Jersey City Police Officer Charged with Cigarette Cargo Theft and Scheme to Rob Drug Courier

A Jersey City, New Jersey police officer appeared in Newark federal court this afternoon to face charges that he stole more than 600,000 cigarettes from a trailer and conspired to rob $20,000 from a drug courier, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. Mario Rodriguez, 39, of Jersey City, is charged by complaint with one count of cargo theft and one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act extortion under color of official right. He appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court and was released on a $250,000 bond and confined to home incarceration with electronic monitoring. The complaint also charges Anthony Roman, 48, also of Jersey City, in the conspiracy. Roman was arrested at home August 2, 2013, and appeared in court the same day. He was released on a $250,000 bond. According to the complaint: The Cargo Theft On July 3, 2013, Rodriguez and an individual working for the FBI as a confidential informant (CI) drove to a warehouse in Secaucus, New Jersey to break into a trailer and steal cigarettes they planned to sell to the CI’s associate for $5,000. Law enforcement agents had parked the trailer there and established surveillance of the area. Rodriguez used bolt cutters to cut the lock off of the trailer, and he and the CI loaded 50 cases containing approximately 600,000 cigarettes and six televisions from the trailer into their vehicle. As they drove the stolen items to a parking lot in Staten Island, New York, Rodriguez made several phone calls seeking buyers for the TVs. The pair met the CI’s associate—actually an undercover officer—in the parking lot to get the $5,000 payment for the cigarettes. Rodriguez kept $3,000 of the cash and three of the TVs. The Extortion On July 10, 2013, Rodriguez and the CI met in New Jersey with undercover law enforcement agents and discussed the possibility of robbing a drug courier—actually another undercover officer. Later that month, the group met again in Staten Island to discuss the plan. The undercover officers told Rodriguez the courier would be delivering cocaine to them that day in a Jersey City mall parking lot in exchange for a $20,000 payment, after which Rodriguez would steal the money. Rodriguez called Roman to help him with the robbery. Rodriguez and Roman drove a Toyota RAV-4 truck to the location on July 24, 2013, where law enforcement agents had established surveillance and staged the car containing $20,000 cash in a plastic bag. Rodriguez and Roman robbed the woman they thought was a drug courier of the money after identifying themselves as law enforcement officers—which Roman is not—and pretending to arrest the CI. Later that day, Rodriguez, the CI and the undercover met in a hotel room at a Pennsylvania casino to split the cash. The cargo theft and conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Extortion charges carry a maximum potential penalty of 10 and 20 years in prison, respectively. Both counts also carry a maximum fine of $250,000. U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford in Newark; the Special Investigations Unit of the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Acting Chief Joseph Connors; the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Gaetano T. Gregory; and criminal investigators of the U.S. Attorney’s Office with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the Bayonne Police Department, Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, IRS-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation for their significant contributions to the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan W. Romankow of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark. The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. Source: http://www.fbi.gov/newark/press-releases/2013/jersey-city-police-officer-charged-with-cigarette-cargo-theft-and-scheme-to-rob-drug-courier

Costly tobacco: Smoking at home reduces property values says Ontario survey

A recent survey of Ontario real estate agents in Ontario found that smoking in a home could lower the value of your property by up to 30 per cent. The survey was sponsored by Pfizer Canada and besides the obvious damage by staining walls and carpets, it can leave a smell that is very hard to eliminate. I remember having a client close a deal and noticed a smell of smoke when they entered the home on closing. I asked why they didn't notice the smell when they originally toured the home and they said fans were on with electric air fresheners plugged into the walls. That apparently masked the smell that day. It makes sense that a home with a smoky smell or strong odor will be harder to sell as it will deter most buyers. Landlords are permitted to include no smoking clauses in their leases. But they can only evict a tenant who smokes if they can prove the smoking has damaged the unit or is bothering the other tenants. Here’s a case in point. In December, 2006 John Davidson rented a furnished condominium on Scollard St., in Toronto where the lease contained a no-smoking clause. The owner, Chris Cebula, noticed the smell of smoke in the apartment almost immediately, but Davidson refused to stop smoking. The landlord put the condo unit up for sale but his agent said the smell of smoke was hurting his ability to sell it. The landlord submitted estimates to the board to eradicate the smell of smoke from the apartment. Including staining and painting all the walls, replacing and/or upholstering the furniture, box spring and mattress, linens, drapes and carpets the cost amounted to $8,900. The landlord also claimed an extra one month’s damage of $2,052, since it would take one month to do the renovations. In a decision dated February 25, 2008, Landlord and Tenant Board adjudicator Egya Sangmuah found that Davidson’s smoking did damage the unit and awarded full damages to Cebula. The Non-Smoker’s Rights Association published their own study demonstrating that the average costs for a landlord to clean an apartment is two to three times greater when it was occupied by a heavy smoker. They also quote statistics from Canadian Fire Marshals demonstrating that cigarettes, lighters and matches remain one of the top causes of residential fires. Similar statistics are found with resale cars where the prior owner was a heavy smoker and it is difficult to remove the smell from the upholstery. Smoke or pet odours, such as cat urine, can cause headaches when trying to sell a home. There are solutions and companies that can solve these issues. Restoration companies such as Winmar Disaster Restoration, Medallion Healthy Homes of Canada and Biosense Environmental offer solutions that can assist with these problems. The process involved is using concentrated ozone gas to get into all areas of the home, including the walls, to assist in cleaning out the smell, even when the home was occupied previously by heavy smokers. There are, of course, household products such as vinegar that you can use for minor problem odours or an over-the-counter product such as Nature’s Miracle, to remove pet odours. Buyers, be suspicious if you notice the fans going or electric air fresheners whenever visiting a home for the first time. Sellers, don’t try to cover up or hide odour issues that you know about. Get rid of any foul odour before putting your home for sale, to maximize your return. Source: http://www.thestar.com/business/personal_finance/2013/05/19/costly_tobaccosmoking_reduce_property_values_says_ontario_survey.html