Article by Edmund DeMarche and Stephanie Pagodes in "FoxNews":
A gunman wearing a FedEx driver's uniform on Sunday killed the son and wounded the husband of a federal judge linked to high-profile cases involving Jeffrey Epstein, a "Real Housewives of New Jersey" couple and gangs, in a shocking murder now being probed by the FBI.
The
shooting occurred at the North Brunswick, N.J., home of Judge Esther
Salas, a source told The Associated Press. The AP report, citing the
state’s chief district judge, said the son, 20, was killed.
NJ.com
reported that the shooting occurred at about 5 p.m.
FBI Newark
@FBINewark
·
The FBI is investigating a shooting that occurred at the home of Judge Ester Salas in North Brunswick Township, New Jersey earlier this evening, July 19. We're looking for one subject & ask that anyone who thinks they may have relevant information call us at 1-973-792-3001.
Her husband, defense lawyer Mark Anderl, 63, was injured, the AP reported. Salas was in the basement at the time and wasn't injured, the report said.
The gunman posed as a delivery driver for FedEx, two sources told NJ.com. The report said that Salas, 51, was the first Hispanic female appointed to the U.S. District Court in New Jersey.
Daniel Anderl, a college student, was the judge's only child, the AP reported.
A FedEx spokesperson said the company is "fully cooperating" with the investigation.
Salas' highest-profile case in recent years was the financial fraud case involving "Real Housewives of New Jersey" reality TV stars Teresa and Joe Giudice, whom Salas sentenced to prison for crimes including bankruptcy fraud and tax evasion. Salas staggered their sentences so that one of them could be available to take care of their four children.
In an emailed statement provided to Fox News, Teresa Giudice's attorney, James Leonard Jr., called the news "absolutely devastating."
“Teresa was very shaken by the news and was very emotional when she heard about it," Leonard wrote. "She told me that would be praying very heavily for Judge Salas and her family."
In 2016, Salas sentenced a Crips gang member to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
In 2017, she barred federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty against an alleged gang leader charged in several Newark slayings, ruling the man's intellectual disability made him ineligible for capital punishment. Salas later sentenced the man to 45 years in prison, the AP reported.
Salas has presided over an ongoing lawsuit brought by Deutsche Bank investors who claim the company made false and misleading statements about its anti-money laundering policies and failed to monitor "high-risk" customers including convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.