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Prosecutor Says 2 Found Dead in Montclair Park Were Romantically Involved

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MONTCLAIR — A man and woman found shot to death in a township park “had a dating relationship,” according to a statement issued today by Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray.

Montclair Park Shooting

Acting Essex Prosecutor Carolyn Murray, pictured in this file photo, identified the dead couple found in a Montclair Park. Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-Ledger

Shanae Q. Howard, 24, of Orange and Brandon Brown, 26, of Montclair were found dead at Canterbury Park shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday, police said. They were declared at 10:40 p.m.

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“Click It or Ticket” Crackdown Division of Highway Traffic Safety Rolls Out Annual “Click It or Ticket” Campaign

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Nearly 90 Percent of Law Enforcement Agencies in NJ Expected to Participate in Seat Belt Initiative

Click It or Ticket crackdowns

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TRENTON – As motorists take to the roads this Memorial Day holiday, the Division of Highway Traffic Safety is urging everyone to buckle up. Beginning on May 20, law enforcement officials will be out in full force, taking part in the 2013 national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization and cracking down on motorists who are not belted.

“As we kick-off the busy summer driving season it’s important that everyone buckles up every time they go out, both day and night – no excuses,” said Division of Highway Traffic Safety Acting Director Gary Poedubicky. “Officers throughout New Jersey are prepared to ticket anyone who is not wearing their seat belt.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 52 percent of the 21,253 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2011 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. Deaths involving seat belt nonuse are more prevalent at night than during the daytime. According to NHTSA, 62 percent of the 10,135 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2011 during the overnight hours of 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash.

In 2011, seat belts saved an estimated 11,949 lives nationwide according to NHTSA. While this year’s Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization runs from May 20 through June 2, officers are out enforcing seat belt laws year-round.

“Seat belts save thousands of lives every year, but far too many motorists are still not buckling up, especially at night when the risk of getting in a crash is even greater,” said Poedubicky. “We want everyone to have a safe summer, but it requires an important step on the part of motorists – clicking that seat belt.”

One hundred and twenty four agencies received $4,000 each to run the seatbelt enforcement checkpoints and saturation patrols. Last year, 86 percent of New Jersey police agencies, or 425 of 493, participated in the Click It or Ticket campaign. The mobilization ran from May 21 to June 3 and resulted in 29,307 seat belt citations. Police officers also wrote 981 child restraint and 4,951 speeding citations, and made 861 DWI arrests.

Legislation passed in 2010 made it a secondary offense for adults over the age of 18 to ride unbuckled in the back seat of a motor vehicle. The law allows police to issue a summons and fine of $46 to unrestrained adults in the back seat when the car they are riding in is pulled over for another violation. The state’s primary seat belt law requires all motorists and passengers in the front seat, including passengers under the age of 18, to wear a seat belt or be securely buckled in a car seat, or face a $46 fine. This ticket is issued to the driver.

For a list of all the agencies receiving grants for the Click It or Ticket crackdowns, please go to: www.nj.gov/oag/hts/downloads/CIOT_2013_Grant_Recipients.pdf

Newark Police Officer Suliaman Kamara Pleads Guilty to Falsely Reporting Vehicle Stolen in Order to Collect $10,791 from Insurer

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For Immediate Release:
For Further Information:
May 17, 2013

 Office of The Attorney General
- Jeffrey S. Chiesa, Attorney General
Division of Criminal Justice
- Elie Honig, Director		 Media Inquiries-
Peter Aseltine
609-292-4791
Citizen Inquiries-
609-984-5828
Suliaman Kamara theft by deception

Suliaman Kamara, 31, of Newark, a former Newark police officer, pleaded guilty to third-degree theft by deception

TRENTON – Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced that a Newark police officer pleaded guilty today to falsely reporting to police that his vehicle had been stolen and fraudulently collecting $10,791 from the company that insured the vehicle.

