posted on September 6, 2007 09:25:57 PM new
Let's see, isn't NJ one of our more LIBERAL states. lol
11 N.J. Officials Arrested on Corruption
Sep 6, 7:18 PM (ET)
By TOM HESTER Jr.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - FBI agents arrested 11 public officials in towns across New Jersey Thursday on charges of taking bribes in exchange for influencing the awarding of public contracts, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Two of those arrested are state lawmakers, two are mayors, three are city councilmen, and several served on the school board in Pleasantville, where the scandal began.
All 11, plus a private individual, are accused of taking cash payments of $1,500 to $17,500 to influence who received public contracts, according to criminal complaints.
"Today we witnessed another example of the disease that affects the state of New Jersey; the disease of public corruption that spread like wildfire from south to north," said the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, Christopher J. Christie.
(AP) Assemblyman Alfred E. Steele, D-Passaic, is seen at the Statehouse in Trenton, N.J., in this June...
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All 12 suspects, wearing handcuffs and leg shackles, made initial court appearances on Thursday afternoon. The charges against them were explained, they were advised of their rights and a $200,000 unsecured bond - to be paid only if they miss a court appearance - was set for each.
A federal complaint charges each of the 12 with accepting payments from companies that offered insurance and roofing services to cities and school districts, Drewniak said.
Christie said officials in Pleasantville "then took federal law enforcement officials unwittingly on a corruption tour of New Jersey."
The investigation began last year with Pleasantville schools, near Atlantic City, Drewniak said. The FBI established an undercover insurance brokerage company purporting to employ the government's two cooperating witnesses and undercover agents.
The probe widened when Pleasantville school board members referred the cooperating witnesses to public officials in northern New Jersey, Drewniak said.
(AP) Mims Hackett Jr., mayor of Orange, N.J., and a state Assemblyman, is seen during a stem cell...
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Democratic state Assemblymen Mims Hackett Jr.D and Alfred E. Steele were arrested, as was Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera. Also arrested were Keith Reid, the chief of staff to Newark's City Council president; Passaic councilmen Jonathan Soto and Marcellus Jackson; two current Pleasantville school board members, three former board members and a private citizen. One of the former school board members is now a Pleasantville city councilman.
"This is another sad day for the people of New Jersey," said Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce. "Once again, New Jersey's culture of corruption is national news."
Rivera is a former police officer and professional wrestler.
Hackett, 65, is both a legislator and mayor of Orange, a city of about 33,000 residents 15 miles west of New York City. He was convicted of kidnapping in 1975 and sentenced to 30 years in prison, but was pardoned a year later when the victim recanted and Hackett's cousin confessed.
Hackett is accused of accepting $5,000 in bribes, according to the complaint.
A phone message left at Hackett's office wasn't immediately returned Thursday. Neither were messages left at Reid's and Rivera's offices.
Steele, an assemblyman since 1996 and deputy speaker since 2002, also serves as a Baptist minister in Paterson. He's charged with accepting $14,000 in bribes, according to the complaint. He had been Passaic County undersheriff but resigned from the $89,900-per-year post on Thursday, said sheriff's spokesman Bill Maer.
Attorneys for Steele and Hackett both said they expect the legislators to plead not guilty, but declined additional comment.
Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr., D-Camden, said he was "absolutely sickened" by the arrests of the two assembly members.
One of the former school board members, Maurice "Pete" Callaway, is now a Pleasantville city councilman and the brother of former Atlantic City Council President Craig Callaway, who is serving time in federal prison from stemming from an unrelated corruption scheme.
"It's just a horrible day in Pleasantville," said John Deserable, a monitor sent by the state Department of Education to oversee the district's finances. "It's another black eye to the district that we don't need. The children deserve better than this."
Thursday's arrests were the latest in an anti-corruption campaign waged by Christie's office.
More than 100 public officials in the state have been convicted on federal corruption charges in the last five years. Two other Democratic state senators, Wayne Bryant of Lawnside and Sharpe James of Newark, are among others facing pending corruption charges.
