Hudson Reporter Archive

Police Beat

Jersey City man allegedly stole $50K from Hoboken checking account

A Jersey City resident has been arrested after allegedly hacking Hoboken municipal government accounts and stealing over $50,000, according to a city press release.
Cameron Gaskins, 30, was charged with five counts of seven different charges, according to Police Captain Charles Campbell: alleged computer criminal activity via accessing data, computer criminal activity via removing data, theft of identity, theft by deception, forgery, unlawful transferring of certain movable property, and credit card theft.
On Tuesday, Aug. 11, an account manager in the Hoboken Finance Department noticed questionable withdrawals being made from a checking account in the name of the city of Hoboken. The city immediately notified the Hoboken Police Department Detective Bureau, and a full audit of the city’s accounts was conducted.
According to Police Chief Ken Ferrante, just over $56,000 was stolen in total from two municipal checking accounts. City spokesman Juan Melli said Investors Bank, which manages the accounts, immediately credited the losses back to the city.
An eight-day investigation led by Hoboken Police Detective Andrew Perez revealed that Gaskins had allegedly gained access to the accounts by circumventing security protocols, according to the press release.
A warrant for Gaskins’ arrest was issued on Aug. 21, according to Ferrante. In cooperation with the Jersey City Police Department, Hoboken officers searched for Gaskins at his residence and ultimately located him on Steadman Parkway near his mother’s house on the evening of the same day, said Ferrante.
According to the press release, Gaskins was arrested without incident. He is currently being held at the Hudson County Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000 bail.
“Thanks to the prompt action of the bank, the proactive response by our finance and police departments, and the collaboration with the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office and Jersey City Police Department, we were able to quickly track down and apprehend the [alleged] perpetrator,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer.
“Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in the United States – any person, business, or government can be victimized on any given day,” said Ferrante. “These crimes are very difficult to solve, yet Detective Andrew Perez showed commitment to our city and our department in executing an outstanding investigation that put a three-time convicted felon behind bars… I am proud of his work as a new detective.”
“I credit the quick actions of the account manager for alerting the authorities and the relentless work of Detective Perez for bringing this to a quick resolution,” added Campbell.
According to the press release, no other irregular banking activity has been reported since the incident and security measures have been upgraded to address the breach.

String of alleged shrimp shoplifting scenarios at ShopRite

A homeless Hoboken resident was spotted allegedly trawling for a very specific catch at the Hoboken ShopRite two weeks ago – bags of frozen shrimp. Harold Rivera, 44, was arrested and charged with shoplifting, according to a report from the Hoboken Police Department.
The incident took place at around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19. According to the police report, Rivera was spotted allegedly placing two bags of shrimp valued at $51.96 into a backpack. After being arrested and processed by Patrolman Mark Aurigemma, Rivera was given $2,500 bail and remanded to the Hudson County Correctional Facility, according to the report.
Rivera’s alleged theft continued a miniature crime wave of shrimp-related shoplifting (but not by him) at the Hoboken ShopRite this year. In three separate incidents since January, Mark Serrano, another homeless Hoboken resident, was arrested for allegedly stealing or attempting to steal shrimp from the supermarket, according to police reports.
The police report did not indicate whether Rivera and Serrano were in league or serving their own shellfish ends.

Former Brooklyn Net allegedly used phony money order to steal $1,000

Former NBA basketball player Tyshawn Taylor allegedly used a fraudulent money order to obtain $1,000 from a Hoboken grocery store, according to a report from the Hoboken Police Department. Taylor, a Hoboken native who rose to play for the University of Kansas and the Brooklyn Nets, turned himself in to Hoboken police on Aug. 6 and was processed on charges of theft by deception, forgery, and a bad money order, according to the report.
According to police, Taylor, 25, allegedly passed the fraudulent U.S. Postal Service money order at the Big Banner Food Store, 401 Jackson St., on May 18, 2015. The order had allegedly been issued by a person from San Antonio, Texas in Taylor’s name, the report stated.
According to police, the store’s owner learned that the money order was fake and allegedly made multiple unsuccessful attempts to recover the $1,000 from Taylor. When they allegedly failed, the owner filed a complaint with Hoboken Police Detective Edward Lepre, according to the report.
In an interview with the New York Daily News, store manager Luisiana Jimenez said she and her family gave Taylor every chance to pay them back because they have known him since childhood.
After his arrest, Taylor was released on bail of $3,000 with a 10 percent option and a pending court date.
Taylor was born in Hoboken and first received acclaim as a standout member of the St. Anthony’s High School team that went undefeated and won the national championship in 2008. He went on to be an All-American at the University of Kansas and played two seasons with the Nets. Taylor currently plays for the Indios de Mayagüez in the Puerto Rican professional basketball league.

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