Berkeley Heights man sentenced to six years for stealing millions from his Elizabeth employers

ELIZABETH, NJ — A Berkeley Heights man has been sentenced to six years in state prison for stealing more than $4 million from his Elizabeth-based employer over the course of nearly a decade, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced. Albert Thomson, 54, was sentenced Friday before state Superior Court Judge Frederic McDaniel. Thomson was arrested […]

Bayway Lumber owner admits fraud

LINDEN, NJ — An owner of Bayway Lumber, a Linden company that sold commercial and industrial products to numerous public and private entities, admitted his role Thursday, Feb. 18, in a scheme to defraud customers out of $708,386, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. Robert R. Dattilo, 61, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Peter […]

Essex man charged with bank robbery spree

NEWARK, NJ — A Newark man was charged yesterday with committing five bank robberies in Union and Essex counties from August 2015 through October 2015, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. James Glenn, 59, is charged by criminal complaint with five counts of bank robbery. He appeared yesterday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda D. Wettre in Newark federal court and was […]

Governor orders flags lowered to half-staff to honor fallen Port Authority Police Officer Elise Bastardo

  TRENTON, NJ — Gov. Chris Christie signed Executive Order No. 203, ordering all State buildings to fly flags at half-staff on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016, in recognition and mourning of Port Authority Police Officer Elise Bastardo. Bastardo was born in Red Bank, and was raised in Wall Township. Bastardo earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology […]

Westfield doctor, two companies agree to pay $5.25 million for allegedly submitting false claims to federal health care programs

NEWARK — Dr. Labib E. Riachi, 47, of Westfield, and two companies that he owns and operates, Riachi, Inc. and Center for Advanced Pelvic Surgery, LLC, both based in Westfield, have agreed to pay $5.25 million to resolve allegations that they falsely billed federal health care programs for tests that were never provided, among other claims, U.S. Attorney Paul […]

Storm collapses Trader Joe’s in Westfield

WESTFIELD, NJ — Trader Joe’s has announced that its Westfield location, which suffered a collapsed roof during Winter Storm Jonas on Saturday, Jan. 27, will reopen, which might be good news for homeowners in the area. A recent report by the real estate website Zillow found that homes near popular grocers, especially sustainable icons like Trader […]

OPINION: Student lives matter

EDITORIAL Sen. Ray Lesniak likes to say that his door is always open to address any concerns of his constituents, but his door was decidedly closed when about 75 people marched back and forth in front of it, chanting, waving signs and calling for the firing of Kean University President Dawood Farahi on Martin Luther […]

Bank in Union Center robbed on Wednesday

UNION —Members of the Union Police Department responded to Chase Bank at 1224 Stuyvesant Ave. at 3:03 p.m. yesterday on a report of a bank robbery. Officers on scene determined the bank had been held up by one man, who presented a threatening note. The teller gave the man some money and he fled the bank […]

OPINION: Welcome to the club

EDITORIAL At Kean University, a coalition of ministers is calling for the resignation of University President Dawood Farahi due to what has been described as a “culture of fear” on campus as it relates to racial issues. And while we do not want to undercut the concerns of the ministers, we would like to point […]

12 men charged with eight Essex County murders

NEWARK — Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced that the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Task Force, working with other law enforcement partners, have charged 12 individuals in connection with eight murders that occurred in Newark, Irvington, Orange and East Orange during the months of June and July. Based on the information available […]