Christopher Ortega, who was convicted in the stand around scheme along with dozens of other JCPD officers including a former chief, was sentenced to three years probation for his part in federal court in Newark. Ortega went to court facing up to five years and was spared prison because of his contrition:
"...facing as many as five years in prison for the conspiracy to commit fraud charge, but U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez argued that a less severe sentence was appropriate because Ortega accepted responsibility for his crimes, did not blame anyone else for them and is unlikely to re-offend."
Johnny thinks the lesson here is that it's never too late to admit you fucked up and never too late certainly to ask for forgiveness. Not all the cops involved felt like Mr. Ortega. Not all are going to get probation either.
Showing posts with label stand around jobs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stand around jobs. Show all posts
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Monday, January 8, 2018
If only the mayor had any credibility in taking about the JCPD
It sure sounds like Steve Fulop's Public Safety Director (nee Jersey City's) James Shea was told about the possibility for the very abuses that have landed dozens of JCPD in trouble with the FBI for no-show stand around jobs by former JCPD Chief Robert Cowan. Cowan is said to have circulated a letter pointing out the vulnerabilities of the program but Public Safety Director and Jersey City spokespeople are saying the letter wasn't dated so there's no ay of knowing when it was created. Those inside the department however say they did indeed see the memo in 2013, when Cowan said it was written.
Plenty more on this from Terrence T. McDonald but well get you fired up to read with story with this clip:
In a statement to The Jersey Journal, Cowan said Zacche's actions left some of Jersey City's poorest residents vulnerable.
"Fulop and Shea's ignoring of my recommendations also provided tacit approval for the small percentage of corrupt minded politically connected police supervisors and officers to continue fleecing the taxpayers at the expense of the safety of the citizens these corrupt officers are sworn to protect and serve," Cowan said.
Plenty more on this from Terrence T. McDonald but well get you fired up to read with story with this clip:
In a statement to The Jersey Journal, Cowan said Zacche's actions left some of Jersey City's poorest residents vulnerable.
"Fulop and Shea's ignoring of my recommendations also provided tacit approval for the small percentage of corrupt minded politically connected police supervisors and officers to continue fleecing the taxpayers at the expense of the safety of the citizens these corrupt officers are sworn to protect and serve," Cowan said.
Saturday, January 6, 2018
Old Jersey City PD rot spills into 2018 with more on the way
Taxpayers pay for this. They pay for the JCPD to act like a goddamned fourth branch of government as dozens, scads, bunches of cops here scam, lie, cheat and steal. Where do they learn this kind of shit is okay? Shit trickles down from the top in Jersey City friends, former Police Chief Phil Zacche, a 38 year veteran and yes, former chief of police admitted in federal court to being part of the stand around jobs he rarely went to. While the rest of those under investigation or already convicted of felonies have stolen from local developers outside construction sites, Zacche was stealing from the Jersey City Housing Authority to the tune of more than $31K.
The police chief. The Housing Authority. It went on for years. What a police force we employ.
This isn't nearly the end of these pleas and convictions over these scam jobs, Ace Reporter Terrence T. McDonald points out EIGHT more will face their day in court January 25. Zacche will find out his fate April 9.
The police chief. The Housing Authority. It went on for years. What a police force we employ.
This isn't nearly the end of these pleas and convictions over these scam jobs, Ace Reporter Terrence T. McDonald points out EIGHT more will face their day in court January 25. Zacche will find out his fate April 9.
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Finally
In an interview with the Hudson County View, Mayor Steve Fulop made waves by saying in 2018, these disgraceful stand around jobs cops get (and remember, on Fulop's watch JCPD would take cops on active duty and place them around construction sites) might just be going away.
Hallelujah and pass the ammunition.
Johnny has been railing against these nonsense ripoff jobs from the beginning. It's a poor poor use of police assets and with the FBI investigating this program and the bad actors who gamed it, sounds like Johnny is finally going to get his way.
During the same press conference in his office discussing a multitude of policing matters, Fulop revealed that the off-duty security details could soon become a thing of the past in Jersey City.
