Tag:

Corruption

Jersey City Mayor Ditches Murphy, Endorses Kim In NJ Senate Race Jersey City Mayor Ditches Murphy, Endorses Kim In NJ Senate Race
Jersey City Mayor Ditches Murphy, Endorses Kim In NJ Senate Race Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop has seen enough from Tammy Murphy's Senate campaign. Fulop announced he is switching his endorsement to Rep. Andy Kim, saying he made a mistake in endorsing Murphy, the wife of Gov. Phil Murphy.  "Clearly I made one here and this convention season has demonstrated he is the better candidate to represent NJ," Fulop, who is running for governor in 2025 said. "The backbone of our party volunteers and activists have spoken loudly and we should listen to them." The Jersey City mayor initially endorsed Murphy last year, but said on Reporters Roundtable on Frid…
Correctional Officer Charged With Taking Bribes To Smuggle Drugs, Tobacco, More Into NJ Jail Correctional Officer Charged With Taking Bribes To Smuggle Drugs, Tobacco, More Into NJ Jail
Correctional Officer Charged With Taking Bribes To Smuggle Drugs, Tobacco, More Into NJ Jail A New Jersey correctional police officer pocketed thousands of dollars in bribes from inmates in exchange for smuggling drugs, tobacco and other contraband into the Mercer County jail, authorities charged. Tyree L. Hobbs, 39, of Hamilton, was on the take for nearly five years, beginning in 2017 -- less than a year after he joined the Mercer County Department of Corrections, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. And although he paid some inmates in cash, others paid the $300 to $2,500 fee per delivery through mobile apps, the attorney general said. A grand jury in Trenton ind…
Sen. Cory Booker Says Bob Menendez Should Resign Sen. Cory Booker Says Bob Menendez Should Resign
Sen. Cory Booker Says Bob Menendez Should Resign Senator Cory Booker has joined the chorus of New Jersey politicians calling for Sen. Bob Menendez's resignation after Menendez and his wife were indicted on federal bribery charges last week. Booker said the trust and faith New Jerseysians had in Menendez have been shaken in light of the recent indictments, which he called "shocking" and said were "hard to reconcile with the person I know." "Senator Menendez fiercely asserts his innocence and it is therefore understandable that he believes stepping down is patently unfair," Booker said. "I believe this is a mistake. "Stepping down is not a…
Last Of His Kind: Powerbroking Former Passaic County Sheriff Edwin Englehardt Dies At 93 Last Of His Kind: Powerbroking Former Passaic County Sheriff Edwin Englehardt Dies At 93
Last Of His Kind: Powerbroking Former Passaic County Sheriff Edwin Englehardt Dies At 93 He was the last of a bygone breed, a no-nonsense New Jersey political kingpin whose blessing or disapproval made or broke careers. Former Passaic County Sheriff Edwin “Eddie” Englehardt was heavy-handed, for sure – “this is not a country club,” he said of the jail he ran with an iron fist for nearly three decades. And he was, by nature, politically motivated in virtually all things. A Republican in a Democrat-denominated county, Englehardt nonetheless received deference, if not outright allegiance, from those on the other side of the political aisle. He also withstood a barrage of fed…
Essex Jail Officer, GF Stung By FBI In Scheme To Smuggle In Tobacco, Cell Phones: Feds Essex Jail Officer, GF Stung By FBI In Scheme To Smuggle In Tobacco, Cell Phones: Feds
Essex Jail Officer, GF Stung By FBI In Scheme To Smuggle In Tobacco, Cell Phones: Feds A corrections officer and his girlfriend were busted for smuggling tobacco and cellphones into the Essex County Jail from a source who turned out to be an undercover FBI agent, federal authorities said. Efrin Wade, 34, and Yairisa Lizardo, 29, both of Jersey City, accepted $14,000 for the illegal acts and apparently were counting on another $30,000 when they were busted, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger said following their arrests on Tuesday, March 14. Wade, who’d worked as a corrections officer at the Essex County Correctional Facility (ECCF) in Newark since February 2020, be…
UPDATE: NJ Admits Errors, Clears Correctional Officer Over Motorcycle Gang Membership, Side Gig UPDATE: NJ Admits Errors, Clears Correctional Officer Over Motorcycle Gang Membership, Side Gig
Update: NJ Admits Errors, Clears Correctional Officer Over Motorcycle Gang Membership, Side Gig New Jersey authorities have dropped a case against a correctional police officer who'd been accused of hiding his membership in two outlaw motorcycle gangs. Ruben Morales, who worked at the state prison in Newark, had also been accused of hiding a food truck business he worked on the side. All of the accusations were recently nullified, however, with the dismissal of a state indictment that had been filed against him. Morales, a correctional officer for nearly 20 years, had publicly professed his innocence since the announcement of the indictment in early 2021. Things finally changed last…
Cash-For-Kids Ex-Judges Fined $200 Million In Pennsylvania: AP Cash-For-Kids Ex-Judges Fined $200 Million In Pennsylvania: AP
