Former Lakewood NJ Property Manager Pleads Guilty

For Immediate Release

December 14, 2009

United States Attorney's Office

District of New Jersey
Contact: (973) 645-2700

Former Lakewood Property Manager Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Extortion

TRENTON—Charles Amon, a former property manager in Lakewood, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit extortion, admitting he agreed to arrange meetings between Jeffrey Williamson, then a Lakewood Township housing inspector, and a cooperating witness, where at such meetings Williamson accepted a total of $1,500 in corrupt cash payments from the cooperating witness in return for Williamson exercising his future official authority in favor of the cooperating witness, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Amon, 33, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan to a one-count criminal Information charging him with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right. Judge Sheridan continued Amon’s release on a $25,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for Feb. 18.

At his plea hearing, Amon, admitted that in April through May of 2007, he arranged meetings between Williamson and the cooperating witness, with the understanding that Williamson would accept corrupt cash payments from the cooperating witness with the understanding that Williamson would then perform favorable inspections on Lakewood properties owned by the cooperating witness. Amon also admitted that he had previously made corrupt cash payments to Williamson to perform lenient housing inspections on Amon’s behalf. Charges against Williamson are pending.

Amon’s guilty plea stems from a two-track undercover FBI investigation into political corruption and international money laundering which resulted in charges against 44 individuals via criminal Complaints on July 23.

Fishman said the political corruption and money laundering investigations are continuing.

The charge to which Amon pleaded guilty carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

In determining an actual sentence, the judge will consult the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which recommend sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offenses, the defendant’s criminal history, if any, and other factors, including acceptance of responsibility. The judge, however, has discretion and is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

The prosecution and defense have agreed that, under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Amon faces a possible sentence of between 10 and 18 months in prison. Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Defendants who are given custodial terms must serve nearly all of that time.

Fishman credited Special Agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Weysan Dun, for the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. The case against Amon is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

Defense Counsel: Paul B. Brickfield, Esq., River Edge

Report Ocean County Corruption to FBI Washington DC

Fellowship Chapel Clown Ministry Scam

Con artists are cowards. They seek easy prey to steal what they want. The elderly are prime targets for these low life leaches of the world.

Fellowship Chapel Point Pleasant NJ had a clown ministry that would go into retirement communities to “minister” to the elderly. This clown ministry was run by the secret president of Fellowship Chapel Point Pleasant NJ John Emanuel. John Emmanuel used this form of ministry to target the vulnerable elderly men and women who he knew fit the criteria put in place by former assistant prosecutor Edward Murachanian from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

John Emanuel and Fellowship Chapel of Jersey Shore vice president Richard Bergstrom would make their rounds putting on a great act in hopes of finding just the right senior citizen who fit the scam criteria set forth by Edward Murachanian lawyer Brick Township.

Due to a situation where the phony clown ministry was almost exposed it has since been shut down and the scammer’s efforts have stopped.

Report Church Fraud to FBI Washington DC

Former New Jersey Assemblyman Daniel M. Van Pelt Indicted

For Immediate Release

December 10, 2009

United States Attorney's Office
District of New Jersey
Contact: (973) 645-2700

Former New Jersey Assemblyman Indicted for Allegedly Accepting $10,000 Cash Bribe

TRENTON—Former New Jersey Assemblyman Daniel M. Van Pelt was indicted today in connection with Van Pelt’s acceptance of a corrupt $10,000 cash payment made in exchange for Van Pelt’s official assistance on real estate development matters before the State of New Jersey and Ocean Township, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

The Indictment charges that Van Pelt, while a member of the New Jersey General Assembly and its Committee on the Environment and Solid Waste, accepted $10,000 in cash from a government cooperating witness (CW), in exchange for the promise of helping the CW obtain development approvals from New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, among other things.

The Indictment stems from an undercover FBI political corruption and international money laundering investigation that became public on July 23. Van Pelt was charged in a criminal complaint on that day.

Fishman said the corruption and money laundering investigations are continuing.

Van Pelt will have to appear for arraignment on the Indictment on a date to be determined.

According to the Indictment, Van Pelt met with the CW at a restaurant in Waretown on Feb. 11, 2009, and suggested to the CW, “you should hire me as a consultant.” On Feb. 21, 2009, according to the Indictment, Van Pelt and the CW met at a restaurant in Atlantic City. During the meeting, Van Pelt asked the CW, “what do you want me to do for you?” When the CW responded that he was concerned about his ability to obtain Coastal Area Facilities Act (CAFRA) permits from the State of New Jersey, Van Pelt stated that he had “a pretty good relationship with the State . . . long before [he] became an Assemblyman.” Later during this meeting, Van Pelt accepted $10,000 in cash from the CW. When the CW reiterated that he needed assistance with the DEP and CAFRA, Van Pelt replied, “Alright. Well you call me anytime.”

