Ali Bass, Arsenio Payton and Tyree Miller are charged in the 2009 fatal shooting of Quawan Robinson in Newark

NEWARK -- Jury selection began on Tuesday in the trial of three men charged in the 2009 fatal shooting of another man as part of an alleged turf dispute over drug distribution in a section of Newark.

Ali Bass, Arsenio Payton and Tyree Miller are facing murder and related charges in connection with the Dec. 11, 2009 fatal shooting of Quawan Robinson, 31, of Newark, in front of 26 Johnson Avenue in the city. Robinson was shot multiple times while sitting inside a vehicle.

Authorities have said the shooting was related to a dispute between Bass and Robinson over who would control drug distribution in the Johnson Avenue area. At least two witnesses have identified Payton as the shooter, authorities said.

Miller's attorney, Thomas Cataldo, said during a hearing on Tuesday that the "central issue is photos and identifications."

The trial comes about five months after Bass, 33, formerly of Newark, was convicted on Nov. 5 at a separate trial of eluding and related offenses for a police chase that allegedly occurred about two hours after Robinson's killing.

The jury found Bass was behind the wheel and Payton, 26, formerly of Newark, was the front-seat passenger when Bass drove the wrong way on Irvine Turner Boulevard in Newark and crashed head-on into a pickup truck. Miller, 33, of Orange, was not in the vehicle during the police chase, authorities said.

Bass was sentenced on Dec. 18 to 20 years in state prison.

Bass also is expected to be tried at a later date on murder and related charges in the fatal shootings of Hassan Brown, 29, of Newark and Franklin Johnson, 47, of East Orange, on July 20, 2009 at 109 South 12th Street in Newark.

Authorities have said those killings were an act of vengeance after Brown was arrested and charged with the slaying of Bass's sister in 2008.

Before jury selection began on Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Alfonse Cifelli denied a request from Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Michele Miller to reconsider his earlier decision to not allow evidence related to the eluding case to be presented at the murder trial.

Miller, who is handling the case, argued Bass and Payton changed their clothes and their vehicle between the homicide and the police chase, saying those actions were "done as consciousness of guilt and to avoid detection and apprehension."

Miller also requested that family members of the defendants not be permitted to attend jury selection to avoid the "potential taint" of jurors.

"It's a recipe for disaster," Miller said. Cifelli indicated he would rule on Miller's request at a later time.

Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Alumni of Pingry School have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse by a former teacher, Thad Alton, who was convicted of two counts of sexual abuse of minors in New York in 1990.

Thad Alton

The school sent a letter to parents of current students, the entire alumni and school trustees informing them of the investigation into the alleged abuse.

"We recently learned from a few of our alumni that students were sexually abused by Thad Alton, an employee of Short Hills Country Day School from 1972 to 1974 and, following the merger of the two institutions, an employee of The Pingry School from 1974 to 1978," it is stated in the letter signed by Headmaster Nathaniel E. Conard and Jeffrey N. Edwards, chair of the board of trustees. A copy of the letter was sent to NJ Advance Media.

The private day school has a kindergarten-fifth grade campus in Short Hills and a middle and upper school campus in Basking Ridge. Tuition at the school ranges from $31,504 to $37,062.

On Tuesday, Conard spoke to students in the middle and upper school about the investigation.

In 1990, Alton, who was living in upstate New York and working at a university there, was convicted in New York of first-degree sexual abuse and second degree sodomy. He spent five years in jail and is listed on the New York State Sex Offender Registry with an address in Manhattan. He could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Pingry School released an official press statement Tuesday confirming the letter. "We are taking this matter very seriously," it stated. "We contacted law enforcement, informed them of the allegations, and are committed to assisting them in any investigation.

"While the reported events took place many years ago, we realize that they continue to cause pain for members of our community."

Alton, who served as an assistant principal and guidance counselor at Pingry, also taught sixth grade and social studies at the school. He was a soccer coach at the school and scoutmaster for a boy scouts troop, which consisted of students from the school. The school did not comment further on Tuesday.

The school said it has also hired T&M Protection Resources to conduct an independent investigation, according to the letter.

"We are keenly aware that the passage of time has not diminished the impact or lessened the anguish these events have on the affected individuals," the press statement reads. "We deeply regret the suffering of any of our former students. Our responsibility for the safety and well-being of Pingry students is our highest priority."

In the letter, the school asks any former student who was allegedly sexually abused or knows any student who was allegedly sexually abused by Alton to contact Headmaster Nathaniel Conard at 908-647-5555, ext. 1232, or email nconard@pingry.org, or contact Laura Kirschstein of T&M Protection Resources at 212-916-8852 or lkirschstein@tmprotection.com.

Every effort to keep all calls confidential will be made, according to the letter.

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Sandy and Stephenie Mazzella, along with Sandy's mother, Elaine, were killed on March 25, 2016.

WAKE FOREST, N.C. - Family and friends of a mother, father and grandmother shot to death by a neighbor last week continue to grapple with their loss as they say answers about the slayings are slow to come.

"We keep saying to ourselves, 'What could be so bad to motivate someone to do this?'" said Cindy Frommelt in an interview this week with NJ Advance Media.

Frommelt was a lifelong friend of Stephenie Mazzella, 43, who was killed last Friday along with her husband, Sandy, 47, and his mother, Elaine, 76, in the family's home in Wake Forest, N.C.

Jonathan Frederick Sander, 52, a next-door neighbor and business partner of Sandy Mazzella is being held without bond, charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

The crimes appear to have been the result of a feud between the families, according to Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison.

Friends and family, however, question the sheriff's theory.

"Stephenie does not have a harassing bone in her body," Frommelt said. "She was a wonderful, sweet soul. She was a nurse. She always put people first, before herself."

Another friend, Mary Masino Musa of Cedar Grove, said she believes the dispute was between the men rather than the families.

"I think there's a lot more of a missing piece to this puzzle for somebody to act so violently and snap like that," Musa said.