Cash-For-Kids Ex-Judges Fined $200 Million In Pennsylvania: AP A Harrisburg, PA judge has ordered two former judges to pay $200 million to the families of children sent to prison as part of their kickback scheme, the Associated Press reports.   Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan, both former judges in the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas, were found guilty in 2009 for charges in connection with a scheme that involved them using their positions to shutter county-run juvenile detention center, siphoning children from the juvenile court to PA Child Care and its sister facility, Western PA Child Care, according to court records.  Childr…
Brick City Bribery: Newark Councilman Admits Taking Kickbacks Brick City Bribery: Newark Councilman Admits Taking Kickbacks
Brick City Bribery: Newark Councilman Admits Taking Kickbacks A sitting Newark councilman admitted pocketing payoffs in exchange for influence, federal authorities said. West Ward Councilman Joseph A. McCallum Jr., 66, schemed to receive under-the-table bribes and kickbacks from consultant Malik Frederick, an FBI complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Newark says. The kickbacks were "funded by developers, contracting companies, and other businesses seeking contracts and approvals principally related to development, construction, and real estate projects and deals in Newark,” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Frederick solicited the de…
ONLY IN JERSEY: Convicted Paterson Mayor Busted For Illegally Trying To Run Again ONLY IN JERSEY: Convicted Paterson Mayor Busted For Illegally Trying To Run Again
Only IN Jersey: Convicted Paterson Mayor Busted For Illegally Trying To Run Again People told former Paterson Mayor Joey Torres that he couldn't run for mayor again after being convicted of corruption in office. He wasn't listening, though. That changed on Friday, March 11, when state authorities announced that they'd charged Torres, 63, with criminal contempt. “State law provides that any person convicted of a crime involving their public office will be forever barred from holding another public position in New Jersey,” Acting New Jersey Attorney General Platkin said. “To promote public trust and integrity in government, we must ensure that this law and the court orders…
Indictment: Inmate In Burned-Body Case Got Drugs, More Into NJ Prison Through Sister, Guard Indictment: Inmate In Burned-Body Case Got Drugs, More Into NJ Prison Through Sister, Guard
Indictment: Inmate In Burned-Body Case Got Drugs, More Into NJ Prison Through Sister, Guard A New Jersey convict serving time for helping burn a shooting victim's body distributed drugs, mini-cellphones and other contraband to fellow inmates with help from his sister and a crooked correctional officer, authorities charged. James "NuNu" Todd, 30, and his sister, Hassanah Todd, 32, paid the now-former officer to smuggle items that included synthetic cannabinoid -- otherwise known as "K2' -- into Northern State Prison in Newark, Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said Tuesday. Todd had been serving time there following his 2013 conviction for helping another man dispose of the b…
Four More NJ Prison Officers Charged In Vicious Beatings Of Female Inmates Four More NJ Prison Officers Charged In Vicious Beatings Of Female Inmates
Four More NJ Prison Officers Charged In Vicious Beatings Of Female Inmates UPDATE: Four more correctional officers have been charged in the brutal beating and pepper-spraying of inmates at a New Jersey women’s prison, bringing the total to eight, authorities announced Thursday. Of the four officers newly charged for the January incident at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility, one is from Maywood, another from Paterson, a third from Somerset and the other from East Piscataway. All four senior officers “purposely or knowingly attempted to cause serious bodily injury to inmates as an accomplice or as a principal by using force beyond what was objectively reasonable …
Jersey Shore Ex-Bloomberg Construction Chief Gets 3½ Years In Fed Pen For Bid-Rigging Scheme Jersey Shore Ex-Bloomberg Construction Chief Gets 3½ Years In Fed Pen For Bid-Rigging Scheme
Jersey Shore Ex-Bloomberg Construction Chief Gets 3½ Years In Fed Pen For Bid-Rigging Scheme A former construction executive with Bloomberg LP was sentenced to 3½ years in federal prison Tuesday in connection for masterminding a bid-rigging scheme that prosecutors said netted him an estimated $1.45 million in bribes. Anthony Guzzone of Middletown admitted last summer that he ducked taxes on the dirty money by not reporting it to the IRS. It was part of more than $6 million that federal authorities said he and other Bloomberg managers collected – in cash – from subcontractors over more than eight years Guzzone, 52, also got free construction work on his home and tickets to the Supe…
Ex-Newark Police Officer Goes To Fed Pen For 9 Years For Kickback Scheme Ex-Newark Police Officer Goes To Fed Pen For 9 Years For Kickback Scheme
