Friday, October 26, 2007

Elections - Courier - Storch endorsed for Council

Published in the Courier News, Friday, October 26, 2007

[Editorial Endorsement]
Storch in Plainfield

Plainfield has two City Council seats up for election this year -- and only one contest. Incumbent Linda Carter is running unopposed for an at-large seat representing Wards 1 and 4 after the withdrawal of her Republican opponent.

That leaves Democratic Councilman Cory Storch defending against Republican Deborah Dowe in the 2nd Ward.

Dowe is a sharp, fresh thinker with an extensive volunteer background in the city who ran unsuccessfully for City Council a year ago. She is also an eloquent champion for social reform, advocating for new approaches to engaging youth and providing incentives for achievement.

Dowe actually seems best suited for a school board position; she was recently appointed by Gov. Jon Corzine's administration to serve on the New Jersey Mathematics and Science Coalition promoting improvements in those subject areas. We believe, however, that Dowe would also provide a strong and welcome voice on the city council. She is a quality candidate.

Storch, however, is one of the best of the incumbent council members and deserves re-election.

Storch rode into city government on the New Democrats wave spearheaded by the late former mayor, Al McWilliams. He retains much of that independent spirit while reminding everyone that much of the city's progress was set in motion under McWilliams, such as greater attention to roads and infrastructure.

Storch has emerged as one of the City Council's more hawkish fiscal watchdogs, and believes the city should continue with McWilliams' vision to focus economic development on bringing jobs into the city. He also brings some practical environmental sensibility to the table; he explains, for example, that any transit village development near the train station must heed green design initiatives to remain competitive in the long run with similar projects in other communities.

We endorse Storch.

Online story here. Archived here.

(Note: Online stories may be taken down by their publisher after a period of time or made available for a fee. Links posted here is from the original online publication of this piece.)

(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff and Clippings have no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of these articles nor are Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff or Clippings endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)

Monday, October 15, 2007

Jerry Green - APP - Alman resignation effective Monday

Published in the Asbury Park Press, Friday, October 12, 2007

Assemblyman giving up job at Westfield lobbying firm

BY MICHAEL DEAK
GANNETT NEW JERSEY


Assemblyman Gerald B. Green, D-Union, will resign Monday from his part-time job with the Alman Group, a Westfield-based lobbying firm, to avoid any possible conflict of interest.

He is the firm's vice president for local affairs.

Green's decision was made Oct. 2, a day after Gannett New Jersey reported on his relationship with the firm as part of an eight-day series on government ethics called "Profiting from Public Service: Four years later."

The eight-term lawmaker from Plainfield said he took the action to "eliminate any gray areas" and because he wants to concentrate on major issues in the Legislature if he is re-elected next month.

"I've done everything above board," Green said.

Green, 68, also said he is in line to assume a leadership role next year in the Assembly as deputy speaker pro tempore.

The legislator said he did not want questions about his employment "to take away" from his work on issues such as health care and housing.

"I don't want there to be questions every time I take a stand," he said.

Green sits on the Assembly's Health Committee. He also heads the committee that oversees housing rules.

Among the Alman Group's clients are at least 18 hospitals. In 1999, Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in Plainfield hired the firm to help win state approval to perform cardiac surgery.

But Green's support of Muhlenberg started before that and continued even after the hospital and Alman parted ways.

Green told Gannett New Jersey that questions about his involvement with Muhlenberg and the city of Plainfield, where he advises Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, are two reasons he previously has backed away from projects with Alman.

For the past two years, the assemblyman said he has concentrated full time on government, advising Robinson-Briggs without being reimbursed.

"We hope to move the city in the right direction," he said.

Many of his clients at the Alman Group were nonprofit organizations, Green said.

In the past, Green said he has taken other action to avoid conflicts, such as selling two liquor licenses he said he owned.
COMMENT

You have to be kidding. How long did it take this idiot to find out that this wasn't right. Or did someone just catch up to him. You know did it get to hot in the frying pan. This guy shouldn't hold an office anywhere let alone here in corrupt New Jersey..

Posted by: shadoh12 on Sat Oct 13, 2007 2:45 pm


Online story here. Archived here.


