Correctional Facility remains in complete compliance under Sheriff Rochford

Frank L. Cahill
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Correctional Facility remains in complete compliance under Sheriff Rochford

The New Jersey Department of Corrections conducted an inspection of the Morris County Correctional Facility on Thursday, June 25 and Friday, June 26.

The inspection revealed that the Correctional Facility remains in complete compliance with all regulations and requirements as set forth under New Jersey law as well as administrative code and practices.

According to a letter dated Tuesday, July 7 from Director Marcus Hicks of the NJ Department of Corrections Office of County Services “Sheriff Rochford and his staff are to be congratulated on this achievement and are to be commended for the efforts and preparation for this inspection. The hard work and dedication by the staff of your facility was evident.”

This came just after the American Correctional Association (ACA) gave the correctional facility a score of 98.6%, making this the twelfth year in a row the correctional facility was nationally accredited. The review was conducted by three out-of-state independent correctional professionals. This accreditation is one of prestige as only 160 jails of the over 3,000 in the United States have ever accomplished this feat. These two national accreditations finish up the three essential national assessments, earning the Morris County Sheriff’s Office the Triple Crown Award for the 11th year in a row. The Triple Crown Award’s distinction have only been earned by 36 of the 3,083 Sheriff’s Offices nationwide. This also comes on the heels of just having received reaccreditation from The National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) with a perfect score of 100% for all essential standards and a 94% in the non-essential standards.

Sheriff Edward Rochford congratulates the men and women of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Corrections for their continued outstanding work.

BY THE NUMBERS: THE MORRIS COUNTY JAIL (2014 stats)

Inmate capacity:  524  (452 males, 72 females)

Prisoners during June 2015 inspection: 264 (221 male, 43 female)

Average daily prisoner count for 12 month period:  300 (260 male, 40 female)

Highest one-day count during that same period: 355 (301 male, 54 female)

Average bookings per month: 283 (262 male, 21 female)

The largest number of inmates, 135 (119 male, 16 female), were awaiting trial.

The next-largest group, 56 (46 male, 10 female) were sentenced by the county.

The third-largest group, 45 (36 male, 9 female) were pre-sentenced.

The staff count was 202, according to the county.

In 2014, two staff members were assaulted by inmates. One incident involved inmates assaulting each other.

“Forced moves” — when inmates had to be relocated from their cells for disciplinary reasons– were reported 73 times in 2014.

Chemical agents were use 39 times by jail staff.

The emergency response team was used 39 times to respond to fights and emergencies.

Strip searches were conducted based on “reasonable suspicion” 1232 times, until the jail staff halted the practice in response to legal challenges elsewhere, according to Undersheriff William Schievella.

No escapes were attempted.

Some 93 grievances were reported; one was substantiated, involving food service.

There were 8 suicide attempts (5 hanging, 2 slashing, 1 “other”), but no deaths at the jail in 2014.

 

AARP Driver Safety Debuts a New Refresher Course

Frank L. Cahill
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AARP Driver Safety Debuts a New Refresher Course

PARSIPPANY — In 1979, AARP founded “55 Alive” to help keep older drivers independent, safe and confident while on the road. While its mission hasn’t changed since then, many other things have, including the program name.

The AARP Driver Safety refresher course will bring you up to speed on changes to roads and cars.

Today, AARP Driver Safety continues to meet the needs of older drivers through educational programs led by more than 4,000 volunteers and myriad resources. But they aren’t the same programs and resources that were available nearly 35 years ago. AARP Driver Safety has continued to evolve with the times, delivering on AARP’s goal to promote the independence of older Americans and enhance their quality of life.

A lot has changed since AARP Driver Safety first began as “55 Alive.” The roads have changed. Cars and the technology inside them have changed. Even the people behind the wheel have changed. As drivers, if we don’t keep up with those changes we put others and ourselves at risk.

Refresh your driving skills with the AARP smart driver course to be held in Parsippany on Wednesday, August 5 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The course will be taught by instructor Martin Karasick. You can contact Marty directly at (973) 402-6466.

You will learn defensive driving techniques, proven safety strategies, new traffic laws and rules of the road. There are no tests to pass. You simply sign up and learn. Upon completion you could receive a multi-year discount on your car insurance.

This course will be held at Parsippany Community Center, 1130 Knoll Road, Lake Hiawatha.