Ex-Newark Police Officer Goes To Fed Pen For 9 Years For Kickback Scheme A former Newark police officer is headed to federal prison for the next nine years for paying kickbacks to a corrupt official for a private security contract. Janell Robinson, 45, of Newark must serve just about all of the entire sentence because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Jurors in U.S. District Court in Newark convicted Robinson last February of conspiring in a massive corruption scheme with Linda Watkins Brashear, the former executive director of the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation (NWCDC). The NWCDC provided water to half a million New Jer…
Brick City Backhander: Feds Charge Newark Councilman With Taking Payoffs For Influence Brick City Backhander: Feds Charge Newark Councilman With Taking Payoffs For Influence
Brick City Backhander: Feds Charge Newark Councilman With Taking Payoffs For Influence Federal agents caught a sitting Newark City Council member pocketing payoffs in exchange for influence, authorities said Tuesday. West Ward Councilman Joseph A. McCallum Jr., 65, was charged with soliciting and collecting bribes and kickbacks at the same time that a consultant from the city, 60-year-old Malik Frederick, was pleading guilty to his role in the scheme, they said. McCallum “schemed to receive concealed bribes and kickbacks from Frederick, funded by developers, contracting companies, and other businesses seeking contracts and approvals principally related to development, constru…
Consultant Admits Bribing Former NJ Assemblyman Consultant Admits Bribing Former NJ Assemblyman
Consultant Admits Bribing Former NJ Assemblyman A computer consultant admitted in federal court Wednesday that he bribed a former New Jersey state assemblyman currently under indictment in connection with a series of kickback schemes. Jeanmarie Zahore, 56, of Rahway told a U.S. District Court judge in Newark via teleconference that he made the corrupt payments when Willis Edwards III was the acting business administrator for the city of Orange. Zahore received a $350,000 contract without competitive bidding from the Orange City Council in September 2015 for JZ Nettech, a computer consulting business that he operated from his home, U.S. A…
NJ State Trooper Charged With Pulling Woman Over, Following Her Home To Hit On Her NJ State Trooper Charged With Pulling Woman Over, Following Her Home To Hit On Her
NJ State Trooper Charged With Pulling Woman Over, Following Her Home To Hit On Her A New Jersey state trooper stalked a woman while on duty, authorities said Friday. Michael Patterson, 28, of Bayonne first stopped the female motorist for an unspecified offense on the New Jersey Turnpike on Jan. 28, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. After letting her go with a warning, Paterson “conducted a second, unwarranted stop of her vehicle a few minutes later when she exited the Turnpike at Exit 11….in order to make unwanted advances on the woman,” Grewal said. Patterson “put the victim in fear by following her to her home in his patrol vehicle,” the attorney …
Former Passaic Mayor Samuel 'Sammy' Rivera Dies Former Passaic Mayor Samuel 'Sammy' Rivera Dies
Former Passaic Mayor Samuel 'Sammy' Rivera Dies Former Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera has died in a nursing home in Pennsylvania, current Mayor Hector Carlos Lora confirmed Friday. He was 73. A cause of death wasn't immediately disclosed. "As a city we extend our condolences to the Rivera family on the passing of former Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera," Lora wrote. "I still speak to people today who share stories of how he helped them personally and how much he cared about people.  "Many in our community can remember his approach to cleaning up the streets of violent crimes and how visible he was in Passaic," the mayor said. Born in Caye…
Fed Jurors Convict Ex-Newark Police Officer Of Paying Kickbacks For No-Show Security Contract Fed Jurors Convict Ex-Newark Police Officer Of Paying Kickbacks For No-Show Security Contract
Fed Jurors Convict Ex-Newark Police Officer Of Paying Kickbacks For No-Show Security Contract Federal jurors in Newark convicted a former city police officer on Monday of paying kickbacks to a corrupt official for a no-show private security contract. Janell Robinson, 42, of Newark, was the ninth and final defendant convicted in a scheme to siphon money from the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation (NWCDC). Jurors deliberated for two hours before finding Robinson guilty of conspiring in a massive corruption scheme with Linda Watkins Brashear, the former executive director of the NWCDC, which provided water to half a million New Jersey residents before it was clos…
Crooked Paterson Utilities Commissioner Sentenced To 35 Months In Fed Pen Crooked Paterson Utilities Commissioner Sentenced To 35 Months In Fed Pen
Crooked Paterson Utilities Commissioner Sentenced To 35 Months In Fed Pen A former commissioner with the now-defunct Paterson Municipal Utilities Authority is headed to federal prison for nearly three years for a pair of kickback schemes. Erik Lowe, 51, of Paterson, previously pleaded guilty in exchange for leniency at Monday’s sentencing in U.S. District Court in Newark. He must serve just about all of the term because they’re no parole in the federal prison system. Lowe admitted conspiring with contractor Carnell Baskerville, who was sentenced two years ago to a plea-bargained 21 months in federal prison for his role in the scheme, U.S. Attorney Craig Carp…