“On the off-duty stuff, we’re very proactive. The one thing I’ll tell you, just based on conversations we’ve had with the FBI … I would not be surprised if the off-duty jobs go away entirely in 2018,” Fulop said.
About time. Johnny actually used to complain about this program to Fulop's office back when he was a city councilman and got no replies (Fulop was just awful at getting back with Ward E constituents). On it's face this program is a loser and now that the cops have decided they can schedule these types of "jobs" without paying taxes on all that filthy lucre and brought the administration shame it truly looks like it's going away. It was an unnecessary cost to developers who then pass those costs to the renter because that's the money food chain.
As a side note, Johnny has actually, with his own ears, heard a cop explaining the benefits of hiring them to stand around (When you have a dog you can linger and nobody notices). One was nothing gets stolen. Sooooooo your jobsite, in broad daylight, with 10-20-30 workers, a cop will keep some scrap metal scavenger from stealing company property. Right. That happens at night. That's why security companies, flush with amber lamps, employ people.
So, Fulop and Public Safety Director James Shea are taking these tasty jobs away right at the same time they took away a lot of cops extras (some really out there FYI) via an arbitration ruling and thus we'd deduce the JCPD somewhere hidden away has a dart board with the mayor's face on it. In this case, however late to the game, Fulop is right, these jobs are more a sham.
Hallelujah and pass the ammunition.
Johnny has been railing against these nonsense ripoff jobs from the beginning. It's a poor poor use of police assets and with the FBI investigating this program and the bad actors who gamed it, sounds like Johnny is finally going to get his way.
During the same press conference in his office discussing a multitude of policing matters, Fulop revealed that the off-duty security details could soon become a thing of the past in Jersey City.
“On the off-duty stuff, we’re very proactive. The one thing I’ll tell you, just based on conversations we’ve had with the FBI … I would not be surprised if the off-duty jobs go away entirely in 2018,” Fulop said.
About time. Johnny actually used to complain about this program to Fulop's office back when he was a city councilman and got no replies (Fulop was just awful at getting back with Ward E constituents). On it's face this program is a loser and now that the cops have decided they can schedule these types of "jobs" without paying taxes on all that filthy lucre and brought the administration shame it truly looks like it's going away. It was an unnecessary cost to developers who then pass those costs to the renter because that's the money food chain.
As a side note, Johnny has actually, with his own ears, heard a cop explaining the benefits of hiring them to stand around (When you have a dog you can linger and nobody notices). One was nothing gets stolen. Sooooooo your jobsite, in broad daylight, with 10-20-30 workers, a cop will keep some scrap metal scavenger from stealing company property. Right. That happens at night. That's why security companies, flush with amber lamps, employ people.
So, Fulop and Public Safety Director James Shea are taking these tasty jobs away right at the same time they took away a lot of cops extras (some really out there FYI) via an arbitration ruling and thus we'd deduce the JCPD somewhere hidden away has a dart board with the mayor's face on it. In this case, however late to the game, Fulop is right, these jobs are more a sham.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Two more Jersey City cops plead guilty in federal court in Newark, one had quite the excuse
Sadly, two more Jersey City police officers pled guilty to the stand around jobs that have cost, and will cost so many JCPD officers their jobs and further run our good name through the mud. Today it was Ehab Abdelaziz and Andrea Fahrenholz's turn to admit to their part in the scheme that involved not paying taxes or reporting their stand around work to the city, as required. While that what wheel keeps turning one thing DID stand out to Johnny today; the attorney's statements to the media on behalf of their clients. Fahrenholz's attorney said this:
Aidan O'Connor, told The Jersey Journal, "Andrea has taken responsibility (for what) she did. She agreed to forfeit the money to the government and she hopes to move forward in a productive and responsible way."
OK, that's a fair accounting and a hope to move on from this. Proper.
