Jersey City contractor pleads guilty to conspiring to rig contracts in Union City
Stanley Parzych, 62, of Jersey City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on June 30 to one count of conspiring with agents of a local government agency to obtain by fraud funds provided by Union City, causing losses of at least $40,000, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said.
Parzych entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls in Newark federal court.
Between June 2007 and November 2010, Parzych owned American Construction, a company located in Jersey City. Fishman said Parzych allegedly conspired with a Union City contractor and an unnamed inspector connected with the Union City Community Development Agency (UCCDA) to rig the competitive process to perform sidewalk replacement projects and residential rehabilitation projects in favor of certain contractors by submitting false and materially misleading proposals.
The conspiracy charge to which Parzych pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Parzych is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 7, 2015.
West New York man charged with involvement in ISIL
A West New York man was arrested Monday on charges of conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and aiding and abetting an attempt to do so, announced Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman of the District of New Jersey and Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel of the FBI’s Newark, New Jersey, Division.
Alaa Saadeh, 23, was arrested at his home. He was charged in a complaint with allegedly conspiring with other individuals in New Jersey and New York to provide services and personnel to ISIL, aiding and abetting an attempt to provide services and personnel to ISIL and attempting to persuade a witness to lie to the FBI.
The following is quoted from documents filed in this case. All charges are just allegations until the person is proven guilty or admits guilt:
“The FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) have been investigating a group of individuals from New York and New Jersey who have allegedly conspired to provide material support to ISIL. Co-Conspirator 1 (CC-1) is Saadeh’s brother and was a resident of Rutherford, New Jersey, until departing the United States on May 5, 2015, allegedly to join ISIL. Co-Conspirator 2 (CC-2) was a resident of Queens, New York, until he was arrested on June 13, 2015, in New York on terrorism charges. Samuel Rahamin Topaz was a resident of Fort Lee, New Jersey, until he was arrested on June 17, 2015, in New Jersey and charged with conspiring to provide services and personnel to ISIL…On May 21, 2015, Saadeh and Topaz discussed that they needed to ‘lay low’ and refrain from taking action in furtherance of the conspiracy to provide material support to ISIL that might be detected by law enforcement. Saadeh and Topaz also discussed needing to meet in person to discuss ‘hijra.’ Topaz later told members of the JTTF that he and his conspirators [allegedly] used the term ‘hijra’ (often spelled ‘hijrah’) to refer to traveling overseas to join ISIL. The next day, Saadeh [allegedly] told another individual that he suspected that CC-2 or Topaz had ‘snitched’ on CC-1 and caused his arrest overseas, and that, if true, Saadeh thought he would have to ‘kill someone.’”
Each count in the complaint carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Ayo Awosika headlines free concert on the Hudson on July 8
Summer Concerts on the Hudson will present a one-night-only soul and R&B concert with up and coming songstress Ayo Awosika and her ten piece band on Wednesday, July 8 at 7 p.m.
A favorite of the downtown music scene, Ayo is developing a reputation as one of today’s best soul and R&B singers. Her musical training includes classical and jazz, which gives her a deep foundation to explore diverse musical worlds.
Born to a Nigerian father and American mother, she grew up in a household filled with music, from the likes of Fela Kuti and Michael Jackson to Billie Holiday and Madonna. These varied influences continue to be important in Ayo’s musical evolution, as she weaves all of the sounds that she loves into her own artistry.
At Lincoln Harbor Park, located directly on the Hudson River in Weehawken, free parking is available and public transportation, including NJ Transit bus and light rail, will bring concertgoers to Lincoln Harbor.
The Hudson Riverfront Performing Arts Center, Inc. (HRPAC), a New Jersey Not-For-Profit, presents this summer long series of open air concerts free of charge to the general public. Limited seating is available; however, audience members are requested to bring a lawn chair or blanket, if possible, and encouraged to picnic on the lawn. A rain date, if needed, will be scheduled for the following night. For more information including the full summer concert schedule, directions, updates, and rain date info, please check the HRPAC website,www.hrpac.org, or call the concert info line at (201) 716-4540.
The series is sponsored in part by the Hudson Reporter newspapers.
Local schools get federal grant for food service equipment
Jersey City, West New York, and Union City received federal grants this month to upgrade their food service equipment.
Jersey City’s Dickinson High School received $12,569, West New York’s Harry L. Bain School, $22,773, and Union City’s Union Hill Middle School, $14,217.
The grant funding provides needed assistance for schools to upgrade their food service equipment that in some cases has never been upgraded or replaced. Equipment to be purchased with the grants include refrigerators, freezers, hot and cold holding cabinets, convection ovens, ranges, tilting skillets and walk-in refrigerators and/or freezers.
StorageBlue secures $31 million in refinancing
StorageBlue LLC, the New Jersey-based self-storage company, has announced the completion of a $31 million re-financing of a four-building portfolio comprised of locations on the New Jersey Gold Coast. Due to their close proximity to Manhattan, the properties are among the highest quality self-storage assets in the New York area. This complicated, four loan transaction was financed by Natixis Real Estate Capitol LLC.
“Natixis made this process as seamless and as easy as possible, as we now have our eye on expansion,” says Alan Mruvka, president, CEO and co-founder of StorageBlue with his father, Murray Mruvka.
Mruvka is actively working to improve the self-storage process and customer experience with StorageBlue, seeking to expand its portfolio nationwide through the acquisition of existing self-storage buildings and development of new self-storage facilities. He added features like mobile usability, online payment management, and high-tech security to make StorageBlue stand out from its competitors.
“One of the things we are most proud of at StorageBlue is that we continue to re-invest our capital into improving both the physical properties, as well as incorporating technological advances into a typically outdated industry,” states Mruvka. “StorageBlue’s 365 days-a-year access, long service hours, and regular upgrades to our facilities are some of the key reasons we have enjoyed so much success at our properties.”