See which players are at the top of each statistical list early in the season.

James Todd was convicted in 2013 of conspiracy, weapons possession and desecrating human remains.

A state appeals court on Wednesday overturned a weapons conviction and vacated several prison sentences for a Newark man serving a 25-year term in connection with a killing of man found in a burning car.

James Todd. (N.J. Department of Corrections)
 

In its decision vacating James Todd's June 2013 conviction for unlawful possession of a weapon, the Superior Court's appellate division said the trial judge failed to instruct the jury about the weapons charge in Chad Butler's 2010 death.

The appeals court also said the judge had not sufficiently justified imposing maximum sentences on the remaining charges.

Todd, now 26, and two other men were charged with murder and other offenses under a nine-count indictment, but a judge dismissed the most serious charges against Todd following the close of the prosecution's case.

The judge ultimately imposed consecutive sentences of 10 years in prison for drug distribution conspiracy and unlawful possession of a weapon, 10 years for desecrating human remains and five years in prison for hindering apprehension.

First responders found the body of Butler, a 39-year-old New Brunswick resident, on June 27, 2010, inside a burning Chevy Impala at Woodlawn Cemetery in Newark.

Todd later told investigators that he had been selling Butler PCP from an apartment in Newark, and that Butler had come to the apartment that night to trade him a gun in exchange for drugs.

Todd told investigators he was putting a second gun away in a closet for his boss, identified only as "Tyree," when he heard five shots fired in the apartment's kitchen. Todd said he witnessed Butler fall and saw another man holding a third gun in his hand.

Todd, the alleged shooter and another man fled the apartment, but Todd told investigators he later returned with the third man, who cleaned up the apartment and carried Butler's body wrapped in plastic to a waiting car.

"While the evidence might have been sufficient to prove defendant was guilty of possessing the weapon he placed in the closet, it was not sufficient to prove he possessed, constructively or jointly, either of the other weapons," the appeals court said in its reversal of the weapons conviction.

"Nevertheless, the prosecutor's repeated references to defendant's possession of multiple weapons in his summation, including the weapon that killed the victim, clearly had the capacity to confuse the jury and lead to a non-unanimous verdict."

In ordering Todd be resentenced on the drug conspiracy and body-desecration convictions, the appeals court pointed to a previous ruling in which a state court held it would "ordinarily be inappropriate" for consecutive maximum sentences to be imposed for crimes that were closely related.

The court said the trial judge also had failed to explain why he imposed the maximum amount of parole ineligibility on each of those counts.

Butler remains incarcerated at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton, records show.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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A look at the top statistical leaders from across the state

Mussab Ali was elected in November to a one-year term on the nine-member BOE.

JERSEY CITY -- A 20-year-old college student who may be the youngest person ever elected to a public position in Jersey City's history took his seat on the Jersey City school board last night.

Mussab Ali, a Rutgers-Newark student who was named a Truman Scholar last year, was sworn in to his one-year term last night by Passaic County's first Muslim freeholder, Assad Akhter.

Ali gave a short speech pledging to focus on the district's 27,000 students instead of politics and to protect students from bullying. Ali also cited President Trump's "absurd and dangerous" claim that "thousands and thousands" of Jersey City residents celebrated the 9/11 attacks.

"In an era where Trump is president, to be a Muslim elected here in Jersey City is something which I believe to be a powerful statement to the world," he said. "It's a testament to the discerning eyes of our residents who saw past the prejudices and biases attached to my name and age and voted me in to represent our students."

Ali, who believes he is the first Muslim elected to public office in Jersey City, was surrounded by family members who were buzzing with excitement.

"My heart is throbbing right now," his mother, Ghukam Firdaus, 55, told The Jersey Journal. "I feel like I'm flying."

Ali was sworn in during the nine-member school board's annual reorganization meeting at School 11 on Bergen Avenue. Lorenzo Richardson was also sworn in, to his second term, while Amy DeGise and Matt Schapiro began their first full terms (DeGise was appointed to the board in January 2016 and was elected in November). DeGise, Richardson and Schapiro will serve three-year terms.