The two men appear to have been on good terms as recently as last August, when Sander posted of picture of the two of them that appears to have been taken in a restaurant.

Judge lifted restraining order before triple homicide

Sandy's brother, Rich Sussman of Elmwood Park, said the family in recent weeks apparently became so terrified of Sander that they were planning to move away on Friday, April 1.

"I just don't know exactly, fully, clearly the details of what soured between them," Sussman said on Tuesday. "It's lingering in my mind and it's eating at me."

Sussman said his brother told him of the issues with Sander, including the fact that they took out a restraining order after the suspect allegedly made threatening remarks.

Now Sussman wishes he would have urged his brother to move sooner.

"I regret not talking to my brother more, my father more, my mother more," he said. "Maybe I should have told him, 'Flee your stupid home for your own protection before (April 1)."

Sandy Mazzella grew up in New Milford. Stephenie, who grew up in Jefferson Township, attended Felician College in Bergen County and later lived in Belleville and worked as a registered nurse in Clara Maas Hospital. In North Carolina, she worked as a nurse in the intensive care unit of WakeMed hospital in Raleigh.

The Mazzellas married about 18 years ago in a ceremony at the Newark Airport Marriott. They had two children - a boy, 10, and a girl, 14.

Services are planned for all three victims from 4-8 p.m. Thursday in Wake Forest. A funeral and interment at a Wake Forest cemetery are planned for Friday morning.

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

The Department of Justice is planning to detail its plans at a press conference in Newark Wednesday morning.

Paul J. Fishman, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, in a file photo. (Robert Sciarrino | The Star-Ledger)
 

UPDATE: Former attorney general tapped as PD watchdog.

NEWARK -- An agreement nearly two years in the making will be detailed Wednesday.

City and U.S. Department of Justice officials gathered Wednesday morning to announce details of the consent decree that will formalize federal oversight of the Newark Police Department.

The announcement comes after a 2014 report in which federal investigators cited misconduct and systemic issues within the department. The city has already implemented several initiatives as the result of a preliminary agreement reached in 2014, including a civilian review board.

Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at@DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Peter C. Harvey has been nominated to oversee the implementation of reforms required by the Department of Justice. Watch video

NEWARK -- The planned reformation of the Newark Police Department took a major step forward Wednesday, as city and federal officials named a nominee to oversee the process.

Former state attorney general Peter C. Harvey has been tapped to shepherd the implementation of a now finalized consent decree placing the city's police force under federal oversight.

Harvey, who served as the state's top lawyer from 2003 to 2006, and who during his tenure oversaw the New Jersey State Police in the wake of the racial profiling scandal that led to its own period of federal monitoring, will be paid by the city to ensure its compliance with the decree.

"He's familiar with police," said New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman in a Monday interview. "He has enormous respect for the incredibly difficult work that law enforcement organizations do, but he also understands how a police department can be reformed and he's seen how the process works."

Once Harvey is certified as monitor, the city will be required to maintain compliance with the decree for a continuous two-year span, though officials said the implementation of the reforms could take as long as five.

Harvey's nomination coincides with end of protracted negotiations between federal and city officials over the particulars of the decree.

In its settlement with the federal government, Newark agreed to a host of reforms meant to address a pattern of unconstitutional practices that had been uncovered by the DOJ, including improper searches and stops, better known as "Stop and Frisk," and excessive use of force.

Former New Jersey attorney general Peter Harvey will oversee the consent decree, officials announced Wednesday. (File photo)

"The department is challenged in fundamental ways, and has engaged in a pattern and practice of unconstitutional policing in a broad range of areas," Fishman said. "And it is also clear that the Police Department's relationship with the people of the city has suffered dramatically from the combination of those practices. Community trust has deteriorated, and that, in turn, has compromised the effectiveness of the department."

Among the planned reforms, Newark officers will receive new training in the use of force. New computer systems will be implemented to track officer misconduct. And new guidelines will be developed for the use of dashboard cameras, Fishman said.

The agreement sets specific benchmarks for the improvement of other problem areas identified in a 2014 Department of Justice investigation of the city's police force, he added.

"The mechanisms in the decree are all designed to better support officers in doing the job of public safety and to ensure they have the trust of the community," said Vanita Gupta, acting assistant attorney general for the DOJ Civil Rights Division.

Prompted by allegations of police brutality and false arrests made by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, USDOJ inquiry details a raft of systemic failures and evidence of widespread misconduct within Newark's police ranks, including racial profiling and police theft of property confiscated from detainees.

The DOJ released the report shortly after the 2014 election that swept Mayor Ras Baraka into office. While Baraka's administration initially embraced the the DOJ's findings, he conceded on Wednesday to not being enthused that city residents will shoulder the cost of monitoring.

The agreement places a $7.4 million funding cap on the monitor's expenses. How much the monitoring process will ultimately cost the city remains unclear.

Baraka's administration has already begun taking steps toward goals outlined in a preliminary agreement reached in 2014.

Those include plans to hire an attorney to oversee the department's internal affairs unit and the formation of a civilian complaint review board, in order to implement expanded engagement with city residents.

"We look at it as an opportunity," Baraka said in a news conference on Wednesday. The reforms "will get Newark to where it needs to be," he added. 

The board, which officials said is not formalized in the consent decree, has drawn vocal opposition from the city's police unions. But union leaders have signaled that members of the police force are open to the proposed reforms.

"Since this [federal monitoring] first surfaced we've been looking forward to getting the problems that this department has ironed out," said James Stewart, President of the Newark Fraternal Order of Police.

"If this consent decree is going to get better training, then we're all for it, because ultimately we all want a better, safer Newark," he said.

Udi Ofer, ACLU-NJ Executive Director, called upon federal officials to ensure changes that will outlast the monitoring period. 

For 50 years the people of Newark have called for federal oversight of Newark policing, he said. "But now the hard work begins."

Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

A woman reportedly kept her mother's ashes in the 1999 Jeep.

The car was reported missing this week, officials said. (File photo)
 

EAST ORANGE -- Police are investigating the whereabouts of an SUV that a city woman reportedly says housed her deceased mother's ashes, authorities confirmed Wednesday.

The 1999 Jeep Cherokee did not run, and had been parked near the woman's 15th Street home for about a year, an East Orange spokeswoman said.

According to a News 12 report, the woman, Llamia Walker, said that she kept her mother's ashes in the non-operational car, because she thought it'd be a safe place to keep them away from her kids.

Walker told News 12 she contacted city officials who said the car had not been towed, so she believes it was stolen for parts.

The car was removed between 3 p.m. on March 28 and 7:30 a.m. on March 29, city officials said. The police report of the alleged theft did not mention the ashes, they said.

Walker told News 12 she hoped whoever took the car would return the ashes, no questions asked. Her mother, who died in 2013, was very sick and did not leave much else behind, the report said.

Walker could not immediately be reached Wednesday.

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

155K people used family leave benefits from 2009 to 2014

TRENTON -- More than 155,000 people used New Jersey's paid family leave to take care of a new child or a sick relative in the law's first five years, but too few know the benefits exist or how to sign-up, a study by the Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health released Wednesday said.

The study, based on a mix of focus group responses and individual interviews with 42 parents from Newark, Camden and Trenton, found those who had used family leave insurance were grateful for the time and financial support it provided, although some had wished for more time, money or a guarantee their job would be protected.

The 2009 state law gives people six weeks off while collecting two-thirds of their pay if they work at a business with 50 or more employees. In 2016, the weekly benefit is limited to $615, according to the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

But researchers spoke to far more parents who had never heard of the law or didn't apply because their employers had never mentioned it, said Curtis Skinner, the director of family economic security for the school's National Center for Children in Poverty. 

Corzine signs Paid Family Leave Act

"Neither the state nor employers are getting the word out," Skinner told reporters on a conference call describing the study's findings. Some learned about the program for the first time when it was described by the focus group, he said. "One mother said, 'They knew I was pregnant but no one ever brought it to my attention. I assumed I did not qualify.' "

Renee Wilson-Simmons, director of the school's National Center for Children in Poverty, commended New Jersey, which was the second state behind California to enact paid family leave insurance in 2009. Rhode Island has since passed a similar law giving workers four weeks of paid time off, she said.

"New Jersey has taken a vital step to invest in the future of young children and their families," Wilson-Simmons said. "But we believe -- and parents have told us -- that some modest reforms could make (the law) work much better for the low-income working parents who need it the most."

Those who used the benefits reported enjoying more "bonding time," including an additional month of breastfeeding, Skinner said. Although the law does not preserve an employee's job, most went back to work without an issue. At least one parent said the payments did not arrive until she was back at work, creating a hardship, he said.

The program is funded through employee payroll deductions. This year, employees will pay about 50 cents a week until they reach the yearly maximum contribution of $26.08, according to the state website.

The program paid out about $85.8 million in benefits to roughly 30,000 participants in 2015, according to the state.

There are 19 states and Washington DC., including New York, which are considering paid family leave laws. Wilson-Simmons said she hoped this first-of-its-kind study on New Jersey will inform lawmakers on crafting their own laws.

Cecilia Zalkind, executive director for Advocates of New Jersey, one of several community agencies that assisted in finding parents to join the focus groups, said she hoped policy makers and lawmakers use this "much-needed information about how the program is working and how it can be improved."

Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), one of the prime sponsors of the law, said he would r"eview the report and other information to determine if other actions should be taken."

"New Jersey can be proud of the fact that we were one of the first state's in the country to enact a paid family leave law and that even now we are one of only three states with paid leave for families," Sweeney added. "This report shows that the program works and that it is valued by employees in New Jersey. More should be done to increase awareness and to make it easier for workers to take advantage of it, especially low-income employees." 

For more information about paid family leave benefits in New Jersey, click here to go to the state website.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Residents will be able to ask the superintendent and other officials questions during the meeting at First Avenue School

NEWARK - Superintendent of Schools Christopher Cerf and At-Large Councilman Luis Quintana will host a Town Hall meeting in the city's North Ward Wednesday night.  

Cerf and Quintana will discuss educational and other issues, and residents will be invited to ask questions. The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at First Avenue School, and will be hosted by District Leader Steve Sacco.  

Sacco said officials will be available to answer all questions, including those concerning the school district's efforts following the discovery of elevated levels of lead in 30 of its schools.

North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos Jr. will also be at the meeting to address residents, he added.

Light refreshments will be served after the meeting. Questions may also be emailed to Newarknews@hotmail.com.

Dr. Rashidah Hasan was informed of her suspension Friday, the same day College President Dr. Gale Gibson was suspended

NEWARK — An investigation that led Essex County College's president to be suspended last week has led to the removal of the school's top attorney.

Dr. Rashidah Hasan, the college's general counsel and vice president for human resources, was informed she had been temporarily relieved of her duties on Friday, according to her attorney Eugene Kim. The move came the same day President Dr. Gale Gibson was informed of her own paid suspension.

Both women received letters from the school's board of trustees indicating the moves came due to potential "misuse" or school resources or facilities. Details on the allegations, however, have yet to come to light.

Juan Fernandez, an attorney for the board, declined to comment on Hasan's suspension late Tuesday. Chairwoman Bibi Taylor could not be reached for comment.

Rashidah Hasan

Kim said he had yet to be briefed on any of the reasoning behind the moves, and joined others who have openly voiced suspicions about outside forces playing a role.

"We have no reason to believe (Hasan has) done anything wrong," Kim said. "That leads me to suspect that there's something else in play."

On Wednesday, Gibson's attorney Alan Zegas said she was the victim of a "political battle" and Debra Salters, a student representative for the board, said she believed the suspensions were part of a long-rumored plan by Essex County officials to promote Dr. Joyce Harley, a former county administrator and the school's vice president of finance, to its top position.