(Note: Online stories may be taken down by their publisher after a period of time or made available for a fee. Links posted here is from the original online publication of this piece.)

(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff and Clippings have no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of these articles nor are Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff or Clippings endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)

Jerry Green - Courier - Undisclosed work for Alman Group

Published in the Courier News, Monday, October 1, 2007

Lawmakers still finding ways to hide conflicts
Four years ago, New Jersey embarked on a sweeping government ethics reform program. In the second part of an eight-day series, Gannett New Jersey looks at how major conflicts of interest still can be hidden by lawmakers.

By JONATHAN TAMARI
GANNETT NEW JERSEY


TRENTON -- Like many Trenton lobbying firms, the Westfield-based Alman Group offers a staff with years of government experience that can help clients shape laws and win state aid.

But the firm also boasts a seemingly unique quality: a sitting lawmaker on its marquee.

Assembly Deputy Speaker Gerald B. Green, D-Plainfield, also is vice president for local affairs at the Alman Group. In the Legislature, Green chairs the committee that oversees housing rules and sits on the Health Committee. Both panels vet laws that could impact Alman clients, which include major developers and at least 18 hospitals.

Green's job is one example of how Trenton's rules and culture allow lawmakers' public roles and private work to come tantalizingly close.

Even though many lawmakers with private jobs say they painstakingly avoid any direct conflicts, including Green, the Legislature's current financial disclosure requirements allow officials to keep their clients secret.

That gives lawmakers the ability to hide relationships with clients or partners who might have a vested interest in new laws. There is no way to tell if a lawyer or consultant who, for example, helps craft environmental regulations also is working with a major housing developer.

And at least one member of the Legislature's ethics committee believes the existing conflict-of-interest restrictions come with built-in loopholes.

In Green's case, he has received legal opinions that say he is in the clear.

While legislative rules bar lawmakers from accepting gifts, jobs or anything of value worth more than $250 from lobbyists, two ethics opinions issued by the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services in 1998 and 2006 say Green's consulting work at Alman doesn't violate that restriction, as long as his work at the firm is unrelated to his "official duties."

Green said he requested the opinions and makes sure to keep his private job and public role separate, although he declined to say what Alman clients he has worked with.

In addition to lobbying, Alman offers consulting on issues such as development, land use and permitting, according to the firm's Web site.

The 2006 advice to Green notes that the Legislative ethics committee has traditionally interpreted conflict-of-interest rules to allow the "the widest possible participation" in voting by lawmakers -- meaning, essentially, that only the most blatant conflicts are explicitly barred.

The opinion concludes by referring Green to an ethics tutorial on the Legislature's Web page.

When questioned by reporters about potential conflicts, several lawmakers noted their actions are allowed under current rules because they won't directly profit. Lawmakers said their jobs in the Legislature are part time and that they have to be allowed to make livings elsewhere.

Retired Superior Court Judge Herbert Friend, the acting chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards, is planning to set up a subcommittee to recommend the first major update to the Legislature's ethics code in 25 years.

"There are holes in the code of ethics that you could drive a truck through," Friend said.

Conflicts seem obvious

The existing conflict rules did not stop Sen. Wayne R. Bryant, D-Camden, from overseeing the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, which steered tens of millions of dollars to two universities that hired him, or getting his law firm work through legislation he crafted to send $175 million to Camden city's economic recovery. Bryant remains on the Senate Education Committee.

They also did not prevent Sen. Sharpe James, D-Essex, from pushing through a law that gave him additional power over land sales in Newark, where he was mayor.

Prosecutors now claim that the law helped James sell city properties to friends at cut-rate prices. James remains on the Senate Community and Urban Affairs and Budget and Appropriations committees.

Sen. Joseph Coniglio, D-Bergen, another member of the budget committee, got a $5,500-per-month job as a plumbing consultant at the Hackensack University Medical Center from 2004 to 2006, while the hospital received more than $1 million in state grants during those years.

Both Bryant and James face federal corruption charges for their actions, although both have proclaimed their innocence. Coniglio is the target of a federal investigation and recently dropped out of a re-election bid. He said he would fight the "false accusations" that his work at the hospital was connected to state grants.

