Tag: new jersey

Disgraced Dem Denied Bail by Judge as He Continues to Fight for His Political Life

After a political career that included almost two decades as a Democrat in the United States Senate, Bob Menendez is looking at spending more than a decade in a United States federal prison.

And after a ruling Wednesday by a federal appeals court, he’s going to be behind bars while his appeal plays out.

But Menendez, convicted in July of last year of 16 corruption charges, is still claiming he was the victim of a prosecution vendetta.

Wednesday’s decision by a panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges denied a bid for bail that Menendez sought while he appeals his conviction, according to the Associated Press. The 2-1 ruling did not include any explanation, but its impact was evident.

Unless the Supreme Court takes up the case, Menendez, who is scheduled to report to prison on Tuesday, is going to be serving his 11-year sentence even as he fights to get the conviction overturned.

The case of the former New Jersey senator, who resigned from the Senate after his conviction, was not only a disgrace to the government and the Garden State, it became a national joke, with its FBI raid turning up gold bars, as well as copious amounts of cash hidden in the Menendez home.

In 2023, then-Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz argued on the House floor that Menendez demanding bribes in gold bars was a sign of how inflation had gotten under then-President Joe Biden.

Even the infamously liberal comedian Jon Stewart mocked Menendez on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”

But Menendez continues to claim innocence and is fighting for his political reputation.

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Grand Jury Returns Three-Count Indictment Charging Democrat Rep. LaMonica McIver with Forcibly Interfering with Federal Law Enforcement Officers – McIver Faces 17 YEARS IN PRISON

A federal grand jury returned a 3-count indictment charging Democrat Rep. LaMonica McIver with forcibly impeding and interfering with federal law enforcement officers at the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark last month.

McIver is facing a maximum of 17 years in prison for all three counts.

Last month a judge ordered McIver to surrender her firearms and said she cannot travel outside of the US.

Per US Attorney Alina Habba:

Today a federal grand jury seated in Newark, New Jersey returned a three-count indictment charging U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver with forcibly impeding and interfering with federal law enforcement officers. This indictment has a maximum penalty of 8 years for Count One, an additional maximum penalty of 8 years for Count Two, and a maximum penalty of 1 year in prison for Count Three.

As I have stated in the past, it is my Constitutional obligation as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer for New Jersey to ensure that our federal partners are protected when executing their duties. While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve.

Today’s decision by the grand jury is the next step in a process that my Office will pursue to a just end.

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NJ to Consider Bill that Would Mandate Monitoring and Publishing Data of Homeschoolers

The New Jersey Senate is set to consider a bill on Thursday that would require families who homeschool their children to register with their local governments and the governments to publish their data.

Senate Bill 1796 (SB 1796), sponsored by New Jersey state Sen. Angela McKnight (D) would require a “parent or guardian to annually notify” their local school district, in written form, of their intention to homeschool their children.

“The letter shall include the name, date of birth, and grade level of the child, and the name of the person who will provide instruction to the child,” the latest version of the bill’s text reads.

Under SB 1796, the school district will be required to “annually compile and make available for public inspection on its website information concerning the number of children who reside in the district who are being home-schooled” and what grades they are in. It does not include any provisions to protect the privacy of the individual children or families in question and does not provide a legal definition for the term “homeschool,” which opponents have observed does not formally exist in New Jersey law.

The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), which opposes the bill, alerted its members on Tuesday that on Thursday, June 5, a legislative hearing will be held regarding SB 1796. The bill appears on the docket for a New Jersey Senate Education Committee hearing scheduled for that day.

The HSLDA opposed the bill on the grounds that it would create “pointless and burdensome red tape”:

Senate Bill 1796 would require every homeschool family in New Jersey to file a letter with their public school superintendent expressing their intent to homeschool their children. The birth date and grade level of each child would be required as well, and the bill provides no privacy protection.

