Nyondah L. Blay of Trenton, who also goes by the name of John Blay, and Carl Jenkins of Philadelphia each pleaded guilty to third-degree attempted theft by deception.
Nyondah L. Blay of Trenton, who also goes by the name of John Blay, and Carl Jenkins of Philadelphia. Nyondah L. Blay of Trenton, who also goes by the name of John Blay, and Carl Jenkins of Philadelphia each pleaded guilty to third-degree attempted theft by deception before Superior Court Judge Michael J. Kassel in Camden County, the release said.
Blay, 38, and Jenkins, 36, admitted to attempting to steal from someone they thought was an unsuspecting victim by telling that person they had hundreds of thousands of dollars in U.S. currency that they smuggled out of Liberia.
The victim was actually working as part of a sting operation conducted by the Division of Criminal Justice and the FBI, the release said.
Blay and Jenkins told the victim the bills were dyed black to avoid detection while being smuggled, and requested tens of thousands of dollars to purchase chemicals to remove the dye. They promised to repay the victim several times the amount of money fronted, the release said.
Blay and Jenkins were arrested Feb. 1 in Cherry Hill when they took several thousand dollars from the victim.
As part of the plea deal, the state will recommend a 364-day jail sentence for each man.
In scams like this, the suspects usually take the victims’ money and leave them with worthless paper, the release said.
The public can report financial fraud, corruption and other illegal activities to the Division of Criminal Justice using the toll-free tipline at 1-866-TIPS-4CJ, or www.njdcj.org.
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