OSHA has cited Grove U.S. LLC in Shady Grove, Pennsylvania for exposing workers to safety hazards after Issac Notz, 38, of Manitowoc, Christopher T. Robison, and one other were killed on Feb. 2, 2018 when a 300-ton crane collapsed at the Shady Grove facility.

Issac Dean Notz, 38, of Manitowoc, and two others were killed on Feb. 2, 2018 when a 300-ton crane collapsed at the Shady Grove facility.

 Crane company cited by OSHA after Manitowoc man's death


by FOX 11 News

Tuesday, August 7th 2018


OSHA logo (MGN)

SHADY GROVE, PA (WLUK) -- A crane manufacturer is being cited for an incident earlier this year that killed three employees, including a Manitowoc man.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Grove U.S. LLC in Shady Grove, Pennsylvania for exposing workers to safety hazards.

Click here to read the citations

Issac Notz, 38, of Manitowoc, and two others were killed on Feb. 2, 2018 when a 300-ton crane collapsed at the Shady Grove facility.

OSHA's investigation determined the company placed work facilities too close to the crane testing area.


The company faces proposed penalties totaling $14,976, the maximum amount allowed.

Grove U.S. has 15 business days to comply or contest the citations.

In 2016, The Manitowoc Company, formerly based in Manitowoc, announced it would its move crane manufacturing facility to Shady Grove.  Earlier this year, the company moved its corporate headquarters to Milwaukee.

=======================

 
38-year-old Isaac Notz was pronounced dead at 6:35 p.m. Saturday at York Hospital.


Manitowoc man is 3rd to die after accident at crane manufacturer


by The Associated Press

Tuesday, February 13th 2018


SHADY GROVE, Pa. (AP) -- 

Authorities say a third man has died from injuries following an accident at a Pennsylvania crane manufacturer earlier this month.

The Franklin County coroner said 38-year-old Isaac Notz was pronounced dead at 6:35 p.m. Saturday at York Hospital.

Coroner Jeff Conner said the Wisconsin resident died of blunt force trauma stemming from the Feb. 2 accident at Manitowoc Cranes in Shady Grove, about 65 miles southwest of Harrisburg.

Pronounced dead at the scene of the accident were 49-year-old Chris Robison of Marion and 66-year-old John Marcoux of Chambersburg. Two other men were treated and released.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating. The company is based in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where Notz was from.

====================


SHADY GROVE, Pa. (AP) —

Two men have been killed and a third was critically injured in an accident at a Pennsylvania crane manufacturer.

State police say the accident happened Friday morning at Manitowoc Cranes in Shady Grove, about 65 miles southwest of Harrisburg.

Trooper Brent Miller says two men were killed, and a third was flown to the hospital is critical condition. That man is undergoing surgery. Two other men suffered minor injuries to their arm and hand.

Miller says he has no details about the accident. Manitowoc officials did not immediately respond to calls and emails.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.

The company is based in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

=========================

Isaac Dean Notz, age 38, of Manitowoc, passed away Saturday evening, February 10, 2018. He was born at home on January 15, 1980 to Dean and Bonnie Notz in Stone Lake, WI.

He married Natasha Lund on October 4, 2002 at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witnesses in Manitowoc. Isaac was a great welder/fabricator and worked for Notz Welding and Fabrication until he joined Manitowoc Company in 1998. He went on to become a Project Manager. He loved being with family and friends. He enjoyed golfing, hunting, outdoor activities, traveling and playing football with his boys. He also was a member of various golf leagues.

Isaac was a bright light in this world and was deeply loved by everyone who knew him. His smile lit up the room wherever he was. He had a good heart and was willing to help anyone at any time.

Isaac left us not of his own desire but by a tragic unforeseen accident while at work in Shady Grove, PA. Proved true are the words of Eccl. 9:11 “Time and unexpected events overtake them all.” Isaac would say to all of us…live each day as if it were your last. Love God, love family, and your neighbor. Smile no matter how hard life can be.