In a post on X, HSLDA encouraged homeschool families in the state to “call or email” their state senator and to ask them to oppose SB 1796.

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New Jersey Lawmakers Consider Recriminalizing Some Marijuana Purchases And Sales

Lawmakers mulled Thursday whether New Jersey should ramp up enforcement against unlicensed cannabis sellers by passing a bill that would criminalize the purchase of unlicensed marijuana.

The bill riled cannabis activists, who say it would bring back the criminalization of weed that New Jersey’s marijuana legalization law was supposed to end. 

Under the bill, sponsored by Senate President Nick Scutari (D-Union), it would be a third-degree crime to operate an unlicensed marijuana business and a disorderly persons offense to knowingly purchase from one. A person who leads an “illegal marijuana business network” would be charged with a second-degree crime. 

“We have a problem where people are opening up brick-and-mortar stores, small stores, unlicensed to sell these products, and quite frankly, they’re just selling them and this state is doing nothing about it,” Scutari told the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday. “We need to do something more about those brick-and-mortar stores, but we also need to continue to fight back against drug dealers because those are alive and well.” 

Scutari spearheaded legalizing recreational cannabis, first introducing legislation to regulate it for adult use in 2014. After bills languished in the Legislature, recreational cannabis was legalized in 2020 by voters, and Scutari was the primary sponsor of the bill to launch the legal marijuana industry.

Scutari said the new legislation would be a corrective measure in response to the “black and gray market” that has flourished even though hundreds of cannabis dispensaries have opened statewide.

New Jersey has some of the most expensive cannabis in the nation for both medical and recreational users. The industry has raked in over $1 billion since sales launched in April 2022. 

The committee did not vote on the bill, which does not yet have a companion in the Assembly.

Lawmakers generally voiced support for Scutari’s proposal to address the unlicensed THC products that they say undermine the regulated industry. Sen. Joe Lagana (D-Bergen) said he’s seen questionable cannabis products in “every single gas station I walk into, every convenience store, every corner store.”

But senators also repeatedly placed blame on the Attorney General’s Office, accusing it of not enforcing the state’s cannabis laws.

Sen. Mike Testa (R) blasted Attorney General Matt Platkin (D) for what he called “absentee” leadership. And Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Union) said that once certain laws aren’t enforced, the community “loses respect for government.” Bramnick suggested the committee should call on Platkin to appear before them on the issue and said ignoring the law is “disrespectful to this body.”

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Alina Habba Charges New Jersey Democrat With Assault, Impeding Law Enforcement Following ICE Facility Protest — Trump Responds

The U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba announced charges against Democrat Rep. LaMonica McIver (N.J.) after the congresswoman and other Democrats attempted to storm a New Jersey ICE detention center earlier this month.

“Today my office has charged Congresswoman McIver with violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a)(1) for assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement,” Habba wrote in an X update Tuesday evening.

Footage showed Rep. McIver shoving and striking federal officers outside the Delaney Hall migrant detention facility on March 9, alongside Democrat Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and other Democrats, as the situation grew tense.

“I have persistently made efforts to address these issues without bringing criminal charges and have given Representative McIver every opportunity to come to a resolution, but she has unfortunately declined.”

“No one is above the law — politicians or otherwise. It is the job of this office to uphold justice impartially, regardless of who you are,” Habba added.

On Tuesday, McIver confirmed she had rejected a plea deal from the Trump administration, claiming it meant she would have to “admit to doing something that I did not do.”

“Well, the Justice Department and Alina Habba wanted me to admit to doing something that I did not do, and I was not going to do that, once again. I came there to do my job and conduct an oversight visit, and they wanted me to say something differently, and I’m not doing that. I’m not going to roll over and stop doing my job because they don’t want me to, or they want to neglect the fact that we needed to be in there to see what was going on and that detention center, and so, absolutely, no, I was not going to do that,” McIver told CNN.

