Covenant House New Jersey, which serves 1,000 homeless youth annually, completed a study about the prevalence of human trafficking among the young people it helps.

Yesenia is the name Covenant House New Jersey uses to protect her identity.

During the past few months, the 19-year-old woman told a licensed clinical social worker at the agency about her year-long sex-trafficking ordeal.

Other Covenant House clients also had scary stories to tell, and their identities similarly have been shielded by the agency, which serves 1,000 homeless youths annually.

Latasha and Natalie were forced to have sex with strange men and to sell drugs so they could continue living in a rooming house.

MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns 

Brandon's life was threatened if he didn't continue to sell drugs, and Julio, who says he considered suicide, was sexually abused by an aunt's boyfriend. Yes, boys are exploited, too.

These young people were part of a study, lasting 12 to 15 months, to determine the prevalence of human trafficking among homeless youth served by Covenant House at its sites in Newark, Atlantic City and at Raphael's Life House in Elizabeth.

The study, "Recognizing Human Trafficking Among Homeless Youth," was conducted by Covenant House and Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and gathered information from 365 young people who agreed to participate as long as they could remain anonymous. The research was done for 12 months in Atlantic City starting on Feb. 22, 2016, and over a 15-month period in Newark and Elizabeth from Nov. 2, 2015, to Feb. 21.

The study showed that 9.2 percent of Covenant House clients, ages 18 to 22, were victims of sexual and labor exploitation at some point in their lives.

When you separate the two categories, 63 percent were victims of sex trafficking and 51.9 percent of labor trafficking, a term covering coerced or fraudulent employment. It's an area that is often overlooked as a major form of exploitation of homeless youth, the study said.

"Labor trafficking is affecting this population, and we need to be talking about it more and doing something about it, not just providing shelter and housing for survivors of sex trafficking," said Makini Chisolm-Straker, an assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Yesenia arrived at Covenant House in Newark last December. Gradually, over the next few months, she began to share her story with Allison Iannarone, a licensed clinical social worker at the agency. 

Yesenia told Iannarone that she had been  sexually and physically abused as a child while in a foster home in California. At age 18, when she decided she couldn't live with her drug-addicted mother any longer, Yesenia moved in with a girlfriend. While there, Iannarone said, the friend and her boyfriend forced Yesenia into a sex-trafficking ring, until police broke up the operation six months later.

After Yesenia was released from jail, Iannarone related, Yesenia met a man and the two began a romantic relationship.

He brought her from California to Paterson, where he lived, and forced her into prostitution. She became pregnant with his child, but lost custody following the birth in October after she tested positive for drugs. Yesenia remains at Covenant House in Newark.

The portion of the sex and labor trafficking study that included Newark and the facility in Elizabeth showed that 10.9 percent of homeless young people had been exploited. For youth in Atlantic City, it was 5.9 percent. But a closer examination showed that labor trafficking for both Newark and Elizabeth was 61.9 percent and sex trafficking was 57.1 percent. For Atlantic City, it was 16.7 percent for labor trafficking and 83.3 for sex trafficking.

"We wanted to take a deeper look at our kids," said James White, executive director of Covenant House. "Our goal was to identify kids who have experienced both sex and labor trafficking and try to identify them earlier to provide wrap-around services right away because of the trauma that they experience."

The common denominator for many of the youth is their history of emotional, physical or sexual abuse.

They've often witnessed violence and suffered mental abuse and some have attempted suicide.

Julio fits this description. For much of his adolescence, he was depressed and contemplated suicide. At age 13 he engaged in "survival sex" -- performing sex acts on men for money to buy basic necessities. By the time he was 19, Julio had been admitted to more than 10 psychiatric hospitals. The good news is that he is recovering and has graduated from high school.

"For the first time, we were able to serve these young people in a long-term way," said Julia Einbond, director of strategy and learning at Covenant House. "We see we have those kids here who are at risk, so now we can help address their trauma so they are not as vulnerable to trafficking when they leave us."

MORE CARTER: Newark Ironbound residents cringe at plans for huge residential building

The other significant takeaway from the year-long project is that Covenant House and Mount Sinai have developed a four-question assessment tool that quickly identifies young people who have been trafficked and those who are at risk. From there, the youths they serve develop trusting relationships with social workers, who help them address their issues.