Abdelaziz's attorney, Anthony J. Iacullo, went a different route, one right into the Dark Crystal, now comes the witches and newts excuse:
"Officer Abdelaziz was a hard working police officer who got caught up in a scheme that was created by others and unfortunately tempted even those officers who were not looking for no-show jobs. His desire to provide a better life for him and his family resulted in his deciding to partake in such conduct and that is something he regrets tremendously."
Created by others, perhaps dark lords or witches. Tempted, yes, tempted by those bad others. BAD others. He wasn't looking for this sort of lawbreaking, he was lured by Satan. His family, think of his family at this time of the guilty plea. THEY didn't do anything. Kee-rist, what nonsense.
There's a right way to handle serious matters in life, we all make mistakes but do realize there's also a right and wrong way to cop to it.
Aidan O'Connor, told The Jersey Journal, "Andrea has taken responsibility (for what) she did. She agreed to forfeit the money to the government and she hopes to move forward in a productive and responsible way."
OK, that's a fair accounting and a hope to move on from this. Proper.
Abdelaziz's attorney, Anthony J. Iacullo, went a different route, one right into the Dark Crystal, now comes the witches and newts excuse:
"Officer Abdelaziz was a hard working police officer who got caught up in a scheme that was created by others and unfortunately tempted even those officers who were not looking for no-show jobs. His desire to provide a better life for him and his family resulted in his deciding to partake in such conduct and that is something he regrets tremendously."
Created by others, perhaps dark lords or witches. Tempted, yes, tempted by those bad others. BAD others. He wasn't looking for this sort of lawbreaking, he was lured by Satan. His family, think of his family at this time of the guilty plea. THEY didn't do anything. Kee-rist, what nonsense.
There's a right way to handle serious matters in life, we all make mistakes but do realize there's also a right and wrong way to cop to it.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Guess what happened in Newark Federal Court today -- Go on, guess
A Jersey City police officer admitted today in federal court to taking more than $5,000 in payments for work he never performed, marking the seventh officer to plead guilty to conspiracy or bribery charges relating to the department's off-duty jobs program.
David W. Ortmann, a 28-year veteran with the department, admitted to conspiring with another officer, only identified as the West District pick coordinator, to submit vouchers for work that was not completed.
Right? Just because it happens almost weekly or this week, daily should be done surprising us, the JCPD have a long history of letting the residents of this city down (cue the Carmine Disbrow sniveling hour) over the last few years, this is yet but another black eye. A D+ force in a B+ city, the JCPD.
David W. Ortmann, a 28-year veteran with the department, admitted to conspiring with another officer, only identified as the West District pick coordinator, to submit vouchers for work that was not completed.
Right? Just because it happens almost weekly or this week, daily should be done surprising us, the JCPD have a long history of letting the residents of this city down (cue the Carmine Disbrow sniveling hour) over the last few years, this is yet but another black eye. A D+ force in a B+ city, the JCPD.
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
The parade of JCPD bad actors continues through the court system
Yet another bad actor for the JCPD had his sorry ass marched through federal court in Newark over not paying taxes or reporting these stand around construction site jobs Johnny has warned were a bad idea since forever. Today it was Michael O'Leary Jr.'s turn to plead guilty in the scam as he bribed another police officer $40,000 so he could get paid for work he did not perform, becoming the sixth man to plead guilty in a wide-ranging bribery scheme involving off-duty jobs for the city's police force.
It's at this point Johnny usually reminds the Jersey City residents and taxpayers that superiors actually pulled cops off of active duty, you know, patrolling for bad guys and scofflaws, to position them to stand around buildings being built and play Angry Birds on their iPhones. You'll get used to these cutaways as there are plenty more of these cases to come.
Terrence T. McDonald has more and exactly how the program is supposed to work:
During a roughly 35-minute hearing this afternoon inside a federal courthouse in Newark, O'Leary admitted he gave $39,587 to an unidentified co-conspirator in exchange for the co-conspirator handing phony pay vouchers to the city that indicated O'Leary worked off-duty jobs that he had not.