"I am quite confident that my name and reputation -- which has suffered immeasurable damage -- will, with time, be restored," Coniglio said in a statement he issued when he dropped out of the race in mid-September.

[Green] defends consulting work

In Green's case, his position at Alman is described on the firm's Web site, but the arrangement is not apparent on Green's state financial disclosure form, where his income from consulting is listed under a company simply called "Jerry Green Enterprises."

That company, which Green said he uses for his private ventures, earned at least $50,000 in 2006.

Green, who has not been accused of any illegality, would not say what other clients he works with, saying he did not want to draw private firms into a story about his public work.

But Green said he makes sure his outside projects, which he said involve consulting, not lobbying, don't involve state government. He said he has worked with Alman for roughly 10 years but has done little with the firm in the past 18 months, in order to avoid any potential conflicts, though he still is a part of the firm.

"I try to make sure that anything I do does not interfere with what I consider my job as a legislator," Green said. He said he is not salaried at Alman, earning money on only a per-project basis. "There's a whole lot of gray areas there, and I don't want to take a chance."

Ten of Alman's hospital clients split nearly $26 million in state grants in the 2006-07 state budget, for which Green voted yes.

Alman also works with several developers, including housing builder K. Hovnanian Companies in Edison. Green, who made much of his money in real estate, chairs the Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee.

Green also has consistently offered support for a hospital in his hometown, Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center, which in 1999 hired Alman to help win state approval to perform cardiac surgery.

Green's advocacy dates to before that contract and continued even after the hospital and lobbyists parted ways.

Green and Alman's president, George Albanese, said the lawmaker did not help the lobbying firm on either the hospital grants or any other issues involving state government. Green said questions about his involvement with Muhlenberg and the city of Plainfield are two reasons he has backed away from projects with Alman.

"He does nothing with the state of New Jersey," Albanese said. "I wouldn't put him in that position to even suggest or ask him."

"As long as I don't benefit financially, then there's nothing I have done wrong," Green said, referring to the OLS opinions.

Touting technical expertise

Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, D-Somerset, made a similar argument after recently sponsoring a law that gives Verizon Communications the chance to compete for cable television customers in New Jersey. Verizon also is a client at the consulting firm where Chivukula is chairman, and it is expected to invest $1.5 billion in New Jersey as a result of the law.

As with Green, the association is not apparent on Chivukula's disclosure form, which lists the consulting job but not clients.

Chivukula also has sponsored bills (currently pending before Corzine) to give tax breaks to companies producing digital media, a field he said could lead to more work for his firm, Rangam Consultants, and to forbid the state from regulating services that provide phone calls over the Internet. Rangam's Web site touts its work in the telecommunications field.

Chivukula, chairman of the Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee, said there is no conflict because he doesn't own Rangam. His firm is unlikely to benefit from the cable bill because Verizon's investments involve laying new fiber optic cables, an area in which Rangam is not involved, he said.

"State laws are clear. If you don't have any ownership in a company, you don't have any conflicts. If I had ownership in Rangam, then it's a different story," Chivukula said. "I'm just an employee. Tomorrow they can fire me."

Chivukula, a former engineer for AT&T, said it only makes sense that he would sponsor bills in the area of his expertise.

"The reason I'm in the Legislature is because I have something to offer in the telecommunications field," Chivukula said. "When you are making public policy, you need expertise. If I work in the agricultural committee, I have no expertise. What kind of contribution can I make?"

Verizon and other cable companies waged an expensive advertising and lobbying battle over the cable competition bill. Verizon and its lobbyists have contributed $6,200 to Chivukula's campaigns in the past three years.

Rangam might be hired to produce software for the digital media providers that would benefit from another of his bills, Chivukula said, but it's no sure deal.

In the wake of several scandals and investigations in the Legislature, Senate President Richard J. Codey, D-Essex, has called for a review of the code of ethics. But the work has not yet begun, and Codey has given few details on potential changes. One idea he floated was to require lawmakers to meet with a lawyer once a year, at which time they could request legal opinions on whether their private work created conflicts.

"That accrues to the legislator's benefit. So that when someone raises an issue, you can say, 'Hey, I asked this question, and here's the opinion,' " Codey said.

