Stories related to: New Jersey

It might be time to get that hands-free cell: Tickets for phone use while driving are skyrocketing, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. States are increasingly making yakking behind the wheel a primary offense, meaning police can pull motorists over just for that. California and Washington next week join New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and DC in enacting the strictest mobile phone laws. More »

An admitted New Jersey pedophile snared by a global Interpol appeal was an entertainer at children's parties and was dubbed one of the area's "best Santas," AP reports. Prosecutors say 58-year-old Wayne Anthony Corliss, who was arrested at his apartment, has admitted having sex with young boys in Thailand. Police have found boys' underwear and child pornography in his home, according to authorities. More »

It took the public two days to lead authorities to the Internet pedophile Interpol had been hunting since 2006, ABC News reports, with US authorities arresting Wayne Nelson Corliss, 59, early this morning in New Jersey. Police had been scouring the globe for a man seen abusing young boys in at least 800 photos circulating online. More »

When violin virtuoso Philippe Quint left a 1723 Antonio Stradivari “Ex-Kiesewetter” in a New Jersey taxi two weeks ago, he was distraught: The $4 million instrument was not only irreplaceable, it was on loan. But the cab driver returned the violin next morning, and today, in gratitude, the Grammy-nominated musician will perform a private concert—at the Newark airport cab stand. More »

Prosecutors have hit college gossip site JuicyCampus.com with subpoenas for records, the AP reports. New Jersey’s Attorney General Anne Milgram is investigating whether the site violates the Consumer Fraud Act by stating that it doesn’t tolerate offensive material but doing nothing to enforce that claim. "There's an unbelievable amount of offensive material posted and absolutely no enforcement," said Milgram. More »

A New Jersey dentist who ran a business plundering body parts from corpses in funeral homes pleaded guilty in Brooklyn today, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. Michael Mastromarino, 44, admitted to removing bones and tissue from two dozen corpses, which were sold to tissue processors for use in transplants and other surgery. He now owes $4.68 million and faces up to 54 years in prison. More »

Jim McGreevey has backed up his aide's claim that the two were involved in three-way sex with his estranged wife, contradicting her earlier denial. "This happened, this happened in the past, and now we need to move on with our lives," the former New Jersey governor told the AP. The McGreeveys' bitter divorce case is before the courts, and the aide is expected to be called as a witness. More »

Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey's wife Dina was all over the media last week blasting Eliot Spitzer for hypocrisy and empathizing with this aggrieved wife. That was too much for Teddy Pedersen, a former McGreevey driver and aide who says  “she’s out there being as dishonest as anyone could be.” Pederson says Dina had to know her hubby was gay all along because Pedersen had three-way sex with the couple on numerous occasions. More »

The brother of gubernatorial call girl Ashley “Kristen” Dupre has legal problems too: He pled guilty in New Jersey this week to possessing heroin with intent to distribute. Already on probation for other drug charges, Kyle Youmans will likely get more probation when he is sentenced next month, the Asbury Park Press reports. More »

US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito isn't going to fuhgeddabout all the negative stereotypes concerning Italian-Americans spread by shows like The Sopranos. "You have a trifecta—gangsters, Italian-Americans, New Jersey—wedded in the popular American imagination" and overshadowing the true stories, the New Jersey native complained yesterday to an audience at Rutgers University. More »

John McCain will easily take all of New Jersey's 52 Republican delegates in tonight's primary voting, AP reports, winning strong support from the state's moderates. Hillary Clinton is projected by NBC to win a far tougher battle for the larger Democratic electorate. More »

As subprime fallout ripples across the country, several states are planning to increase road, bridge, and tunnel tolls, and not by mere pennies, USA Today reports. The George Washington Bridge, for example—which lets New Jerseyites into the Big Apple—will raise its rush hour price from $5 to $8 for cars, and $35 for trucks. One official defended the move, saying, "People view highways as free, but they're not." More »

Acting New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey yesterday approved legislation limiting access to computers and the internet for convicted sex offenders—even if they didn't use them for their crimes, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. Sex offenders on parole must now alert the state parole board regarding their access to computers, as well as submit to unannounced inspections and continuous monitoring of web use. More »

Doctors in New Jersey will soon test all expecting mothers for HIV under a new law signed today. The test will become a routine part of prenatal care unless a woman specifically asks not to have one, the AP reports. Previously, doctors were required only to offer the test. Doctors also must test infants when the mother’s status is positive or unknown. More »

If you want to play in New Jersey politics, there’s one man you have to talk to: Jon Bon Jovi. He's a good friend of the Clintons and has held court with John Edwards and Al Gore. Barack Obama’s still hoping. State politicians rush to consult the rocker, the New York Times reports, creating an unlikely elder statesman. More »

As the rest of the country backed away from applying the death penalty in 2007, Texas kept up its customary pace, making the state responsible for an astounding 60% of all executions in the US. Of last year's 42 executions, 26 were in Texas, the New York Times reports. In other states, rising doubts about the humaneness of lethal injections and the fairness of sentencing have undermined support, even as a series of Supreme Court rulings eventually led to a moratorium this fall. More »

A New Jersey jury took less than two hours to put a retired judge's lawsuit against "Sopranos" creator David Chase in concrete boots, E! Online reports. The ex-judge, who claimed he was owed money for helping Chase come up with ideas for the hit series, had been pursuing Chase in the courts since 2002. More »

"Sopranos" creator David Chase took the stand in a New Jersey courtroom yesterday and testified that hearing he was being sued over his hit TV series made him want to cry, E! News reports. A retired judge who took Chase on a tour of wiseguy hangouts, many of which wound up in the show, is suing Chase for a cut of the profits. More »

New Jersey officials have nabbed a cadre of suspected mob bosses to bust up a sophisticated $2.2 billion gambling ring, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. Others among more than two dozen arrested included a prison officer and a Bloods gangster, said to be part of an "alarming alliance" between the Mafia and Bloods that smuggled drugs and phones to inmates in a Jersey prison. More »

New Jersey officially abolished the death penalty today, becoming the first state to ban capital punishment in the 4 decades since the US Supreme Court allowed the practice to resume. "Today, New Jersey is truly evolving," Gov. Jon Corzine said as he signed the measure, which sped through the legislature amid contentious debate in the glare of national media attention, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. More »