Closing arguments were made Tuesday in the tax and bank fraud case against the son of a veteran Philadelphia congressman. 

Chaka Fattah Jr., 33, is charged with obtaining business loans and federal education contracts to support an extravagant lifestyle, which included a luxury condominium, car, fancy parties catered by top restaurants and high-end electronics.

Prosecutors labeled Chaka Fattah Jr. as a “cheat and a deadbeat” while the defendant insisted he’s a legitimate businessman.

“I’m not a scam artist,” Fattah Jr. said. “I’m a businessman. I’m a legitimate businessman who made over one million dollars.”

Fattah Jr., 33, who defended himself in the trial, painted himself as an entrepreneur, photographer, consultant and educator devastated by an overreaching government case against him. His father, Congressman Chaka Fattah, was present in the courtroom as his son summarized the defense. Fattah Jr. told NBC10 he believes he presented a clear enough case to the jury.

“This is my first trial and hopefully my last,” he said.

Prosecutors told jurors Fattah Jr.’s multiple businesses were “just talk” and accused him of lying to banks in order to get business loans which paid for an extravagant lifestyle. They also accused him of lying to get rid of the loans and lying on his taxes in order to adjust his reported income. They also argued Fattah Jr. never had any real clients.

Jurors were sent home early due to Election Day and a verdict was not reached. The trial will resume Wednesday.

Fattah Jr.’s father, congressman Chaka Fattah, is charged in a separate but overlapping case investigated by the same FBI agents and prosecutors. He’s accused of misusing federal grants and charitable donations. He has denied any wrongdoing.

The elder Fattah is married to NBC10 News anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah who is currently on leave.

Police are searching for the owner of a pet Iguana that was found in the lot of a Rita’s Water Ice in Collingdale Tuesday afternoon.

The Iguana was found at the Rita’s Water Ice on the 400 block of MacDade Boulevard around 3 p.m. Staff members from the Glenolden Animal Hospital and Collingdale Police secured the pet reptile. The Iguana is currently being held and cared for at the hospital.

If you have any information on the Iguana’s owner, please call Collingdale Police at 610-586-0502 or Glenolden Animal Hospital at 610-237-6120.
 

Three local middle school students, between the ages of 11 and 15, were arrested after they allegedly created and sent pornographic images and videos of their own classmates to other students on the Internet.

The investigation began in April of 2015 when Tredyffrin Township Police received reports that nude photos of students at Valley Forge Middle School and Tredyffrin-Easttown Middle School were created, sent, stored and viewed by several teens and pre-teens both at their homes and at school. While the images and videos were sent by students to other minors in most cases, in some cases the images were sent to unidentified people who met in Cyber Chats on various social networking apps, police said.

Investigators say in one case a student offered to sell an intimate image of a classmate to another student. They also say a teen boy took an image of a sex act off the Internet, sent it to his classmates and claimed the picture was of a female student. The teen boy’s action led to an assault at the Tredyffrin-Easttown Middle School, according to police.

“Bullying continues,” said Tredyffrin Township Police Detective Sergeant Todd Bereda. “In this day and age it’s cyber-bullying. And this is a perfect example of what can happen when people aren’t paying attention.”

Officials say one parent who routinely checked his child’s cell phone and computer usage, learned his child was using a cloud based storage service to store and retrieve the pornographic photos. Police say many of the images were created by the students taking selfies in their own homes with the location settings on their phones activated.

“This action would allow for viewers of the images, including child predators to locate the homes of the juveniles via Meta data stored in the picture file,” police said.

Three students between the ages of 11 and 15 were arrested and charged with distribution of child pornography as a result of the investigation.

“In making these arrests there’s a statement made that parents beware of what you’re children or doing and how they’re doing it because the next victim could be your own,” Detective Sgt. Bereda said.

Some parents of children in the Tredyffrin Easttown School District told NBC10 they never received any notification from school officials about the nude images.

“With so many kids at such a young age having access to the Internet – everybody has a smart phone now – and unfortunately it’s really difficult to police it,” said Brian Korenstein, a parent of a student in the district.

Investigators say they expect to make more arrests in connection to the case.

Visit the Netsmartz Workshop and Crime Watch websites for tips on keeping your children safe from cyber-bullying.
 

A tractor-trailer is blocking the entrance to I-95 southbound at Front and Market streets.

Officials say the driver was trying to negotiate a turn but got stuck in the entrance Tuesday. The southbound entrance to I-95 at that location is currently closed as officials work at the scene. No injuries were reported.

More chaos was caught on camera in Colwyn on Election Day after the borough’s former manager showed up at the polls to make her presence known.

Moments before the precinct opened for voting, Paula Brown recorded herself as she argued with a poll official. She later posted video of the confrontation on Facebook.

“Paula if you don’t get out of here with that camera I will make sure they escort you out of here,” the official screams.

“You don’t know your role as judge,” Brown says.

“No, you don’t know your role,” the woman screams back.

Brown also recorded her clash with Colwyn councilwoman Martha Van Auken.

“Stop recording,” Van Auken screams. “You’re not supposed to be here!”