The board elected Sudhan Thomas as its new president and Richardson as its vice president. Both men received approval from board members Ali, Marilyn Roman, Angel Valentin and themselves. Voting no on both were DeGise, Vidya Gangadin, Schapiro and Luis F. Fernandez, who said "definitely not" when voting against Thomas. Fernandez declined to elaborate.

Thomas' election as president comes as the district's teachers are seeking a new contract. He was endorsed by the teachers union, the Jersey City Education Association, when he first ran for the board in 2016 and is viewed as both a union ally and a critic of Schools Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles, as is Richardson.

A union official breathed a noticeable sigh of relief last night when Ali cast the deciding vote appointing Thomas as president.

Ron Greco, the JCEA president, told The Jersey Journal the union did not prefer Thomas over the other person vying for the presidency, Gangadin.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.

Prosecutors said he admitted swallowing baggies containing more than a pound of the drug before a flight to New Jersey.

A California man caught trying to smuggle more than a pound of heroin in his stomach through Newark Liberty International Airport has been sentenced to more than two years in prison, federal prosecutors said.

The prison term comes after Omar Vasques' crime almost cost him his life, authorities said.

Shortly after his detention by the Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI in September 2016, physicians discovered one of the baggies of heroin Vasques had ingested before his flight to New Jersey ruptured in transit, forcing them to perform emergency surgery, according to a statement from the office of U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito.

Vasques, 24, of Bakersfield, had previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez, who on Wednesday sentenced Vasques to 30 months in prison for distributing heroin and possessing the drug with the intent to distribute, prosecutors said.

In a criminal complaint filed in federal court, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent said Vasques and another man -- Arturo Gonzalez -- were detained by investigators after arriving at the Newark airport on a flight from Salt Lake City.

Authorities say a confidential informant had tipped off agents that Vasques and Gonzalez were carrying more than a kilogram of heroin.

A search of the men's luggage didn't turn up any drugs, but after agents again confronted the men at a nearby convenience store, an agent wrote, Vasques admitted he had swallowed heroin in California two days prior to his flight.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said Vasques admitted having swallowed approximately 600 grams -- or 1.3 pounds -- of the drug.

Gonzales, Vasques's co-defendant, previously pleaded guilty before Vazquez to the same charges and also was sentenced to 30 months in prison, court records show.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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The Newark police detective faces a gun charge and aggravated assault.

A New York man who had an off-duty Newark police detective point a gun in his face at a steak house in Woodbridge in 2015 told a jury Wednesday morning he has no idea why the officer drew his weapon.

The detective, Andre Evans, 43, is now facing two charges as a result of the Oct. 25, 2015 incident: possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and aggravated assault. 

"I didn't know who he was," Eric Hannon, 56, said in Middlesex County Superior Court. "I just know he pointed a gun in my face."

A video showcasing the incident was played various times for the jury.

According to the testimony of restaurant's assistant manager, Darnell Ross, Evans and his wife Maggie were at Chris Michael's Steak House celebrating the graduation of a colleague from a police academy.

As they were were leaving the party, Hannon said he asked Evans' wife for a cigarette, and that prompted the a confrontation between Hannon and the detective.

Ross testified Wednesday that after Evans pulled out his service revolver, he intervened by taking the gun. Ross said he placed the weapon back in Evans' car when Woodbridge police arrived at the scene.

Woodbridge police arrested the detective.

In a flamboyant 25-minute opening statement on Tuesday, Evan's attorney, Patrick Toscano said Hannon wasn't a victim and described the detective as the "nicest human being in the world." Toscano said Evans intended to arrest Hannon, though he never identified himself as a police officer, and had every right to take the actions that he did.

Cross examining the restaurant manager, assistant manager and alleged victim,  Toscano, pointed out discrepancies in their account of the events, using a white board to tally what he said were the witnesses' lies.

In the prosecution's opening statement on Tuesday, Assistant Prosecutor Jody Carbone said Evans was out of control and asked the jury to convict him.

"Under our law, simply pointing a gun at a person constitutes assault," Carbone said. 

Evans and his wife are also set to take the stand during the trial. 

Taylor Tiamoyo Harris may be reached at tharris@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ladytiamoyo.

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Newark man found fatally shot Dec. 2, according to officials.

A 30-year-old man was charged in the slaying of another man, who was found fatally shot last month in a park in Newark's West Ward, authorities said Wednesday.