Gannett New Jersey writers Jason Method, Jean Mikle and Gregory J. Volpe contributed to this report
.
COMMENT
Reporter Jonathan Tamari’s October 1 article (“Lawmakers hide conflicts by keeping clients secret”) contained some notable omissions of fact and several distortions of the public record regarding my actions as an Assemblyman and my position with Rangam Consultants, an information technology consulting firm.

Moreover, the article takes alarming liberties with the role I played on telecommunications measures in the state Legislature, most notably the 2006 state law that allows Verizon and other phone service providers to provide cable television services to New Jersey consumers.

Here are the unvarnished facts:

• I earn $2,000 a month by Rangam Consultants. I do not own the company; I am an employee. I am neither directly involved with the company’s clients nor its operations.

• Verizon has not been a client of Rangam for seven years. This includes the time that the Legislature considered and acted upon the 2006 statewide cable television franchising law. Frankly, Rangam is too small by Verizon’s standards to be a preferred vendor for the company.

• Rangam does not stand to reap new business from Verizon because of the new cable franchising law. Rangam’s business is providing information technology programmers. It is not involved in cable services or fiber optics, the fields that stand to gain from Verizon’s entry into the cable television marketplace.

• The statewide cable franchising legislation had been in existence for two years before I even signed onto it. I frequently was accused of slowing down action on that legislation as a member and as chairman of the Telecommunications and Utilities Committee. Your article is the first time anyone ever intimated (and I might add wrongly) that I somehow facilitated that measure’s passage.

• As for my sponsorship of legislation to provide tax breaks for companies producing digital media and to prohibit state regulation of Internet phone companies, there is no direct benefit for Rangam. The company is in the business of providing information technology programmers to other companies. Conceivably, they could be hired to produce software for digital media companies. But this would be a stretch. As Rangam’s chairman, I do not direct how or where company programmers are placed and I do not exercise jurisdiction on the company’s operations.

• On the occasions that arise when my profession in the information technology field intersects with my role as a state legislator, I have made it a policy to seek guidance and counsel from the Legislature’s non-partisan lawyers. I have been advised on multiple occasions that I may work for companies in my field of expertise and that conflicts most often arise when you are an owner of a private company and not when you are an employee – as is the case with me.

I have long sought to conduct myself in an ethical and professional manner. And while I take issue with the treatment I received in Mr. Tamari’s article, I acknowledge that his report does raise some valid questions about the current financial disclosure standards for state legislators.

If there are any shortcomings in the area of financial disclosure requirements, they should be thoroughly examined and addressed. At a time when increasing numbers of New Jerseyans are concerned about corruption in government, it’s imperative that we do all that we can to ensure high ethical standards and maximum public accountability.

Sincerely,

Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula

Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 8:07 am"


Online story here. Archived here.


(Note: Online stories may be taken down by their publisher after a period of time or made available for a fee. Links posted here is from the original online publication of this piece.)

(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff and Clippings have no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of these articles nor are Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff or Clippings endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Real Estate - Down Payment Fraud - Beazer Homes USA

Beazer Homes USA



New Jersey developments

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Corruption - Bergen Record - Chris Christie's Catches, 2002-2007

Chris Christie's catches - 2002-2007

http://northjersey.com/dngmedia/media_server/tr/2007/09/24hitlist/

Cases are sorted by year, then name. Click any asterisk (*) for the press release on that development.