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Associated Press writers David Porter, Janet Frankston Lorin and Matthew Verrinder in Newark, Angela Delli Santi in Trenton and Wayne Parry in Atlantic City contributed to this report.
posted on September 7, 2007 07:23:10 AM new
New Jersey is a state like NY and PA. It is all red except for the big cities. There are enough illegals and tax recipients in Newark, Camden and the surrounding areas to outvote the rest of us unless something "gets out the vote" in the rest of the state. So we get liberal gos and the electoral votes mostly go to Dems, but then the gov is paralyzed in putting through "seeing eye dogs for blind illegal alien" type programs by the legislature.
posted on September 7, 2007 11:48:13 AM new
Thanks desquirrel. I always appreciate your input.
Speaking of NY....have you ever read/heard anything about a community/town/small rural area in NY, where those on public assistance make up 80% of their population?
I laughed so hard when a liberal post that...without verification. 80%!!! I'd love to know what city/town THAT is.
Maybe the freeloaders have found a place in NY where they can thrive or commiserate together. lol
I just wondered if you know where in NY that might be. Or if Classic might know.
I can't imagine there are that many all in one place.
posted on September 7, 2007 11:52:43 AM new
No,I never heard of that.Being that fact that everyone has moved up here in my town from Westchester Co.and NYC,the housing has soared.
In 1992 we paid $172,000 for our house-its now worth $550,000.At least I know its not my town LOL
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If you look like your passport photo, you probably need the trip
[ edited by classicrock000 on Sep 7, 2007 08:45 PM ]
posted on September 7, 2007 12:31:40 PM new
Thanks Classic. I couldn't believe it...and she wouldn't verify it. I was expected to take her word for it. lol
She was just whining about how bad things are all over her area when most of our economy is doing quite well. But hey, did I mention she was a hands-out liberal, looking for more 'FREE' benefits, provided by those who DO work, didn't I?
posted on September 7, 2007 08:45:00 PM new
"But hey, did I mention she was a hands-out liberal, looking for more 'FREE' benefits, provided by those who DO work, didn't I?"
been talking to my wifes cat again heh?
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If you look like your passport photo, you probably need the trip
posted on September 7, 2007 10:07:10 PM new
Well....imo, the liberals are very much like cats. They LOVE being taken care of, not having to do much of anything and then believe they are really very independent beings - even those on some sort of public assistance. lol
posted on September 8, 2007 04:45:11 AM new
Yo Crowfart-how much is your house worth? Ya still got that rusted out ol barrel that looks like its filled with toxic waste in your back yard??? LOL
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If you look like your passport photo, you probably need the trip
posted on September 9, 2007 10:33:55 AM new
Want to read a detailed description of all 11 DEMOCRATS who were caught in their corruption? Read this site where you can see a picture of each on and read their backgrounds:
"In a snort-worthy, empty political gesture, Democrat Gov Jon Corzine did his best Nancy “Clean House” Pelosi impression–proposing “reforms” that have nothing to do with the corruption at hand:
By Michelle Malkin • September 8, 2007 02:46 PM Update 9/9 9:30apm Eastern.
I mentioned the big political bust in NJ that snagged 11 Democrats two days ago. A sham company set up by the FBI paid bribes to the officials. It’s worth taking a closer look at the case and the criminal complaints, which the USAO’s office in NJ has made available online.
In a nutshell, the corruption arrests of nearly a dozen public officials “continues to scratch the surface of the problem we have here in New Jersey,” U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said at a press conference announcing the sting. “I thought I could no longer be surprised by a combination of brazenness, arrogance and stupidity,” Christie said, “but the people elected in this state continue to defy description.”
Yep. They don’t call my home state the “armpit of the nation” for nothing.
Let’s start with Sammy Rivera, the mayor of Passaic and a prominent friend of Hillary.
[and the list of all 11 continues on] tsk tsk tsk
Kind of reminds me of all the corruption by dems in Chicago that's LONG been occuring there.
posted on September 11, 2007 09:32:27 AM new
No, Stone. I'm saying that most POLITICIANS are blood sucking parasites. The democrats don't have a lock on this behavior, so don't act so holier-than-thou!
Are YOU a Bunghole?