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New Jersey Democrats INDICTED AGAIN in Expanding Voter Fraud Case — Accused of Stealing and Forging Ballots and Voter Registrations to Rig 2020 Election

Paterson City Council President Alex Mendez faces new charges in a superseding indictment related to the May 2020 municipal election.

Alongside his wife, Yohanny Mendez, and campaign workers Omar Ledesma and Iris Rigo, Mendez is accused of orchestrating a scheme involving the theft and forgery of ballots and voter registrations to secure his council seat.

The indictment alleges that the group unlawfully collected and tampered with vote-by-mail ballots, including destroying ballots not cast for Mendez and submitting fraudulent ones in their place.

According to a press release from the Attorney General’s Office,

“The 10-count superseding indictment alleges that Mendez, who represents the Third Ward on the Paterson City Council, his wife Yohanny Mendez and campaign workers Omar Ledesma and Iris Rigo tried to deprive Paterson residents of a fair election. Alex Mendez was first indicted in 2021 for election-related offenses. Further investigation by OPIA resulted in additional charges filed by complaint in October 2023 against the co-defendants, as well as additional charges for Alex Mendez, all stemming from the May 2020 election.

[…]

Based on publicly filed documents and statements in court in this case, the OPIA investigation began after hundreds of mail-in ballots for the May 2020 Paterson election were found in a postal box in the neighboring municipality of Haledon, when all voting was being conducted via vote-by-mail because of COVID-19.

Members of the alleged conspiracy face several charges including Tampering with Public Records or Information (third degree), Falsifying or Tampering with Records (fourth degree), Forgery (third degree), and Election Fraud (second degree). Among the allegations, they are accused of submitting fictitious or fraudulent vote-by-mail registrations and ballots.

The superseding indictment contains a new charge of Theft (third degree) against the four defendants for allegedly taking other peoples’ ballots with the intent to deprive them of their vote. It also includes a new count of Receiving Stolen Property (third degree) for those four defendants, alleging they received ballots that they knew had been stolen.

It is further alleged that the defendants tried to cause one or more witnesses previously contacted by investigators to make additional, contradictory, and false statements – leading to the superseding indictment’s new charge of Witness Tampering (third degree).

The superseding indictment also charges an additional defendant, Ninoska Adames, a Paterson resident, with Hindering Apprehension or Prosecution (third degree) and Tampering with Public Records or Information (third degree). She allegedly falsified a voter certificate on a vote-by-mail ballot and gave false information to detectives with the intent to hinder the State’s investigation into the May 2020 election.

The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. Third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000. Fourth-degree offenses could lead to up to 18 months in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.”

“As alleged, this case is not simply about a city council seat. The people’s right to vote and to have their voices heard was subverted by what we allege to be an unlawful conspiracy,” said Attorney General Platkin. “This was unfair to the voters of Paterson. It was, as the grand jury charged, fraud and theft.”

“The tenacious, hard work of the investigators and prosecutors on this case uncovered new information about the lengths the defendants allegedly went to in an attempt to rig Paterson’s municipal election and cover up their conduct,” said Drew Skinner, Executive Director of OPIA.

Mendez was initially indicted on election fraud charges in 2021.

In 2023, new charges have been brought against him, his wife Yohanny Mendez, and two other Paterson residents, Omar Ledesma and Iris Rigo.

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Second teen accused of sparking NJ wildfire that has torched 15K acres in Pine Barrens

A second teenager is accused of sparking the massive wildfire in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens.

A 17 year-old boy was charged with aggravated arson and hindering apprehension Wednesday for helping to ignite the fire that has burned more than 15,000 acres, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. He is not being identified because he is a minor.

Police say the teen helped Joseph Kling, 19, set wooden pallets on fire and that he lied to police about how the fire started.

Kling was arrested last week and charged with aggravated arson. He now faces an additional charge of hindering apprehension.

New Jersey firefighters battled the fierce blaze in the southern part of the state that took days to contain, and was thought to be the largest wildfire in the Garden State in the last 20 years.

