News – New Jersey Criminal Defense Attorney

29 May

Fresno Man Pleads Guilty to Multiple Child Exploitation Offenses

A California man pleaded guilty today to sexual exploitation of children and distribution and receipt of child pornography. According to court documents, Monico Erich Gastelo, 43, of Fresno, sexually exploited children using different methods. For example, in January 2019, Gastelo created a social media account where he claimed to be...

17 May

New Jersey attorney general sues Discord app for ‘alarming’ security lapses

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin sued the messaging app Discord Thursday under the state Consumer Fraud Act, saying the tech giant has failed to protect underage users from sexual predators, harassment, and violent content. Platkin, who also has sued TikTok and Meta, alleges Discord misleads parents and users about the efficacy of its “porous security...

15 May

Somerset Man Charged with Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography

TRENTON N.J. – A Somerset man was charged with receipt and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. Elliott Souder, 51, was charged by complaint and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rukhsanah L. Singh in Trenton federal court on May 6, 2025. According to documents filed in this...

11 May

Self-Described Pastor Indicted for Sex Trafficking and Forced Labor, and Charged with His Wife for Conspiracy to Commit Forced Labor

NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County man who claimed to be a pastor of a church in Orange, New Jersey was indicted on April 25, 2025, for sex trafficking, forced labor, and, along with his wife, conspiring to commit forced labor, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K....

10 May

N.J.’s ban on gun permits under age 21 dodges Second Amendment challenge

Gun charges against three New Jersey men have been reinstated by an appeals court ruling that sidestepped a challenge to the state’s ban on carry permits for those under 21. The case involved three young men who were between the ages of 18 and 20 when they were charged with...

24 Apr

Hudson County Man Sentenced to 26 Years in Prison for Role in Four Robberies and Two Shootings in Jersey City, New Jersey

NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County man was sentenced today for his role in four robberies and two shootings in Jersey City, New Jersey, which took place the same night, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced today. Rodney Williams, 33, of Jersey City, New Jersey pleaded guilty in December 2024 before...

18 Apr

Essex County Man Sentenced to 210 Months in Prison for Sex Trafficking Offenses

TRENTON, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced to 210 months in prison on charges of sex trafficking and prostitution-related offenses, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. Amin Sharif, 50, of Newark, was convicted by a jury in July 2024 of one count of attempted transportation of a...

10 Apr

2 teens charged in fatal shooting of New Brunswick 16-year-old

A 16-year-old and a 17-year-old boy were charged with juvenile delinquency related to the shooting. Two teens are accused of fatally shooting a 16-year-old boy last month near Lee Avenue and Rutgers Street, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office The victim died at the hospital after the incident. Read...