activity, according to a report by Variety. The outlet reported that the series, directed by Alexandria Stapleton, is now in production and will go over sex trafficking and racketeering allegations against Combs, who grew up in Westchester County in the city of Mount Vernon. It will eventu…
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