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, who has backed Harley for the job in the past, said earlier this week that he backed the board of trustees' decisions, but denied having any influence in the matter.

Hasan has been employed by Essex County College since 1992, according to Kim, originally as an adjunct professor. She joined the school's legal staff in 1999, and state pension records indicate she now earns an annual salary of $184,824. She also maintains a private law practice in East Orange, and holds a $45,980 position as a legislative research officer in Irvington.

It remains unclear just how long Gibson and Hasan's suspensions may last. The board of trustees held a closed-door meeting to discuss the recent moves on Monday, but is not scheduled to hold another formal session until April 19, though Kim said he hopes to gather more specifics before then.

"We don't know actually is being said (Hasan) did wrong," he said.

A Saturday afternoon benefit concert at the Robert Treat Hotel will feature DoItAll Dupre of Lords of the Underground, Artifacts, and other hip hop starsl Watch video

NEWARK -- Before he went off to college in North Carolina to co-found hip hop's Lords of the Underground as DoItAll Dupre, he was Dupre Kelly, a kid growing up and going to school in Newark's Central Ward.

And Kelly has remained a Newarker, evan as the Lords' single, "Chief Rocka" reached No. 1 on the rap charts in 1992, and Du, as he is also known, branched out into acting in films, on television and off Broadway.

So Kelly was eager to take part in an event in Newark this Saturday addressing a problem effecting both his home city and Flint, Mich., where lead in the water of two cities inhabited largely by people of color and lower incomes has been blamed on state, rather than local, officials.

Saturday's event in Newark, called Hip Hop for Flint, will be at the Robert Treat Hotel, from 2-6 p.m. With a suggested donation of $10 a person, the concert by Kelly and a live band a fellow Lords Mr. Funke and Lord Jazz can't make it a plus fellow hip hop artists Artifacts and Rahzel the Beatboxer, is a fundraiser for the purchase of 250 fixed and portable water filtration systems for the most at-risk families in Flint, including single mothers and undocumented immigrants.

"Hip hop has always been the voice of the unheard," said Kelly, who spoke during a press conference at Newark City Hall on Wednesday announcing the Saturday afternoon show, which follows similar Hip Hop for Flint fundraisers around the country on March 19 and 22. "It doesn't just have to be Flint. It could be Newark, N.J., tomorrow."

Or today.

Earlier this month, months after Flint first attracted nationwide attention for having lead in its state-contracted water supply,A elevated levels of lead were found in the water in Newark schools, a problem the administration of Mayor Ras Baraka has attributed to the neglect of aging pipes while the under-performing district has been under the control of the state Department of Education.

While some have called for widespread testing of all of Newark's water system, officials have insistedA the problem is confined to pipes in 30 of the district's 65 schools, and that the problem does not effect the reservoirs that make up the city's water supply, or the main lines that transport it.

In conjunction with the state, the city has been providing voluntary blood tests for school children in various locations around the city. More than 260 children had been tested as of Wednesday, though samples are being forward to the state and results have not been released, said the mayor's press secretary, Marjorie Fields Harris.
 
Baraka said Monday that it could cost "billions" to fix the schools' aging infrastructure, a cost he said his city cannot bear on its own. The assertion was supported by the non-profit Education Law Center, which stated in a letter to state officials that New Jersey must foot the bill.A Gov. Chris Christie has indicated that the state should help pay for an overhaul.

Marcy DePina, a national organizer with Hip Hop for Flint, said the Newark fundraiser had actually been scheduled before word of the city's own lead problem surfaced the second week of March.

During the press conference, Kelly made a point of defending hip hop as a vehicle for social change and civic activism, despite wariness of the music among older people who continue to view it as violent or misogynistic.

"One thing that I love about it, that I want to say to say to some of the elders, this is hip hop," said Kelly, 45, dressed in a jacket and tie, gesturing around the room to other hip hoppers involved in the fundraiser. "Hip hop sells advertising, everything from chicken to dish washing detergent. So why can't we be making a change?"

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

Peter Harvey was appointed as the department's federal monitor Wednesday. Watch video

NEWARK -- When Peter Harvey was preparing to leave his post as the state's attorney general in 2006, he said he couldn't worry about how he would be remembered.

"Anyone who tries to define his or her legacy is engaging in an egocentric exercise," Harvey told the Star Ledger at the time.

"You do the work and let the work speak for you. What we tried to do was (establish) reform that brought better law enforcement services to people who need them most." 

Harvey in a 2006 file photo. (Tony Kurdzuk | Star-Ledger)
 

Nearly 10 years after he left the top law enforcement job in the state, Harvey has been tapped to fill another prominent position in the New Jersey - the federal monitor who will act as a watchdog over an agreement calling for sweeping changes to the Newark Police Department. The Department of Justice Wednesday announced Harvey had been chosen from a pool of 21 applicants to oversee the federal consent decree.

Harvey comes to the role with decades of legal experience and mixed reviews of the roles he's played in New Jersey.

The attorney, who graduated Morgan State University in 1979 and received his law degree from Columbia in 1982, has worked in both the private and public sectors. He served in several high level positions in the attorney general's office before being sworn in as New Jersey's first African American, and 54th overall, Attorney General in 2003.

Former AG tapped as NPD watchdog

During his nearly three-year tenure in the role, he was known for going after large companies in consumer and insurance fraud cases. He oversaw the construction of a state-of-the-art forensic and computer crime lab in Mercer County, and under his direction the state was lauded as one of the most prepared for a bioterrorist attack.

He was in office during the federal monitor of the New Jersey State Police, and in his final official act, created a permanent Office of State Police Affairs in an attempt to ensure that the department would continue to comply with racial profiling reforms.

But, his term was not without criticism.

