MOUNTAIN LAKES — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp announces that Matilda A. Mola, 66, of Mountain Lakes, has been sentenced today in connection with the forgery of $136,800.00 worth of checks.
On May 19, 2015, Mola pled guilty to ten counts of forgery, which are third degree crimes.
Superior Court Judge William J. McGovern, III, today sentenced Mola to a five years of probation, after which she must serve 364 days in the Morris County Corrections Facility.
Mola also was ordered to pay the remaining amount of restitution totaling $114,460.00. Prior to her sentencing, Mola paid $22,340 in restitution.
This prosecution stemmed from Mola’s action of forging her sister’s name on ten courtesy checks totaling $136,800.00 from a Bank of America line of credit account. The account belonged to her sister and brother, Mary and Joseph Mola.
Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Francine S. Ehrenberg represented the state during the prosecution.
Prosecutor Knapp would like to thank the Financial Crimes Unit of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, for their efforts on this case.
It’s a cool start to Friday across New Jersey, but it will get much warmer. Although some parts of northwestern New Jersey are reporting temperatures in the low 50s as of 7 a.m, it won’t stay that way. Forecasters are calling for another sunny, warm afternoon which will lead into an even hotter weekend. PLUS: Early…
PARSIPPANY — For the past several months many Lake Hiawatha residents have lamented to Parsippany Focus that a growing rodent problem is occurring in and around the business district along North Beverwyck Road in Lake Hiawatha. The mayor’s office has been alerted to the infestation problem and any resident observing rats (or rat droppings) should immediately contact the mayor’s action center.
An ordinance that is currently being considered by the Town Council will limit the amount of household and business trash that may be deposited in township trash cans along North Beverwyck Road. Penalties for violating the ordinance include fines of up to $2500 for first offenders and up to $10,000 in fines for every subsequent offense. To read the entire ordinance, click here.
For years, receptacles have overflowed with trash, to the point where they fill up almost as soon as trash is collected by the township.
PARSIPPANY — Parsippany resident Joseph Roman meets with Governor Christie at Seaside Park.
Roman, of the Glacier Hills section of Parsippany, was chosen as a Distinguished Alumnus for the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), in 2013.
He is an adjunct professor at NJIT, where he teachers business and management.
Joe is involved in Technology Sales and Marketing, and a local business leader and Trustee at Morris Catholic High School.
Roman attended Saint Christopher School, and graduated from Morris Catholic High School in Denville. Roman earned bachelor’s degree in management at Alvernia University in Reading, PA, and his master’s degree from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Roman and his wife, Danielle, have three children: Joseph Jr., Christopher and Nicholas.
He is a member of the Parsippany Knights of Columbus and is involved in local politics as a county committeeman. He is also involved in the Parsippany Youth Sports Program as a soccer and Little League baseball coach and as a team sponsor.
Prior to starting the Accelerant Sales Group 13 years ago Roman had worked as a senior manager for Dialogic and later was sales director of Intel Corporation where he was recognized as the leading corporate sales manager and received numerous sales and marketing honors and recognitions.
PARSIPPANY — A group of fifteen Parsippany High School students, four teachers and two administrators met for a summer book club.
The students and staff involved all read the young adult novel We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. After having some snacks and drinks, the group discussed and analyzed the novel, sharing their insight and questions.
The best part of the day was when the group took out their phones and did some live tweeting with the author. The author answered their questions for forty-five minutes using the hashtag #phsreads.
Some of the topics included her inspiration for the book; a potential film based on the book; her use of fairy tales as a plot device; and the themes of family, friendship, grief and race. It was a great day for all involved.
HANOVER — Morris County’s newest Wegmans Food Market should be open by the first half of 2017, according Jeanne Colleluori, a Wegmans spokeswoman.
Construction is underway on a long-awaited Wegmans Food Market in Hanover. According to Ms. Colleluori, the company is working on designing plans for the interior. She stated all the products and services offered at other Wegmans locations in the Garden State, should be offered in the new store.
Most stores have pizzerias and buffets with sit-down areas to enjoy food.
Colleluori has previously said shoppers can look forward to “consistent low prices and incredible service” at the store, which will have “a focus on restaurant quality foods” and “organic options in every department.”
