Nicolas Fernandes

Cranford

Breaking and Local News Reporter at The Star-Ledger

Breaking & Local News Reporter @njdotcom Send news tips to [email protected]

Articles

N.J. investment firm owner admits he spent more than 35 years duping investors of $7M

1 week ago | nj.com | Nicolas Fernandes

The owner of an investment firm has pleaded guilty to federal charges, admitting that he scammed investors out of nearly $7 million since 1988. Vincent Dispoto Jr., 67, a former Belmar resident, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of New Jersey said in a statement on Thursday. Dispoto is the owner of Giddeon Financial Services and Liberty Mortgage Services.
Jury convicts N.J. man of Fourth of July weekend double murder

1 week ago | nj.com | Nicolas Fernandes

A jury has convicted a man accused of killing two victims and wounding another with a knife in Paterson on the day after the Fourth of July in 2021. Jose Martinez, 36, of Paterson, was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and weapons charges, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement. The month-long trial ended when the jury returned the verdict on Wednesday.
Florida man brought luggage full of guns aboard Amtrak train in N.J., grand jury alleges

1 week ago | nj.com | Nicolas Fernandes

A state grand jury has indicted a Florida man on charges he boarded an Amtrak train in New Jersey earlier this year with luggage full of guns and ammunition - one which fired when being unloaded by police. The indictment charges Jeffrey O.
Owner of N.J. companies admits obtaining $3M in fraudulent COVID relief

1 week ago | nj.com | Nicolas Fernandes

A man who owned multiple businesses in New Jersey has admitted that he fraudulently obtained about $3.2 million in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. Daniel Dadoun, 48, a former South Plainfield resident who now lives in Israel, pleaded guilty to the federal charges of bank fraud and money laundering, the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of New Jersey said in a Tuesday statement.
N.J. woman admits gambling with $4M she stole as company’s bookkeeper

1 week ago | nj.com | Nicolas Fernandes

A woman has accepted a plea deal with prosecutors, admitting that she stole $4 million from her former employer and used the money to gamble. Jeanette Avellan, 62, of Howell, pleaded guilty in Monmouth County Superior Court to theft of movable property, failure to pay income taxes and filing a fraudulent tax return, the state Attorney General’s Office said in a statement on Monday. In exchange for her plea, the state agreed to recommend a four-year sentence.
South Jersey baseball fields to be named after Gaudreau brothers

1 week ago | nj.com | Nicolas Fernandes

A baseball field park in Salem County will be renamed after NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, who were both killed by an alleged drunk driver in the summer of 2024. Salem County Recreational Park in Oldmans Township will be renamed the Gaudreau Fields at an unveiling ceremony next month. The brothers grew up in Salem County and both played in the local softball league for many years, which held games at the fields, the county board of commissioners said.
Philadelphia man admits to helping N.J. company avoid $1 million in taxes

1 week ago | nj.com | Nicolas Fernandes

An employee for a South Jersey masonry company has admitted in a guilty plea that he helped the business avoid paying about $1 million in taxes, authorities said. Henry “Hank” Collins, 53, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty on Friday to the federal charge of conspiracy to defraud the IRS, the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of New Jersey said in a statement.
Woman fatally struck by NJ Transit train in North Jersey, officials say

1 week ago | nj.com | Nicolas Fernandes

A woman has died after being hit by an NJ Transit train in Passaic County Friday afternoon, officials said. The adult “trespasser” was struck at location east of the Wayne Route 23 Transit Center at 2:57 p.m., an NJ Transit spokesperson said. The agency did not say how the woman trespassed onto the railroad tracks.
Cops ID 70-year-old man as victim in fatal shed fire in Bergen County

1 week ago | nj.com | Nicolas Fernandes

Authorities have identified a 70-year-old man as the person who was killed in a residential shed fire in Bergen County on Thursday. The fire broke out in a shed located in the backyard of a single-family home in the borough of Moonachie. First responders arrived at the home, on Oak Drive, at 4:30 p.m. and firefighters suppressed the two-alarm blaze, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement. Ida Kaba, of Moonachie, was found near the entrance of the shed.
Monmouth County man found guilty in machete killing

1 week ago | nj.com | Nicolas Fernandes

A man from Monmouth County was convicted by a jury last month in the murder of a person with a machete, authorities said. Terrance Bailey, 35, of Cliffwood section of Aberdeen, was found guilty of first-degree murder and weapons charges when the verdict was returned on March 21, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement on Friday. The trial lasted about two weeks.