The Indictment further alleges that Van Pelt deposited the $10,000 in cash into his personal bank account shortly after receiving the money from the CW, utilizing separate deposits of $5,500 and $4,400. The Indictment alleges that in a subsequent meeting on May 15, 2009, the CW queried Van Pelt as to what Van Pelt would do if the CW’s permit applications were among many other such applications. Van Pelt responded to the CW that he would ask that the applications be moved “to the top of the pile” and further that Van Pelt would “sit down and physically meet” with the DEP.

The Indictment charges Van Pelt with one count of attempted extortion under color of official right, which carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; and one count of accepting corrupt payments in connection with a business or transaction or series of transactions with the State of New Jersey, an entity receiving more than $10,000 in federal funds during a specified one-year period, which carries a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Fishman credited Special Agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Weysan Dun, and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge William P. Offord, for the investigation of Van Pelt and the other defendants. Fishman also thanked the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin, for their assistance in the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Bocian of the Special Prosecutions Division.

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Why Con Artists Scam

Con artists scam because it gives them infinite pleasure to "put one over" on anyone who stands still long enough. The compulsion to scam is so strong that a con artist will produce a scam even if he/she gains no money out of it. Con artists even scam each other!

An unusually sick group

Quoting a study by Richard Blum Chuck Whitlock points out that most con artists are:

... Impulsive, amoral, uncontrolled and detached from normal

The essential feature of Antisocial Personality Disorder is a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others...

This pattern has also been referred to as psychopathy, sociopathy or dissocial personality disorder...

Individuals with Antisocial Personality Disorder frequently lack empathy and tend to be callous, cynical, and contemptuous of the feelings, rights, and sufferings of others."

Chuck Whitlock, Chuck Whitlock's Scam School, © 1997, macmillan, New York, NY, pages 20, 21; Richard H. Blum, Deceivers and Deceived: Observations on Confidence Men and Their Victims, Informants and Their Quarry, Political and Industrial Spies and Ordinary Citizens, (Springfield: Charles C. Thomas, 1972), pp 49-50.

The danger of the missing gene

There is no guilt associated with a scam, not even the slightest twinge. A con artist is quite simply missing that particular gene. The con artist has no inbred stops, no conscience. That's what it means to be a sociopath. If anything, the con feels justified in taking your money, "You deserved to be taken. You asked for it."

Why is this dangerous? Because it means that the con artist will pressure you to the end of your resources, regardless of the pain and grief it causes you. Neither children, nor the elderly, nor the fragile of health are immune from his attack. It does not matter to the con that he may be taking your last dime, nor does it matter to him that you may need the promised wealth to pay for a dire need. This criminal will take your money to the detriment of your health by selling fake cures and false hopes, even knowing that his scam may ultimately cause your death.

What sets the con artist apart?

Scammers come from diverse backgrounds. They may come from a broken home or the most stable and well-adjusted of families. They may have been afforded an excellent education, or very little. Such backgrounds do not set them apart.

Nor are they set apart by their country of origin, sexual preferences, political bent, religious beliefs, or ingrained social values. Actually, pertaining to those last three, the con artist is a free spirit. His or her own personal welfare far outweighs standard social considerations.

What does set the scammer apart is the natural ability, often discovered at a very young age, to manipulate the people around them. Added to this is the fact that such manipulation leaves them without any feeling of guilt or remorse. On the contrary, it leaves them with an intense feeling of satisfaction - a particular glow that encourages them to continue manipulating to get whatever they want, regardless of the cost to the giver.

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FBI Press Release Executive Director Democratic Party

For Immediate Release

United States Attorney's Office District of New Jersey
Contact: (973) 645-2700
December 3, 2009

Executive Director of the Ocean County Political Party Pleads Guilty to Promoting and Facilitating Bribery

TRENTON—The executive director of the Ocean County Democratic Party pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he accepted two corrupt cash payments from a cooperating government witness in exchange for a promise to make introductions to public officials who might assist the cooperating witness with development interests, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Alfonso L. Santoro, 70, of Beachwood, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano to a one-count Information that charges him with a violation of the federal Travel Act. Judge Pisano released the defendant on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for March 1.

Santoro had not been previously charged, and today was his first appearance in court. His guilty plea comes as part of the same investigation that resulted in bribery and money laundering charges against 44 individuals on July 23.

