For Immediate Release: April 26, 2023 Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of VALTER M. GARCIA CORDOVA (DOB: 2/25/1984; married; construction worker) of 509 Longview Avenue, Cliffside Park, NJ on a charge of possession of child sexual abuse material. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love. On Wednesday, April 26, 2023, members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit executed a search warrant at the residence of VALTER GARCIA CORDOVA during the course of a months-long Internet child sexual abuse material investigation. The investigation revealed that GARCIA CORDOVA used the Internet to view, download and possess items depicting nude and/or sexually explicit prepubescent and pubescent children. As a result of the investigation, VALTER GARCIA CORDOVA was arrested on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in Paramus, NJ and charged with second-degree possession of…

For Immediate Release: April 21, 2023 Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrests of ANTHONY NUNEZ (DOB: 4/05/1991; single; unemployed) of 100-05 92ND Avenue, Richmond Hill, NY; JOSE A. CASTRO-LOPEZ (DOB: 12/27/1988; single; unemployed) of 71 Union Street, Lodi, NJ; and GABRIEL GUZMAN (DOB: 12/07/1994; single; unemployed) of 590 Cypress Avenue, Saddle Brook, NJ on drug offenses. The arrests are the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love. On April 19, 2023, an investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotic Task Force revealed that ANTHONY NUNEZ, JOSE A. CASTRO-LOPEZ, and GABRIEL GUZMAN were transporting and selling bulk shipments of narcotics through Bergen County. During the investigation, a search was conducted on ANTHONY NUNEZ’s vehicle in Fort Lee, NJ which revealed approximately fourteen pounds of marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms. NUNEZ was arrested at the scene of the search.

For Immediate Release: April 21, 2023 Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced that on April 19, 2023, FRANCIS TATTOLI of East Rutherford, NJ was sentenced to 55 years in New Jersey State Prison after being convicted of murder, kidnapping, and felony murder in connection with the death of Monet Thomas in December 2016. On December 17, 2016, FRANCIS TATTOLI was the downstairs neighbor of Monet Thomas in a building located at 258 Summer Street in East Rutherford, NJ. At approximately 9:00 p.m. that evening, while Monet Thomas was returning from walking her dog, FRANCIS TATTOLI attacked Ms. Thomas in the communal hallway of the apartment complex and dragged her by the throat into his apartment where he ultimately murdered her by strangulation. On November 1, 2022, a jury convicted FRANCIS TATTOLI of kidnapping Ms. Thomas from the hallway of her apartment building and murdering her by strangulation. On April 19,…

For Immediate Release: April 20, 2023 Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of NAJE BRABSON (DOB: 5/04/2004; single; unemployed) of 172 Lawrence Place, Paterson, NJ on charges of distribution of controlled dangerous substances and resisting arrest. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love. On April 18, 2023, during a narcotics investigation, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotic Task Force approached NAJE BRABSON immediately after he distributed five bricks, or approximately two-hundred and fifty individual bags of suspected heroin. NAJE BRABSON was placed under arrest after a brief foot pursuit. Earlier in the month, NAJE BRABSON distributed five bricks of suspected heroin to an undercover detective. As a result of the investigation, NAJE BRABSON was arrested at the scene and charged with two counts of third-degree distribution of heroin, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5b(3); and…

For Immediate Release: April 17, 2023 Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announces an upcoming annual web-based assessment of the Bergen County Police Academy in preparation for maintaining national re-accreditation. The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (“CALEA”) will conduct a web-based assessment from April 14 – April 22 to examine all aspects of the Bergen County Police Academy’s policy and procedures, management, operations, and instructional services. “Gaining CALEA accreditation is a highly prized recognition of public safety training academy excellence,” stated Prosecutor Musella. Verification by CALEA that the Police Academy continues to meet the Commission’s 160 state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process. As part of the assessment, academy personnel, trainees, and members of the public are invited to offer comments by visiting the Accreditation Public Comment Portal, which can be found on the Public Safety page of the Bergen County website, www.co.bergen.nj.us. The purpose of this…

For Immediate Release: April 14, 2023 Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced that NILES DIAKOS of Leonia, NJ pled guilty to the March 26, 2022 murder of Alicia Arnone in Leonia, NJ. After receiving a 911 call on March 26, 2022, Leonia police arrived at Alicia Arnone’s apartment, where Ms. Arnone was found deceased with multiple stab wounds. During an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Leonia Police Department, it was determined that Ms. Arnone’s boyfriend, NILES DIAKOS, was responsible for her murder. DIAKOS pled guilty to first-degree murder, N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3a(1). The State will recommend a sentence of 30 years in New Jersey State Prison. Sentencing is scheduled for May 22, 2023. The State was represented by Assistant Prosecutors Stephen Bollenbach and Christine Caputo-Howland. They were assisted by Sergeant Anthony Primiano of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit. Prosecutor Musella thanks Assistant…

For Immediate Release: April 11, 2023 Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced additional information in an investigation into a fatal crash involving a pedestrian that occurred on Friday, April 7, 2023, on Route 46 in Ridgefield Park, NJ. An investigation into the hit-and-run is being conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love and the Ridgefield Park Police Department under the direction of Chief Joseph Rella. On Friday, April 7, 2023 at approximately 11:10 p.m., a pedestrian, identified as 21-year-old Jossy Israel Laguna-Matamoros of Hackensack, was struck by a vehicle on Route 46 in Ridgefield Park, NJ. The victim was pronounced deceased on scene from injuries he sustained as a result of the crash. The first vehicle that struck the victim fled on Route 46 eastbound, while a second vehicle stopped and remained at the scene. An investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office…

For Immediate Release: April 7, 2023 Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of MICHAEL T. SCHEUERMAN (DOB: 10/05/1982; single; clerical) of 422 Paterson Avenue, East Rutherford, NJ, on the charges of possession of child sexual abuse material. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love. On Thursday, April 6, 2023, members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit executed a search warrant at the residence of MICHAEL SCHEUERMAN during an Internet child pornography investigation. The investigation revealed that SCHEUERMAN used the Internet to view, download and possess items depicting nude and/or sexually explicit prepubescent and pubescent children. As a result of the investigation, MICHAEL T. SCHEUERMAN was arrested on Thursday, April 6, 2023, in Paramus, NJ and charged with third-degree possession of child pornography, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4b(5)(b)(iii). SCHEUERMAN was remanded to the Bergen…

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announces the following information: The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit is investigating a hit-and-run crash involving a pedestrian that occurred on Route 46 in Ridgefield Park, NJ on Friday, April 7, 2023, at approximately 11:10 p.m.  The pedestrian involved in this crash has died.  The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification to the next of kin. The investigation is being conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love and the Ridgefield Park Police Department under the direction of Chief Joseph Rella.  No additional information is available at this time.

For Immediate Release: April 6, 2023 Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of ERIC PALESE (DOB: 6/28/1995, single; warehouse manager) of Tarrytown, NY on charges of sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal sexual contact. The arrest was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love and the River Edge Police Department under the direction of Chief Michael Walker. On Monday, March 27, 2023, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office received information through the BCPO’s Cyber Tip line regarding an alleged sexual assault of a child. The caller reported that the suspect contacted the child via social media and sexually assaulted the victim in River Edge, NJ. An investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the River Edge Police Department revealed that ERIC PALESE sexually assaulted the child, who was under the age of…