A column of smoke was first spotted from the Cedar Bridge Fire Tower in Barnegat Township on April 22, and the fire quickly spread out of control, forcing the evacuation of 5,000 residents, and cutting electricity to 25,000 Garden Staters.

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Affluent New Jersey city considers controversial ordinance that would fine or jail homeless people for sleeping outside

A tony New Jersey city is considering approving a controversial new ordinance that would fine or jail homeless people found sleeping in public spaces.

Summit Councilman Jamel Boyer, a Republican, introduced the ordinance last Tuesday, claiming it serves to “preserve the safe and accessible use of public property for all residents, pedestrians and businesses.”

The ordinance in Summit would prohibit the homeless from camping in public areas, including parks, sidewalks, alleyways, and benches.

If approved, anyone found violating the ordinance would face a fine of up to $2,000 “and/or imprisonment or community service for a term not to exceed ninety days,” the order says.

A similar ordinance was presented in Morristown, NJ, in February but was struck down following massive backlash from the community and advocacy groups, NJ.com reported.

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New Jersey’s First Islamic City: Muslim Politicians Seize Power in Paterson, Declare It ‘The Capital of Palestine in America,’ Raise Islamic Flags, and Advance Sharia

“Because of our unity, we have three Muslim councilmembers sitting on the council at the same time. And because of our unity, one of our brothers, who was the councilman of the Sixth Ward, is now representing us in the 35th legislative district.” — Councilman Shahin Khalique

A shocking transformation is unfolding in Paterson, New Jersey, where local officials are rapidly reshaping the city into an Islamic stronghold. Once a beacon of American industry and blue-collar resilience, Paterson has become a case study in how unchecked Islamic immigration, demographic shifts, and political pandering can erode a city’s original identity.

Islamic Officials, Islamic Agenda

Muslim elected leaders with deep ties to radical Islamic organizations are prioritizing Islamic identity over American values, steering Paterson away from its historical roots. Every policy change, symbolic gesture, and political appointment moves the city closer to becoming an Islamic enclave.

Hilal Lighting Ceremony: A Symbol of Islamic Dominance

The latest development? The Hilal Lighting Ceremony, a city-endorsed event marking Ramadan, held in the heart of “Little Palestine”—Palestine Way. This was no mere religious event but a thinly veiled political rally for Palestinian nationalism.

Officially renamed in 2022, Palestine Way cements Paterson’s transformation into a de facto Palestinian enclave, complete with flags, street signs, and businesses mirroring the very nations many residents supposedly fled. The area is home to an estimated 15,000 Arabs, dominated by Palestinian presence. Main Street, now a mile-and-a-half-long strip lined with Palestinian flags, Arabic signs, and halal restaurants, is more than cultural representation—it is a territorial claim.

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‘Completely Crazy’: NJ Hospitals Ask Parents to Identify Newborns’ Sexual Orientation

A New Jersey hospital system is asking parents of newborns to designate their infant’s “sexual orientation” in a questionnaire mandated by state law.

The document from Inspira Health titled “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Questionnaire” features several disturbing sections, the New York Post reported on Saturday.

The form asks parents to identify their baby as “Male; Female; Transgender” or “GenderQueer” and tacks on another option called “Additional gender category/Self-described.”

Parents are further pressed to choose from the options of “Lesbian or gay; Straight or heterosexual; Bisexual; Self-describes” or “Questioning/Unsure” when describing their newborn.

Speaking with the Post about the questionnaire, New Jersey State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-Bergen) said there is a lack of logic regarding the issue. “To be handed that sort of form […] has no medical value, it makes no sense.”

A New Jersey mother of two likewise told the newspaper, “That form is completely crazy, and anyone who would dictate a baby’s sexual orientation probably has an agenda. If I was told to fill this out, I’d rip it up in front of them. It feels like we’ve entered ‘The Twilight Zone.’”

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