N.J. corruption: A list of politicians doing the 'perp walk'

By David Chmiel/NJ.com
December 07, 2012 at 3:17 PM

In many circles, the passing of time is marked by annual traditions like the running of the bulls in Pamplona or the swallows returning to Capistrano. In New Jersey, our regular ritual is "the walking of the perps."

The arrest of Trenton Mayor Tony Mack on federal corruption charges Thursday is just the latest case of a politician in handcuffs after allegedly engaging in criminal activity. Mack's arrest came in a two-month period in which John Bencivengo resigned as mayor of Hamilton Township after he was convicted of taking bribes to influence the vote on a school-board contract. In October Ponzi-schemer-turned-FBI-turncoat Solomon Dwek was sentenced for his role in the biggest corruption sting in New Jersey.

New Jersey becomes an easy punchline when crooked politicians are involved. As U.S. Attorney, Chris Chrstie and his team of prosecutors busted more than 100 public officials between 2002 and when he began campaigning for governor.

Shockingly, the Garden State ranked 21st among crooked states in one poll. Two years of indictments could help us cross the Mason-Dixon line on our way into the top five made up of Tennessee, Virginia, Mississippi and North Carolina. Delaware ranked fourth.

Do you believe we live in a corrupt state? Cast your vote here. But if you need to refresh your memory, check out a greatest-hits collection of politicians gone wrong since 2001:

Dec. 6, 2012
Mack, his brother Raphiel and supporter Joseph "JoJo" Giorgianni, who owns JoJo's Steak House in Trenton, were arrested Thursday on corruption charges linked to a parking-garage deal in the city.

Nov. 20, 2012
Bencivengo was convicted of taking $12,400 in bribes from health-insurance broker on a school-board contract. He resigned Nov. 21. He will be sentenced Feb. 27.

October 19, 2012
In October, Ponzi-schemer-turned-FBI-turncoat Solomon Dwek was sentenced to four years as part of a deal he made in the biggest corruption case in state history. The high-profile criminal case, which stretched from Brooklyn to the Jersey Shore, ensnared politicians, rabbis and even a black-market kidney broker, ultimately netted 46 arrests.

2009
?Wayne Bryant, one of the state?s top Democrats, was sentenced to four years in prison for boosting his pension with a low-work job and steering grants to his employer, the scandal-plagued University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

?Joseph Coniglio, a former state senator, was convicted of pushing more than $1 million in taxpayer money to Hackensack University Medical Center after receiving a consulting job there. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.

2008
?Former assemblyman Mims Hackett pleaded guilty to attempted extortion, winding up with a sentence of nine months in prison. He later received five years for official misconduct.

?Former assemblyman Alfred Steele, also a Baptist preacher, was pinched in the same sting that Hackett was involved in. Steele pleaded guilty to taking $15,500 in bribes and got 15 months in prison.

?Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James was convicted of fraud and conspiracy charges for steering city land to a girlfriend. the city?s last seven mayors, he was the fifth to face criminal charges. He was sentenced to 27 months in prison.

2007
Terrance Weldon, a former mayor of Ocean Township, pleaded guilty to extortion for taking $60,000 in bribes from developers. He was sentenced to 58 months in federal prison.

2006
John Lynch, a former Democratic political boss and Senate president, pleaded guilty to tax evasion and fraud charges. He was sentenced to 39 months in jail, which he is finished in a Newark halfway house.

2005
?Hudson County Executive Robert Janiszewski was sentenced to 41 months in prison after pleading guilty to extortion and tax evasion. The political kingpin admitted to taking $100,000 in bribes.

?Former Hoboken mayor Anthony J. Russo received a 30-month sentence after admitting to taking more than $300,000 in bribes in return for high-priced contracts.

?Anthony Impreveduto, a longtime Hudson County assemblyman, was placed on five years? probation and fined $10,000 after pleading guilty to using campaign money to pay for income taxes, furniture, hearing aid and eyeglasses.

2003
?Marty Barnes was indicted for extortion and accepting bribes during his first full term as Paterson mayor. He was sentenced to 37 months in prison.

?Former Essex County Executive James Treffinger was sentenced to 13 months in prison after pleading guilty to blocking a federal investigation and placing campaign workers on the county payroll.

2002
Former Newark mayor Kenneth Gibson was acquitted of conspiracy and misconduct, but later pleaded guilty to tax fraud. He received three years of probation.

2001
Former Camden mayor Milton Milan was convicted of taking payoffs from organized-crime members and kickbacks from contractors. He also laundered illegal drug profits and stealing campaign funds. Milan was sentenced to more than seven years in prison.

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