Anthony M. Brown (Photo: ECPO) 

Anthony M. Brown, of Newark, faces charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and weapons offenses for the killing of Richard Culver, 23, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Members of the FBI Fugitive Task Force and prosecutor's office arrested Brown Wednesday, according to a statement from the prosecutor's office.

Authorities said Culver, also of Newark, was discovered shot Dec. 2 in the 30-acre Vailsburg Park, near Oraton Parkway and South Orange Avenue.

Brown was being held at the Essex County jail, according to the prosecutor's office, which said more details were not available. Prosecutors did not release a motive in the killing.

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

Ongoing sweep was started to address citizen complaints

An operation aiming to remove guns and drugs from Newark streets has yielded nearly 2,000 arrests since it was launched in April, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.

"This unit has been very instrumental in combating crime and in addressing quality of life complaints from our citizens," Ambrose said. "I applaud the work these men and women have done in removing 127 guns and over $500,000 in street value drugs from our neighborhoods in less than a year. These achievements are a testament to the commitment of our officers in making Newark safer."

In addition, more than $171,000 in suspected drug proceeds were seized in the operation, which was started in response to citizen complaints.

Anyone with information about any crimes in the city is asked to call the 24-hour Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877- NWK-TIPS (1-877- 695-8477) or 1-877- NWK-GUNS (1-877- 695-4867).  All Crime Stopper tips are kept confidential and could result in a reward.

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

The highways and bi-ways and everything in-between in the Garden State.

When I first got my driver's license -- back in 19 mumble, mumble -- there was no Global Positioning System. There also weren't smart phones, let alone apps that told you how to get somewhere or how to avoid traffic jams.

We relied solely on our memories and, of course, maps. Not all that long ago, I pulled out a map when one of my children asked how to get somewhere. As I unfolded it, I was met with a blank stare; it was a foreign sight to my millennial. I imagine I'd get the same reaction if I leafed through a TV guide while sitting in front of our flat screen.

I like maps. And, as someone who has charted many trips with the help of Rand McNally, I've wondered about the labeling of roadways.

Matt Soniak offered some explanation on mentalfloss.com.

Soniak writes about science, history, etymology and Bruce Springsteen for both the website and the print magazine. His work has appeared in print and online for Men's Health, Scientific American, The Atlantic, and Philly.com.

According to Soniak, "roads" run between two distant points -- two towns, for example. In those towns, you'll find "streets," lined with houses and other buildings.

An "avenue" is traditionally a straight road with a line of trees or shrubs running along each side; a "boulevard" is usually a widened, multi-lane street with a median and landscaping between the curbs and sidewalks on either side.

A "court?" A short street that ends as a cul de sac. "Drive" can be short for "driveway," a private road for local access to one, or a small group of structures. Other times it refers to meandering, rather than straight, roads and highways.

A "lane" is a narrow road or street usually lacking a shoulder or a median, while a "way" is a minor street off a road in a town.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

For larger thoroughfares, an "expressway" is a divided highway meant for high-speed traffic. A "freeway" is a road designed for safe high-speed traffic by the elimination of intersections at the same grade or level. A "highway" is a main road intended for travel between destinations like cities and towns.

"Routes" can be interstate highways, designated by "U.S." as in U.S. Route 1 or county routes, also referred to as "state secondary routes."

I grew up on Chimes Terrace; I have no idea what that means.

Here's a gallery of New Jersey streets and roads. And here are links to similar galleries from the past.

Vintage photos of streets and roads in N.J.

Vintage photos of street scenes in N.J.

Vintage photos of New Jersey street scenes

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

A fire with heavy smoke was reported about 1:45 a.m. Thursday in the school's ceiling

An early morning fire sent firefighters from four towns racing to Saint Philip the Apostle Preparatory School on Valley Road in Clifton, authorities said.

A fire with heavy smoke was reported about 1:45 a.m. Thursday in the school's ceiling, a fire official said. No injuries were reported.

Father Matt Jasniewicz, who lives in the 5-building complex, said he was awakened by fire alarms when the blaze began.

"There was a lot of smoke," Jasniewicz said. "This was not a small fire. It was burning fast."

Jasniewicz said flames were coming from a ceiling between two buildings where classrooms are located. He called the classrooms "additional" and said they are not always in use.