Survivors include his wife, Natasha Notz, 2 sons Nicholas and Hunter, his parents, Dean and Bonnie Notz, 4 siblings who were his best friends, Dena Petri/Notz, Jesse (Joanette), Jonathan (Jeannine), Micah (fiance’ Allison Boeckman) all of Manitowoc, father-in-law and mother-in-law, Gordon “Jeff” and Judy Lund, sister-in-law Breanna (Donald) Pieschel, Manitowoc, brother-in-law Nicholas (Michelle) Lund, Denver CO and many Uncles/aunts, nephews/nieces and cousins, along with other relatives and friends.

======================

Reports are coming in of a fatal crane incident that occurred this morning at the Manitowoc / Grove crane plant in Shady Grove Pennsylvania.

We understand that two men have died, while three others were injured, one of them seriously, he was airlifted to hospital where his condition is said to be critical, the other two were taken to the local hospital and later released.

Police have now released the name of the two many who died, they are: Christopher Robison, 49, a 30 year Grove /Manitowoc veteran, who was most recently employed in the research and development department, and John Marcoux, 66, who has worked for the company for the past 10 years. Both men grew up in the local area.
UPDATE The seriously injured third man has now died as a result of injuries, he has been named as Isaac Dean Notz, 38, of Wisconsin.

We have few details so far of what actually occurred, but have been told that the incident involved a lattice crawler crane being rigged on the test pad - However we cannot confirm this information. Wind speeds in the area were gusting in the region of 16 metres a second.

If we learn more later today we will update this item at that time. The company says that at its paramount concern at this time is the families of those who were involved in the incident. 


=========================

Christopher T. Robison
June 5, 1968 - February 2, 2018
Chambersburg
Christopher T. Robison, 49, passed away on Friday, February 2, as a result of a crane accident at the Manitowoc Plant in Shady Grove. Born on June 5, 1968 in Hagertown, MD, he was the son of Ronald Robison of Marion, and Bonnie Diehl Robison of Chambersburg.
A 1986 graduate of Chambersburg Area Senior High School, Chris had been employed at Manitowoc for almost 30 years, most recently in the Research and Development Division. He was an avid car enthusiast, and enjoyed working on cars and trucks of all kinds, especially classics.
Aside from his parents, he is survived by his loving wife, Tracy Arnold Robison, whom he married on April 8, 1989; and their daughter, Bethany N. Robison, whom he was so proud of for going to college. He was eagerly looking forward to seeing her graduate with her biology degree in the spring from York College. He cherished the times spent with his family, and he will be loved and missed by many, including his cat, "Mozzy," who only likes men.

Jeffrey Langford, 58, co-owner of Thermal City Gold and Gem Mine died after he became trapped between the boom and a wheel of a self-propelled boom lift in Salisbury, North Carolina.

Jeffrey Langford, 58, died on Sunday after he became trapped between the boom and a wheel of a self-propelled boom lift in Salisbury, North Carolina.

According to local reports Jeffrey Langford, 58, was inspecting an articulated boom lift that was up for sale, when the upper boom came down - either intentionally or accidentally - trapping him against the front tire. 

The local fire department was quickly on the scene and managed to extract him, but he died a short while later from crush injuries sustained during the incident. 

=====================




SALISBURY, N.C. -



A man died when the extension arm of a boom truck struck him Sunday afternoon in Salisbury.

Officials said 58-year-old Jeffrey Langford, of Union Mills, was looking at a piece of equipment for sale on South Main Street when he was hit.

Langford died at the scene and no foul play is suspected, officials said.

===================

Police: Union Mills man killed in hydraulic lift accident


By Shavonne Walker

Tuesday, August 7, 2018



SALISBURY, NC — A Union Mills man was killed over the weekend while trying to repair a hydraulic lift, the Salisbury Police Department said.

Jeffrey Charles Langford, 57, who co-owned Thermal City Gold and Gem Mine, had just purchased the hydraulic boom lift on Craigslist and was making repairs to it Sunday in the 3400 block of South Main Street.

He lost his balance and the lift arm fell on him, according to police.