Republican leaders at the time criticized Harvey after a Star-Ledger investigation revealed that 93 percent of the funds from a $23 million Homeland Security grant he oversaw went to Democratically-controlled legislative districts. His critics also argued that Harvey shied away from pursuing controversial and high-level political corruption cases. His reputation was also marred by several ethical investigations, including his accepting free tickets to Atlantic City boxing matches, for which he eventually paid a $1,500 fine levied by the Executive Commission on Ethical Standards.

After leaving the post in 2006, Harvey took a job as a partner at the prominent Patterson Belknap law firm in NYC, where he still works.

Officials Wednesday said he was the right man for the job.

"We are confident that Mr. Harvey's experience, and the high regard in which he is held by the court, make him exactly the right choice for this assignment," U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said at a press conference about the consent decree.

Reached Wednesday, Harvey declined to comment on the appointment, saying that it is pending a federal judge's approval.

Civil Rights groups who have been calling for more oversight of the Newark police called Harvey's appointment an important step.

"We look forward to working with Mr. Harvey to implement reforms that will transform Newark policing and put in place policies and practices that will outlast any one federal monitor," NJ ACLU Executive Director Udi Ofer said of the appointment.

"Now the hard work begins."

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

Stanley Jerome, 33, of Orange, pleaded guilty to money laundering and insurance fraud charges

Former insurance agent Stanley Jerome pleaded guilty on Monday to money laundering and insurance fraud charges related to a scheme in which he collected about $1 million in commission fees on life insurance polices based on fraudulent applications.File photo 

NEWARK -- A former insurance agent in Orange has admitted illegally collecting about $1 million in commission fees through life insurance policies based on fraudulent applications.

Stanley Jerome, 33, made that admission when he pleaded guilty on Monday in a Newark courtroom before Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler to money laundering and insurance fraud charges.

Under a plea agreement, Jerome is expected to receive a six-year state prison sentence and he must pay $750,000 in restitution to the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, or MassMutual. His sentencing is scheduled for May 16.

But during Monday's hearing, Wigler warned Jerome that if he doesn't come up with a significant amount of the restitution by the sentencing date, the judge would reject what he referred to as "a very lenient plea agreement," according to an audio recording of the hearing.

"You need to do what you have to do to make a sizable amount of restitution towards this consent judgment between now and sentencing," the judge told Jerome.

The judge noted that while the plea deal calls for a six-year prison term, Jerome could be released from custody after six months if he is accepted into the state's Intensive Supervision Program.

Jerome could then "walk out and you still have all this money hidden somewhere," Wigler said. "That's my issue with this case."

"I don't have the money hidden, your honor," Jerome told the judge.

But Wigler replied, "That's what you say. I'm not really fully buying it."

In pleading guilty, Jerome admitted to the offenses while answering questions from his attorney, Robert Brass, according to the audio recording.

Between 2013 and 2015, Jerome said he submitted applications for life insurance policies to MassMutual that included fraudulent information about the applicants. Jerome said he used that false information in order for the applicants to qualify for the policies.

Out of the roughly 217 applications he submitted for life insurance policies, 127 applications were approved by MassMutual, Jerome said. In virtually all of the applications he submitted, Jerome said he used real personal information from real people, but fabricated statements about their employment, income and/or net worth.

Jerome said he earned about $1.1 million in commission fees for policies based on the fraudulent applications, and he shared some of those funds with applicants.

As part of his scheme to obtain commission fees, Jerome said he offered free life insurance and cash payments to members of the public in exchange for using their personal information on the applications.

Jerome said he offered additional cash payments to applicants who opened bank accounts in their own names and gave him access to the accounts. MassMutual withdrew money on a monthly basis from the bank accounts for the premiums on the life insurance policies, Jerome said.

Jerome said he transferred some of the commission fees to those bank accounts from his bank account in order to fund the premiums and make it look like the applicants were paying the premiums.

Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The Founders Weekend celebration is happening in May.

NEWARK -- A two-day outdoor concert and arts festival featuring Grammy award winners with city roots.

That's the latest way Newark will celebrate its 350th birthday.

Organizers of the yearlong Newark Celebration 350 announced Wednesday the "Founders Weekend Festival," which will happen at and around the city's Military Park May 13 through 15. The event's headliners include Faith Evans, Naughty By Nature, and salsa artist India.

The group's chair Junius Williams officially made the announcement at the Toast to NC 350 event at the Newark Club Wednesday evening.

Naughty by Nature. (Courtesy NC 350)
 

"Newark Celebration 350 Founders Weekend Festival will be a shining moment in Newark's history when we look back on this milestone celebratory year and at the number of extraordinary events and programs celebrating our city's incredible past and bright future," Williams said in a statement.

"Newark has always been a great city for great music. We are proud to present this exceptional lineup of Newark's finest hometown grown talent who have gone on to become international superstars and changed the world with their gifts."

In addition to the headliners, local up-and-comers will take the stage throughout the weekend. Performers include Stefon Harris and the United States Air Force premier jazz ensemble, the Airmen of Note; Gospel group Jubilation; one of the city's youth school bands, Jazz House Kids; and DJs Felix Hernandez and Bobby Trends.

The weekend celebration is one of hundreds of events happening all year long to celebrate the anniversary of the city's founding. In addition to the performances, attendees to the free festival can expect dance and spoken work poetry, a "Kidz Korner," a family activity area, a local arts and crafts fair, and public art exhibitions.

"Newark boasts a wealth of talent," Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement. "It is my hope that these performances will encourage and inspire others in our community to share their untapped gifts and expertise with the city."

See the full list of NC 350 events here.

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

The Pingry School acted promptly and decisively in calling for an independent investigation, alumni say.

BASKING RIDGE - Pingry School alumni expressed shock and sadness Wednesday at the news that sexual abuse allegedly occurred at the elite private school in the 1970s.

Thad Alton

However, they applauded school administrators for a prompt and decisive response.