"That's a big relief, I think, for some of our kids," Einbond said

It was for Yesenia, whose story makes Iannarone cry every time she tells it. This time, however, she made it through without a tear because in the past five month, she said, she has witnessed Yesenia's resilience. Covenant House is her first real family. She now has a job and the agency is helping her find an apartment.

And, said Iannarone, she's doing everything she can to regain custody of her child. 

Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger.com or http://connect.nj.com/user/bcarter/posts.html

or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL

Thursday's Propelify Innovation Festival drew thousands of veteran and aspiring tech entrepreneurs

HOBOKEN -- A new name and slight change of venue didn't seem to dent the popularity of a technology festival held for the second straight year in Hoboken on Thursday, when thousands of veteran and aspiring tech entrepreneurs, investors and others seeking to profit from the innovation economy gathered on the Hudson River waterfront.

Thursday's Propelify Innovation Festival 2017 was the sophomore version of PropellerFest, which debuted in May 2016 at Hoboken's Pier A Park, a grassy expanse jutting into the Hudson River at 1st Street and Sinatra Drive.

Last year's festival drew 8,200 attendees from 43 states and 10 countries, according to Aaron Price, a Hoboken resident and serial entrepreneur who founded the festival after starting a monthly gathering known as the NJ Tech Meetup in 2010. 

Because of ongoing work on Pier A, this year's festival was held a couple of blocks upriver, and was a more linear affair, with booths and a pair of stages for presentations and panel discussions lining Hoboken's waterfront walkway for two long blocks between 3rd Street and Sinatra Park.

Tech companies and institutions represented along "Innovation Row" included PeopleID, Stevens Institute of Technology, Google, Arria, Newark Venture Partners, Oscar, Enigma, Flow, Pi Square, Pointimize, and the event itself, which had a booth selling Propelify T-shirts, hoodies and hats. There was beer, liquor and Red Bull energy drink for sale, a drone demonstration booth, and broadcast interview area labeled "Cool Stuff."

The festival's name change was necessitated by others' use of "propeller," Price explained during opening remarks from the "Wisdom Stage," where Ariana Huffington would later deliver the festival's keynote address. But Price said he wanted to retain the name's propulsive element.

"A lot of people are like, 'Aaron, what is the deal with the propeller stuff?'" said Price, who hopes his gathering will become a northeast version of Austin's South-by-Southwest music and tech festival. "What we like to say is, 'Idle ideas don't fly.'"

Even with temperatures topping 90 degrees, by midday the festival had already drawn at least 3,000 people to the waterfront, said Lt. Brian Brereton of the Hoboken Police Department.

One of them was Jeff Furman, an author and consultant who teaches project management at NYU's School of Professional Studies. Furman views Propelify and similar gatherings as critical networking opportunities and valuable indicators of industry trends.

"I'm always telling my students about these events," said Furman, who lives in Hoboken.

He was particularly impressed by a comparative discussion involving Pymetrics CEO Freda Polli on the field of intelligence augmentation, or IA, which uses detailed data to aid in hiring and other business decisions.

"I tweeted about that," Furman said.

Ansh Abrol, a 24-year-old Merrill Lynch financial advisor, said he was there, "just to check out what's going on in the tech scene and innovation space." 

"It's an area I want to be involved in, and I want to know a little bit more about where we're going," said Abrol, who lives in Bloomfield. 

Abrol stood out in his 3-piece suit and tie, surprising attire not only because of the day's warm temperatures, but also because of the uniformly casual clothing of the tech community. It's a very real dress code for 20-something programmers and graying venture capitalists alike.      

"If I show up at a client in a suit and tie, they think there's something wrong and we don't know the marketplace," said David Soren, a partner at the law firm McCarter & English, an original backer of Propelify.

Soren, who led a discussion of venture capital on Thursday, said McCarter &  English was proud to help get Propelify off the ground -- and surprised at its rate of ascent.

"Aaron came to us in the fall of '15, telling me he had the idea of developing the equivalent of South by Southwest here on the East Coast," Soren said in an interview this week. "I assumed he was talking about 2017. We started talking and he said, 'Yea, we're going to do this in May.' And I say 'May? How are you going to pull that off?' And he said 'I'll pull it off.'"

