New Jersey government corruption
From Sunshine Review
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New Jersey councilman pleads guilty to extortion
Kenny admitted to meeting the government informant on two separate occasions; March 23rd and 30th of 2009. At the meetings, Kenny was deceived into believing that the government informant was a real estate developer who had an interest in promoting a condominium project. The government informant offered Kenny two payments of $2,500 on the condition that Kenny would use his political clout to work on behalf of approvals for his buildings. Kenny accepted both payments. He then donated the money to his campaign fund [1].
In April, Kenny was appointed to fill a vacancy on the city council. He was subsequently elected to the position in May. He was not charged until October. [2].
Study shows state ARRA web sites need improvement
TRENTON, New Jersey: The New Jersey State Auditor's Office has expressed concern about the apparent lack of transparency state officials have had about the state's $17 billion share of stimulus funding. In an effort to increase transparency and encourage accountability, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act included provisions for states to demonstrate their transparency about how the state funds are spent through creation of informative web sites.[3]
However, according to the non-profit research group Good Jobs First, most states are not doing well. In a recent study, average state websites rated 28.2 out of 100 in terms of transparency, with only 6 states above 50. Among the features that were evaluated were jobs data, project and program status, spending flows, distribution of funds within the state, contract award processes, and user friendliness of the sites. Less than half of the state sites provided detailed information about stimulus projects and only 4 states included information about jobs created.[4] [5]
The second accused mayor In New Jersey corruption scandal resigns
Last week, Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano, 32, was arrested and accused of taking $25,000 in bribes. Friday he resigned, less than a month after he was sworn in.
There were 40 people arrested in the ground breaking New Jersey scandal after a federal probe uncovered the political corruption, human organ sales and money laundering linking New York and Israel.
The public officials accused in the scandal face charges of taking bribes in exchange for helping to get permits and projects prioritized and approved. They are also charged with steering contracts to the witness.
"Regrettably, it has turned out that the controversy surrounding the charges against me has become a distraction to me and an impediment to the functioning of Hoboken government," Cammarano, a Democrat, said in his resignation letter.
"I am innocent of any criminal charges and I intend to fight the allegations against me."
New Jersey mayors, lawmakers arrested in corruption case
The corruption scandal connected money laundering operations between Brooklyn, N.Y.; Deal, N.J.; and Israel. There was an alleged tens of millions of dollars filtered through Jewish charities that rabbis controlled in New York and New Jersey.
Prosecutors utilized an informant, a real estate developer charged with bank fraud three years ago, to help them ascertain corrupt politicians by having the informant pose as a crooked businessman. The informant then paid a string of public officials tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to get approvals for buildings and other New Jersey projects.[6]
New Jersey Judge schedules sentencing of State Sen. Wayne Bryant
Bryant was a Camden County Democrat senator who served for 25 years. He was convicted of fraud and bribery for taking a low-work job at the School of Osteopathic Medicine at UMDNJ in exchange for siphoning $10.5 million in state funding toward the Stratford school as head of the Senate Budget Committee.
The former senator was also convicted of pension fraud for sending law firm associates to work as a solicitor in his stead for the Gloucester County Board of Social Services. He acquired about $50,000 a year for this function, done by these lawyers.[6]
Key step forward in the quest for public records
Tina Renna of Cranford, NJ was refused information by Union County because they would not recognize her March 13, 2006 e-mail as a valid means of asking for the public information. Renna sought a copy of a government resolution, Union County Resolution No. 42- 2005.[7]
Audit finds UMDNJ spent big on cell phone service for terminated employees
"The state's medical university, which spends more than $1 million a year for pagers and cellular phones, cannot account for many of them, according to a confidential internal audit.
The auditors, whose report was obtained by The Star-Ledger, found the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey was paying for cell phones still held by terminated employees, and also was paying for expanded services -- such as cell phone picture messaging -- that the auditors questioned. Their report also said the university is not tracking personal phone usage by its employees -- a violation of Internal Revenue Service regulations."
In the end, high court prefers more secrecy
"The state Supreme Court last week struck another blow against open government in New Jersey. That should hardly surprise us in a political environment that so greatly favors secrecy.
At issue was the request in Bergen County of nearly 8 million pages in land title records dating to 1984 by a company that creates electronic databases for the information. The cost of providing all the requested copies would have been about $19,000. But the high court gave permission to the clerk to charge more than $460,000 to block out Social Security numbers on the documents."
Court rules for county clerk in records case
"A North Jersey county clerk is allowed to charge a company more than $460,000 to block out Social Security numbers on 22 years of land transaction records, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday.
At issue is a request to the Bergen County clerk for 8 million pages of land title records dating to 1984 by Data Trace Services, a technology company that operates land record databases in 25 states and sells electronic access to the data it gathers."
Firm wins fight for real estate data
"The state's highest court told Bergen County yesterday to release 8 million pages of real estate documents -- including mortgage information -- to fulfill a request filed under the state's public records law, but that Social Security numbers included in them must be kept private.
The justices also said the company requesting the information should pay the $460,000 it will cost the county to remove the Social Security numbers from records spanning more than two decades."