At his plea hearing, Santoro admitted that, on May 18, 2008, he accepted a $5,000 corrupt cash payment from a government cooperating witness (“CW”) at a Toms River restaurant. Santoro said the payment was in exchange for his anticipated assistance in facilitating introductions and corrupt payments to public officials in Ocean County who could purportedly exercise their influence in favor of the CW’s real estate development interests.

Santoro admitted that, during a phone call on July 17, 2008, he arranged for the CW to meet with a political party official (“the Individual”) who Santoro said could assist the CW in obtaining certain development approvals on a property located in the Waretown section of Ocean Township. Santoro admitted that he accepted an additional $1,500 cash payment from the CW on Aug. 10, 2008, in Atlantic City. During this meeting, Santoro informed the CW that he and the Individual would arrange for the CW to meet an elected official who served in the New Jersey General Assembly and could assist the CW in obtaining development approvals.

The charge to which Santoro pleaded guilty—using interstate facilities (a cell phone) in furtherance of a bribery scheme—carries a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

In determining an actual sentence, Judge Pisano will consult the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offense, the defendant’s criminal history, if any, and other factors, including acceptance of responsibility. The judge has wide discretion and is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Defendants who are given custodial terms must serve nearly all of that time.

Fishman credited Special Agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Weysan Dun, and IRS Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge William P. Offord, for the investigation of Santoro and the other defendants. Fishman also thanked the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin, for their assistance in the investigation.

The case against Santoro is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Gramiccioni of the Office’s Special Prosecutions Division.

Report Corruption to FBI Washington DC

Ocean County Democrat Alfonso Santoro Bribery

By Joe Ryan/The Star-Ledger

December 03, 2009, 5:39PM

The federal corruption and money-laundering sting that led to scores of arrests this summer expanded further into central New Jersey today as the former executive director of the Ocean County Democratic Party admitted taking bribes from a government informant.

Alfonso L. Santoro, 70, of Beachwood, had not been previously charged in the case. He appeared in court for the first time today and told a federal judge in Trenton he accepted $6,500 in bribes, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said. In exchange, Santoro said he agreed to introduce the informant to public officials to secure development approvals, including then-Assemblyman Daniel M. Van Pelt, a Republican from Waretown.

Van Pelt, who served 11 years as mayor of Ocean Township, was charged in July with accepting $10,000 from the informant in exchange for helping obtain environmental permits. His lawyer declined to comment today.

Santoro, a commissioner for the Ocean County Board of Elections, is the 46th person to be charged in the case, which revolved around a failed Monmouth County developer who became a government informant after being charged in 2006 with bank fraud.

Solomon Dwek spent more than two years secretly working for federal prosecutors, targeting rabbis who supposedly laundered money and public officials who allegedly took bribes. They include two state assemblymen and mayors from Hoboken, Secaucus and Ridgefield.

The majority of public officials caught in the sting hailed from Hudson County; more than a dozen were from Jersey City alone. Santoro is the fourth defendant from Ocean County on the public corruption side of the case, joining Van Pelt, Jeffrey Williamson, a Lakewood housing inspector, and Charles Ammon, one of Dwek’s former employees.

Santoro pleaded guilty to violating the federal Travel Act, saying he took two bribes from Dwek: $5,000 at a Toms River restaurant in May 2008 and $1,500 at an Atlantic City hotel in August 2008.

U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano released Santoro on a $50,000 bail and scheduled his sentencing for March 1. He faces up to five years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine.

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Election Fraud

At polling locations during an election a person from each party is placed to assist voters, and to be a representative for the person running in the election.

A long time election fraud technique is for one of the persons from a particular party arriving early to crank out a couple hundred votes for the person they are working for in the election.

This gives the person running for office a big head start and easily gains an advantage especially if the race is determined to be close.

I discovered this when I was volunteering for the campaign to elect Brian Delahunty who was running for mayor in Brick Township New Jersey. Brian Delahunty was running against the Brick Township incumbent mayor Daniel F Newman.

When I arrived at the polling center which was at the Veterans Memorial Elementary School I immediately went to look at the counters on the voting machines. The voting machines are required to be open so that each representative could see that all the counters were set at zero. The voting machines were closed and locked, so that neither I nor the republican representative could inspect the machines.

APP.com

TRENTON — State prosecutors have indicted five more campaign workers, including the winning candidate’s husband, on election fraud charges in connection with a 2007 state Senate race in northern New Jersey.

In all, 10 people have been indicted in the investigation into whether campaign workers submitted absentee ballots in the Essex County-based 29th District for residents who never received them.

Among those indicted Tuesday was Samuel Gonzalez, the husband of state Sen. Teresa Ruiz. Gonzalez, an Essex County freeholder, did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.