There are seven other New Jersey locations: Bridgewater, Cherry Hill, Manalapan, Mount Laurel, Ocean, Princeton, and Woodbridge Township.
Trees were cleared from the 38.5 acre site — for the Wegmans Food Store and other retail stores, including possibly a bank — located close to the intersection of Ridgedale Avenue and Sylvan Way, in the Mack-Cali Business Campus off of Route 10 in Parsippany.
The site work is visible to Route 287 south, past the Entin Road exit and before the Route 10 exit.
In 2013, Hanover Planning Board approved a 140,000 square-foot Wegmans supermarket along with three restaurant buildings, a bank building and parking for 1,178 cars at Sylvan Way and Ridgedale Avenue located on the northern side of Route 10 across from Ridgedale on what is now vacant wooded land.
The entrance exit would entail a jug handle on Route 10 at an extension of Ridgedale Avenue across Route 10.
Wegmans would be one of the largest supermarkets in Morris County and, at 120,000 square feet, larger even than the gargantuan 80,000-square foot ShopRite of Morristown on East Hanover Avenue that opened November 2013.
The site will use water and sewer from Parsippany-Troy Hills for the property, under an agreement that dates back some 25 years, and was renewed by the Township Council in 2013.
Making way for a new Wegmans Food Store
The heavy equipment is clearing the site
More heavy equipment
Drainage pipes ready to be installed
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a privately held U.S. regional supermarket chain headquartered in Gates, New York, near Rochester. Wegmans has 85 stores in the mid-Atlantic and New England regions, in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Virginia. Founded in 1916 in Rochester, Wegmans has appeared on Fortune’s annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list since the list first appeared in 1998, and has ranked among the top 10 for eight consecutive years. Food Network recognized it with its award for Best Grocery Store in 2007, and Consumer Reports ranked it the top large U.S. grocery chain in 2012 and in 2014. It was also profiled as part of “Here Are The Jobs” segment on Politics Nation on July 6, 2012.
Danny Wegman is CEO. His daughter, Colleen Wegman, is president; his other daughter, Nicole Wegman, is vice-president of restaurant operations. His father, Robert, who died in 2006, was chairman. Robert was the son of co-founder Walter. During his life, Robert Wegman distinguished himself as a pioneer in the retail food business, as well as a generous donor to educational institutions and other charities.
The owner of the property is Hanover 3201, stands for the tax lot number of the site, is a subsidiary of Mack-Cali Realty LP.
The site is approximately 4.5 miles from the failed Whole Foods site on Waterview Boulevard.
Water use in New Jersey has increased, which environmentalists say could cause problems during the next drought. The total amount of water used by families, businesses, and two nuclear power plants rose by 110 million gallons per day between 2000 and 2010, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey. That amounts to an increase of…
PARSIPPANY — A Video Game Con, a video game convention dedicated to both retro and modern gaming, will take place Saturday, September 19, at the Parsippany PAL Youth Center, 33 Baldwin Road.
The convention will start at 10:00 a.m. and continue until 11:45 p.m.
The event in celebration of all things video gaming and will offer many game-related activities including free to play arcade and gaming consoles, indie developer showcases, gaming tournaments, musical performances, special guests and cosplay.
It will also bring together some of the best video game vendors in the tri-state area for buying, selling, and trading games as well as vendors selling customized apparel and unique artwork.
The convention is organized by ButtonSmasher, LLC, a company founded by Paul Solomine, a local video game enthusiast and collector.
Special guests scheduled to attend AVGC include:
• Billy Mitchell: video game arcade record holder and legend
• Richie Knucklez: arcade owner, classic arcade restorer, and Arcade Culture Webshow host
• Brain Nelson aka DJ Wheels: Asteroids arcade world record holder
• Lua Suicide: alternative model, cosplayer, and SuicideGirl
• Elena Blueskies: NYC-based cosplayer
• Toni X Temptress: local cosplayer
• Clown Queen: local cosplayer
• Jules Starn: local cosplayer
• Shock: video game tournament guru, Mortal Kombat legend, and owner of KombatNetwork
The convention will feature a musical performance showcase, including the following acts:
• Chipocrite: Mixing the sounds of a Nintendo GameBoy and contemporary influences, the legendary chiptune artist, Chipocrite (Paul Weinstein), has composed music for live performances such as Vans Warp Tour, MAGFest, AnimeNext and various video games such as Beard Wars and EarthNight.
