Cheatam also admitted funneling $15,000 in illegal contributions to the campaign of Jersey City?s Democratic Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy.

Former Jersey City official sentenced to 33 months; Bid Rig III prosecutions near end

By Jason Grant/The Star-Ledger
October 08, 2013 at 5:51 PM

JERSEY CITY ? A former Jersey City housing commissioner and education official who admitted taking $70,000 in bribes from Solomon Dwek, the government informant at the heart of 2009?s massive "Operation Bid Rig III" corruption sting, was sentenced Monday in federal court to 33 months in prison, according to court records and his lawyer.

Edward Cheatam, considered a central linking figure among a string of Hudson County officials brought down in Bid Rig III, was among the first four defendants to plead guilty after 46 people were charged in the sweep. While pleading guilty to federal extortion charges in September 2009, Cheatam implicated 10 others, including state Assemblyman L. Harvey Smith, former Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano, former Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell and former Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini.

Cheatam later testified as a key witness in the trial of Smith. But he was described by Smith?s attorney as unconvincing and frequently unsure of himself on the witness stand, and Smith was acquitted at trial.

Cheatam?s punishment Monday means the long series of Bid Rig III prosecutions are almost finished. Known as the largest corruption sweep in the history of New Jersey, the FBI investigation started as a dig into money laundering in the Orthodox Jewish community before growing to focus on political corruption. Eventually, several mayors and a raft of other lawmakers were convicted of crimes.

Dwek, a failed Monmouth County real estate investor, was facing charges in an unrelated $50 million bank fraud when he became the central informant for the FBI in the sweep.

Cheatam, now 65, has admitted that he was vice president of Jersey City?s Board of Education and a housing official in 2008 when he took $70,000 in bribes and introduced Dwek, then an undercover government informant posing as a crooked developer, to an array of Democratic officials who, he said, also took bribes.

Cheatam also admitted funneling $15,000 in illegal contributions to the campaign of Jersey City?s Democratic Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy.

In exchange, Cheatam said, Healy and Beldini would help secure approvals for a luxury condominium building.

After Monday?s hearing before U.S. District Judge Jose Linares, Cheatam?s lawyer, John Collins, said that while his client had hoped for a sentence of probation, he was "happy that there?s a finality" to a long-running prosecution that heavily impacted him and his family and took a toll on his physical health.

Collins also noted that under federal sentencing guidelines, his client was facing between seven and nine years behind bars. Then, the lawyer added, "We?re glad that the judge took into account Mr. Cheatam?s ? cooperation with the government" prosecutors in deciding to hand down a shorter sentence than the guidelines called for.

"From the beginning he?s been contrite," Collins said of Cheatam, whom he also noted addressed the courtroom Monday, speaking publicly about his contrition. "He pled (guilty) early, he cooperated with the government when he was asked, and he realized early on that some of the things that he thought may have been okay were in fact illegal."

Only one defendant?s case is still pending in the Bid Rig III prosecutions: Lavern Webb-Washington, a former unsuccessful candidate for Jersey City?s council, who faces wire and mail fraud charges tied to campaign contributions reporting. One defendant is still on the lam, and another died after charges were brought.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013 ... rosecutions_near_end.html

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So does this mean that Beldini and Cheatam have told the feds to bring it and so far have not rolled on Healy? My money was on Beldini to talk, because she is 74 and what granny wants to spend her twilight years behind bars, but I guess I was wrong.

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No offense intended, as I'll assume you never practiced criminal law. The gov't can proceed by complaint or indictment. If they proceed by complaint, they have to indict within a certain amount of time (absent consent from the accused to extend that period--usually given by cooperating witnesses, which I presume Beldini is not).

Based upon my reading, the US Attorney could likely indict Healy now. They probably want to lock the story together with the cooperation of another conspirator before doing so at this point though.

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Nope. I'd say that there are plenty of people who have had actual criminal complaints filed against them, and actually been arrested, who deserve to be indicted next.

Process shmocess.

N.J. corruption sting leads to first indictments of public officials

Joe Epstein/For The Star-LedgerJ

NEWARK -- A federal grand jury in Newark today handed up the first indictment in connection to last month's sweeping corruption sting, charging two Jersey City officials with extortion.

The one-count indictment against Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini and Edward Cheatam, a city housing authority commissioner, comes four weeks after they were arrested along with 42 others accused in the massive bribery and money-laundering scandal that has shaken state politics.

Full Star-Ledger coverage of the New Jersey corruption probe

The case rests largely on a single government informant who allegedly offered bribes leading to the arrests of two state legislators, three mayors and dozens of other officials and operatives. In a separate investigation, authorities say the informant's work led to five rabbis and nine of their associates being charged with money laundering. One defendant is accused of trying to sell a human kidney.

Beldini, 74, is accused in the indictment of taking $20,000 in illegal campaign contributions from the informant in exchange to help him gain favor with "Jersey City Official 1," who has been identified as Mayor Jerramiah Healy. Beldini was Healy's campaign treasurer.

Jersey City Council President Mariano Vega, Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini, and Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt are led into FBI building in Newark


The mayor, who has not been charged, has suspended Beldini without pay.

"As alleged in the Indictment, Beldini, a high-ranking Jersey City official, sold her office
for her personal financial gain and the benefit of Jersey City Official 1," said Marra. "In
exchange, she promised a developer official favors not available to the honest business
person."

Cheatam, 61, who is also the affirmative action official for Hudson County, is accused of accepting $15,000 in bribes and introducing the government informant to Beldini.

Under federal law, prosecutors are required to seek indictments against defendants within 30 days of filing charges. Most of the other defendants in the case have signed agreements with prosecutors agreeing to push back the 30-day deadline.

Many of the agreements say the defendants are engaged in plea negotiations with prosecutors, including former assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt and Jersey City Council President Mariano Vega.

Other defendants in the case include Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano, Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell and Ridgefield Mayor Anthony Suarez.
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Can we all agree that Healy deserves the next indictment?