Transaction documents to be released to public
"Release the documents.
That was the order from a judge to township officials who denied a public records request filed by a resident who is a frequent critic of local officials.
The resident, Larry Loigman, had asked for a list of documents relating to financial transactions between the town and former township manager David R. Kochel. When Ocean Township refused to provide most of those documents, Loigman, a general-practice attorney, filed suit Feb. 25 in state Superior Court, Monmouth County."
Ocean City weighs hourly fee for researching records
"The City Clerk's Office is a sort of library for local government records.
But City Council on Thursday considered whether its employees must serve as unpaid librarians for members of the public who launch a fishing expedition.
Council debated enacting a new hourly fee for public-records requests that require time-consuming research by city employees. The city proposed charging $20 per hour for the first five hours of research."
Township is withholding public records, suit says
"The town is withholding public records to hide evidence of "unlawful" payments made to the former township manager, a local resident has charged.
The charge stems from a public-records request that Larry Loigman, a resident and frequent critic of township officials, submitted in January. In the request, Loigman asked for a list of documents relating to financial transactions between the town and former manager David R. Kochel.
Ocean Township declined to provide most of those documents. So Loigman, a general-practice attorney, has filed suit in Superior Court in Monmouth County. The case is scheduled to be heard March 31."
GOP takes e-mail case to NJ court
"Republican Party officials in New Jersey have asked the state's highest court to consider whether Gov. Jon Corzine should be forced to release e-mails he exchanged with the union leader he once dated.
Party spokesman Todd Riffle said papers were filed late Wednesday asking the state Supreme Court to hear the case.
GOP leader Tom Wilson hopes to get the court to order the Democratic governor to release the e-mails he and his staff exchanged with Carla Katz."
Corzine needs to provide full transparency on fiscal matters
"It's stating what should be obvious, but apparently isn't to Gov. Jon Corzine: The money in New Jersey's state budget belongs to the people. All the people.
In this Internet Age, there is no legitimate reason that a citizen shouldn't be able to sit down at a computer and quickly research how any state agency, authority or commission is spending taxpayer money.
Unfortunately, Corzine isn't helping voters access information. To the contrary, he has spent an indefensible amount of time and money trying to keep public information secret. As a result, the public is not getting the facts it needs to participate in governing as our Founding Fathers intended."
N.J. governor wins e-mail case
"A New Jersey court decision released Monday says Gov. Jon Corzine does not have to release e-mails he exchanged with his girlfriend.
The appeals court ruing said Corzine had "properly asserted executive privilege" in his refusal to release the messages between himself and Carla Katz, who at the time was also the president of a state employees union.
A lower court had ordered the release of the e-mails on the grounds they were public records, but The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger said the appellate judges agreed with Katz that the communications were private because they included some correspondence about contract negotiations between her union and the state."
Bullet points not enough
"Brick Mayor Stephen Acropolis has repeatedly denied access to the township government's reorganization report — a report that led to the layoffs of 47 township employees effective New Year's Day. Now he's saying the public will get a look at what the report says, but on a single sheet of paper with bullet points summarizing the detailed recommendations. That's unacceptable.
Acropolis admitted the plan has intentionally been kept in draft form to circumvent the state's public disclosure law. Open Public Records Act requests by the Asbury Park Press and a township resident were denied on the basis no such report exists."
Brick mayor withholds reorganization report
"On New Year's Eve, 47 township employees — mostly clerks and laborers — were laid off.
The layoffs reduced the municipal government work force by more than 10 percent, with their responsibilities assumed by private companies or redistributed throughout the remaining township workers.
Many of the changes implemented by the administration were recommended in a report written by the mayor's transition team, which Acropolis handpicked following his election in November 2007. The work earned the committee's chairman the key to the city last June.
According to Acropolis, the report outlines the potential more cost-cutting, and targets individual township employees. Yet, despite honors for the people who drafted it and the contents being discussed at Township Council meetings, Brick officials are elusive about allowing anyone to read the report as the government organizes for what could be another tumultuous fiscal year in 2009."
NJ lawmaker fights to put state spending online
Many critics have found New Jersey lacking in the field of transparency. Currently the Treasury's website contains some information, including a "Citizen's guide to the budget," but has no details on revenues and expenditures, and is not updated in real time.
Pennacchio's proposal aims to change that - "Whenever the state spends one dime of taxpayer money, it has to put it on a user-friendly Web site. That way everybody can see where their money is being spent. It's bringing transparency into the 21st century, making it easier for taxpayers to see how that money is being spent."[8]
Former Newark official pleads guilty to bribery, attempted extortion
Reid entered his guilty plea just one week into his federal trial. His decision came after the government's key undercover witness played video and audio recordings of Reid accepting bribes.[9]
In response to the plea, Reid's Attorney Michael Pedicini said, "A decision was made that it was Keith's best interest to acknowledge his mistakes."[10] While he was accused of taking $10,000 in bribes, Reid admitted to accepting over $15,000 in exchange for his influence over lawmakers. Reid agreed to convince public officials in Newark and Irvington to steer insurance brokerage business to a fake company that was actually created and run by the FBI.[9]
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