Year Charged Last Name, First Name Office Party Municipality County Hometown Guilty Plea Convicted at Trial Charges Payoff ($) Sentence (months) Fine ($) Restitution ($)
2002 Auriemma, Joseph Township Administrator & Director of Operations for the Municipal Utilities Authority North Bergen Hudson Bloomfield Y accepting contractor bribes 33,792 36* 7,500 33,792
Barnes, Martin G Mayor D Paterson Passaic Paterson Y* accepting vendor gifts 200,000-350,000 37* 1,000
Bost, Sara B. Mayor (freeholder) D Irvington Essex Irvington Y* witness tampering in kickback probe 8,500 12 2,000
Braker, William C. Freeholder (former Deputy Director of the Jersey City Police Department) D Jersey City Hudson Jersey City Y* extorting county vendor 3,000 41*
Bridgeforth, Michael information officer, Immigration & Naturalization Service Newark Essex Yonkers, NY Y* embezzling checks 4,300 1,500
Condos, James Councilman R Asbury Park Monmouth Asbury Park Y accepting a liquor license from developer 35,000 15*
Davila-Colon, Freeholder D Jersey City Hudson Jersey City N Y* abetting extortion 10,000 30
Gibson, Robert E. director of public utilities and superintendent of water and sewer for the City of Camden Camden Camden Cherry Hill Y* extorting vendor 20,800 13
Gomez, Miladys assistant director Perth Amboy Housing Authority Perth Amboy Middlesex Edison Y embezzling federal housing subsidies 407,603 24 $407,603
Hernandez, Joseph purchasing agent, Municipal Utilities Authority North Bergen Hudson Y accepting gifts, rigging quotes 30* 18,500
Janiszewski, Robert* County Executive, Hudson and former assemblyman D Jersey City Hudson Y* extortion, tax evasion 100,000 41* 40,000
Mangullo, Conway director of public works Paterson Passaic Y* extorting contractor 7,500 7,500
Nixon, Kenneth E. Executive Director of the Asbury Park Housing Authority Asbury Park Monmouth Y* bribing officials to reappoint him
Perez, Peter Board of Commissioners member D North Bergen Hudson North Bergen Y* accepting cash and gifts from vendor 26,000 6 5,000 26,000
Richardson, John F. Superior Court Judge Somerset Y* failed to maintain records for client 2,500
Rodriguez, Ismael sheriff's officer Newark Essex Y* defrauded federal housing program 63,600
Russo, Dominick depurty U.S. Marshal Newark Essex Ocean Township N Y* conspiracy, mail fraud, embezzlement of public funds
Turner, Andrea service representative, Social Security Administration Elizabeth Union Linden Y conspiring to sell social secuirty cards 30
Vidal, Wilfredo municipal code official & electrical inspector Union City Hudson North Bergen N* Y extortion, tax fraud 41* 2,750 980
Weldon, Terrance D. Mayor & city manager (Asbury Park) D Ocean Twp Monmouth Ocean Township Y* extorting bribes from developers 60,000 58 20,000
Zappulla, Vincent mayoral aide D North Bergen Hudson North Bergen Y* insurance fraud with contractor 20,000 12,264
2003 Colon, Cecilio guard, Federal Correctional Insitution at Fort Dix Burlington Bronx, NY Y* accepting inmate bribes 350 500
D'Agosta, Frank detective, Jersey City Police Department Jersey City Hudson Jersey City Y* extorting illegal gambling business 13 15,000
DeMiro, Michael aide to county executive R Verona Essex Verona Y conspiring to obstruct probe *
LaVilla, Peter Mayor Guttenberg Hudson North Bergen Y* false tax return, misappropriating campaign contributions 5,000
Lewis, Marcella examination technician, New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission Elizabeth Union Plainfield Y selling driver's licenses 12 6,000
Malloy, Patrick G. Mayor New Hanover Twp Burlington New Hanover Twp Y obstructing justice in bid-rig probe 6* 30,000
Mathes Jr., James R. Council President D Camden Camden Camden N* Y accepting gifts from mob 27* 3,000
Murphy, Peter Passaic County Republican Party Chairman R Passaic Y mail fraud 11 20,000 72,800
Nash, James J. Township Administrator & treasurer of school funds for Bd of Ed New Hanover Twp Burlington New Hanover Twp Y* missapplying federal funds in a bid rig scheme 3* 25,000
Rackley, Otis L. special operation inspector, US Customs & Border Protection Newark Essex Blakeslee, Pa. / formerly Perth Amboy Y* accepting bribes to smuggle aliens 90*