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

WEST ORANGE -- Hazel is an adult pit bull terrier mix at the Alex Caprio Animal Control Facility in West Orange. Volunteers say she is "very loving and outgoing" but is best suited to being the only pet in a household. Hazel is up-to-date on shots, but has not been spayed. To meet Hazel and other adoptable pets, visit the...

Hazel 

WEST ORANGE -- Hazel is an adult pit bull terrier mix at the Alex Caprio Animal Control Facility in West Orange.

Volunteers say she is "very loving and outgoing" but is best suited to being the only pet in a household.

Hazel is up-to-date on shots, but has not been spayed.

To meet Hazel and other adoptable pets, visit the Alex Caprio Animal Control Facility at 311 Watchung Ave. in West Orange. Adoption hours are from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and the first and third Saturdays of each month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 973-325-4128.

Shelters interested in placing a pet in the Paw Print adoption column or submitting news should call 973-836-4922 or email essex@starledger.com.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.

Stevenson will fight for the second time as a pro on Saturday night against Carlos Suarez. Watch video

NEW YORK -- Shakur Stevenson has fought in Morocco and the Ukraine, in Argentina and Nevada and Southern California and, of course, in Rio de Janeiro. But in own his backyard? 

He hasn't thrown a punch in a ring within driving distance of his home city in more than two years, and most of those bouts took place in front of hostile crowds. He fought -- and beat up -- a Brazilian at the Olympics in Brazil, so the kid is used to hearing boos after he's introduced.

Finally, in his second professional fight, that will change. The Newark native will fight in Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, and he knows the trains into Penn Station will be packed with people he knows and loves. He'll feel the love this time, and he can't wait. 

"It's going to be amazing to be at the Garden," Stevenson said in a quiet moment during the hectic pre-fight buildup. "I like the spotlight. I like being put in a position where I can perform. I love performing for people that come and watch me. I live for moments like this."

He will fight in a six-rounder against an Argentinian boxer named Carlos Suarez as part of the undercard to the Terence Crawford-Felix Diaz bout. His team at Top Rank Boxing considered having the card at the Prudential Center, which is just blocks from where Stevenson grew up, but decided to wait.

They don't want his debut in New Jersey to be as anything less than the fighter who gets top billing.  

"We want him to be the headliner," said Carl Moretti, Top Rank's vice president of boxing operations and a North Arlington resident. "I don't want him as an undercard fighter, and because of his ability, it's really not as far off as you think."

13 things to know about Shakur 

How far?

"A year? Maybe 18 months?" Moretti said. "Physically, he could do 10 rounds, but why rush it? If you don't know who he is and you watch him fight, you think he's had 20 fights. He's so poised and doing things that guys with 20 fights do. We keep forgetting he's 19. There shouldn't be a clock on this."

The challenge is, Stevenson has no interest in doing anything slowly. This is a kid who was in his grandfather's gym when he was just 5, who counted down the days to his eighth birthday so he could have his first fight, who was flying to Russia for an international tournament -- and bringing home the trophy -- when he was 14. 

He won an Olympic silver medal, the best performance by a male American boxer in 12 years, when he was 18, and he finally can see that result for the accomplishment it is. He was reduced to tears after his narrow loss in the gold-medal bout, coming one point, maybe one punch, from a childhood dream.

But nine months later, he is grateful for the experience and plans to build on it. In his first fight, his opponent was trying to get into his head during the weigh in and under his skin in the ring, but even though Stevenson looks like a kid he fights like a veteran. 

"The other guy was trying to beat me before I got into the ring, but that will definitely never happen with somebody like me," he said. "Even during the fight, when I started hitting him, he was head butting, getting dirty, thinking that was going to help him out but it didn't do nothing. It made it worse."

If Suarez tries the same thing, he'll be ready. His goal is not just to leave the ring 2-0, but to do so with his first professional knockout. Crawford, who has become like a big brother to Stevenson, will tease him that he doesn't have any power. He wants to prove the undefeated champ wrong.

He wants to do it in front of the home crowd, where he barely got through his family of eight brothers and sisters before he ran through his ticket allotment and had to buy more.

"Newark will be well represented," Moretti said, fanning a stack of envelopes with all those tickets.