The affected part of the building sustained smoke and water damage, Jasniewicz said.

Saint Philip the Apostle Preparatory School will be closed Thursday and Friday, but is expected to reopen on Monday, he said.

Fire inspectors will be at the school to determine when the school can reopen.

"We have to make sure it's suitable," Jasniewicz said. "The safety of the children is a priority for us."

The school was built in the 1950s and has been renovated several times -- most recently about 10 years ago, Jasniewicz said.

There are about 450 students in pre-K through eighth grade enrolled at the school, he added.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The latest campaign contribution report for the Committee to Re-Elect Ras Baraka 2018 shows two payments from a public agency -- the Newark Housing Authority.

The Newark Housing Authority donated $1,800 to Mayor Ras Baraka's re-election committee, records show -- in what would be a violation of state law prohibiting political contributions by public agencies.

But a spokeswoman for Baraka's campaign said the listed contributions were "likely a clerical error."

"This appears to be yet another example of poor management done by a former accountant," spokeswoman Samantha Gordon said Wednesday. She said the campaign was taking the matter "very seriously" and conducting a full audit "to get answers."

In a review of campaign documents, NJ Advance Media found two separate contributions from the federally-funded housing agency -- $600 on July 6, 2017 and $1,200 on Aug. 3, 2017 -- given to the Committee to Re-Elect Ras J Baraka 2018. 

Officials at the Election Law Enforcement Commission would not comment on specifics in this case, but an official, citing state statute, said "in general, the law forbids contributions by public agencies."

The Commission has already cited Baraka's campaign and former treasurer Frederick Murphy for violating campaign finance rules during the 2014 election. The 28-count complaint filed in November, said the campaign failed to disclose 188 contributions worth $160,000 and provided incomplete or incorrect information in 161 instances worth $155,000.

At the time, Amiri Baraka, Jr., Mayor Baraka's brother and campaign manager, said they were working to comply with the law and had hired a compliance firm, CFO Compliance LLC. 

The latest campaign contribution report is signed by treasurer Kanileah Anderson, not Murphy.  

Victor Cirilo, executive director of the Newark Housing Authority, said he was looking into the matter.

"The housing authority is currently reviewing this matter, which occurred prior to the new administration being installed this past October. If we find that there was a prior improper usage of funds, it would be rectified immediately," said Cirilo, who began at the agency after both contributions were made.

Mayor Baraka appoints the Board of Commissioners at the Newark Housing Authority, an agency that oversees public housing in the city. The commissioners in turn, hire and fire the executive director. 

Baraka is seeking re-election to a second term in the upcoming May 8 election. The Committee to Re-Elect Ras J Baraka 2018 has raised $700,000 so far, records show. 

The committee's latest campaign filings also show a contribution by Linda Jumah, owner of political consulting firm Elite Strategies, who previously pleaded guilty to tax evasion. Jumah admitted in November she failed to pay taxes on income generated by her political consulting and fundraising business. Her $500 was received in September. 

Records filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission show the Committee to Re-Elect Ras Baraka paid Elite Strategies $95,000 between April 2015 through April 2017 for consulting services and coordinating a fundraiser.

Staff writer Ted Sherman contributed to this report. 

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

Bon Jovi is coming to an arena near you, New Jersey!

NEWARK -- This time last year, Bon Jovi was prepped to embark on its latest world tour -- with no New Jersey dates scheduled. 

Any local diehard knew this oversight would somehow be rectified and a year later here we are: Bon Jovi -- the latest entrants into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- will play two massive Garden State arena shows this spring.

The band announced Thursday morning it will play Prudential Center in Newark April 7 and 8, in continuation of its This House Is Not For Sale tour, on strength of the eponymous 2016 album release. 

Live Nation presales will begin Jan. 18 at 10 a.m. General public tickets will be available for purchase starting Jan. 19 at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster.com.

The album "This House Is Not For Sale" will be re-released Feb. 23, with two new tracks: "When We Were US" and "Walls." 

Bon Jovi's last New Jersey show of this size came in 2013, on its Because We Can Tour at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. Bon Jovi opened The Rock in New Jersey's largest city with a series of 10 performances in 2007. 

Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Two new teams enter this week's girls basketball Top 20.

Chief trial attorney John McMahon retires after 27 years

In the public defender's office in Newark, there are two storage closets filled with clothes.

In one, is a rack of women's outfits and shelves of neatly arranged men's and women's shoes. In the other, are the men's clothes. The clothes are modest. Presentable. You might say bland. Certainly nothing that calls for attention.

John McMahon calls it "the haberdashery." It's where the public defenders go to dress their clients for courtroom appearances in front of judges, juries and news cameras.

The reason?

Nothing says guilty like a department of corrections jumpsuit. Better to have the defendant in civilian clothes, dressed like the jury of their peers.

"It makes a difference," McMahon said during an interview at his office, which is mostly empty now. Gone are the newspaper clips about his biggest cases, and the pictures of his wife and children. Also gone are the stacks of brown accordion folders, stuffed with volumes of case information for his final few clients. 

McMahon, 55, is retiring after 27 years in the Essex County branch of the state public defender's office, to enter private practice.

And while he reflected on some of his most gratifying legal maneuvers, at the heart of what he did was told through the story of the clothing. 

"Believe me, I am not alone among the people in this office who have gone out and bought new clothes for the people we represent," he said. "These are people who don't have the resources, and their families don't have the resources, to get them clothes for court.

"For a lot of our clients, we are the first people who ever cared about them or fought for them."

MORE: Recent Mark Di Ionno columns  

And then McMahon said something that might sum up his career more than just listing his biggest courtroom victories.

"And of all the people I ever represented, I had to tie the tie for everyone, except one," he said. "They never had anyone who taught them."

A man tying a tie for another is an intimate male-bonding ritual. It's a father-son moment -- a simple act of bestowing wisdom. It also speaks to trust: one man assuring another he will make him look good.

"Think about that," said Mike Robbins, McMahon's longtime friend and a well-known defense attorney. "When you tie a tie for somebody, you're close. You're in their space.

"I think that says a lot about John," said Robbins.

 "He's not afraid to get close to his clients. He still sees the humanity in them. And let me tell you, he always takes the hard cases," he said. "He takes people others would see absolutely no redeeming quality in, and he genuinely cares about them."

Humanity. It can be easily lost in the sensationalism of case. And McMahon has had his share of those. The "Nanny Cam" home invasion case. The sexual assault and murder of a 9-month-old Newark infant. The robbery spree that left a Verona gas station attendant dead.

The people McMahon represents - the hard cases -- are feared and abhorred by a civil society.

Defending them is not popular. But it's part of the fabric of justice.

"We are important to the system," McMahon said. "If one side is poorly represented, then justice won't be done."

In the case of the dead infant, for example, his client confessed to raping the child. But an autopsy showed the child had not been raped.

"What do you do then?" he said. "You have to ask why he confessed to something that didn't happen. You go from something that looked like a done deal to a defendable case."

The man was acquitted.

Anyone who has watched McMahon work sees the painstaking detail he uncovers to hold the justice system accountable for bringing a defendant to trial.

"He is a brilliant, brilliant attorney," said Michael Marucci, who started in the Essex County public defender's office in 1971 and ran it from 1993 to 2016. In 1997, he made McMahon the office's chief trial attorney.

"He is a master of evidence, which gives him a distinct advantage in the courtroom," said Marucci. "He prepares his cases so thoroughly. He looks at every detail."

In defending a man accused of murdering a prostitute, McMahon brought in a horticulture expert from Rutgers to prove that an eyewitness could not have made a clear identification through the density flowering forsythia and mulberry bushes.

"He is very creative," Marucci said. "He uses experts in situations other lawyers wouldn't even think of."

McMahon thanks the office for that.

"The greatest thing about this job was we had the resources to provide an excellent defense," he said. "I was never denied a request (for financial reasons) for transcripts or to hire experts. We have extremely talented lawyers at every level. Our appellate section is the best in the state. I got to argue in front of the New Jersey Supreme Court four times as a trial lawyer. Where else do you get those opportunities? I'm going to miss that."

McMahon said he decided to retire now and go into private practice "so my wife could stop working."

Public defenders, he said, buy their clothes at Marshalls or Kohls. Private attorneys do not.