On Monday, the school sent a letter to parents of current students, the entire alumni and school trustees informing them that it has launched an investigation into alleged abuse by former school teacher and administrator Thad Alton. The letter was signed by Headmaster Nathaniel E. Conard and Jeffrey N. Edwards, chair of the board of trustees.

Alton, who was convicted in 1990 of first-degree sex abuse and second-degree sodomy for incidents that happened in New York State, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. He served five years in New York state prison and was required to register as a sex offender upon release. He current address shows him living in Manhattan.

Dale Seabury, director of Strategic Communications and Marketing at Pingry, confirmed Wednesday that the school only recently learned of the allegations from a "few" victims, directly and indirectly, and immediately contacted local law enforcement. Seabury would not elaborate on how many had come forward.

Pingry also hired the New York-based investigatory firm T&M Protection Resources, which specializes in sex crimes, to conduct an independent investigation.

Peter "Chip" Korn, president of the school's Alumni Association and a 1989 graduate, said "we are all shocked and appalled" by the allegations. "That said, I commend the administration for stepping forward with respect to the situation and addressing it directly. I am proud of the way Pingry has handled itself during such a difficult time."

School launches investigation into sex abuse

Mark Bigos, a 1979 graduate of the school and member of the Alumni Association, echoed those thoughts.

"The school is determined to get to the bottom of this," said Bigos. "I don't know anything other than what was said in the announcement. But anytime something like this is alleged, you're disappointed someone could do such a thing."

Bigos said he doesn't remember hearing any rumors of alleged abuse while he was a student at the school.

Thomas Trynin, who graduated in 1979 and is a member of the Alumni Association, also praised the school's handling of the situation.

"From what I know and what I see, Pingry is dealing with this sad issue in an open and forthright manner," he stated.

Alton was an employee of Short Hills Country Day School from 1972 to 1974 and, following the merger of the two institutions, an employee of The Pingry School from 1974 to 1978.

He served as an assistant principal and guidance counselor. Alton also taught sixth grade social studies at the school, was a soccer coach and a scoutmaster for a Boy Scout troop made up of students from the school.

Alton was working as director of Clarkson University's Management Institute in upstate New York in 1989 when he resigned three days before his arrest in December of that year on charges of sexually abusing two boys from Potsdam and Brasher Falls, the Watertown Daily Times reported at the time.

It's not known what prompted the alumni at Pingry to come forward now, "but we are grateful that they did. Pingry took action now because this is the first time that this administration became aware of the situation," Seabury said Wednesday.

Seabury said the school launched an independent investigation because it wanted to "make sure the manner was pursued" to the fullest extent of the law.

"Pingry's culture is one of transparency," she said. "That's what we seek to model for our students. We want to take care of the victims as best we can. We want to model to our students what it is like to be held accountable."

Seabury said the school doesn't anticipate having a further update for some time because the investigation will be extensive. She said the victims have been promised confidentially.

The school has asked any former student who was allegedly sexually abused or knows any student who was allegedly sexually abused by Alton to contact Headmaster Nathaniel Conard at 908-647-5555, ext. 1232, or email nconard@pingry.org, or contact Laura Kirschstein of T&M Protection Resources at 212-916-8852 or lkirschstein@tmprotection.com.

Every effort to keep all calls confidential will be made, the school has said.

Aircraft cabin cleaners working for airline service contractors say they aren't given training or equipment to do their work. Airline and airport officials do not expect flights to disrupted Watch video

NEWARK -- Hundreds of aircraft cabin cleaners at Newark Liberty tonight at 10 p.m., charging that they are not trained or equipped to do the kind of security sweeps expected of them.

Workers with picket signs may be visible to arriving or departing passengers outside Terminal C, but officials of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs Newark Liberty, and United Airlines, the airport's biggest carrier, said the strike is not expected to cancel or delay any flights.

"We don't expect any interruptions to airport operations," a Port Authority spokeswoman, Cheryl Albiez, said in an email.

A United spokesman, Charles Hobart, stated, "We are ensuring our service partners at Newark have contingency plans in place to continue to serve our customers."

Similar job actions are scheduled for tonight at John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia Airports in Queens.

The strike is among non-union workers but is being orchestrated by a labor group, Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union. The union has waged an ongoing drive to unionize thousands of airport workers at Newark Liberty, John F. Kennedy Interntional and LaGuardia Airports in recent years, while pressing the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, with some success, to set minimum wage and benefits levels for airport workers.

"We need to invest in both physical and human capital in order to better protect the public, workers and our airports," 32BJ Vice President and NJ State Director Kevin Brown said in a statement, adding that actions by airport workers in Brussels to mitigate last week's terror attacks there underscored the importance of the striking workers' jobs. 

A dozen airport workers were arrested in a carefully planned show of civil disobedience in January, demanding a minimum airport wage of $15 an hour.  

A spokeswoman for 32BJ, Desiree Taylor, said about 200 cabin cleaners would be involved in the strike at Newark Liberty, mainly employees of Nashville-based PrimeFlight Aviation Services. Taylor said the workers are expected to clean and vacuum aircraft seats, seatbacks, carpets and other areas, as well as look for and report suspicious objects or situations that could pose a threat to aircraft safety.

Despite this critical duty, Taylor said, the workers receive little to know training and are not given protective gear. In some cases, workers are expected to do their jobs with the cabin lights off.

Asked whether the strike was intended to disrupt flight operations, Taylor said the intent was to alert the public to the workers' plight, and negative implications that could have for safety and security.      

"We're trying to get the issue out," Taylor said. "These workers are working in unsafe conditions."

A PrimeFlight employee in Queens hung up without answering any questions. Other attempts to reach the company's Nashville and Newark offices were unsuccessful.

Mayor Steven Fulup of Jersey City, who is widely anticipated to seek the Democratic nomination for governor next year, was quoted in a press release by 32BJ ahead of the strike. 

"Airport workers are on the front lines.  They do their best to keep airports safe and secure," Fulop stated. "But how can we expect them to do this critical work if they're not given the time and training they say they need to do a thorough job?"