Classroom course cost $15.00 for AARP members, and $20.00 for non members.

Participants, please don’t forget to bring lunch.

For more information click here.  Registration is required. Call Gloria or Colleen at (973) 263-7352. Please make check or money order payable to: AARP and be sure to bring your AARP membership card with you to get the member rate for participation in this course.

 

Fall Festival returns on Sunday, September 20

Frank L. Cahill
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Fall Festival returns on Sunday, September 20

PARSIPPANY — The Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills announced the annual Fall Festival will take place this year on Sunday, September 20 from 12:00 Noon to 5:00 p.m. on North Beverwyck Road.

The town-wide celebration not only provides an opportunity to highlight township programs, services, organizations and businesses, but also encourages community spirit.

The generosity of the business community has played a large role in the success of the past festivals. For those businesses and organizations wanting to participate click here and print a registration form. Please be sure to submit your forms as soon as possible.

For businesses looking for sponsorship opportunities please contact Michelle Sylvin at (973) 263-4256 for more information. The Townshup is hoping to count on your support in exchange for being recognized in press releases, advertisements and social media outlets

What is the next journey for Parsippany High School graduates?

Frank L. Cahill
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What is the next journey for Parsippany High School graduates?
John
John Loaiza will be attending County College of Morris

PARSIPPANY — Now that the school year is over, the summer is here, the Parsippany High School graduates are preparing for their next journey in life. Of the 223 graduates, 72% will be attending a Four Year College or University (161 graduates); 50 graduates or 22% are attending Two Year Colleges; 5 graduates or 2% are attending career education; 2 graduates or 1% will be an apprenticeship; 1 graduate or 1% will be joining the Military; and 4 graduates or 2% will be going directly into employment.

The Parsippany High School Class of 2015 graduates will attend:

Arcadia University: William Snell;

Centenary College: Amber Moore.

Caitlyn Bednarz will be attending County College of Morris
Caitlyn Bednarz will be attending County College of Morris

County College of Morris: Eric Abanfo, Ahmed Abdelkader, Sohaib Ahmed, Christopher Aldana-Garcia, Caitlyn Bednarz, James Brennan, D’Angelo Brown, Daniel Campbell, Hayden Cerrato, Travis Cicalese, Jonathan Croat, Brianna D’Alessio, Gabriella Davino, Omar Dawud, Nicolas Freeman, Joseph Gatto, Kasey Hart, Jacob Helmlinger, Christian Hulse-Carr, Marla Jamna, Brandon Jones, William Leys, John Loaiza, Samantha Natoli, Rishi Parmar, Shalin Patel, Ganesh Persaud, Martin Louis Poblete, Sasha Ramnarine, Matthew Rodriguez, Kaitlyn Scannazzo, Ashley Shandra, Jennifer Smith, Ivana Srbljanovic, Elizabeth Stumpf, Emily Tom, Malcolm Udoh, John Unyuruten, Heather Van Syckel, Nicolette Villopoto, Marvin Vivanco and Sencm Yavuz.

Drew University: Kinza l’vlalik.

williamlays
Billy Lays will be attending County College of Morris

Mishal Varghese Drexel University: Saumya Ma lkani.

Shymn Naik East Carolina University: John Bucciarelli.

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania: Katherine De Marco, Malik Francis and Gabriela Rachmaciej.

Fairfield University: Lauren Durborow.

Fairleigh Dickinson University: Alexandra Cancino and Jinchin Yuan.

Fashion Institute of Technology: Nicolas Galvis.

Fiorello H. La Guardia Community College of CUNY: Vijaya Pandey.

Florida State University: Michael Michalik.

Indiana University at Bloomington: Winston Yeh.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania: Kayleigh Byrne.

IMG_5166
Elizabeth Stumpf will be attending County College of Morris

John Jay College of Criminal Justice of CUNY: Gloria Seales.

Johns Hopkins University: Viren Lad.

Johnson & Wales University: Jessica Chapman.

Kean University: Marline Agenor, Brittany Birth and Rania Sawalhi.

Long Island University, Brooklyn: Caroline Curiel.

Manhattan College: Seema Shah.

Marist College: Kaila M igliazza.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Emily Weng.

monmouthuniversityMonmouth University: Danielle Jannarone, Jessica Murray and Phoebe Nelson.