Trump Asked To Intercede After Secret Police Seize Bergen County Activist In Nigerian Courtroom Trump Asked To Intercede After Secret Police Seize Bergen County Activist In Nigerian Courtroom
Trump Asked To Intercede After Secret Police Seize Bergen County Activist In Nigerian Courtroom The sudden re-arrest Friday in a Nigerian courtroom of an activist and journalist from Bergen County just hours after he’d been freed on bail prompted Sen. Bob Menendez to threaten that country’s government with reprisals, while supporters implored President Trump to intercede. Twitter posts captured the chaotic federal courtroom scene in the capital of city Abuja (see video below). "New Jersey is watching, the United States is watching, and the world is watching," Menendez said Saturday morning, after Omoyele Sowore, of Haworth, was seized by members of Nigeria's Department of State Secur…
N.J. Congresswoman Joins Call For Trump Impeachment Inquiry N.J. Congresswoman Joins Call For Trump Impeachment Inquiry
N.J. Congresswoman Joins Call For Trump Impeachment Inquiry A congresswoman from North Jersey was one of seven freshman Democrats to pen an op-ed in The Washington Post Monday calling for impeachment proceedings to begin against President Donald Trump.  Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11), whose district is centered in Morris County and includes parts of Passaic, Essex and Sussex counties, was part of a group who are either military veterans or who worked in some other capacity in national security. Sherrill, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, flew helicopters for the Navy.  The lawmakers said in their op-ed that Trump's attempts to get the Ukrainian p…
FEDERAL CASE: Ex-Paterson Police Officer Admits Beating, Robbing Suspects, Ordinary Citizens FEDERAL CASE: Ex-Paterson Police Officer Admits Beating, Robbing Suspects, Ordinary Citizens
Federal CASE: Ex-Paterson Police Officer Admits Beating, Robbing Suspects, Ordinary Citizens A now-former Paterson police officer is headed to federal prison for at least 2½ years after admitting Tuesday that he beat and robbed suspects as well as ordinary citizens. Frank Toledo, 30, is one of seven rogue officers that the U.S. government has recently helped the city police department remove from its ranks, authorities in Paterson said. Toledo pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Newark to conspiring to violate citizens’ civil rights in the Silk City as part of a deal with federal prosecutors that will bring him a shorter prison sentence than if he’d been convicted at a…
Former Hudson County Official Accused Of Taking Bribes Former Hudson County Official Accused Of Taking Bribes
Former Hudson County Official Accused Of Taking Bribes A Jersey City woman who worked for Hudson County’s Office on Aging took bribes to funnel patients in need of health aides to a businessperson who turned out to be a witness for the government, the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey said. Myrtha Nicolas, 61, was charged last week with extortion under color of official right. She was released on a $100,000 bond. Nicolas served as a referral coordinator who connected disabled patients with companies that provide health aides as part of an effort by the state to help patients live independently.  In June 2016, a self-employed executive of a ho…
Waldwick Contractor Admits Paying Tens Of Thousands In Kickbacks For No-Show Paterson MUA Jobs Waldwick Contractor Admits Paying Tens Of Thousands In Kickbacks For No-Show Paterson MUA Jobs
Waldwick Contractor Admits Paying Tens Of Thousands In Kickbacks For No-Show Paterson MUA Jobs A Paterson-based contractor from Waldwick admitted in federal court Wednesday that he paid kickbacks in exchange for work – much of it for work that was never done -- from the now-defunct Paterson Municipal Utilities Authority. Anthony Cacciola, 47, told a U.S. District Court judge in Newark that he conspired with then-MUA commissioner Erik Lowe to jack up the cost of contracts for fence installation and repair. He said he then kicked back the padded thousands to Lowe, who, exercising control over the MUA’s infancies, steered more contracts his way. Near the end of the scheme, U.S. Attorne…
BREAKING: Bribe-Taking Passaic Councilman Hired By Murphy Resigns, Grewal Launches Hiring Probe BREAKING: Bribe-Taking Passaic Councilman Hired By Murphy Resigns, Grewal Launches Hiring Probe
Breaking: Bribe-Taking Passaic Councilman Hired By Murphy Resigns, Grewal Launches Hiring Probe A former Passaic councilman who was hired by Gov. Murphy even though he served federal prison time for taking bribes has resigned amid a firestorm of controversy. At the same time, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal -- a former federal prosecutor himself -- said he's ordered an investigation into how Marcellus Jackson was able to get the job in the first place. Other people with criminal records who've been hired by the state will be forced to resign, as well, and steps will be taken to prevent it from happening again, the attorney general said. In a statement issued early Friday even…