6 Lakewood fraud defendants apply for program to avoid conviction, report says

TOMS RIVERS – Six Lakewood residents charged in a government benefits fraud sweep in June have applied for a pre-trial program for first-time offenders that would allow them to avoid conviction, according to a report. The six defendants – Tzvi and Estee Bruan; Samuel and Esther Serhofer; and Yisroel and Rachel Merkin – are each charged…