“The polls are not open,” Brown replies.

“You know what Paula Brown? You are a disgrace to politics,” Van Auken says.

“Yes you are Martha,” Brown replies.

Brown then accuses Van Auken of misspending funds.

“Martha where’s the million dollars that you misspent?” Brown asks.

“There was no million dollars Paula,” Van Auken says.

As Van Auken steps forward, Brown begins to shout.

“Don’t come after me,” Brown says. “You’re backing up in my space!”

When NBC10 Investigative reporter Harry Hairston arrived in Colwyn hours later, he found Brown still arguing with several Colwyn officials as well as rival campaign volunteers crossing a designated campaign-free line. Despite the arguments, an official said there were no complaints or problems reported during voting. Two sheriff’s deputies were stationed at the Colwyn Borough Hall polling precinct to keep the peace.

Brown lost her job in April after the Colwyn council eliminated the borough manager position. In response, Brown locked herself in the borough hall for a week and accused Colwyn officials of misappropriating tax payer funds.

Since Brown’s firing, Colwyn has been without a borough manager position. Econsult Solutions Inc. was recently hired to get Colwyn back on track after the borough was classified as distressed under a Pennsylvania program for financially struggling municipalities. One of the company’s recommendations was for the council to have a borough manager. Brown told NBC10 in October she plans to apply for the position again if it’s available. Council Member Fred Lesher -- who is also a political rival of Brown -- told NBC10 he won’t vote on the plan and insisted Colwyn could function without a Borough manager.

The Financial Recovery team will present its report on Colwyn during a Nov. 5 council meeting. The council has until the beginning of December to approve the proposal. If they vote it down they will have to come up with a plan of their own.

Two teenagers were arrested after police say one of them pointed a gun at another student during a fight at a Delaware high school.

Joan Ayon, 17, and Luis Alvarado, 15, both of Newark, Delaware, went to John Dickinson High School on the 1800 block of Milltown Road in Wilmington to confront an 18-year-old student back on Oct. 29, investigators said.

Ayon allegedly punched the 18-year-old in the face and the two began to fight and fall to the ground. As the 18-year-old began to stand up, Alvarado allegedly gave Ayon a handgun. Ayon then pointed it at the 18-year-old, officials said.

A bystander then pulled the 18-year-old away from Ayon while the 18-year-old’s father, who was there at the time, stood between his son and Ayon. Ayon and Alvarado then fled the school in a pickup truck, police said.

After conducting several interviews, investigators identified Ayon and Alvarado as the suspects. Both teens were arrested on Oct. 30 without incident. They were both charged with reckless endangerment, possession of a deadly weapon and other related offenses.

Both teens were arraigned at the New Castle County Family Court. Alvarado was released on $18,000 unsecured bail while Ayon was released on $19,250 bail.

More chaos was caught on camera in Colwyn on Election Day after the borough’s former manager showed up at the polls to make her presence known.

Moments before the precinct opened for voting, Paula Brown recorded herself as she argued with a poll official. She later posted video of the confrontation on Facebook.

“Paula if you don’t get out of here with that camera I will make sure they escort you out of here,” the official screams.

“You don’t know your role as judge,” Brown says.

“No, you don’t know your role,” the woman screams back.

Brown also recorded her clash with Colwyn councilwoman Martha Van Auken.

“Stop recording,” Van Auken screams. “You’re not supposed to be here!”

“The polls are not open,” Brown replies.

“You know what Paula Brown? You are a disgrace to politics,” Van Auken says.

“Yes you are Martha,” Brown replies.

Brown then accuses Van Auken of misspending funds.

“Martha where’s the million dollars that you misspent?” Brown asks.

“There was no million dollars Paula,” Van Auken says.

As Van Auken steps forward, Brown begins to shout.

“Don’t come after me,” Brown says. “You’re backing up in my space!”

When NBC10 Investigative reporter Harry Hairston arrived in Colwyn hours later, he found Brown still arguing with several Colwyn officials as well as rival campaign volunteers crossing a designated campaign-free line. Despite the arguments, an official said there were no complaints or problems reported during voting. Two sheriff’s deputies were stationed at the Colwyn Borough Hall polling precinct to keep the peace.

Brown lost her job in April after the Colwyn council eliminated the borough manager position. In response, Brown locked herself in the borough hall for a week and accused Colwyn officials of misappropriating tax payer funds.

Since Brown’s firing, Colwyn has been without a borough manager position. Econsult Solutions Inc. was recently hired to get Colwyn back on track after the borough was classified as distressed under a Pennsylvania program for financially struggling municipalities. One of the company’s recommendations was for the council to have a borough manager. Brown told NBC10 in October she plans to apply for the position again if it’s available. Council Member Fred Lesher -- who is also a political rival of Brown -- told NBC10 he won’t vote on the plan and insisted Colwyn could function without a Borough manager.

The Financial Recovery team will present its report on Colwyn during a Nov. 5 council meeting. The council has until the beginning of December to approve the proposal. If they vote it down they will have to come up with a plan of their own.

A woman is recovering after she was shot twice in North Philadelphia.

