News - The Law Offices of Joel Silberman LLC | New Jersey Criminal Defense Attorney

18 Jul

N.J. teacher directed child to perform sex acts on video, prosecutor says

An elementary school teacher arrested last month in Gloucester County on charges of possessing and distributing child sex abuse materials has now been charged with directing a child in another country to perform sex acts via video. James M. Adams, 50, was charged after detectives executed a search warrant at...

17 Jul

California Man Indicted for Scheme to Defraud New Jersey Company of Millions of Dollars

NEWARK, N.J. – A California man has been indicted for fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars from a victim company based in New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. Joseph Rodriguez, 70, of Irvine, California, is charged by indictment with three counts of wire fraud. Rodriguez was arrested yesterday and appeared...

1 Jul

Somerset Man Indicted for Fentanyl and Heroin Distribution Leading to the Death of a Victim

NEWARK, N.J. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging a Somerset County man with drug offenses including distribution of fentanyl and heroin that resulted in the death of a victim, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. Thomas Kane Miller, 40, of Somerset, New Jersey was charged by criminal indictment...

27 Jun

Former Somerset County Man Charged with Making Violent Threats, including Threats to Kill a Federal Judge

TRENTON, N.J. – Abhinaba Barthakur, a dual citizen of the United States and India, was charged in a six-count Indictment today for making violent threats to a United States District Court Judge in the District of New Jersey, two New Jersey Superior Court Judges, an elected official, and a Somerset...

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....