Rivera, Elizabeth customer service representative, Social Security Administration Trenton Mercer Camden Y conspiring to sell social security cards 26 6,000
Rivera Asencio, Rebecca clerk, Social Secuirty Administration Trenton Mercer Trenton Y* selling social security cards to aliens 15 500
Russo, Anthony J. Mayor D Hoboken Hudson Hoboken Y* accepting bribes from accounting firm 317,000 30* 30,000 317,220
Saunders Sr., Kenneth E. Mayor R Asbury Park Monmouth Asbury Park N* Y conspiracy to bribe a council member 30
Spedaliere, Nicholas deputy U.S. Marshal Camden Camden Marlton Y* stole cash from a fugitive 11,778 6* 11,778
Thompson, Stephen W. Superior Court Judge R Camden Camden Haddon Township and Avalon N* Y traveling to Russia to have sex with a boy 120 25,000
Treffinger, James W. County Executive (U.S. Senate candidate) R Essex Verona Y* obstruction of justice, mail fraud 13* 5,000 29,471
2004 Anderson, Jean deputy registrar of the Hudson County Office of Vital Statistics Hudson Jersey City Y conspiring to sell birth certificates
Awan, Lori customer service representative, New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission Springfield Essex North Plainfield Y* selling driver's licenses
Bridges, Alfred W. Mayor D Ewing Township Mercer Ewing Township Y possession of crack cocaine * 5,000
Carlo, Linda customer service representative, New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission Springfield Essex Newark Y* selling driver's licenses 12 1,200
Feathers, Anita customer service representative, New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission Springfield Essex Sloatsburg, NY Y* selling driver's licenses 1,500
Harkins, Michael E. Executive Director of the Delaware River & Bay Authority R Wilmington, Del. Y billing for personal expenses 14 7,500 52,236
Haugabrook, Earl acting chief financial officer and director of finance for Irvington Township Irvington Essex Newark Y filing false tax returns
Horn, Tonya customer service representative, New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission Springfield Essesx Easton, Pa, formerly Scotch Plains Y* selling driver's licenses 12
Joyce, Lauren customer service representative, New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission Springfield Essex Union Township Y* selling driver's licenses 12
Kushner, Charles Commissioner, Port Authority NY-NJ D Essex Livingston Y tax evasion, witness tampering, illegal campaign contributions 24 40,000
Lambert Sr., James R. executive director of the Mercer County Improvement Authority R Trenton Mercer Hamilton Township Y* mail fraud, conspiracy to bribe mayor 5 6,000
Love, Linda examination technician, New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission Mount Holly Burlington Willingboro Y conspiring to sell 750 driver's licenses 30* 1,000
Moore, Shelina D. customer service representative, New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission Mount Holly Burlington Clemington Y selling driver's licenses 12*
Pablo, Lyliana customer service representative, New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission Springfield Essex Newark Y* conspiring to produce bogus driver's licenses 33
Parkin, Harry G. Chief of Staff to Mercer County Executive Robert Prunetti & member Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission Mercer Robbinsville N* Y mail fraud, attempted extortion 90 26,000
Peterson, Rita customer service representative, New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission Springfield Essex Newark Y selling driver's licenses 12
Turner, Zachary V. Councilman D East Orange Essex East Orange Y* conspiracy, extortion, mail fraud 90,000 30 84,800
Van Berry, Clinton Assistant Tax Collector Atlantic City Atlantic Galloway Township N* Y conspiring with wife to rob tax receipts 46 5,000
Vuola, Richard chairman Marlboro Township Municipal Utilities Authority D Marlboro Township Monmouth Marlboro Y* extortion, bribing official, false tax return 35,000 50* 25,000 15,000
Walden, Terence senior inspector, U.S. Customs & Border Protection Newark Essex Piscataway Y accepting bribes to smuggle illegal aliens 2,000 3,000
