Swatting (False Reports to Law Enforcement Authorities), N.J.S.A. 2c:28-4

I blogged once before about Fictitious Police Report, when news outlets had reported a phony 911 call after a stop over a flat tire. I am blogging about it now because police recently charged a Trenton man with swatting for 17 alleged phony emergency calls. In particular, they claim he placed two in Florence and 15 in Hamilton. Additionally, authorities allege this spanned more than 12 months. For example, they claim it began in December 2017, and it has ended with his arrest in February 2019. Indeed, the cops claim this individual placed a bogus call about an attempted burglary in January 2019. But police arrived to discover a vacant building and no suspicious evidence. Another call that same day for the same address about a fire yielded the same result. Read More

Witness Tampering, N.J.S.A. 2c:28-5

Do you know the expression snitches get stitches? Contrary to street knowledge, however, New Jersey authorities want to combat witness tampering. Indeed, Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office (MCPO) investigators recently charged a Deal police officer with witness tampering and other offenses. But MCPO did not elaborate on the accusations. Instead, the authorities claim the investigation is ongoing. Additionally, the defendant is a fourteen year veteran cop. But this credential did not curry favor with the charging authorities. Instead, the county cops charged the local cop with witness tampering, conspiracy to possess cocaine, and possession of marijuana. More specifically, the witness tampering complaint alleges conduct contrary to N.J.S.A. 2c:28-5a(1). To illustrate, this prohibits causing a witness to testify or inform falsely. Read More

Unsworn Falsification to Authorities, N.J.S.A. 2c:28-3

The New Jersey Attorney General recently announced the conviction of a cop and his wife based on fraudulent fund applications. Accordingly, an Ocean County jury convicted the pair for stealing about $187,000 by filing false Superstorm Sandy relief fund applications. Indeed, the state’s case included testimony and evidence that the pair filed fraudulent applications for: FEMA assistance, a low-interest SBA disaster-relief loan, and state grants under the Homeowner Resettlement Program (RSP), the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation Program (RREM), and the Sandy Homeowner and Renter Assistance Program (SHRAP) funded by the New Jersey Department of Human Services. Previously employed by the Hoboken Police Department, the jury convicted the cop and his his wife on charges of second-degree conspiracy, second-degree theft by deception, and six counts of fourth-degree unsworn falsification to authorities. Read More

Fictitious Police Report, N.J.S.A. 2c:28-4

Burlington Township cops claim two men called 911 to divert police from their traffic stop. It all began when an officer stopped the car because of a flat tire, per the news. While the officer was investigating the car’s invalid registration, 911 allegedly received a call about a robbery in another location. But when other officers responded to the robbery, the police found neither victim nor sign of a crime. Therefore, the cops suspected the call may have been bogus, per the news. Further investigation indicated Read more

Tampering with public records, N.J.S.A. 2c:28-7

New Jersey State Police Sergeant who allegedly lied about the calibration of alcohol breath-testing (Alcotest) devices remained silent during his arraignment this week, per the news. Otherwise, Sergeant Marc Dennis entered a not guilty plea to official misconduct, tampering with public records, and falsifying records.

Here is a little bit of background. Under New Jersey law, the State has two legs to stand on in proving Driving While Intoxicated. Read more

Impersonating a Police Officer, N.J.S.A. 2c:28-8

How does 18 months in a New Jersey State Prison sound? If you had $10,000 to spare, would you give to the government? Certainly you can think of better ways to spend your time. And obviously you do not want to donate more of your hard earned money to the government than the taxes it already takes from you. Those are only two of many penalties you could face if you were charged with impersonating a police officer. Authorities in Jackson, NJ charged a motorist with this offense, per the news. The charge stemmed from a car stop five days earlier. Read More

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Category: Perjury and Other Falsification in Official Matters