New Jersey Criminal Defense Blog

A 47-year-old father of three and Little League coach turned himself in Sept. 7 after being charged with having overt sexual conversations in an Internet chat room with someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl. According to a news article in The Daily Record, Michael Donofrio was represented in court by his lawyer, also his wife of 22 years, and is facing a slew of charges including attempted sexual assault, attempted child endangerment and attempted promotion of obscene material.

Donofrio is reportedly out on a $50,000 bail. Officials say Donofrio did not realize that the person he thought was a 13-year-old girl was actually a 45-year-old man who belonged to the anti-pedophile group, Perverted Justice. The same group also works with the popular “Dateline NBC” show “To Catch a Predator.”

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A Maplewood man, who officials said went on a 10-month crime spree robbing 18 banks – all while wearing a different hat each time – this week decided to plead guilty to the alleged crimes. According to an article in the New York Times, 50-year-old James G. Madison, nicknamed the Hat Bandit, pleaded guilty to six counts of bank robbery and one count of attempted robbery.

The article states each count carries up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Prosecutors are determined to put him behind bars for more than 11 years and compel him to pay restitution. Madison’s sentencing is set for Dec. 18.

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A Bridgewater woman was charged with assaulting a police officer and a police sergeant when she reportedly became angry after the cops told her they were going to arrest her on an outstanding warrant. According to a news report in The Daily Record, Xhevahire Hart was stopped when officers spotted her speeding past their marked patrol car on Route 24. Officers made the determination that Hart did not appear in court on previous vehicle code violation charges including driving with a suspended license and failing to inspect her vehicle.

Hart then reportedly refused to be arrested by the officer, but told him that she was on her way to her mother’s house and couldn’t be stopped. According to the newspaper, the woman kept locking the vehicle door as the officer attempted to unlock it by reaching through the open car window. The article states that Hart then started to punch the officer’s arm and hit him in the face. The officer finally got her out of the vehicle with a little help from a police sergeant. Even then, Hart reportedly struggled and tried to get away from them. Several times, the newspaper reported that Hart managed to free herself from the handcuffs and then punch and kick both the officers.

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