========================






Man killed in Salisbury after being trapped in piece of construction equipment 

Tuesday, August 7th 2018
By David Whisenant, Reporter











(David Whisenant-WBTV) SALISBURY, NC (WBTV) -

A man killed after being trapped in a piece of building equipment in Salisbury Sunday afternoon has been identified as 57-year-old Jeffrey Charles Langford.

The accident was reported just after 1:30 pm in the 3300 block of S. Main Street.

Firefighters with the Salisbury Fire Department were called to free a Langford, who had become trapped between the arm of a high lift and one of the tires. Langford was freed from the equipment but died a short time later.

No additional information about the incident has been released.

Federal Court Orders Kansas City Area Business Owner Brenda Wood to Pay $4.3 Million in Restitution, Serve Prison Term of 50 Months for Fraud and Theft of Employee Benefit Plan of Professional Cleaning and Innovative Building Services Inc. (PCI)

Federal Court Orders Kansas City Area Business Owner Brenda Wood to Pay $4.3 Million in Restitution, Serve Prison Term of 50 Months for Fraud and Theft of Employee Benefit Plan of Professional Cleaning and Innovative Building Services Inc. (PCI)

KANSAS CITY, KS – The U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas has sentenced Leavenworth, Kansas, business owner Brenda Wood to serve 50 months of imprisonment followed by an additional five years of supervised release, and to make more than $4.3 million in restitution for bank fraud and violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Wood previously pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud and one count of theft from an employee benefit plan.

The action comes after an investigation in which the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), working with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), found Wood committed the theft and bank fraud while owner and fiduciary for several companies.

Wood owned Professional Cleaning and Innovative Building Services Inc. (PCI), a commercial cleaning services company in Kansas City, Missouri, as well as four Bonner Springs, Kansas, businesses: Commercial Development and Management LLC (CDM), Action Real Estate Services LLC, G&W Investments LLC, and Riverview Crossings LLC. In November 2010, Wood established the PCI Building Services Inc. 401(k) plan for the retirement benefit of employees of PCI and CDM.

From approximately May 2011 through August 2012, Wood - majority owner of PCI and CDM - unlawfully embezzled and converted approximately $31,403 in deferred contributions from employee salaries to the 401(k) plan. The court-ordered restitution includes $69,000 in employee and matching employer contributions, as well as lost earnings due to the 401(k) plan, and approximately $4.3 million for fraudulent loans and identity theft.

Wood assured employees who confronted her about missing 401(k) contributions that Nationwide Life Insurance Company held their funds in escrow when, in fact, she had already used their contributions for her own benefit without their permission. Wood also falsely accused her company's accountant of embezzlement, and falsely claimed her former in-house counsel and human resources manager were responsible for the 401(k) plan. In addition, she made false statements to Farmers Bank and Trust of Great Bend, falsely claiming PCI had received a contract for cleaning services at an IRS facility in Kansas City, Missouri, when the company failed to make the final round of bids. Based on her statements, the bank extended a $350,000 line of credit on which Wood submitted draw requests, stating that she needed the funds to fulfill the IRS contract.

"Fraudulent transactions like these have a severe impact on companies and individuals," said Employee Benefits Security Administration Regional Director Jim Purcell, in Kansas City. "The actions can cause irreparable damage to the retirement savings of individuals and their future financial security."

Wood also created a check-kiting scheme to inflate her bank account balances artificially. She exchanged and cross-deposited more than 473 insufficient fund checks between her accounts at Capital Federal Savings Bank, Intrust Bank, and the Credit Union of Leavenworth County.

Employers and workers can reach EBSA toll-free at 866-444-3272 for help with problems related to private sector retirement and health plans. Additional information can be found at http://www.dol.gov/ebsa. 

========================


Kansas City area businesswoman pleads guilty to employee benefit fraud


By Steve Vockrodt

svockrodt@kcstar.com


July 13, 2017 11:03 AM

Updated July 13, 2017 11:03 AM


Brenda Wood, a business owner from Leavenworth, pleaded guilty in federal court in Kansas City, Kan., on Wednesday to one count of theft from an employee benefit program.

Wood, who owned building cleaning service company Professional Cleaning & Innovative Building Services and a construction and property management firm called CDM, admitted to taking employee contributions to a 401(k) program for her personal use. Employees later learned that their retirement accounts hadn’t been funded.

Federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas in 2014 charged Wood with several counts of employee benefit theft, bank fraud and identity theft.


Wood’s plea on Wednesday resolves the employee benefit theft charges; she awaits trial on Dec. 5 on the other counts against her.
Today's top news by email

Wood made headlines in 2010 for her part in a failed attempt to purchase the iconic New York Life building in downtown Kansas City. It was that year when Kansas City Power & Light wanted to sell the building at 20 W. Ninth St. where Aquila, the former utility, once had its headquarters.

Wood approached KCP&L about buying the building and later accused the utility company of backing out of a purchase contract. KCP&L responded that Wood failed to meet deadlines to make multi-million dollar deposits with a title company to close on the purchase.

KCP&L eventually sold the building to the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

Read more here: https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/community/wyandotte-leavenworth/article161147023.html#storylink=cpy

U.S. Department of Labor Obtains Consent Judgment Against Water Transfer Solutions LLC and its president, Joseph Dugan Ordering Pennsylvania Company to Pay $185,456 in Back Wages and Damages

U.S. Department of Labor Obtains Consent Judgment Ordering Pennsylvania Company to Pay $185,456 in Back Wages and Damages


PITTSBURGH, PA – The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania has entered a consent judgment against Water Transfer Solutions LLC and its president, Joseph Dugan, requiring the defendants to pay $92,728 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages - totaling $185,456 - to 82 current and former employees. The judgment follows an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) that determined the Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, company violated the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators from the Pittsburgh District Office found that – from July 1, 2017, to December 14, 2017 – Water Transfer Solutions LLC paid employees on a day-rate basis, without regard to the number of hours they worked. This practice resulted in overtime violations when employees worked beyond 40 hours per week and the employer failed to pay them additional half-time. This practice of paying flat day rates also led to recordkeeping violations when the company failed to maintain records of the number of hours employees worked.

"The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that employees receive the wages they have earned for all the hours they have worked," said Wage and Hour District Director John DuMont, in Pittsburgh. "Our ongoing enforcement and outreach in the oil and gas industry seeks to identify and remedy such common violations to protect employees, to educate employers, and to ensure a level playing field for law-abiding employers."

Under the consent judgement, in addition to paying the back wages and damages, the defendants are enjoined from violating the FLSA in the future.

"This judgment sends a clear message to employers that failure to pay employees their rightfully earned wages comes at a high cost," said Regional Solicitor Oscar L. Hampton III.

Water Transfer Solutions LLC provides water transfer services for the oil and gas industry.

View the complaint and consent judgment. Employers who discover overtime or minimum wage violations may self-report and resolve those violations without litigation through the PAID program. For more information about the FLSA and other federal wage laws, call the Division's toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information also is available at http://www.dol.gov/whd.

SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: ABUSE OF LAWS AND VIOLATION OF CITIZENS' CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS IN NEW JERSEY: Former corrupt judge Margaret McVeigh steals property valued at $475,000 for $20,000 in undue taxes in Wayne Township, New Jersey.

SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS:  ABUSE OF LAWS AND VIOLATION OF CITIZENS' CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS

Former corrupt judge Margaret McVeigh steals property valued at $475,000 for $20,000 in undue taxes in Wayne Township, New Jersey.  She was forced to resign in 2016 after complaints regarding her criminal acts