2005 Bethune, Peter K. state trooper Maple Shade Y* conspiracy to extort stock and money 37 1000
Broderick, Thomas undersheriff, asst. supervisor Monmouth highway dept, ex councilman R Marlboro Monmouth Y money laundering 15,000 4
Coughlin, Paul Mayor R Hazlet Monmouth Hazlet Y extorting contractor bribes 3,000 24 5,000
Cummings Jr., James M. director of facilities Paterson school district > Paterson Passaic Sparta Y accepting contractor bribes 50,000 cash, 28,000 in improvments 43 750,000
DeLisa, Joseph Councilman D West Long Branch Monmouth West Long Branch Y extorting bribe 1,500 15 5,000
Desena, Robert supervisor of emergency services, NJ Turnpike D Bayonne Hudson Bayonne Y accepting towing contractor bribes 3,831 3,800
Greenwald, Thomas A. Councilman R Far Hills Somerset Chatham Y conspiracy to launder illicit cash 25,900
Hamilton Jr., John J. Councilman D Asbury Park Monmouth Asbury Park awaiting trial accepting bribes 6,000
Hyer, Robert L. councilman R Keyport Monmouth Keyport deceased extorting contractor bribes 5,000
Iadanza, Richard Deputy Mayor R Neptune Twp Monmouth Neptune Y extorting bribes
Kessler, Stephen D. chairman of the Ocean Township Sewerage Authority Ocean Twp Monmouth Ocean Township Y accepting bribes 15,000
Larrison, Jr., Harry Freeholder director, Monmouth County Freehold Monmouth Ocean Grove deceased accepting bribes from developers 8,500
McCurnin, Joseph Operations Manager, Monmouth Cty Div of Transportation R Monmouth Y extorting bribes 1,000
Merla, John J. Mayor R Keyport Monmouth Keyport Y extorting bribes 24,000
Milone, Louis supervisor of maintenance and custodial services (schools) R Paterson Passaic Pompton Lakes Y accepting gifts 10,000 3,000 10,000
O'Grady, Raymond J. Committeeman (former mayor) R Middletown Monmouth Middletown N Y attempted extortion, accepting bribes, conspiracy 10,000 43 5,000
Palughi, Anthony Superintendent of Bridges, Monmouth County (former Long Branch councilman) R Monmouth Wall Y conspiracy to accept bribes 12,500
Scannapieco, Matthew V. Mayor R Marlboro Monmouth Marlboro Y accepting bribes, tax evasion 245,000
Senyszyn, Bohdan revenue agent, Internal Revenue Service Paterson Passaic Roxbury Twp awaiting trial preparing fraudulent returns, tax evasion 336,000
Townsend, Patsy R. Monmouth fire marshal, emergency management & code enforcer D Neptune Monmouth Neptune Y attempted extortion of bribe 1,000 6 2,000
Young, Stanley Planning Board member D Marlboro Township Monmouth Marlboro Y accepting bribes from developers 7,700
Zambrano, Paul R. Mayor D West Long Branch Monmouth West Long Branch Y extorting bribes from contractor 15,000
2006 Abate, Frank G. executive director Western Monmouth Utilities Authority D Marboro Monmouth Marlboro N Y accepting contractor gifts 4,800 home improv arch plans 51 10,000
Callaway, Craig council president D Atlantic City Atlantic Atlantic City Y accepting contractor bribes 36,000 40 $1,000
Davidson, Connie employee, General Services Administion, at Fort Monmouth Monmouth Red Bank Y arranging no-show jobs 12 waived 395,710
Foy Sr., Joseph mayor Burlington Twp Burlington Burlington Township Y* tax evasion 53,000 10,000
Hurt, Eric D. accounting manager, Hoboken Housing Authority Hoboken Hudson Jersey City Y* embezzlement 111,083 41 268,168
Jones, Gibb councilman D Atlantic City Atlantic Atlantic City Y extortion 5,000
Lukowiak, Anthony manager Newark Division of Sanitation R Newark Essesx Belleville Y accepting corrupt payments 24,000 45 waived 97,231
Lynch, John A. Senator D New Brunswick Middlesex New Brunswick Y mail fraud, tax evasion 120,000-200,000 39 50,000
Peterson, Mary Ann manager, Picatinny Arsenal Morris Lake Hopatcong Y conspiracy to embezzle 50,231 21,475
Rosario, Ramon councilman D Atlantic City Atlantic Atlantic City Y accepting bribes 14,000 10 $1,000
Rzeplinski, Michael programs director, General Services Administration, Fort Monmouth, and former Army supervisory engineer Monmouth Red Bank Y conspiracy to defraud US, tax evasion 46 waived 872,710
Sloan El, Ali councilman D Camden Camden Camden Y extorting bribes from contractor 36,000 20 waived
