November 2022 Wrap-Up Newsletter

Above: Gottheimer at the Palisade Avenue Teaneck Post Office sounding the alarm on years of stolen checks and mail fraud.

Ahead of the holiday season, Gottheimer spoke outside the Teaneck post office on Palisade Avenue to demand action and answers from the United States Postal Service (USPS) after years of stolen checks and mail fraud that have cost North Jersey families millions of dollars and trust in their local post office.

Beginning in 2020, at the Palisade Avenue Teaneck Post Office, there were reportedly hundreds of stolen checks and countless incidents of mail fraud. Many of the checks residents mailed were altered, including the recipient’s name and the amount of the check. This is a criminal act called check washing and can make life incredibly difficult for hard-pressed families and seniors living on fixed incomes.

Despite continued reports of stolen checks and missing mail, the Office of Inspector General for the USPS has not completed their investigation in Teaneck and has shared no substantive information. OIG first told Gottheimer that they would have a resolution on these cases in July. It was then delayed to August, then to October, then to the end of November, and now OIG has stated that their investigation will take several more months.

Actions Gottheimer announced to address the rampant issues at the Palisades Avenue Teaneck Post Office include:

• A new letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy demanding that he make public what concrete actions are being taken to improve operations at this post office, and those across the country, to prevent the rampant theft and postal crimes, especially during the holiday season surge.
• Calling on the USPS Inspector General to stop the double talk and move into hyper drive on this investigation. It is time we know how all of this happened and what has been done to prevent this from happening again.
• Calling on the Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement arm of USPS to redouble their efforts to get to the bottom of the many open cases of stolen and lost property here in Teaneck.
• Earlier this month in Congress, Gottheimer questioned Tammy Hull, the USPS Inspector General, before the Congressional House Oversight Committee about how the agency plans to combat the dramatic increase in mail theft and stolen checks. Her response was that they are working on the investigation — more double talk as residents suffer from the incompetency and criminal acts at this post office. 

Above: Gottheimer at the Goffle Road Poultry Farm with owners Joseph and Brian Silvestri.

Congressman Gottheimer announced a new federal investment clawed back from Washington to Goffle Road Poultry Farm — a fourth-generation family-owned and -operated poultry processing center — that will help lower grocery costs, secure the food supply chain, and support local farms by increasing processing capacity at the facility by 300%.

Goffle Road Poultry Farm serves as the only USDA-certified poultry processing plant available to local farmers in New Jersey. Now, thanks to the increased processing capacity from this new federal investment secured through the American Rescue Plan — legislation Gottheimer helped craft and pass — local Jersey farms will be able to lower costs and stop shipping their poultry to processing plants as far as the Midwest. Furthermore, not having to transport their livestock as far will lower the turnaround time of our farmers’ poultry to market, keeping poultry fresher and more affordable for families.

Above: Gottheimer at Port Newark to demand DHS take action to combat the spike in car thefts and illegal export through our ports. 

In November, Congressman Gottheimer, along with local and state law enforcement officials at Port Newark, demanded more action from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to help local, county, and state law enforcement combat the unprecedented spike in car thefts and stolen cars from being illegally exported through our ports.

Later last month, during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Gottheimer questioned U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas about actions the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is taking to help local, county, and state law enforcement combat the unprecedented spike in car thefts and stolen cars from being illegally exported through our ports.

In July 2022, Gottheimer urged the Administration to create a new National Auto Theft Task Force to coordinate federal, state, and local law enforcement efforts focused on combating interstate and international carjacking and auto theft. Gottheimer also urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to boost security at ports to intercept more stolen cars before they are loaded into containers and shipped overseas.

Now, Gottheimer is calling on the following federal action:

• For the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to engage with the public and answer questions about stolen vehicles being illegally exported overseas through Port Newark.
• For DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to set up a task force to coordinate with state, county, and local law enforcement, including the port police, to combat illegal exports of stolen cars
• For DHS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other agencies within DHS to immediately strengthen law enforcement presence, increase port security, and improve inspections at ports.
• For both the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Justice to examine the international illicit financing angle of these crimes to help follow the money, whether domestically or overseas.

Throughout Thanksgiving, Gottheimer joined with North Jersey families, first responders, veterans, and seniors at local turkey drives, giveaways, and 5Ks.

In Garfield, Gottheimer joined the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office and helped load 3,000 Thanksgiving turkeys for those in need throughout Bergen County. 

In Teaneck, Gottheimer joined volunteers, seniors, veterans, and first responders to giveaway Thanksgiving Turkeys and distribute Thanksgiving meals.

In Upper Saddle River, Gottheimer joined North Jersey residents at the 23rd annual Upper Saddle River 5k.

Above: Gottheimer helping load Thanksgiving turkeys with Bergen County Sheriffs.

Above: Gottheimer with North Jersey veterans at the Bergenfield Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #6467.

In Bergenfield, Congressman Gottheimer held a ceremony to recognize the heroic service of local North Jersey veterans and honor them with Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pins and long overdue replacement service medals.

To further honor the eleven veterans recognized today for their service, Gottheimer had American flags flown over the U.S. Capitol.

"To all the veterans here, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your service, for putting your lives on the line to defend our freedom, our families, and the greatest democracy the world has ever known. Please know this: after sacrificing so much, you should never struggle to get the care or recognition you have earned. These are not Democratic or Republican issues — they are principles of the country we live in, the one you protected, under the flag we all salute,” said Congressman Gottheimer.

As always, if you’re experiencing an issue with a federal agency, Congressman Gottheimer's Constituent Service team is here to listen & help with VA benefits, Social Security, Medicare, & much more.

Call at 201-389-1100 or email [email protected].

You can also follow Congressman Gottheimer's Twitter here, Facebook here, and Instagram here.

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