In Jersey City, companies that wish to hire off-duty police officers for security or traffic management must go through the city, which collects an administrative fee. Each of the city's four police precincts has a job coordinator who assigns the work and approves pay vouchers.
And for what? For a little bit of money? There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don'tcha know that?
It's at this point Johnny usually reminds the Jersey City residents and taxpayers that superiors actually pulled cops off of active duty, you know, patrolling for bad guys and scofflaws, to position them to stand around buildings being built and play Angry Birds on their iPhones. You'll get used to these cutaways as there are plenty more of these cases to come.
Terrence T. McDonald has more and exactly how the program is supposed to work:
During a roughly 35-minute hearing this afternoon inside a federal courthouse in Newark, O'Leary admitted he gave $39,587 to an unidentified co-conspirator in exchange for the co-conspirator handing phony pay vouchers to the city that indicated O'Leary worked off-duty jobs that he had not.
In Jersey City, companies that wish to hire off-duty police officers for security or traffic management must go through the city, which collects an administrative fee. Each of the city's four police precincts has a job coordinator who assigns the work and approves pay vouchers.
And for what? For a little bit of money? There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don'tcha know that?
Thursday, July 27, 2017
3 more Jersey City cops plead guilty -- friends it's a pipeline
Trying not to spend too much time on this (again) today but three more disgraced police officers from our fair city have pled guilty in the stand around cases where they claimed hours they didn't work, and or didn't pay the IRS on the money they got and or didn't cut the city in on their portion of this ridiculous program. Welcome to the Jersey City Desk wall of shame bad actors James Cardinali, Christopher Ortega and Victor Sanchez. Book 'em Terrence:
Cardinali was in charge of assigning off-duty jobs in the south district, where Ortega and Sanchez also worked.
Cardinali admitted today that he allowed companies to operate without off-duty officers present. He also admitted he approved phony vouchers to the city to make it appear as if officers worked sites they hadn't and accepted cash from the companies and officers who benefited. Ortega and Sanchez, who also worked in the south district, both admitted accepting money for work they never performed.
Funny nobody's going to jail for actually pulling on-duty cops off-duty to get to these stand around jobs.
Cardinali was in charge of assigning off-duty jobs in the south district, where Ortega and Sanchez also worked.
Cardinali admitted today that he allowed companies to operate without off-duty officers present. He also admitted he approved phony vouchers to the city to make it appear as if officers worked sites they hadn't and accepted cash from the companies and officers who benefited. Ortega and Sanchez, who also worked in the south district, both admitted accepting money for work they never performed.
Funny nobody's going to jail for actually pulling on-duty cops off-duty to get to these stand around jobs.
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
12 JCPD officers in "stand around construction site jobs" tax scandal now suspended
12 Jersey City police officers have now been suspended (with pay) for their part in not paying taxes on those shameful standing around construction site "jobs". Terrence T. MacDonald not only has this minor update, he has a much bigger one to share as well. First the deck chair shuffling:
The officers have not been charged with a crime, and the city has declined to specify how they are related to the federal investigation into officers who worked private security jobs off duty. They were placed on modified duty and stripped of their guns in January.
Here's where McDonald really moves this story forward:
Law-enforcement sources say federal prosecutors are investigating whether some officers took improper payments directly from private companies for performing off-duty security. The companies are also under investigation, the sources say.
Very interesting. No doubt they're more interested in keeping their names out of the paper than pay penalties because they all have to move money to go to the toilet. If you do find out feel free to pass their names along to Johnny.
The officers have not been charged with a crime, and the city has declined to specify how they are related to the federal investigation into officers who worked private security jobs off duty. They were placed on modified duty and stripped of their guns in January.
Here's where McDonald really moves this story forward:
Law-enforcement sources say federal prosecutors are investigating whether some officers took improper payments directly from private companies for performing off-duty security. The companies are also under investigation, the sources say.
Very interesting. No doubt they're more interested in keeping their names out of the paper than pay penalties because they all have to move money to go to the toilet. If you do find out feel free to pass their names along to Johnny.
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