July 30, 2014 • www.theobserver.com • Vol CXXVII, No. 10
COVERING: BELLEVILLE • BLOOMFIELD
Serial robber guilty
Classmates in court
TRENTON – An accused serial robber has admitted to playing a role in 11 robberies, primarily of drug stores, in Harrison, Newark and Jersey City over a period of eight months, it was announced by U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman. On July 21, Christopher Mojica, 23, pleaded guilty to an information presented by the U.S. Attorney’s Office charging him with one count of Hobbs Act conspiracy, one count of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Mojica was arrested April 27, 2013, in connection with the robberies and was ordered to be held at Essex County Jail, Newark, on $150,000 bond. Mojica, represented by Woodbridge attorney Paulette Pitt, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano in Trenton Federal Court. The government’s case was presented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dara Aquila Govan of the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark. The government alleged that Mojica conspired with others to rob Pharmacy Plus, 234 Harrison Ave., Harrison, on Feb. 21, 2013. see MOJICA page
• EAST NEWARK • HARRISON • KEARNY • LYNDHURST • NORTH ARLINGTON • NUTLEY
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Bryan Caputo
By Karen Zautyk Observer Correspondent KEARNY–
T
he three young men, pictured above in their Kearny High School yearbook photos, had their whole lives ahead of them.
Laurence Brinkmeyer
Who knew where the future would take them? No one would have guessed that, a bit more than a decade later, it would take them into a Manhattan courtroom, where they would be charged in connection with an international cybertheft
Daniel Petryszyn
ring. Last week, Laurence Brinkmeyer, 29, Bryan Caputo, 29, and Daniel Petryszyn, 28 -- all members of KHS Class of 2003 – were indicted on charges of money laundering and criminal possession of stolen property.
Blue ranks get reinforcements By Ron Leir Observer Correspondent
will be Nolan James, 33; and Michael Giangeruso, 27. Those four, along with Nicholas Abruscato, 23, were sworn in as newly hired Lyndhurst cops in an outdoor ceremony in the park outside the Municipal Building July 22. The additions to the police roster brings the strength of
And, last Friday, they entered the Bergen County Law LYNDHURST – & Public Safety Institute in Talk about parallel life paths: Mahwah to begin 22 weeks of Joseph White and Matthew training to become accredited Giunta went to pre-school (St. municipal police officers in Michael’s) together, then to their hometown. Franklin Elementary School, Joining White, 25, and Githen Lyndhurst High. unta, 24, in the training class
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Caputo and Petryszyn were arrested and arraigned last Wednesday in Manhattan Supreme Court. Brinkmeyer was in court Friday after he voluntarily returned to the U.S. from Aruba, where, acsee STUBHUB page
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the department up to 48 – four short of the maximum permitted by township ordinance under its Table of Organization, according to Police Chief James O’Connor. Asked if any further appointments were planned, O’Connor said: “I’ve had a see HIRES page
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