Another Former NJ Politician Arrested

This time, the politician was arrested for being involved in a major gambling operation:

Former mayor due in court this afternoon in sports bet probe
Former Union City Mayor and state Assemblyman Rudy Garcia is to make his first appearance in Freehold this afternoon on charges stemming from a crackdown on a huge Internet sports betting ring earlier this week, officials told The Jersey Journal this morning.

Garcia is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court Judge Paul Shaiet’s courtroom in the Monmouth County Court House at 1:30 p.m. today.

No additional information on Garcia’s surrender has been released.

Officials went to Garcia’s Union City home Wednesday to arrest him but he was away on business, his lawyer told the paper that day.

Law enforcement officials had fanned out across the state to execute 58 arrest warrants in connection to Operation Thunderbird. Among those arrested are eight Hudson County residents.

Investigators say thousands of people placed 1.6 million bets worth more than $500 million between August 2005 and February of this year.

Corruption and New Jersey. Perfect together. Again.

PoliticsNJ has more, and it's interesting that he's currently working for one the largest lobby firms in the state. Meanwhile, it's also important to note how Garcia left elected office: he was recalled from office after passing a property tax hike of 26% in Union City. Where did all that money go? Perhaps to hiring cronies?

Union City, which is solidly blue collar and 80 percent Hispanic, has also been plagued by governmental problems. Mayor Stack took office in October after leading a petition drive that forced his predecessor, Raul Garcia, to resign after raising the real estate tax rate by a whopping 26 percent in the last year. Officials say the property taxes in Union City are by far the highest in Hudson County relative to the market value of the property. The city is currently awaiting a vote by the New Jersey Legislature on a proposal by former Gov. Christie Whitman for $11 million in Distressed Cities Aid to help close a $15 million gap in its $71 million budget for the year 2001. The state Division of Municipal Finance is now auditing the city's books at the mayor's request.

''The former administration was giving away the store -- including a lot of jobs -- to its supporters,'' Mayor Stack said. ''If we want to attract investors, increase our ratables and reduce taxes, we must send out a clear signal that we now have clean, efficient government.''

AMONG his first acts in office, the new mayor dismissed the city's business administrator and its chief financial officer, both of whom had been appointed by Mr. Garcia. He eliminated 10 percent of the city's 500 jobs, instituted a hiring freeze, cracked down on overtime and shifted 30 police officers from desk jobs onto the streets.