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

Two men were overheard plotting Newark mayor's murder, police said.

NEWARK -- Police arrested one man Wednesday and were looking for a second man who were overheard making plans to kill Mayor Ras Baraka, department spokesman Capt. Derek Glenn said in a statement.

Someone called Baraka's office shortly before 11 a.m. and reported hearing the men plotting to kill Baraka, also providing a description of the men, police said. Officers were sent to Penn Station, where the two suspects, both of whom were dressed in camouflage outfits, were immediately spotted nearby on Market Street.

When police approached, the men fled in opposite directions. Kenneth Curry, 56, was caught but the second man, identified by Glenn as a 65-year-old New Brunswick resident, escaped. The witness who called police, who remained at Penn Station, identified Curry, Glenn also said.

Glenn did not release the name of the second suspect.

Curry was arrested on two open warrants but is likely to face additional charges. An investigation is being conducted by the department's Executive Protection Unit. Anyone with information is being asked to call the department's 24-hour Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 877 NWK-TIPS (877 695-8477) or NWK-GUNS (877-695-4867).

This is not the first time Baraka has been a target. Early this year officials revealed that two letters threatening him as well as city facilities were sent to the home of Baraka's mother. 

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

Switching southbound traffic to the rehabilitated northbound lanes of the Pulaski Skyway that was supposed to happen at the end of 2015 will take place on Monday. Watch video

The lane change that was supposed to take place as part of the massive Pulaski Skyway rebuilding project at the end of 2015 is scheduled to happen Monday morning, weather permitting. 

While officials originally planned for one lane change, so crews can begin replacing the southbound bridge deck, drivers will encounter multiple traffic pattern shifts instead, starting on April 4. 

The entire Skyway will be closed to traffic starting 11 p.m. Friday to prepare for the lane shift, and reopen Monday morning,  Stephen Schapiro, a DOT spokesman, said. 

Southbound traffic will switch to the northbound lanes before the Broadway exit ramp in Jersey City and continue to a point before the first Skyway bridge crosses the Hackensack River. That is where traffic will return to the southbound lanes, Schapiro said.  

Southbound traffic will again shift back to the northbound lanes, just past the Passaic River Skyway bridge, and continue on the northbound lanes through the end of the Skyway, where traffic will merge back onto Route 1&9 south, he said.

The lane change was scheduled to happen at the end of 2015, when the bridge deck replacement project on the northbound lanes was to be finished. In February, DOT officials conceded that bridge deck replacement schedule was delayed.

That was due to the earlier discovery of deterioration in floor beams, which cross the span and support the bridge deck. New beams were installed in a series of full weekend long closures of the 3.5 mile long Skyway last year.

Commuters drive traffic app changes

That work, along with the harsh winter of 2015, had pushed completion of replacing the entire northbound bridge deck to the end of last year, which in turn delayed starting work on the southbound lanes.

The Skyway's Raymond Boulevard exit will be closed Monday and will remain closed for more than two years after the bridge deck replacement is completed for rehabilitation, Schapiro said. Detours will be posted, directing drivers to the Wilson Avenue exit off Routes 1&9 south local lanes to Doremus Avenue and back to Raymond Boulevard, he said. 

Drivers are being warned to slow down and be cautious until they get used to the new traffic patterns. As more sections of the northbound lanes are completed, the DOT will implement additional traffic shifts.

Installing the new bridge deck is probably the most visible of 10 phases of the project to drivers. It required closing the northbound lanes in April 2014.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

High school students will find out in a matter of minutes whether several of their dream schools have accepted them.

In the days when Ivy League universities sent acceptance letters through the mail, before the world of Twitter and Instagram, news of admissions decisions could take a while to to circulate, Nancy Siegel recalled. 

Letters from different schools arrived in students' mailboxes on different days and teens who got rejected could keep their disappointment private for a couple of days, or at least a couple of hours, said Siegel, Millburn High School's director of guidance. 

But those days are gone. Technology has turned the March 31 deadline for Ivy League schools to notify students of admission into a whirlwind of acceptances and rejections likely to end with at least somebody in tears -- either from heartbreak or joy, school counselors say. 

When the clock strikes 5 p.m. on Thursday, Ivy League hopefuls will go online to begin a rapid-fire cycle of checking admissions decisions from their dream schools. Once they know their own fate, they'll quickly turn to social media for news from their classmates, counselors said. 

"They check each other's (profiles) immediately. I can promise you that," Siegel said. "I can have one student telling me what ten answers were in a matter of two minutes." 

Unlike the old days, teachers and schools counselors are now usually the last to know whether their students earned acceptance into an Ivy League university, said Dana Karas, president-elect of the New Jersey School Counselor Association. 

"You can normally get one kid and say 'We know decisions came out,'" Karas said. "And they are like, 'Oh, do you want to look at my Instagram feed?'"

7 big changes on the new SAT

The emotional highs and lows of college admissions seasons are nothing new, said Amanda Lenhart, a researcher who studied teens and social media for the Pew Research Institute. Students have been getting accepted and rejected from Harvard since the university opened in the 1600s, Lenhart said.

But while technology and social media likely haven't had any major effect on student's reactions to admissions news, there is now a greater level of publicity and visibility around the decisions, she said. 

"There are plenty of ways to kind of learn about other people who are getting into these schools and to sort of see it unfold more in real time than might have happened 15 years ago," Lenhart said. 

For students who don't get accepted to their top choices, the deadline can be excruciating, counselors said. Students might read rejection notices from five or six schools in a matter of minutes. 

Meanwhile, their classmates are likely take notice that there isn't a celebratory post on social media, Siegel said. 

"They say, 'There is nothing up there, so they couldn't have gotten in,'" Siegel said. 

Though teens often feel pressure to post only their successes on social media, there may be a benefit to sharing the news of a rejection, Lenhart said. That type of post will likely bring instant sympathy and support from friends and family members, she said. 

