Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • May 8, 2013 Area Scouts from Allendale Girl Scout Troop 4126 will receive the 2013 Bergen County Historic Preservation Award in the category of Youth Preservation on Thursday, May 9, at 7 p.m. at the Church on the Green, 42 Court Street in Hackensack. Girl Scouts to receive preservation award Restaurateur pleading guilty by John Koster The Girl Scouts were nominated by The John Fell House/Concerned Citizens of Allendale for their DVD, “The Ghosts of Allendale,” based on the book by local author Jim Wright. The story is based on real-life events in the life of Revolutionary War hero John Fell. Aziz Kastrati, the Wyckoff resident who formerly operated the Brownstone Inn in Wyckoff and Pastafina restaurant in Allendale, has pleaded guilty to federal charges that he structured deposits totaling more than $655,665 between January of 2006 and December of 2009 into accounts he held in four different banks and in amounts of just under $10,000 per deposit. Sentencing has been set for July 17 in federal district court in Newark before Judge William Walls. Residents of both Wyckoff and Allendale said the restaurants Kastrati, 55, and his family had operated had been popular and well-run until they abruptly closed. Pastafina closed about a year ago and the Brownstone Inn closed about two years ago. Pastafina is reportedly current in property tax payments and the Brownstone Inn’s liquor license is reportedly listed as inactive, but not terminated. “It was a no-issue place for us,” Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox said of the Brownstone Inn. “We never had any problems there in recent years.” Before Kastrati took over management and changed policies and some of the staff, the Brownstone Inn had sometimes attracted more police calls in any given year than all other Wyckoff restaurants combined. After Kastrati took over, the premises calmed down considerably, township officials said. Kastrati also enjoyed a solid reputation in Allendale. Allendale residents who sometimes dined at Pastafino said that the restaurant’s closing was quite sudden. Originally a Bosnian national, Kastrati was reportedly traumatized by the Serbian massacres that took place in his former homeland. He remained active in local business communities and spoke at meetings a few years ago both in Allendale and in Wyckoff about parking and traffic concerns. Federal officials report that Kastrati had agreed to forfeit $201,109 to the United States. He had previously forfeited $454,556 to the United States some years ago after Internal Revenue Service agents seized that amount from five bank accounts in which they suspected structuring. He was released on a $250,000 bond and faces a possible 10 years in prison and a fine of $500,000. His telephone number is unlisted and he could not be reached for comment. The government charged that Kastrati had most recently deposited money in a dozen individual accounts at four separate banks in amounts just under $10,000, the threshold for reporting individual transactions to the government. The girls will be honored for their creativity and hard work on a project that raises awareness of the importance of historic preservation in Bergen County. The girls realized the historic significance of the John Fell House, and this project will help to bring that realization to others. Their DVD is a contribution to Bergen County history that can be shared with families, students, and educators. The DVD will be used in education programs at the John Fell House and in the local school district. The DVD is also available at the Lee Memorial Library in Allendale. The troop’s decision to recreate the story of the book as a DVD was proposed to the Concerned Citizens of Allendale. The CCA provided support for this project and the Education Committee met with the girls to answer questions and set up a schedule for them to use the house for filming. The girls interviewed Wright to get his insight into some of the scenes. They researched Colonial and Revolutionary history and learned as much as they could about John Fell and his family. They used their research and Wright’s book to create the script, costumes, and makeup, and to improvise settings for the action taking place at the house and in the nearby Celery Farm Natural Area, another setting in the story. The girls did all the filming, editing, and duplication of the DVDs. The John Fell House is located at 475 Franklin Turnpike in Allendale, across the street from the Celery Farm. Drug prevention folder contest (continued from page 4) rewarding. “The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey has consistently believed that early prevention programs like the Fourth Grade Folder Contest, are effective ways to actively engage New Jersey’s young people in selecting and maintaining a drug free, healthy lifestyle.” Best known for its statewide anti-drug advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $70 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its inception the partnership has garnered 120 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional, and statewide media organizations.