Montclair State University: Kristina Olio, Alexyss Panfile, Kaitlynn Pinero, Jonathan Rose, Victorin Rossi, Matthew Ruggiero, Brittany Scannelli, Andrew Smith and Abraham Yaqoobi.

Muhlenberg College: Emily Davis.

New Jersey Institute of Technology: Maire Burder, Parth Chokshi, Matthew De Jesus, Jaydin Jennings, Nikhil Kanoor, Kishan Patel, Shivan Patel and Tej Patel.

New York University: Varun Chopra,  Phyllis Chou, Jordan Imp, Aleena Kazmi and Katie Lau.

Northeastem University: Melissa Palacios.

IMG_5003
John Lips will be attending Ramapo College

Passaic County Community College: Kefaya Rabah, Mamoon Rabah and Othman Rabah.

Purdue University: Kyle Ting.

Ramapo College of New Jersey: Brian Carter, John Lips, Joshua Lustig, Joanne Veloz, and Nicholas Verillo.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: Kentaro Hansen.

Roger Wil liams University: Lauren Calabrese.

Rowan University: De’Andre Fils-Aime, Emmanuel Gaya, Maria Glodzik, Katherine Lips, Jenna Scalzo and Veronica Shaw.

Rutgers University: Jennifer Atherton, Jessica Bajwa, Gulseren Bayrak, Tulsi Bulsara, Volodymyr Busko, Amanda Chan, Anna Chandra, Sarah Chen, Jenna Chung, Komal Desai, Jonathan Di Pippa, Heenal Gandhi, Natalie Hall, Najma Hassan, Ashley Jankovic, Nikhil Jiju, So Young Jung, Navjot Kaur, Shreya Khajuria, Linh Le, Joon Lee, Tameem Maqsudi, Melissa Mohammed, Drashti Parekh, Jaltej Patel, Jayati Patel, Sahil Patel, Shymn Patel, Kevin Reshamwala, Asra Siddiqi, Ronald Tudorache, Zahra Wallizadeh, Joshua Wong, Samuel Wu and Sarha Yaqoobi.

Seton Hall University: Erin Hoffman, Mohammad Jaman, Julianna Kadian, Joseph Kloss, Masood Tvfohayya and Keshal Patel.

IMG_4867
Brianna D’Alessio will be attending County College of Morris

Springfield College: Aarin Feliz.

St. John’s University: Kayla Rodriguez.

St. Joseph’s College: Jane Ooi.

State University of New York at Albany: Maya Rudolph.

Stevens Institute of Technology: Zachary Kovacs.

Stonehill College: Taylor Auletto.

Stony Brook University: Alexander Bamert and Samir Gandhi.

Syracuse University: Erick Abinader.

Temple University: Evan Shoshan.

The College of New Jersey: Omar Bokhari, Niharika Mami, llapalli Shrecvidya Nallan, Rick Santana and Henry Shen.

Ohio State University: Christopher Yang.

Towson University:Giancarlo Colasuonno.

United States Air Force Academy: Joshua Fortes.

University of Delaware: David Aloisio, Amanda Angulo, Jennifer Chang, David Patracuolla, Brian Rodrigues, Valery Salinas and Nicole Scarmazzo.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Christopher Tang.

Emily Tsai University of Massachusetts: Taylor Lewis.

University of New Haven: Sarah Ferguson.

University of Pennsylvania: Lilian Peng and Elizabeth Tu.

University of Rhode lsland: Joseph Zolla.

Spencer Savings Bank Awards Annual Scholarships

Frank L. Cahill
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Spencer Savings Bank Awards Annual Scholarships

PARSIPPANY — Spencer Savings Bank, a community bank headquartered in Elmwood Park, once again awarded scholarships as part of an annual initiative to support promising young students in the region.

On June 24, an awards ceremony was held at the bank where two local students received scholarships. Parsippany High School student Priyal Patel was presented with a $1,000 scholarship.

In addition, Parsippany Central Middle School student Andrew Lie received a $500 scholarship in the form of a Coverdell Education Savings Account.

In total, 31 local students received $23,500 in scholarships this year. Through the program, 16 high school students each received a $1,000 scholarship, along with 15 middle school students who each received a $500 Coverdell Education Savings Account. The Bank’s annual scholarship program is designed to recognize and encourage those with academic potential as they plan their future educational endeavors.

