Category: US Attorney For NJ

Alaa Saadeh of West New York, NJ, Arrested Today; One of Four Alleged ISIL Conspirators

6/29/2015

by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com
Published 7pm

NEWARK, NJ - Monday morning, Alaa Saadeh, 23, was arrested at his West New York home in Hudson County for allegedly conspiring to provide material support to ISIL - the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant," a designated foreign terrorist organization, US Attorney Paul J. Fishman
announced.

The FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) have been investigating a group of at least five individuals from New York and New Jersey who are allegedly involved with actively promoting ISIL. Saadeh, a United States citizen, is the fourth individual that the Department of Justice has noted is part of this current ISIL investigation.

Charges
Saadeh was charged with the following:

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
Attempting to persuade a witness to lie to the FBI

ISIL

October 15, 2004 Terrorist Designation
al-Qa'ida in Iraq (then known as Jam'atal Tawhid wa'alJihad)
was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization

May 15, 2014 Terrorist Designation
The designation was amended to add the alias:
- Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - "ISIL"
- Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham - "ISIS"
- Islamic State of Iraq and Syria - "ISIS"
- ad-Dawla al-Islamiyya fi al-'Iraq wa-sh-Sharn
- Daesh
- Dawla al Islarniya
- Al-Furqan
ISIL Violence:
- mass executions
- kidnappings of targeted civilians
- killed and maimed children
- committed rape and other forms of sexual violence
ISIL Territory:
- Iraq and Syria
"Islamic State"
In 2014, ISIL began referring to itself as the "Islamic State" and declared that it had established an Islamic caliphate in Iraq and Syria
- a Caliphate is a form of Islamic government which is led by a person considered to be a successor of the Prophet Muhammad
Recruitment
- ISIL urged Muslims to travel to Iraq and Syrai in an effort to secure the territory ISIL claims to control for the Caliphate
- ISIL has recruited thousands of foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria from across the globe
- ISIL uses social media and videos to spread its ideology and to incite others to commit terrorist acts in other countries
- ISIL recruiting videos show its fighters with assault rifles and other weapons and graphically depict them executing individuals they have captured

Information Gathered from Case Documents
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.

"Conspirator 1"

The first male individual - "Conspirator 1"
- age 20
- lived in Rutherford
- Dual citizenship: United States and Jordan
- brother of Saadeh
"Conspirator 1" is suspected of traveling to the Middle East (with an ultimate destination of Syria and Iraq) out of John F. Kennedy International Airport and that Saadeh purchased his ticket

On route to the airport, "Conspirator 1" was reportedly joined by "Conspirator 2" and Saadeh; they reportedly discussed reuniting as a group - along with Samuel Rahamin Topaz - in a few weeks time overseas to join ISIL
The group reportedly referred to this plan as "Hijra"

"Conspirator 1" left the United States on May 5; it is alleged that he then joined ISIL
The family of "Conspirator 1" reportedly informed "Conspirator 2," Saadeh and Topaz that he had been arrested in Jordan and was suspected of supporting ISIL

"Conspirator 2"

The second individual - "Conspirator 2"
- age 20
- resides in Queens
- United States citizen
After arrest of "Conspirator 1," Saadeh, Topaz, and "Conspirator 2" reportedly continue to discuss "Hijra" - their plans to reunite overseas

Samuel Rahamin Topaz

The third individual - Samuel Rahamin Topaz
- age 21
- resides in Fort Lee

- United States citizen
Text messages recovered from Topaz's phone allegedly reflect the group's plan to reunite overseas:
Text Message: May 21
- Saadeh and Topaz discussed the need to “lay low” and decide to refrain from taking any further action in an effort to avoid detection by law enforcement
-The two also allegedly discussed needing to meet in person to discuss Hijra

Alaa Saadeh

Reportedly, on May 22, Saadeh told a fifth individual that he suspected that either "Conspirator 2" or Topaz had "snitched" on "Conspirator 1" and caused his arrest in Jordan; Saadeh continued that - if that ends up being true - he would have to “kill someone”
In recorded conversations with an informant, Saadeh allegedly stated:
- he supported ISIL's use of beheadings and mass killings to impose its violent agenda
- he planned to travel overseas with "Conspirator 2" “at some point”
- he provided "Conspirator 1" with transportation and removed a SIM card from his phone to attempt to hide incriminating data
Apparently this month, Saadeh became aware that he was under FBI surveillance and allegedly directed another New Jersey individual to not divulge to the FBI what was known about "Conspirator 1"
- he instructed the individual to “play dumb” and to be “honest up to a point” but to be sure not to tell the FBI anything about ISIL

Subsequent Arrests
Following the reported arrest of "Conspirator 1" sometime in May in Jordan, the following individuals were also arrested as part of this current investigation:

"Conspirator 2" was arrested in New York, June 13, and charged with
conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization
Samuel Rahamin Topaz was arrested June 17 in New Jersey and charged with conspiring to provide services and personnel to ISIL
Alaa Saadeh was arrested Monday, June 29, and charged with:
- 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
- Attempting to persuade a witness to lie to the FBI