The 21-year-old woman was on the 2100 block of North 8th Street at 6:33 p.m. Tuesday when an unidentified gunman opened fire.

The woman was struck once in the left buttock and once in the right side. The gunman, described by police as a bearded man wearing a black shirt and blue jeans, then fled south on 8th Street, investigators said.

The woman was taken to Temple University Hospital where she is currently in stable condition.

The shooting occurred about six blocks away from Temple University’s campus. Officials don't believe the victim was a student at the school however.

A SWAT team searched through a nearby home for a possible suspect but did not find him. Police took in five people they found inside the home for questioning however. Investigators say at least one of those people may know who the gunman is.

Police continue to investigate.
 

Democratic Assemblyman Bob Andrzejczak and running mate Bruce Land beat the Republican ticket in southern New Jersey's 1st District.

The victory means Democrats gain a new seat in the Assembly and incumbent Republican Assemblyman Sam Fiocchi won't be returning to the statehouse. Fiocchi's running mate, Jim Sauro, also lost his race.

Nearly $3 million was spent this year in the closely watched race, with much of the money coming from a super political action committee supporting Democrats.

Land is a former corrections officer who has never held elected office.

Voting is nothing new for Bridget Conroy-Varnis, a South Philly crossing guard who regularly performs her civic duty on Election Day. Yet this year’s election is one she’ll never forget. As she walked out of the Murphy Recreation Center on 4th and Shunk streets shortly after 6:30 p.m., she was met by a small crowd and an NBC10 camera.

Bridget appeared to be confused at first as Larry Platt, the co-founder and editor of multi-platform media organization the Philadelphia Citizen approached her.

“Hi, I’m Larry Platt,” he said as he shook her hand. “Did you just vote?”

“Yes I did,” Bridget replied.

Platt then took out a $10,000 check and handed it to her.

“You’re our $10,000 winner,” he said as Bridget laughed and clapped her hands in disbelief. “Thank you so much for voting!”

The award was part of the Philadelphia Citizen’s election lottery initiative to encourage local residents to become more involved in the civic life of Philadelphia. Platt told NBC10 the time and location were selected at random.

“Earlier today we put all 1600 polling places in a computer program and it randomly resulted in this polling place,” he said. “And we did the same with the time. So we came here at 6:36 p.m. and Bridget was waiting for us. She had finished casting her ballot. We had someone inside scouting and called us, described her and said she was on her way out of the voting booth. And then we all ambushed her.”

The $10,000 prize is funded by a grant from the Pamela and Ajay Raju Foundation. Ajay Raju is the CEO and Chairman of the Dilworth Paxson law firm as well as the co-founder of the Philadelphia Citizen. Platt explained to NBC10 that the competition was perfectly legal.

“You can do this in local elections and in Pennsylvania elections as long as you’re not asking people to vote a certain way,” he said.

Bridget, who works as a school crossing guard on 10th and Bigler streets, said she can’t wait to tell the students she walks across the street about her big win.

“All the kids are gonna say something,” she said.

While Bridget heard about the Philadelphia Citizen’s lottery, she didn’t imagine she’d be the winner and she wasn’t even thinking about it when she went to vote. Instead she was merely doing something she’s always done.

“Every vote counts,” she said. “Do your civic duty.”

Platt hopes the lottery and initiatives similar to it will encourage more Philadelphia residents to get involved in their local elections.

“We wanted to send a message that every vote matters,” he said. “We were nervous that we’d be benefiting someone that didn’t need it. What a great recipient and great spokeswoman for voting. That’s what we want to do. We want to continually do things to up the level of civic participation because that’s what we need in this city.”
 

A suspect fled from a SEPTA bus after slashing a passenger in the head overnight.

The suspect slashed the man's forward around 3 a.m. Wednesday on a night-owl Market-Frankford Line bus headed to the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby as it rolled along Market Street near 46th Street in West Philadelphia, said Philadelphia Police.

The suspect then darted off the bus, leaving the victim with a slash to his forehead, said police.

Police continued to search for the suspect early Wednesday.

No word on what led to the stabbing.

A freight train slammed into a woman’s car as she called for help after stalling on the tracks in Montgomery County.

The woman was traveling along Depot Street near 4th Street in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania early Wednesday when her car became disabled on the tracks. She then called AAA.

“She got stuck on the railroad tracks and was on the phone trying to call for help when the train came through,” said Jim with Jackson’s Towing.

The woman saw the train coming and got out before impact.

Police didn't immediately reveal what caused the woman’s car to become stuck.
 

A tractor-trailer collided with a car and jackknifed as it spilled fuel onto a busy South Jersey roadway during the morning commute Wednesday.

The crash along U.S. Route 322 just south of the interchange with Interstate 295 in Woolwich Township also took out some overhead power lines causing a road closure that lasted for hours.

No one was hurt, said Woolwich Township Police..

Crews closed the roadway in both directions as they worked to clear the scene. Motorists could use Oak Grove Road to get around the scene, said NBC10 First Alert Traffic reporter Jessica Boyington.

The road remained closed as of noon as power crews worked to get the wires fixed, said police.