“Investing in our community starts with helping secure an education for our children,” says José B. Guerrero, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Spencer Savings Bank. “Education is expensive and much needed for a bright future. We are so proud to support these young scholars in their academic pursuits, hopes and dreams.”

Since the inception of the Spencer Scholarship Program in 2002, a total amount of $315,500 has been awarded to students from the Bank’s service area, including Clifton, Cranford, Elizabeth, Elmwood Park, Garfield, Garwood, Lodi, Lyndhurst, North Caldwell, Nutley, Parsippany, Saddle Brook, Union, Wallington, Wayne and Wood-Ridge. In addition to the scholarship program, Spencer also hosts financial education programs in area schools.

“Being able to continue our long-running scholarship program is one of the greatest privileges and responsibilities of Spencer Savings Bank,” Mr. Guerrero says. “Our children are our legacy and we are very proud to support these local students in our community and to celebrate their accomplishments.”

 

Gusty thunderstorms may cause flash floods Thursday in N.J.

Letters to the Editor
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Gusty thunderstorms may cause flash floods Thursday in N.J.

It appears New Jerseyans will finally get a break from the rain Friday but first another day of drenching showers is in the forecast. Gusty thunderstorms this afternoon have the potential for flash flooding in the Garden State into Thursday night. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook in the state for the…

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Chase Bank to abandon debt collections against 34K Jersey consumers

Letters to the Editor
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Chase Bank to abandon debt collections against 34K Jersey consumers

TRENTON — Chase Bank will abandon credit card debt collection efforts against more than 34,000 New Jersey consumers to settle allegations it used “robo-signed” affidavits and made calculation errors in seeking court judgments, state authorities said Wednesday. As part of the settlement, the bank and Chase Bankcard Services will pay $136 million to 47 states, the…

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GOP chief arrested on drunken driving charge

Letters to the Editor
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GOP chief arrested on drunken driving charge

JERSEY CITY — The head of Hudson County’s Republican Party was arrested early this morning after cops say he was driving drunk in Downtown Jersey City, had trouble speaking and stumbled while getting out of his car, according to the Port Authority. Jose Arango, 57, of West New York, was driving westbound on 14th Street at…

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Doctor Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison

Frank L. Cahill
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Doctor Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison

PARSIPPANY — A Boonton doctor was sentenced to 63 months in prison for accepting $1.8 million in bribes to refer millions of dollars in business to Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services LLC (BLS), of Parsippany, as part of a long-running scheme operated by the lab, its president, and numerous associates, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Frank Santangelo, 45, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler to an information charging him with violating the Travel Act, money laundering and failing to file tax returns. Judge Chesler imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

“Santangelo admitted he violated the trust of his patients, who should be able to count on their doctors’ prescribing only tests that are necessary and recommending providers based solely on their qualifications,” U.S. Attorney Fishman said. “This type of fraud compromises patient care and drives up the cost of health care.”

“Today’s sentencing of Frank Santangelo is the result of a long-term, multi-agency investigation into a complex health care fraud scheme which involved millions of dollars,” Richard M. Frankel, FBI Special Agent in Charge, Newark Division, said. “Santangelo’s arrest and sentencing send the message the FBI and its law enforcement partners will continue to zealously investigate these fraud and abuse schemes, which divert critical resources from of our already overburdened health care system and contribute exponentially to the rising cost of health care.”

Including Santangelo, 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.

According to documents filed in this and other cases and statements made in court:

Santangelo, with offices in Montville and Wayne received more than $1.8 million in bribe payments from BLS for referrals for which the lab was paid more than $6 million by Medicare and various insurance companies. After receiving more than $800,000 from BLS through sham lease agreements and sham service agreements between 2006 and 2010, Santangelo began receiving bribes from BLS through a third party – often tens of thousands of dollars a month – totaling more than $1 million between 2010 and his arrest in April 2013.

Santangelo acknowledged the authenticity of text messages between himself and BLS president and part owner David Nicoll in which Santangelo referred to ordering unnecessary tests to increase referrals to BLS in exchange for bribes. In one text message conversation, Santangelo said he and another doctor had “put our heads together and added a significant amount of testing…. The testing is 90 percent legit.” Santangelo detailed his plan to send $1 million per month in blood testing referrals to BLS by increasing the number of blood tests being ordered, including medically unnecessary tests.