Stevenson, who has heard boos around the world, can expect a homecoming in the Garden on Saturday night. The lower bowl of the arena is expected to be full, and finally, the people who know him the best can see him fight. 

"He's been in front of some very hostile crowds," his grandfather Wali Moses said. "To come in here, to the Garden, it's heaven. He is right at home here."

Just wait until he's a headliner in Jersey. 

Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevePoliti. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

Gorga's Homemade Pasta and Pizza held its grand opening Thursday

EAST HANOVER -- "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Joe Gorga was joined by several cast members Thursday at the grand opening of his Italian restaurant on Route 10.

His sister and co-star Teresa Giudice playfully twirled dough behind the counter at Gorga's Homemade Pasta and Pizza.

Camera crews from Bravo's reality television show, which is readying its eighth season, rolled out a red carpet outside the restaurant for Gorga and his wife, Melissa, and other cast members.

Fellow castmates Siggy Flicker and Dolores Catania, who recently opened a gym nearby, were seen along with Danielle Staub, a former "RHONJ" star who is returning next season. "We're just catching up," Melissa Gorga said. 

Joe Gorga said the restaurant is a tribute to his late mother, Antonia Gorga, who died in March.

"This is in memory of her," he said.

"We had an opportunity to take over an existing restaurant that was here," Melissa Gorga said, "and that's what we did."

Separate from his restaurant, Joe Gorga owns a construction and real estate development business, and Melissa Gorga runs a clothing boutique called Envy in Montclair. 

Bravo has yet to announce when the eighth season will begin.

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook

What are the biggest stories of the state tournament thus far?

Blaze sparked late Thursday. Watch video

NUTLEY -- Crews battled a stubborn fire at a Beech Street home that left two firefighters injured late Thursday, officials said.

When firefighters responded shortly before 10 p.m., they heard ammunition stored inside the house popping from the heat of the blaze, according to Capt. David Hollywood of the Nutley Fire Department.

The flames started on the second floor and spread into the attic area, the captain added. Crews worked for about three hours to track down fire in voids of the house and to douse the flames.

"The guys did a great job," Hollywood added. "It was a tough fire."

One firefighter was hospitalized for smoke inhalation while another was released after being treated, officials said.

Fire crews from Montclair, Belleville and Bloomfield also responded to assist.

Hollywood said the cause of the blaze was under investigation. A couple was home when the fire sparked and escaped without injuries.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Another rider seriously hurt.

NEWARK -- One motorcyclist was killed and another was seriously injured in a four-vehicle crash on the Pulaski Skyway in Newark late Thursday, authorities said.

Freddie Montanez, 32, of Ridgefield Park, died in the wreck, which occurred around 11:20 p.m. on the southbound Route 1&9 lanes, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

The driver of a second motorcycle in the crash was listed in stable condition after he suffered serious, but non life-threatening injuries, the prosecutor's office said.

A Toyota Highlander and a Nissan Murano were also involved in the crash, according to authorities. There were no other serious injuries.

The prosecutor's office said no charges have been filed and the investigation was ongoing. Additional details were not immediately released.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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MONTCLAIR -- Dancers hit the floor at the Montclair YWCA in this photo from 1950. According to ywcablog.com the Montclair location held "Y-Teen Canteens" like this in the 1940s and 1950s as a way to engage youth in the community. If you would like to share a photo that provides a glimpse of history in your community, please call 973-836-4922 or...

MONTCLAIR -- Dancers hit the floor at the Montclair YWCA in this photo from 1950.

According to ywcablog.com the Montclair location held "Y-Teen Canteens" like this in the 1940s and 1950s as a way to engage youth in the community.

If you would like to share a photo that provides a glimpse of history in your community, please call 973-836-4922 or send an email to essex@starledger.com. And, check out more glimpses of history in our online galleries on nj.com.

CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK'S VINTAGE PHOTOS GALLERY

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.

The Cook Political Report just rated Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen as more vulnerable next November.

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen's race was just rated as more winnable for a Democratic opponent by one of the Washington-based publications that tracks congressional races.