2007 Adams, Jayson school board president Pleasantville Atlantic awaiting indictment accepting bribes
Bryant, Wayne R. Senator D Lawnside Camden awaiting trial fraud, trading influence for no-show job
Callaway, Maurice "Pete" school board member Pleasantville Atlantic awaiting indictment accepting bribes
Cortez, Marisol Paterson Housing Authority Sect. 8 caseworker Paterson Passaic Y bribery 200
Cruz, Flora Paterson Housing Authority Sect. 8 caseworker D Paterson Passaic Y bribery 200
Griffin, Elisa Paterson Housing Authority Sect. 8 caseworker D Paterson Passaic Y bribery 1,900
Hackett Jr., Mims Assemblyman & Mayor D Orange Essex awaiting indictment accepting bribes
Holland, Lee Paterson Housing Authority Building Inspector D Paterson Passaic Y accepting bribes 600
Hooks, Mark Building Inspector D Passaic Passaic awaiting indictment extortion 500
Jackson, Marcellus Councilman D Passaic Passaic awaiting indictment accepting bribes
James, Sharpe Senator and Mayor D Newark Essex awaiting trial abusing credit cards, fraudulent land sales 58,000 credit
Kaplan, Richard construction inspector / asst. zoning officer New Brunswick Middlesex Y accepting contractor bribes 30,000 30 30,000
Lane, Yolanda Lead Paint Inspector Paterson Passaic Y extortion 300
March, Louis Court Clerk Newark Essex awaiting indictment extorting bribes to fix records 4,000
McCormick, James T. school board member Pleasantville Atlantic awaiting indictment accepting bribes
Morgan, George Passaic Valley Water Commission employee Clifton Passaic Y conspiracy to extort 200
Nunez, Javier Paterson Housing Authority employee Paterson Passaic Y conspiring to accept bribes 500
Ortiz, Victor Building Inspector PHA Paterson Passaic awaiting trial conspiracy to extort 4,750
Pressley, James school board trustee Pleasantville Atlantic awaiting indictment accepting bribes
Ramos, Benny Deputy Director Paterson Housing Authority D Paterson Passaic awaiting indictment bribery 3,000
Reaves, Princess Deputy Court Administrator D Paterson Passaic awaiting trial bribery 2,500
Reid, Keith O. chief of staff to City Council president D Newark Essex awaiting indictment accepting bribes
Rivera, Samuel Mayor Passaic Passaic awaiting indictment accepting bribes
Roach, Linda supervisory clerk typist Dept Community, Planning & Eco Dev D New Brunswick Middlesex Y extorting bribes from contractors 5,000
Rosa, Maria Paterson Housing Authority Sect. 8 caseworker Paterson Passaic Y conspiring to accept bribes
Scarpelli, Joseph C. Mayor D Brick Twp Monmouth Brick Township Y* extorting bribes from developers 5,000
Schweidereick, Robert Passaic Valley Water Com employee Clifton Passaic Y attempted extortion 830
Soto, Jonathan Councilman D Passaic Passaic awaiting indictment accepting bribes
Steele, Alfred E. Assemblyman & Undersheriff D Paterson Passaic awaiting indictment accepting bribes 15,500

Vacca, Joseph

assistant to the director of facilities, Paterson Board of Education

Paterson Passaic West Paterson Y

accepted bribe from contractor

3,000 5 years probation 12,000
Valvano, Matthew P. building inspector D Linden Union awaiting indictment extorting bribes from contractor 10,500
Velez, Rafael school board trustee Pleasantville Atlantic awaiting indictment accepting bribes
Walker, William director of housing rehabilitation New Brunswick Middlesex awaiting trial extorting bribes from contractors 112,500
Williams, Standley Building Inspector Paterson Passaic Y conspiracy to accept bribes 6,750
Woods, Darrell supervisor, Federal Aviation Administration Galloway Twp Atlantic Winslow Township Y* accepting bribes in a procurement fraud 159,000

Posted 10/7/2007

About Me

Plainfield resident since 1983. Retired as the city's Public Information Officer in 2006; prior to that Community Programs Coordinator for the Plainfield Public Library. Founding member and past president of: Faith, Bricks & Mortar; Residents Supporting Victorian Plainfield; and PCO (the outreach nonprofit of Grace Episcopal Church). Supporter of the Library, Symphony and Historic Society as well as other community groups, and active in Democratic politics.