Another Jersey City cop pleads guilty in federal bribery scheme

NEWARK -- A Jersey City cop admitted in federal court yesterday that he bribed another police officer $40,000 so he could get paid for work he did not perform, becoming the sixth man to plead guilty in a wide-ranging bribery scheme involving off-duty jobs for the city's police force.

Michael O'Leary Jr., 35, who joined the force 10 years ago, faces up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for his participation in the scheme. His lawyer, John Lynch, told The Jersey Journal today that O'Leary's actions represent a "terrible lapse in judgment."

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... rsey_city_cop_pleads.html

3 more cops face prison in federal probe of Jersey City police

NEWARK -- A wide-ranging federal investigation of the Jersey City Police Department's off-duty jobs program ensnared three more ex-cops this morning, with the former officers admitting in federal court that they participated in a bribery scheme that netted them each thousands of dollars.

James Cardinali, 38, Christopher Ortega, 37 and Victor Sanchez, 37, each pleaded guilty this morning during back-to-back hearings in a federal courtroom in Newark to conspiracy to commit fraud. They each face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The three men are among five ex-cops who have pleaded guilty in the federal probe of the jobs program, which allows officers to work off duty as private security or traffic managers. The five ex-cops have admitted allowing companies to operate worksites without officers present; submitting phony vouchers to get paid for work they never performed; and accepting cash from cops in exchange for their participation in the scheme.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... eral_probe_of_jersey.html

What we know about federal probe of Jersey City police

By Terrence T. McDonald | The Jersey Journal
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on January 28, 2017 at 10:12 AM

The Jersey City Police Department was rocked earlier this month by news that 12 officers were stripped of their weapons and put on modified duty, an action the city linked to an ongoing federal probe of the city's off-duty jobs program for cops.

The FBI investigation has been an open secret for months, and cops have been whispering about impending arrests. Sources with knowledge of the probe expect about a dozen arrests within the next month.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... ow_about_federal_pro.html

What we know about the federal probe of Jersey City police

By Terrence T. McDonald | The Jersey Journal
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on January 16, 2017 at 10:24 AM, updated January 16, 2017 at 1:26 PM

The Jersey City Police Department was rocked last week by news that 12 officers were stripped of their weapons and put on modified duty, an action the city linked to an ongoing federal probe of the city's off-duty jobs program for cops.

The FBI investigation has been an open secret for months, and cops have been whispering about impending arrests. Sources with knowledge of the probe expect about a dozen arrests within the next month.

The FBI and the U.S. attorney's office have declined to comment. None of the 12 officers put on restricted duty last week have been charged with a crime.

Read more:  http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... _jersey_city_off-dut.html

Over 2 years, $1M in off-duty work for 12 Jersey City cops

By Terrence T. McDonald | The Jersey Journal
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on January 10, 2017 at 2:54 PM, updated January 10, 2017 at 4:47 PM

JERSEY CITY -- The 12 Jersey City police officers who have been put on restricted duty related to a federal probe of the police department's off-duty jobs program collected about $1 million total from off-duty work over the last two years, payroll records show.

Two of the officers earned more than their total salaries from off-duty work in 2015. James Cardinale made $110,370 from off-duty work in 2015. Cardinale makes a $106,313 salary. Jonathan Hernandez made $89,120 from off-duty work last year. Hernandez's salary is $76,262.

Read more:  http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... llected_840k_for_off.html

Link to older topic dicussing reform:  http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=30714

Corruption arrests of Jersey City cops expected, sources say

By Terrence T. McDonald | The Jersey Journal
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on December 26, 2016 at 4:57 PM, updated December 26, 2016 at 6:00 PM

JERSEY CITY -- A federal corruption probe is expected to land about a dozen Jersey City cops behind bars next month, law-enforcement sources tell The Jersey Journal.

The probe is focusing on off-duty, private security work and has already ensnared one former Jersey City police officer.

Police officers have been expecting the arrests for months, the sources said.

Read more:  http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ty_police_department.html