Suliaman Kamara, 31, of Newark, a former Newark police officer, pleaded guilty to third-degree theft by deception before Superior Court Judge Julie Marino in Somerset County.  Under the plea agreement, he faces a sentence of up to 364 days in the county jail.  He forfeited his job as a Newark police officer and is permanently barred from employment as a law enforcement officer.  He also must pay full restitution.  Judge Marino scheduled sentencing for Kamara for Aug. 23.

Deputy Attorney General Veronica Allende took the guilty plea for the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau.  Sgt. Lisa King led the investigation for the State Police Official Corruption North Unit. Senior Special Investigator Charles Citera of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company’s Special Investigative Unit provided valuable assistance in the investigation.

Kamara filed a report with the Newark Police Department on Feb. 23, 2009, falsely stating that his 2003 GMC Yukon had been stolen. He subsequently filed a claim for the purported theft with Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, which paid him a total of $10,791, including $9,744 for the vehicle, $477 for property he reported stolen inside the vehicle, and $570 for a rental car.  Nearly three years later, a representative of Liberty Mutual spotted the vehicle outside Kamara’s residence and alerted authorities.  The State Police located the 2003 GMC Yukon, bearing a license plate from another vehicle, parked outside of Kamara’s residence on March 14, 2012, and executed a search warrant, confirming that it was the vehicle he reported stolen.

Kamara was a Newark Police Officer at the time he filed the false police report and insurance claim.

The sentence in this case will run concurrently with a federal sentence Kamara faces in connection with his May 8 guilty plea to a charge that he conspired with a woman to fraudulently obtain more than $60,000 in benefits under the federal Section 8 public housing assistance program.  He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 12 on that charge, and faces up to five years in federal prison.

Morris County Man Javin Ward Convicted at Trial of Dealing Cocaine

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For Immediate Release:
For Further Information:
May 16, 2013

 Office of The Attorney General
- Jeffrey S. Chiesa, Attorney General
Division of Criminal Justice
- Elie Honig, Director		 Media Inquiries-
Peter Aseltine
609-292-4791
Citizen Inquiries-
609-984-5828
Javin Ward

Javin Ward

TRENTON - Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced that a Morris County man was convicted at trial today of selling cocaine to an undercover detective during an investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau.

Javin Ward, 35, of Parsippany-Troy Hills, was found guilty today by a Morris County jury of second-degree charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, distribution of cocaine, and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, as well as third-degree possession of cocaine.  He was convicted following a trial before Superior Court Judge Salem Vincent Ahto.  The charges were contained in a 2011 state grand jury indictment.

Deputy Attorneys General Ray Mateo and Annmarie Taggart tried the case for the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau.

Judge Ahto scheduled sentencing for Ward for June 21.  The second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000, while the third-degree charge carries a sentence of three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $35,000.

The state presented testimony and evidence at trial that between March 14 and May 21, 2011, Ward conspired to distribute cocaine with another man who acted as his supplier.  During that time period, an undercover detective for the Division of Criminal Justice made seven purchases of cocaine from Ward totaling more than 3 ounces.  The investigation began after detectives developed information that Ward was selling large amounts of cocaine from his home on Alba Place in Parsippany-Troy Hills.  Ward was arrested and initially charged in the investigation on June 1, 2011.

Detectives Terry Shaw, Louis Renshaw and Luis Cruz conducted the investigation for the Division of Criminal Justice North Narcotics Squad.

New Jersey Criminal Defense Attorney

Ocean County Man Alan Bienkowski Charged in Long Branch Homicide

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Alan Bienkowski Charged in Long Branch Homicide

Alan Bienkowski is facing several charges, including murder

Alan Bienkowski is facing several charges, including murder while in the commission of a crime and robbery

LONG BRANCH – A 54-year-old Manchester Township man has been charged in the homicide of a man found shot to death in the backyard of a city home on April 10, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday morning.

Alan Bienkowski is facing several charges, including murder while in the commission of a crime and robbery, according to jail records. The circumstances surrounding the homicide were not immediately released.

The body of the man Bienkowski allegedly killed, 56-year-old Michael Wells, of Point Pleasant, was found in the backyard of a Cleveland Avenue home last month.

A woman looking outside for her window for a rabbit found the man’s body about three feet from her back steps and notified police. Read Full Story