Penalties
Each count in the complaint carries:

a maximum of potential penalty of 20 years in prison
a fine of $250,000

Investigative Team
Fishman credited the following in leading to today’s arrest:

The FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel of the FBI’s Newark Division

Trial Representation
The US Government will be represented by:

Assistant U.S. Attorneys L. Judson Welle, Dennis C. Carletta, and Francisco J. Navarro of the U.S. Attorney’s Office National Security Unit in Newark, with the assistance of Trial Attorney Robert J. Sander of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section

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Nicholas DeGidio, DeCavalcante Family Associate, Pleads Guilty to Selling Half-Kilo of Cocaine to Undercover Fed

6/2/2015

by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com
Published 10:27pm

NEWARK, NJ - Today in Newark Federal Court, Nicholas DeGidio, of Union, admitted his role in distributing more than one-half a kilo of cocaine, US Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. DeGidio, 37, was named by the US Attorney as a known associate of the DeCavalcante organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra. He pleaded guilty before US District Judge William H. Walls.

Information Gathered from Case Documents and Court Statements

Between December 2014 and March 2015, working along with other family associates, DeGidio sold more than 500 grams of cocaine to an undercover FBI agent for at least $78,000

In March, DeGidio was arrested and charged along with nine other alleged members of the DeCavalcante crime family

Penalties
For pleading guilty, DeGidio could receive:

a maximum of 40 years in prison
a $5 million fine

Sentencing
Sentencing is currently scheduled for Sept. 29, 2015

Investigative Team
Fishman credited the following in leading to today’s plea:

Special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel in Newark
NJ State Commission of Investigation, under the direction of Executive Director Philip James Degnan
Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, under the direction of Executive Director Walter M. Arsenault
Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park

Trial Representation
The US Government is represented by:

Senior Litigation Counsel V. Grady O’Malley Sr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Donnelly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Organized Crime/Gangs Unit

The Defense counsel is made up of:

Ted Romankow Esq., Springfield, New Jersey

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Connecticut Doctors Richard Goldberg, 65, and Dr. Gary Leeds, 61, Sentenced in Newark for Accepting Bribes for Referrals to Parsippany's Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services

6/2/2015

by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com
Published 9:00pm

NEWARK, NJ - Today, Dr. Richard Goldberg, 65, and Dr. Gary Leeds, 61, both of Connecticut with practices in New York, were sentenced to 20-months today in Newark federal court, US Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

The two doctors had previously pleaded guilty before US District Judge Stanley R. Chesler to one count of accepting bribes in exchange for test referrals. Chesler imposed both sentences today in Newark.

The long-running and elaborate scheme was operated by Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services (BLS), of Parsippany. As of now, 38 people (26 of them doctors, including Leeds and Goldberg) have pleaded guilty in connection with the bribery scheme. Organizers have admitted that millions of dollars in bribes, which resulted in more than $100 million in payments to BLS from Medicare and private insurance companies, were involved in the far-reaching fraud plot. The investigation has so far recovered more than $11 million to date through forfeiture.

Information Gathered from Case Documents and Court Statements

Goldberg and Leeds admitted to accepting thousands of dollars per month in cash between September 2010 and April 2013 in return for referring patient blood specimens to BLS.
The pair acknowledged they each accepted more than $100,000 in cash from BLS in exchange for referring at least a combined $1.8 million in lab business from their joint practice, Family Medical Group of Manhattan.

Professional Medical Practice
Besides sharing a Family Medical Group of Manhattan, both men are affiliated with the Beth Israel Medical Center

Leeds earned his MD at Brown University and completed his residency at Georgetown University
Goldberg earned his MD at the University of Michigan and completed his residency at Duke University. He is an active member of the American Academy of Family Physicians as well as the New York Academy of Family Physicians. His writing has been published in Medical Tribune, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Glamour Magazine and the Journal of Parasitology.

Penalties

20-months in jail
Goldberg will also serve three years of supervised release
Goldberg will also pay a $5,000 fine
Leeds will also serve one year of supervised release
Leeds will also pay a $15,000 fine
Goldberg and Leeds must each forfeit $108,000

Investigative Team

Special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert;
IRS–Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen
US Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates

Trial Representation
The US Government is represented by:

Senior Litigation Counsel Andrew Leven
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph N. Minish
Jacob T. Elberg, Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Health Care and Government Fraud Unit in Newark
Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Ward, Chief of the office’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Unit

The Defense counsel is made up of:

Goldberg:
Aidan P. O’Connor Esq., Hackensack, New Jersey
Leeds:
E. Scott Morvillo Esq., New York

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Police

Alaa Saadeh of West New York, NJ, Arrested Today; One of Four Alleged ISIL Conspirators

Nicholas DeGidio, DeCavalcante Family Associate, Pleads Guilty to Selling Half-Kilo of Cocaine to Undercover Fed

Connecticut Doctors Richard Goldberg, 65, and Dr. Gary Leeds, 61, Sentenced in Newark for Accepting Bribes for Referrals to Parsippany's Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services

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