AsmSKean@njleg.org; AsmThomson@njleg.org; SenCunningham@njleg.org; AswMcKnight@njleg.org; AsmChiaravallotti@njleg.org; SenSacco@njleg.org; AswJimenez@njleg.org; AsmMejia@njleg.org; SenStack@njleg.org; AsmMukherji@njleg.org; AswChaparro@njleg.org; SenGill@njleg.org; AsmGiblin@njleg.org; AswTimberlake@njleg.org; SenPou@njleg.org; AswSumter@njleg.org; AsmWimberly@njleg.org; SenSarlo@njleg.org; AsmSchaer@njleg.org; AsmCalabrese@njleg.org; SenWeinberg@njleg.org; AsmJohnson@njleg.org; AswVainieriHuttle@njleg.org; SenLagana@njleg.org; AswSwain@njleg.org; AsmTully@njleg.org; SenCardinale@njleg.org; AswSchepisi@njleg.org; AsmAuth@njleg.org; SenCorrado@njleg.org; AsmRooney@njleg.org; AsmDePhillips@njleg.org AswHandlin@njleg.org; AswDiMaso@njleg.org; SenGreenstein@njleg.org; AsmDeAngelo@njleg.org; AsmBenson@njleg.org; SenTurner@njleg.org; AswReynoldsJackson@njleg.org; SenBateman@njleg.org; AsmFreiman@njleg.org; AsmZwicker@njleg.org; SenBSmith@njleg.org; AsmDanielsen@njleg.org; AsmEgan@njleg.org; SenDiegnan@njleg.org; AsmKarabinchak@njleg.org; AswPinkin@njleg.org; SenVitale@njleg.org; AsmCoughlin@njleg.org; AswLopez@njleg.org; SenCryan@njleg.org; AswQuijano@njleg.org; AsmHolley@njleg.org; SenKean@njleg.org; AsmBramnick@njleg.org; AswMunoz@njleg.org; SenScutari@njleg.org; AswCarter@njleg.org; AsmKennedy@njleg.org; SenDoherty@njleg.org; AsmDiMaio@njleg.org; AsmPeterson@njleg.org; SenOroho@njleg.org; AsmSpace@njleg.org; AsmWirths@njleg.org; SenBucco@njleg.org; AsmCarroll@njleg.org; AsmBucco@njleg.org; SenPennacchio@njleg.org; AsmWebber@njleg.org; AswDecroce@njleg.org; SenCodey@njleg.org; AswJasey@njleg.org; AsmMcKeon@njleg.org; SenRice@njleg.org; AsmCaputo@njleg.org; AswTucker@njleg.org; SenRuiz@njleg.org; AswPintorMarin@njleg.org; AswSpeight@njleg.org; SenSinger@njleg.org SenVanDrew@njleg.org; AsmAndrzejczak@njleg.org; AsmLand@njleg.org; SenBrown@njleg.org; AsmMazzeo@njleg.org; AsmArmato@njleg.org; SenSweeney@njleg.org; AsmBurzichelli@njleg.org; AsmTaliaferro@njleg.org; SenMadden@njleg.org; AsmMoriarty@njleg.org; AswMosquera@njleg.org; SenCruzPerez@njleg.org; AswEganJones@njleg.org; AsmSpearman@njleg.org; SenBeach@njleg.org; AsmGreenwald@njleg.org; AswLampitt@njleg.org; SenSingleton@njleg.org; AsmConaway@njleg.org; AswMurphy@njleg.org; SenAddiego@njleg.org; AsmHowarth@njleg.org; AsmPeters@njleg.org; SenConnors@njleg.org; AsmRumpf@njleg.org; AswGove@njleg.org; SenHolzapfel@njleg.org; AsmWolfe@njleg.org; AsmMcGuckin@njleg.org; SenGopal@njleg.org; AswDowney@njleg.org; AsmHoughtaling@njleg.org; SenThompson@njleg.org; AsmClifton@njleg.org; AsmDancer@njleg.org; SenOscanlon@njleg.org

Dear Legislators:

I have been reading about abuse of laws and violation of citizens' constitutional rights by municipal and superior court judges as a way of shaking them up.  In one case reported to the media, former Chancery judge Margaret McVeigh in Passaic County stole homestead property valued at $475,000 for $20,000 in undue taxes in Wayne Township, New Jersey.  Could you please comment on this story?

Sincerely,

Camila Jones

==========================

JUDICIAL CORRUPTION AND ABUSE OF LAWS IN NEW JERSEY

I have been reading your stories regarding local courts that must stop shaking N.J. residents down for cash.

I must inform you that these practices are not limited to the municipal courts.  They are widespread in the superior courts, the Chancery (or general equity) divisions that handle tax sale foreclosures.  They threaten people with forfeiting their homes and with eviction if they fail to pay taxes that may not even owe.