Of course, there's also the old fashioned way of celebrating admission or coping with rejection. Many high school counselors have already cleared their schedules after Thursday to deal with the fallout of the Ivy League admissions offers, Karas said.

But remember, she said, that deadline day can take a toll on the counselors, too. 

"Those days are difficult because clearly you want to celebrate the success of students," Karas said. "And, at the same time, you have to be sensitive to the fact that you are going to have students that haven't been accepted and do need a shoulder to cry on."

 Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Raheem Glaspie and Shaquan Leaks are among the 49 people charged in a gang-related narcotics trafficking bust

NEWARK -- Two men are scheduled to appear in court on Monday after their recent indictment on murder and related charges in a fatal shooting last year that authorities have said was caught on surveillance videos.

Raheem Glaspie, 23, of Irvington, and Shaquan Leaks, 22, of Hillside, are among the 49 people charged last year as part of a gang-related narcotics trafficking bust. They have been accused of gunning down 24-year-old John Betances on May 26 in Newark.

Glaspie and Leaks were indicted on March 4 on murder, conspiracy to commit murder and weapons charges in Betances's death. They are scheduled to be arraigned on the charges on Monday before Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler.

Glaspie and Leaks remain in custody at the Essex County Correctional Facility in lieu of posting $1.1 million and $1.3 million bail amounts, respectively.

The fatal shooting allegedly occurred in the area of 786 South 18th Street in Newark, authorities said.

Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Naazneen Khan, who is handling the case, previously said surveillance videos allegedly captured Glaspie walking up to Betances and firing multiple shots at him.

The videos also show that after Betances staggered to the middle of the street and fell to the ground, Leaks stood over Betances and fired a single shot at him, according to Khan.

Three days after the killing, authorities were conducting surveillance in the area based on information from a confidential informant, and Glaspie and Leaks were seen within a group of people, Khan said.

At that time, Glaspie had a large-capacity weapon in his waistband, and Leaks had an automatic weapon hanging from a strap around his neck, Khan said. Another person was seen waving a weapon in the air and "everybody starting laughing around him," Khan said.

When authorities attempted to make arrests, Glaspie and Leaks ran off before being taken into custody, Khan said.

Glaspie and Leaks were charged as part of the investigation into the alleged drug trafficking ring. The investigation - called Operation TIDE for "Targeted Integrated Deployment Enforcement" - led to arrests on various charges including drug distribution and possession of illegal firearms.

The drug ring, which dealt mostly in heroin, was run by members of the 793 Bloods, a street gang operating throughout Essex County, authorities said.

Authorities said the investigation led to the seizure of $31,064 in cash, along with multiple quantities of heroin, cocaine, marijuana and other narcotics with a street value of $10,000.

Among the defendants charged in the case is Essex County Sheriff's Officer Robert Andrews, who is accused of disclosing information to the subject of an investigation and assisted in identifying law enforcement officers to alleged members of the narcotics distribution ring.

Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

A $450,000 custom carousel is being installed in Military Park.

NEWARK -- It's the history of the state's largest city, as told through 16 horses.

That's the concept behind a $450,000 custom-made carousel being installed in Newark's Military Park this week.

The grand attraction was paid for entirely via an anonymous donation to the Military Park Partnership, which completed a multi-million dollar redevelopment of the historic park in 2014 and now operates the community space. The MPP, donor, Newark Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission, and Carousels and Carvings - the custom carousel shop in Marion, Ohio that crafted the ride over about 11 months - collaborated with local residents during two design workshops on the unique design.

It features 16 ride-able horses that are based not only historical events, but meant to depict actual horses that played a role in the development of Newark over its 350-year history.

Military Park, which dates back to 1667 and served as an actual military practice ground, "has a tremendous history," said Ben Donsky of Biederman Redevelopment Ventures, who also serves as Vice President of the Military Park Partnership.

"We were looking for a way to tell that history that was more than just putting up signs. We wanted to make it come alive."

Grammy winners to headline Newark bash

The massive carousel will certainly seem larger than life when assembly wraps at the end of this week. At 20 feet tall from base to finial, the carousel has nine sections, a 26-foot diameter, and weighs between 12,000 and 14,000 pounds. The design includes eagles and other patriotic mini statues and mural panels depicting historical scenes. Each unique horse was hand-carved from original patterns and cast in fiberglass so they could withstand operating outdoors.

"There's a certain elegance about them," Carousels and Carvings owner Todd Goings said of why he thinks the children's amusement has stood the test the time.

"When they are tailored into the community like this, they have meaning."

Though the merry-go-round is not officially part of the ongoing yearlong celebration of the 350th anniversary of Newark's founding, it should be operational by the NC350 Founders Weekend Festival, happening at Military Park in May.

The carousel, which will be open to families soon for $2 a ride, is part of the ongoing revitalization of the park, and the entire area, Donsky said. Combined with the initial renovations made before the park reopened, the opening of BURG restaurant last year, and other additions the MPP is seeking to fund, the carousel should help expand its offerings for families, he said.

"We are trying to bring in more families and kids," he said. "It's part of the larger revitalization of downtown Newark."

The 16 horses in the carousel represent:

• Plow horse from Newark's historic farms
• George Washington's horse Blueskin
• One of General Phillip Kearny's horses
• Horse from the 5th United States Colored Cavalry (Civil War unit made up of freedmen, slaves, and ex-slaves)
• Newark stagecoach horse
• Newark streetcar horse
• Morris Canal tow horse
• Engine Company No 18, Newark Fire Horse
• Garbage and Recycling pick up horse
• Newark City Hospital ambulance horse
• Gen. Rosalie Jones and Elizabeth Freeman's horse Lausanne from the suffrage hike from Newark to Washington
• Newark police horse
• Mail delivery horse
• Milk delivery horse
• Weequahic Park race horse
• Goodwill Mission Cart horse

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