• Kris Keyser: Using retro technology, another chiptune veteran, Kris Keyser, composes low-bit songs and soundtracks. Kris has performed at notable shows such as Blip Festival, PAX East and MAGFest. His music has been featured in the 8bitpeoples label, and several indie games such as Armillo: The Parallel Universe Mystery and Chip Beat Blaster.
• Montclair Gamer Symphony Orchestra: Formed by a local ensemble of gamers with musical talents, the Montclair Gamer Symphony Orchestra performs live orchestral music from fan favorite games such as The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Halo and Pokemon.
• The Schwam: This multi-genre group consists of members Brandon Bachrach, Jason Basner, Jon Rosario, Mike Marguccio and Bryan George. They cover a variety of music from the funky tunes of the 70’s to the trumpet pumping sounds of ska from the 90’s, including their own unique video game covers.
• 10th Dimension & Parallax: This dynamic EDM proudcer/DJ duo consist of Nima Moayer and Armin Papp, two musicians who are looking to bring their creative twist by changing up conventional beats and blending the genres of house, electro, breakbeat, dubstep, trap, hip-hop, and drum n bass in a single set.
What’s there to do at AVGC?
Cosplay Contests
Meet Special Guests
Musical Performances by chiptune DJs and rock bands
Panels about video game history, culture & more.
Pro & Casual Video Game Tournaments
Auctions/Raffles/Giveaways
Indie Video Game Developers
Video Game themed Burlesque show
Food to satisfy your caloric intake needs
Console Freeplay
and so much more.
The convention will also feature a special video game burlesque performance by Lily Stiches and the Ink & Paint Burlesque troupe.
Ticket prices range from $15.00 to $50.00 and can be purchased in advance. For tickets click here. For more information on the event, or other events, click here.
PARSIPPANY – A doctor with practices in Nassau County, New York, was charged with accepting bribes in exchange for test referrals as part of a long-running and elaborate scheme operated by Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services LLC (BLS), 181 New Road, its president and numerous associates, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Bret Ostrager, 50, of Woodbury, New York, was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with one count of conspiring to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Federal Travel Act, three substantive violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, and four substantive violations of the Federal Travel Act. Ostrager is scheduled to be arraigned before Judge Stanley Chesler on August 19, 2015.
Ostrager is the first defendant to be indicted in connection with the BLS bribery scheme. To date, 38 people – 26 of them doctors – have pleaded guilty in connection with the bribery scheme, which its organizers have admitted involved millions of dollars in bribes and resulted in more than $100 million in payments to BLS from Medicare and various private insurance companies. It is believed to be the largest number of medical professionals ever prosecuted in a bribery case. The investigation has to date recovered more than $11.5 million through forfeiture.
According to the indictment:
Between February 2011 and April 2013, Ostrager received monthly cash bribes of approximately $3,300.00 from BLS employees and associates. He periodically solicited and received from the BLS employees and associates tickets and meals that cost thousands of dollars. These additional bribes in response to specific requests from Ostrager included tickets to a New York Mets baseball game, a New York Knicks basketball game, a Katy Perry concert, a Justin Bieber concert, and the Broadway show “Newsies.” In exchange, Ostrager referred patient blood samples to BLS. Ostrager’s referrals generated approximately $909,000.00 in lab business for BLS.
If convicted, Ostrager faces a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison on each of the counts on which he is charged. Each count also carries a maximum $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert; IRS–Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen; and inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates, with the ongoing investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph N. Minish and Danielle Alfonzo Walsman, Senior Litigation Counsel Andrew Leven, and Jacob T. Elberg, Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Health Care and Government Fraud Unit in Newark, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Ward, Acting Chief of the office’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Unit.
U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman reorganized the health care fraud practice at the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office shortly after taking office, including creating a stand-alone Health Care and Government Fraud Unit to handle both criminal and civil investigations and prosecutions of health care fraud offenses. Since 2010, the office has recovered more than $635 million in health care fraud and government fraud settlements, judgments, fines, restitution and forfeiture under the False Claims Act, the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and other statutes.