In my case, they stole my homestead property and place of business that was valued at $475,000 for a property tax of $20,000.  The property was over-assessed by more than 40 percent in violation of N.J.S.A. 54:4-23 and the Uniformity Clause of the NJ Constitution (Article VIII, Section 1, paragraph 1(a)), and they knew it, but they confiscated my home, anyway.  Tragic, tragic, situation.  

The corrupt former Chancery judge Margaret McVeigh never issued an application of the law to the facts in violation of court Rule 1:7-4(a).  Furthermore, court rule R. 4:64-6 states that in foreclosure of tax sale certificates, if the defendant's answer sets up the defense of the invalidity of the tax or other lien, or the invalidity of the proceedings to sell, or the invalidity of the sale, those questions shall be tried in the action.  However, here there is neither fact finding nor a trial on any of the issues raised by Dr. Stephanatos.  The corrupt former Chancery judge Margaret McVeigh failed to consider the equities that were in favor of Dr. Stephanatos or that a windfall will result. See M&D Assocs. v. Mandara, 366 N.J. Super. 341 (App. Div.) certif. denied, 180 N.J. 151 (2004) for its rationale that chancery courts "in such foreclosure cases should be alerted . . . that a significant windfall might result if adequate scrutiny . . . is not undertaken[,] In view of our decision, the operation of the tax sale law requires that the entire judgment must be vacated as void based upon equitable considerations.”

Dr. Stephanatos was also targeted by the government due to the filing of several lawsuits, both federal and state; he was penalized by the judges for that.  What the government did was unlawful, unfair and unreasonable. 

The Passaic County sheriff then filed criminal charges against me for refusing to leave my home and they claimed they were assaulted.  The criminal case is pending for 7 years and 1 month now.  It has not gone to trial because of the massive corruption in the judicial system and because the sheriff employees (Ronald A. Lucas and Vincent D'Agostino) committed perjury, i.e. they lied that they were assaulted.  Although an assault case must be brought to trial within 1 to 2 years, it has been more than 7 years now.  A defendant has a fundamental constitutional right to a speedy trial.  U.S. Const., amend.VI; N.J. Const. Art. I, ¶ 10.  But the state judiciary violated that right. 

They also violated my constitutional rights guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment and Article I, par. 20 of the state constitution that prohibit private takings;  no state court had jurisdiction or authority to take a $475,000 homestead property belonging in full to Dr. Stephanatos and deliver it to a third party (American Tax Funding, LLC).  But these corrupt judges did it anyway. 

What has really shocked our conscience is that ATF, LLC/Wayne Township knowingly charged unlawful and/excessive taxes in violation of the Uniformity Clause (Article VIII, Section 1, paragraph 1(a)).  They also charged him 18 percent interest and 6 percent penalties on top of these excessive and illegal taxes.  Thus, a tax dispute of less than $20K (the over-assessment amount) became $60K.  We found that Dr. Stephanatos offered to pay the $20K overassessment amount, but refused to pay the $60K amount.  Then the antitrust conspirators (See the U.S. District Court in Newark Antitrust Litigation that found that ATF, LLC conspired to defraud homeowners of their properties and money) confiscated his residential real estate property, along with his business, Metropolitan Environmental Services. 

PRIVATE TAKINGS ARE PROHIBITED BY BOTH FEDERAL AND STATE CONSTITUTIONS; AS A RESULT, THE CHANCERY COURT EXCEEDED ITS CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY AND ITS JUDGMENT WAS VOID AB INITIO 

We provide the following two precedential New Jersey cases where the courts have ruled that an act of the legislature cannot confer any right upon an individual to deprive persons of the ordinary enjoyment of their property without just compensation.  Here are the two seminal cases:

An act of the legislature cannot confer any right upon an individual to deprive persons of the ordinary enjoyment of their property without just compensation. Oechsle v. Ruhl, 140 N.J. Eq. 355, 54 A.2d 462 (Ch.1947). Constitutional Law.