The Cook Political Report said Friday that Frelinghuysen (R-11th Dist.) was just a slight favorite to be re-elected, the same as Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th Dist.), who was listed as more vulnerable following the House Republican vote to pass a health care bill that could leave 24 million more Americans without insurance. Frelinghuysen changed his position and voted yes on the bill; Lance opposed it.

A third New Jersey Republican, Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-3rd Dist.), who authored the provision that enabled the American Health Care Act to win enough Republican support to pass, is in a race that could become competitive, the Cook report said.

"It would have been unthinkable several years ago but Rodney Frelinghuysen is headed to the most competitive race of his career," said David Wasserman, who tracks House races for Cook.

Ethics experts criticize Frelinghuysen

Frelinghuysen and Lance now are considered by Cook to be as vulnerable as Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5th Dist.), a freshman who ousted a seven-term Republican incumbent last fall.

Chris Martin, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said he wasn't concerned about the ratings change.

"If arbitrary Beltway prognostication translated into electoral results, Hillary Clinton would be president today," Martin said. "Congressman Frelinghuysen has a long, proven record of getting results for the 11th District."

Frelinghuysen, the most powerful member of the New Jersey delegation, faced criticism after he identifed a member of a group opposed to President Donald Trump to her employer.

"It's the kind of error that someone who hasn't had a competitive race in a long time makes, and traditionally, it hasn't turned out well for the incumbent," Wasserman said.

While Trump carried Frelinghuysen's district, he did so with less than 50 percent of the vote.

"He hasn't broken from Trump," Wasserman said. "The people who are fired up are primarily Democrats and Trump detractors. That's a big problem for him. To me, it all adds up to a race that's competitive."

Mikie Sherill, a former Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor, is seeking the Democratic nomination to take on Frelinghuysen. Assemblyman John McKeon (D-Essex) is considering a race as well.

"This ratings change shows once again how vulnerable Representative Frelinghuysen is ahead of next year's election," said Evan Lukaske, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "Between his vote for the Republican repeal bill, which would gut protections for pre-existing conditions, increase premiums and kick millions off their health care, and his unethical harassment of his own constituent, Frelinghuysen is ripe for replacement."

In the first three months of the year, Frelinghuysen raised $500,716, Federal Election Commission filings show. That was more than double the $243,044 he took in during the same period two years ago.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Wiggens was taken into custody after the Mazda crashed into a utility pole, the document states.

JERSEY-CITY -- An 18-year-old Newark man has been charged with stealing a woman's car in Jersey City and then trying to run down a police office, authorities say.

Lamont Wiggins, of Nevada Street, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, hindering apprehension, eluding police, theft and burglary to the vehicle in Wednesday's incident, the criminal complaint says.

Wiggens allegedly got into the woman's 2005 Mazda without her permission on Kennedy Boulevard near the Bayonne border, and was last seen by the woman and a witness driving the car near Merritt Street and Avenue C in Bayonne. Officers responding to a 911 call said Wiggins then returned to the area and tried to hit a police officer with the car in a bid to escape, the complaint says.

Wiggens was taken into custody after the Mazda crashed into a utility pole, according to the complaint, which adds that he and the woman were strangers.

He made his first court appearance yesterday in Criminal Justice Reform Court in Jersey City via video from Hudson County jail in Kearny. Wiggins' next hearing is scheduled for July 6 before Hudson County Superior Court Judge Paul DePascale.

"If there was ever a case for detention, this would be that case," the judge said.

NEWARK -- The 20-year-old accused of carjacking a Mercedes Benz this month and crashing it in a police chase, killing his alleged accomplice, has an extensive criminal record that a judge on Friday called "horrific."

Mutah Brown was on home detention for prior gun charges when he allegedly stole the car at gunpoint and crashed into a utility pole on Holland Street, throwing 18-year-old Quadir K. Jackson from the vehicle, the judge said at a detention hearing in state Superior Court in Essex County. 

Judge Ronald Wigler denied Brown pre-trial release, citing his two pending weapons cases and approximately 10 juvenile convictions. 

Brown, of Newark, has served prison time for another carjacking, aggravated assault, robbery and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, according to Wigler. He now faces aggravated manslaughter and death by auto charges related to the May 6 crash.

"If there was ever a case for detention, this would be that case," Wigler said. 