In another text message conversation, David Nicoll wrote to Santangelo about the status of their referral agreement, stating that BLS “really can’t afford the 40-50,000 [dollars] a month if the girls aren’t going to be drawing any blood,” to which Santangelo responded by stating, “U no u can count on me!” and “I never let u down!”

He also pleaded guilty to money laundering, admitting that he used another individual in an attempt to hide the bribes from BLS, and to failing to file tax returns from 2009-2011 and pay taxes owed during that time period.

On April 9, 2013, federal agents arrested David Nicoll, 41, of Mountain Lakes; Scott Nicoll, 34, of Wayne, a senior BLS employee and David Nicoll’s brother; and Craig Nordman, 36, of Whippany, a BLS employee and the CEO of Advantech Sales LLC – an entity used by BLS to make illegal payments. They were charged by federal complaint with the bribery conspiracy, along with the BLS company and Santangelo. David and Scott Nicoll and Nordman are awaiting sentencing.

“Physicians who accept kickbacks in exchange for patient referrals and ordering medically unnecessary blood tests undermine the public’s faith in the medical profession and the financial stability of Medicare,” said Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “OIG will continue to protect both taxpayers and patients by holding physicians accountable for such wrongdoing.”

In addition to the prison term, Judge Chesler sentenced Santangelo to three years of supervised release and fined him $6,250. Santangelo must also forfeit more than $1.8 million as part of his plea agreement. The investigation has so far recovered more than $11.5 million through forfeiture.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel; 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 the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates, with the ongoing investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

The government is represented by Senior Litigation Counsel Andrew Leven, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Minish, 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 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.

 

Letter to the editor: Kirkbride Building has now been so thoroughly degraded

Frank L. Cahill
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lettersDear Editor:

By now many of you have seen the Daily Record article (click here).

I regret to inform you that the CenterMain section of the Kirkbride Building has now been so thoroughly degraded that any hope for its re-use has been lost, and there will be no adaptive re-use of the Greystone Kirkbride Building whatsoever.

And so ends our mission of advocacy. 

Once its days as a hospital ended, there was a golden opportunity to bring this treasure forward into contemporary relevance, and to define a positive new role for it in our community. Numerous examples exist of Kirkbride Buildings in other states (some of lower quality, and in far worse shape than our Greystone) that now serve as community centers, mixed use commercial/residential villages, and wildly popular tourist destinations. They were revitalized without any expenditure of taxpayer money.

But there will be no second act for our Kirkbride Building.

Nor third, nor fourth.

Greystone is public property, literally common ground. It has been an enormous presence in the community – for a long, long time. Answering the question of what to do with it is a conversation that should have taken place publicly. All stakeholders should have had the opportunity to voice their aspirations for this public heirloom, and to voice their concerns for how different adaptive re-uses might impact the community, now and for future generations.

Unfortunately, Greystone’s fate was deliberated behind closed doors, by an insular collection of public officials who will not account for their actions in this matter. No plausible explanation has been given for the decisions that were made. The silence of our local officials on this issue is deafening, and the story promulgated by the State – that it would cost too much to re-use the building – is nonsense. Numerous private firms came forward with the money and expertise to put the building to good use. But the State wouldn’t talk to them.

To say that these officials failed to manage our assets wisely, or even responsibly, is an understatement. They turned down over $100M in private investment, borrowed $50M, and actively destroyed an irreplaceable public heirloom that was built to last forever – an irretrievable loss for this generation and countless future ones, and an affront to the generation that built it.

I heartily commend the foresight and collaborative action being taken by all those working to rescue iconic pieces of the façade. It is sincerely hoped that these will indeed comprise part of a future memorial on the site. But a memorial, no matter how important, no matter how thoughtful or beautiful, cannot mitigate this fiscal, cultural and environmental disaster. 

I want to thank you all for your attention, and commend you all once again for your active participation and support for good public policy. If you took the time to send a postcard, plant a lawnsign, attend a rally, call your legislator, or simply talked to your neighbors about Greystone, you were engaged in an important act of citizenship. If you demanded answers, you were sending a message. No matter the outcome, these actions are vitally important to the health of our democracy. Sunshine is the best disinfectant, and an informed, engaged, and vocal citizenry is the best antidote to bad government.

John Huebner
President, Preserve Greystone 501c3

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