While he was never motivated by money and his $128,000 salary was certainly a livable wage, raising four kids on it was tough.

"All along, my wife has had to work to get the kids through college and all that," he said.

He will join forces with another public defender alum, Dennis Cleary, in his West Orange practice.

McMahon's father, Jack McMahon, and Cleary's father, Jack Cleary, were part of the state's original public defender's office, formed in 1967. John McMahon's sister, Deidre, still works there.

It's not a family business, but clearly there are family values at work.

"John's the guy I would call if I were in trouble," Robbins said. "I know he would have my best interest at heart. What else can you say?"

Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook.

The Newark resident fled from a residence in the South War of Newark after the August assault, police say

Authorities in Newark are seeking the public's help as they try to find a man charged with sexually assaulting children last summer.

Fredrick Ferguson, 35, of Newark, has been sought since Aug. 28, when police say he sexually assaulted children in a residence in the city's South Ward, officials said.

Ferguson is 5-feet, 10-inches tall, weighs about 170 pounds and has a burn scar on one of his forearms, police said. He speaks with a Jamaican accent at times and frequents the Branch Brook Park area and shelters in Newark and in New York City.

There is a warrant out for his arrest.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Complete look at one of the top showcases of the year.

He previously pleaded guilty under an agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Richard "Richie" Roberts, the former Essex County assistant prosecutor who helped convict Harlem drug kingpin Frank Lucas of drug-trafficking crimes, was sentenced to three years' probation Thursday after pleading guilty to federal tax crimes, prosecutors announced.

His sentence will include 10 months of home confinement, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said in a statement. Roberts' attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon.

Roberts, 80, of Bloomfield, pleaded guilty in April before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark to failing to pay his personal income taxes and to pay the employer's portion of federal payroll taxes for his law firm.

As an Essex County detective and later assistant prosecutor, Roberts helped obtain an indictment against Lucas -- a notorious Harlem heroin dealer -- for crimes in New Jersey. Lucas was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 70 years in prison, but became a government informant and was released early.

The one-time prosecutor later became friends with Lucas, and represented him in court after prosecutors charged Lucas with trying to deceive the U.S. Treasury of $17,345 in Social Security checks meant for his son. Lucas was sentenced to probation in that case.

Roberts' investigation of Lucas was later memorialized in the 2007 film "American Gangster," with Roberts portrayed by Russell Crowe. Lucas was played by Denzel Washington.

Roberts, whose law license has been suspended, is currently facing charges in state Superior Court under an indictment obtained by the state Attorney General's Office, which has accused Roberts and his former law partner, Gerald Saluti, of misusing more than $140,000 in client funds.

Federal prosecutors said Roberts had not paid personal income taxes since at least 2000. In addition to the term of probation, Salas sentenced him to 100 hours of community service and ordered him to pay $224,962 in restitution, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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A Newark man allegedly carjacked a man and his 13-year-old daughter

A man has been charged with carjacking two family members in the driveway of a Short Hills home as they were returning from a Thanksgiving getaway, sowing fear in an affluent community where violent street crime is rare.

Police said Thursday that Ahmed Anthony, 29, of Newark, has been charged with carjacking, robbery, kidnapping, theft, receiving stolen property and unlawful possession of a weapon. Anthony was arrested with help from the State Police and the U.S. Marshal Service.

Man threatened to kill my daughter 

According to one of the victims, who asked not to be identified when speaking to reporters shortly after the incident, he, his wife and their two children arrived home in their 2017 Range Rover around 2 a.m. Nov. 27.

Ahmed Anthony. (Millburn police)
 

As the man and his younger daughter, 13, retrieved their luggage, two masked men approached, demanding the keys to their Range Rover and a second Range Rover parked in the driveway. One of the men appeared to be armed and threatened to kill the girl, the man said.

The two men made off with only one of the vehicles after failing to start the second Range Rover, the man also told reporters at the time. One of the men ran towards a waiting vehicle and sped off while the second left in the Range Rover, the victim also said.

It was unclear Thursday if a search was still underway for other suspects. A message left for Chief Brian Gilfedder was not immediately returned.

Anthony was being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility.

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

Picking the top players and teams through the season's first half.

The NJ Advance Media wrestling staff releases its first group and conference rankings of the season