Brown, Jackson and Kevin Anderson, 21, are accused of carjacking the Mercedes before the police chase. Jackson was pronounced dead at University Hospital about 15 minutes after Brown supposedly crashed the car. 

Brown has also been charged with eluding and receiving stolen property, while Anderson is charged with receiving stolen property and resisting arrest. 

Before Wigler ruled that Brown should be detained, Assistant Prosecutor Brian Pollock said Brown likely would not show up to court if he were released and that he was a threat to public safety.

"The likelihood of a re-offense is almost an absolute certainty," he said.

Public Defender Deirdre McMahon said Brown had been working two jobs and preparing to get his GED through Essex County College. She asked for the judge to give Brown 24-hour home detention with ankle bracelet monitoring, instead of holding him in jail. 

But Wigler pointed out that Brown was on home detention for charges related to a loaded AK-47 when he allegedly carjacked and crashed the Mercedes.

"Obviously, that didn't work," Wigler said.

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

Not just the weather has been hot this week

Mikie Sherrill plans to challenge U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen in the 11th congressional district race next year

MORRISTOWN -- Dozens of protesters were joined at their weekly protest outside of U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen's Morristown office on Friday by the former federal prosecutor who plans to challenge him next year.

Mikie Sherrill, who plans to seek the Democratic nomination in next year's 11th District congressional race, said she attended Friday's protest to support Saily Avelenda, whose activism was outed by Frelinghuysen in a letter to her employer.

"I'm not sure what I expect to hear from the congressman, but I hope to hear an apology," Sherrill said. "I think the right to assemble and the right to freely speak our minds about our government is not just a right but a responsibility as American citizens. It's a part of our constitution, it's the First Amendment and so I think it's a very basic right. And his targeting of Saily really violated that." 

Avelenda was a senior vice president and assistant general counsel at Lakeland Bank in March when Frelinghuysen sent a fundraising letter to a member of the bank's board of directors informing him in the postscript that Avelenda was one of the "ringleaders" of NJ 11th for Change.

"There's only one reason he did that," Avelenda previously told NJ Advance Media. "It wasn't innocuous. It was done to cause me trouble."

NJ 11th for Change has been pressuring Frelinghuysen for months to hold an in-person town hall with his constituents in his district, which he hasn't done since 2013, and has criticized him over his support of President Donald Trump's agenda and the proposed repeal of the Affordable Care Act. 

Avelenda said Frelinghuysen's letter served "as a factor" in her decision to later resign from the bank.

Frelinghuysen's letter spurred outrage over social media on Monday as news of the story went viral, and, the next day, a watchdog group filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics over the matter. 

However, ethics experts doubt whether Frelinghuysen's actions violated any laws or congressional ethics rules.

Still, pressure appears to be mounting on the longtime incumbent. The 11th District, long considered safe Republican territory, was rated this week by the Cook Report as more winnable for a Democratic challenger.

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The West New York husband and wife have been indicted on federal charges they ran a Ponzi scheme, officials said.

NEWARK -- Federal authorities have indicted a West New York couple on allegations of running a Ponzi scheme that duped about 20 investors out of $500,000.

Alcibiades Cifuentes, 34, and his wife, Jennifer Wee Cifuentes, 36, allegedly used their company, Cifuentes Fund Management, to convince people their money was being invested in foreign currency and commodity markets, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick said in a release Friday. Instead, he said, the couple would use the money to buy personal items, like an Audi R8 and jewelry.

Authorities say the couple paid back a portion of the investors' money using funds from new victims.

Friday, about a year after they were initially charged, they were indicted on charges of wire fraud, conspiracy, and stealing funds intended for investment in commodities, Fitzpatrick said. If convicted of all of the charges, each Cifuentes faces up to 110 years in prison and millions of dollars in fines, officials said.

The Cifuentes' attorneys could not immediately be reached for comment on the case Friday afternoon.

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Officer suffered multiple broken bones.

NEWARK -- A Newark man with more than a dozen prior convictions pleaded guilty Friday to an attack that left a veteran city police officer seriously hurt last year.

Jose Rodriguez (Photo: ECPO) 

Jose Rodriguez, 46, is expected to be sentenced to 16 years in state prison and must serve 85 percent of his term under a plea agreement, Essex County prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty to charges including aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and eluding.