An act of the legislature cannot confer upon individuals or private corporations, acting primarily for their own profit, although for public benefit as well, any right to deprive persons of the ordinary enjoyment of their property, except upon condition that just compensation be first made to the owners. Pennsylvania R. Co. v. Angel, 41 N.J. Eq. 316, 7 A. 432, 56 Am.Rep. 1 (1886).

See also the following federal law, prohibiting private takings:

The Public Use Clause provides that “one person's property may not be taken for the benefit of another private person without a justifying public purpose, even though compensation is paid.” Hawaii Hous. Auth. v. Midkiff, 467 U.S. 229, 241 (1984) (quoting Thompson v. Consol. Gas Corp., 300 U.S. 55, 80 (1937). Because a private taking cannot be constitutional even if compensated, “[a] plaintiff that proves that a government entity has taken its property for a private, not a public, use is entitled to an injunction against the unconstitutional taking, not simply compensation.” Carole Media LLC v. N.J. Transit Corp., 550 F.3d 302, 308 (3d Cir. 2008). 

UNREASONABLE SEIZURES ARE PROHIBITED BY ARTICLE I, PAR. 7 OF THE NEW JERSEY CONSTITUTION

They also violated the Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures (see also Article I, Paragraph 7 of the New Jersey Constitution).  They seized and confiscated a residential property valued at $475,000 (plus his business as well) for a small amount of disputed taxes.  These are truly criminal acts. 

If you can listen and publish my story, you will be shocked of what these judges have been doing to shake people up for money.  They essentially blackmailing them: you either pay, or you lose your home;  you either pay or we put you to jail; you either pay or we take your license away,  and so on.

Here is a link, if you want to learn more about this case.   You will be really-really-really shocked regarding what they have done to me. 

http://metroforensics.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-dishonesty-of-new-jersey-judges.html

See also the corruption tip regarding Ronald Lucas who defrauded the police and firemen fund by claiming on the job disability.

http://metroforensics.blogspot.com/2018/06/corruption-tip-passaic-county-sheriffs.html

We have evidence that Dr. Stephanatos was targeted by the government employees because he had filed lawsuits asking for equal protection regarding his excessive property taxes.  That is why they violated the constitution and confiscated his property for taxes that he did not even owe.  These are absolutely unethical and even criminal acts.  Please investigate.

===================================
Report: Local courts reap $400M in fines, fees in 2017

By By MIKE CATALINI
Associated Press
July 17, 2018

New Jersey's municipal courts made $400 million in fines and fees in 2017, sometimes imposing "never-ending" and "overwhelming" financial obligations on people, a Supreme Court report said Tuesday.
The Supreme Court Committee on Municipal Court Operations, Fines and Fees unveiled the report including a list of 49 recommendations for changes to the state's municipal courts, which frequently serve as the judiciary's face in communities across the state.
Among the changes recommended are mandated hearings to determine defendants' ability to pay, as well as monitoring the use of contempt of court fees that go directly into municipal coffers.
"The committee was deeply concerned about what can be a never-ending imposition of mandatory financial obligations that have little to do with the fair administration of justice," Judge Julio Mendez, who chaired the committee, said in a statement. "They can be financially overwhelming, can disproportionately impact the poor, and often become the starting point for an ongoing cycle of court involvement for individuals with limited resources."
The report also found that penalties can vary greatly from judge to judge and court to court.
The document, which follows a 2016 Asbury Park Press investigation into municipal court fees and fines, cautions against courts becoming pressured by towns' concerns for greater revenues. The newspaper found, among other things, that residents faced nearly $200 fines for failing to renew a dog license in time. The judiciary cited the newspaper report in its findings.
New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner commissioned the panel in 2017. He says these courts handle millions of cases a year and called on them to adhere to high standards of independence and fairness.
The report said that New Jersey's local courts compared favorably to other states' and pointed in particular to mandatory training that judges and staff are required to participate in.
But it also sketched a number of concerns, including "excessive use" of discretionary contempt assessments.
"The Committee identifies that these practices at times have more to do with generating revenue than the fair administration of justice," the report said.
New Jersey has 515 such courts. Judges are appointed for three-year terms and can be re-appointed. In most cases the appointment process is set by towns' governing bodies.