For a change, the Star Ledger actually reports Sharpe James' political affiliation in reporting on his ongoing corruption trial. It's
right there in the third paragraph.
Sharpe James' personal secretary returns to the witness stand for a third day today in the federal corruption case that accuses the former Newark mayor of rigging city land deals to benefit a girlfriend.
Rose Marie Posella, James' secretary for his 20 years in office, spent the entire day Wednesday continuing her testimony for the prosecution and then facing a four-hour grilling by defense attorneys. Posella retired June 30, 2006, the same day James, who did not seek reelection, left office.
On Tuesday, Posella said James secretly requested city officials in 2005 to inform him about land sales in Newark. The prosecution showed a videotape of a television news interview and a copy of a letter to an Associated Press reporter in which the former Democratic mayor denied giving away land.
James, 72, is accused of making arrangements for Tamika Riley, 38, to purchase nine city-owned parcels which she quickly resold for nearly $700,000 in profit without redeveloping them as required by the contracts. James and Riley are both charged with fraud and conspiracy, but Riley also faces tax evasion charges. Both have pleaded not guilty to the accusations and deny any wrongdoing.
The same couldn't be said of an
update in the Record on a whole bunch of New Jersey politicians who were indicted in September of last year for corruption. Missing is any reference to political affiliations, despite the fact that all named are not Republicans.
Rivera was arrested last Sept. 6 as part of a statewide FBI undercover sting that passed out more than $130,000 in bribes to officials in return for favorable action on public contracts.
Among the 11 officials arrested with Rivera were then state Assemblymen Alfred E. Steele of Paterson and Mims Hackett Jr., who is also the mayor of Orange; Passaic Councilman Marcellus Jackson and former Passaic Councilman Jonathan Soto; a Newark council aide, and school board members from Pleasantville in Atlantic County.
Six of the 11 officials have pleaded guilty, including Steele and Jackson, and a jury in Camden last week convicted former Pleasantville school trustee James T. McCormick, after three of his one-time colleagues testified against him.
Like Rivera, Soto has pleaded not guilty to charges of extortion and accepting bribes.
A two-count indictment, returned Jan. 16, charged Rivera with extortion in a scheme to peddle his influence on behalf of an insurance contractor in return for $50,000, and actually accepting $5,000 last summer.
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