Police brought Rodriguez to University Hospital Feb. 25, 2016 to be checked for injuries after he was caught riding in a stolen car, according to prosecutors.

After claiming he had to use the bathroom, Rodriguez kicked and punched an officer inside the hospital restroom, Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Jason Alterbaum said. The officer, who served on the city force for more than 20 years, suffered multiple broken bones in her face and had her teeth knocked out.

The officer was taking off Rodriguez's handcuffs when the attack occurred, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose told NJ Advance Media at the time. Officers soon captured Rodriguez hiding under a car in a lot on South Orange Avenue.

Rodriguez also admitted to causing injuries to a relative with him in the stolen car, according to prosecutors. He is scheduled for a July 7 sentencing.

Records show Rodriguez has 14 prior felony convictions, including for assault on a police officer and resisting arrest.

"Given this defendant's prior criminal history and his brazen attack on a police officer, the 16-year sentence is an appropriate resolution of this case,'' said Alterbaum, the prosecutor who handled the case. "This sentence should prevent him from causing any more harm for a long time. Not only did he cause serious injury to a police officer but he also injured a relative who was a passenger in the vehicle.''

Newark Fraternal Order of Police President James Stewart Jr. thanked Essex County prosecutors for their handling of the case. 

"[The officer] will never again return to the job she devoted 23 years to at the time of this incident, and all of Newark suffers because of that," Stewart added. "Her work ethic and dedication to duty are missed by all of her co-workers and we can only hope that time can bring about a complete healing to the injuries she sustained that day."

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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The Elizabeth man is charged with death by auto for a fatal crash in Linden

ELIZABETH -- A man accused in a hit-and-run accident that killed a Rutgers University student days before his graduation was previously convicted of robbery and assault charges and was on probation from a 2016 case, court records show.

Eduardo Perez, 33, of Elizabeth, is charged with death by auto for the May 17, accident in which 23-year-old Mujahid Henry, of Newark, was struck and killed in Linden.

Perez was in court Friday for a detention hearing, but Judge Regina Caulfield said the case was being transferred to Middlesex County because of a conflict in the Union County courthouse.

Perez' lawyer, Robert Miseo, of the Public Defender's Office, informed the judge that a relative of Mujahid Henry worked in the criminal division of the court in Elizabeth. No other details were given about the relative.

Caulfield ordered the case transferred to the courthouse in New Brunswick for a detention hearing on Tuesday.

Friday's hearing came two days after Henry's father, Darryl Henry, attended graduation ceremonies at Rutgers University in Newark and received his son's diploma.

Relatives of Mujahid Henry said he began working in politics even before his graduation, and that he wanted make "to make the world a better place."

According to court records, Perez was arrested April 7, 2016 for assault and served 99 days in jail before he was released and placed on three years probation.

Perez' criminal record dates back to July 2001, when he was arrested for robbery. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but became eligible for parole after serving three years and four months of that term.

He was arrested again in August of 2008 and charged assault. He served 68 days in jail before being released on placed on three years probation, according to the records.

On May 12, Linden police responded to reports of a motor vehicle accident on the 1200 block of East Linden Avenue about 12:30 a.m., and officers at the scene found Henry on the ground, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace Park said.

She said a 2007 Ford Escape heading eastbound on the street struck Henry, throwing him into a parked car. Henry was pronounced dead at the scene, Park said.

Perez fled the area and a short time later crashed the Ford Escape into several parked cars on the 700 block of Lidgerwood Avenue in Elizabeth, forcing him to abandon the Escape, the prosecutor  said.

She said that minutes later Elizabeth police found Perez arrested him.

Tom Haydon may be reached at thaydon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_HaydonSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker joined the fight for higher wages for airport workers saying it was injustice for full-time workers to not be able to afford to live in New Jersey.

NEWARK -- Flanked by U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and leading state Democrats, airport workers on Friday continued their fight for higher pay demanding the right to a living wage. 

"I can't survive on poverty wages," said Daquan Allen, a cabin cleaner at Newark International Airport, who makes $10.20 an hour. 

"It's difficult to afford the basics, like food, rent," added Zakiyy Medina, a security guard at the airport. 