The charges include election fraud, tampering with public records and forgery.

Report Fraud to FBI Washington DC

Lawyer Brick Township Church Scam

Former assistant prosecutor from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Edward Murachanian is an expert on church fraud. The best way to commit church fraud is by owning a church number one, and number two have your people become elders and officers in your church which include president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary.

Edward Murachanian is the incorporator for Fellowship Chapel Point Pleasant NJ officially incorporated as Fellowship Chapel of Jersey Shore. It’s easy to run a scam out of a church when you own it. The agent for Fellowship Chapel of Jersey Shore is long time buddy John Boyle who is an ex elder. The vice president is long time friend and Toms River neighbor Richard Bergstrom who is an elder. The president John Emmanuel is also an elder and long time friend of Edward Murachanian. Secretary William Doolittle aka Bill Doolittle finishes up the group of fraudulent officers in Fellowship Chapel Point Pleasant NJ. Bill Doolittle is also an elder.

Former assistant prosecutor from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Edward Murachanian deceived church members into believing that he was just a loving Christian attending Fellowship Chapel Point Pleasant NJ, never revealing that Fellowship Chapel is his church, his business. Yes, business. Owning a church is a great money making business and Edward Murachanian has his people in authority to prevent anyone from finding out.

	New Jersey State Business Gateway Service Corporate and Business Information Reporting
Business Entity Status Report Printing Instructions: Open your Browser's Page Setup menu and set your page margins to 0.25". Use your Browser's Print option to print the report as seen on screen. Saving Instructions: Save this file to your hard drive for later viewing by using the Browser's "Save As" function. All available information is displayed. Status Report For: FELLOWSHIP CHAPEL OF JERSEY SHORE Business Name: FELLOWSHIP CHAPEL OF JERSEY SHORE Report Date: 11/11/2009 Business ID Number: 0100621958 Transaction Number: Sequence: 1575281: 2 Business Type: NON PROFIT CORPORATION Status: ACTIVE Filing Date: 03/31/1995 Home Jurisdiction: NJ Status Change Date: Stock Amount: 0 DOR Suspension Start Date: DOR Suspension End Date: Tax Suspension Start Date: Tax Suspension End Date: Annual Report Month: 3 Last Annual Report Filed: 01/12/2009 For Last Annual Report Paid Year: 2009 Incorporator: EDWARD V MURACHANIAN Agent: JOHN J BOYLE Agent Address: 2200 RIVER ROAD STE B POINT PLEASANT, NJ 08742 Office Address Status: Deliverable Main Business Address: 2200 RIVER RD SUITE B POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ 08742 Principal Business Address: 2200 RIVER RD SUITE B POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ 08742 Associated Names Name: Type Description: Officers/Directors/Members 1) Title: VICE PRESIDENT Name: RICHARD BERGSTROM Address: 2200 RIVER RD SUITE B POINT PLEASANT, NJ 08742 2) Title: TREASURER Name: JOHN BOYLE Address: 2200 RIVER RD SUITE B POINT PLEASANT, NJ 08742 3) Title: SECRETARY Name: WILLIAM DOOLITTLE Address: 2200 RIVER RD SUITE B POINT PLEASANT, NJ 08742 4) Title: PRESIDENT Name: JOHN EMMANUEL Address: 2200 RIVER RD SUITE B POINT PLEASANT, NJ 08742 **If you would like to receive photocopies of documents filed by this business entity, mail your request to PO Box 450, Trenton, NJ 08625. Indicate the Business Entity Number(s) involved and the type of document you wish to have copies of. Your choices are listed below: CHARTER DOCUMENTS Original Certificate Only (For example, Certificate of Incorporation); Changes and Amendments to the Original Certificate Only; OR All Charter Documents (Original Certificate and Changes/Amendments) And/or ANNUAL REPORTS Copy of Latest Annual Report; OR Copy of Annual Report for a Specific Year(s) (List the Year Desired) The photocopy fee for all entities except limited liability companies is $1 per page. For limited liability companies, the fee is $10 for the first page and $2 per page thereafter. The total fee amount for your order will vary depending on the number of pages associated with each filed document you request. You may supply us with a check with a NOT TO EXCEED instruction to cover the costs. Make the check payable to the Treasurer, State of New Jersey. Alternately, you may pay by credit card (provide card#/expiration date and cardholder information) or depository account. Please include a self-addressed envelope with your order. If you have any questions or would like information on alternative service options such as over-the-counter expedited service, call 609-292-9292 (option 3 on the main menu and then option 8), weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m

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