Booker (D-N.J.) said it was an injustice that full-time workers could not afford to live in New Jersey and promised to work at the federal level to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

"It is un-American to be in this country, to work a full-time job and still live in poverty. That is unacceptable," he said. "The minimum wage working at a lot of these contract companies only affords them about $22,000 a year ... You cannot live and raise a family on $22,000 a year. You can't afford housing, you can't afford child care and since your company isn't helping you with retirement, you can't save for retirement."

State Sens. Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) have co-sponsored a bill, the Safe Transportation Jobs and Fair Employment Rules or STAFER Act, that would require better pay and benefits for subcontracted airport, rail and ferry workers. 

"We are attacking this effort from every front," Ruiz said Friday. "But the truth of the matter still remains the same, Port Authority can step up and can do better." 

Newark Deputy Mayor Rahaman Muhammad said workers had been waiting for living wages for too long and urged the Port Authority and the airline companies to raise workers' pay now. 

"You can decide to give them a living wage today, let's do it now," he said as he led chants of "do it now."

"It's their property. Any vendor on their property, (they) could tell them what to do," added Kevin Brown, vice president of the local union 32BJ SEIU. He said after pressure from the union, the Port Authority agreed in 2014 to require all workers receive $10.20 an hour -- above minimum wage. But last year they declined to increase pay to $15 an hour. 

Brown said Ruiz's proposed bill would boost wages from $10.20 to $17.98 an hour for about 10,000 subcontracted workers at Newark airport, Newark Penn Station and the Hoboken terminal. It would also require airline contractors to pay $4.27 an hour for worker health benefits and offer holidays and vacations. 

"This is not going to be an easy fight," said Booker before he was swarmed with requests from airport workers wanting pictures. "We are going to win this fight no matter how long it takes. I am committed to fighting with the workers."

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. 

U.S. Cory Booker said it would "send the wrong message" to pick a politician to head the FBI. Watch video

NEWARK -- U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) told reporters Friday appointing a politician to lead the FBI would "send the wrong message at the wrong time" and urged President Trump to pick a leader with deep ties to the law enforcement community. 

The frontrunner to replace ousted FBI Director James Comey is reportedly four-term former senator from Connecticut and Democratic vice presidential nominee, Joe Lieberman. 

"I think it'd be a big mistake to nominate Joe Lieberman," Booker told reporters outside Newark International Liberty Airport after a rally for workers. "This is not a time to put a politician, to a put a political person in charge of the FBI. This is a time where we should be having a career person who knows the FBI who could get bipartisan support."

Trump abruptly fired Comey this month saying it was necessary to restore "public trust and confidence" in the nation's top law enforcement agency. Comey was leading an FBI investigation on whether the president's campaign colluded with Russian officials during the 2016 race.

This week Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein named former FBI Director Robert Mueller as a special counsel to oversee the current investigation into Russian involvement in the U.S. presidential election.

Booker said Rosenstein's decision to hire outside council "shows that this is an Administration that hasn't been taking this seriously." 

"The potential for there to be collusion with the president's campaign team or even worse, that's something really serious that shouldn't be politicized. It's something that everybody should want to get to the bottom of," said Booker, who had urged the Justice Department to hire a special prosecutor to investigate. "I think Donald Trump should have been saying, 'bring in a special prosecutor.' If he's innocent he has nothing to worry about so now we have a non-political person leading the investigation who is going to get to the bottom of the facts."

Booker declined to say who should be named FBI director but said he would support someone with a track record in law enforcement. 

"We need to be returning integrity to (the agency) not put a political leader in charge of the FBI," he said. 

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. 

The incident occurred Monday

 

NEWARK-- A 31-year-old city resident has been charged with weapons offenses and falsifying a police report after he claimed he was shot in a robbery attempt Monday, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.

Police responded to a call of shots fired in the 800 block of South 14th Street around 11 p.m., where they found Ahmeen Burroughs suffering from a gunshot wound. Burroughs said three men emerged from a Mercury Marquis on Clinton Place near Nye Avenue and attempted to rob him. Burroughs told police he had been shot during the attempt, Ambrose said.

Police subsequently learned that Burroughs had given a false account and arrested him, Ambrose also said. Police did not immediately disclose how they believed Burroughs ended up wounded.

Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. Find NJ.com on Facebook.