GOP WANTS DISCLOSURE OF SUBPOENA RECORDS TO THE COUNTY FREEHOLDER BOARD

 BERGEN COUNTY REPUBLICANS

Robert Yudin, Chairman

973-403-7836 

Candidates  Also Seek Disclosure On $50 Million in Public Contracts

Did Any Money Go To Firm That is part Of  The Federal Investigation Into Ferriero  

HACKENSACK ,NJ  - The Bergen County Republican Organization is demanding that the county freeholder board turn over to the media and to the BCRO copies of the federal subpoena this week so the public can better understand the federal investigation into corruption in Bergen County government.  

The Republicans have filed a formal Open Public Records Act requests for the subpoenas and filed additional OPRA requests regarding $50 million in projects approved by the freeholders earlier this year to determine if  contracts were granted to a company that is now linked to the federal investigation of the  Bergen County Democratic Party chairman – Joseph Ferriero. 

“There is no legal reason we could find why the freeholders cannot turn over copies of the federal subpoenas that were released last week,” said GOP candidate Chris Calabrese.  

“The public has a right to know now, before the voters go to the polls, the extent of the corruption investigation into Bergen County government and what it is costing taxpayers,” added Calabrese.   

On October 16 it was reported that the federal authorities had subpoenaed records relating to a Nutley WEB developer C3/Citizen Communications, and a sister firms Xquizit Technologies, Braveside Capital LLC – all owned by John Carrino of Nutley - a major donor to Ferriero’s campaign committees that finance county freeholder and county executive elections. 

Subpoenas went to seven towns and the Bergen County Improvement Authority, which has doled out more than $4 million in fees in recent years to Democrat donors. In addition to seeking information on Carrino’s firm, the federal investigators are also reportedly seeking information on S.J.C. Consulting LLC, a firm registered to Bergen County Democratic Organization Chairman Joseph Ferriero.

Several communities made the subpoenas available to the media. 

It is speculated that the federal subpoenas that went to the freeholder board last week are seeking information about Carrino’s firm, which was granted a $150,000 contract from the all-Democratic freeholder board controlled by Ferriero. Carrino has, according to published reports, received $400,000 in government contracts.  

“If officials in the municipalities are willing to hand over information on the federal subpoenas they received, why won’t the freeholders do the same,” said Paul Duggan, a GOP freeholder candidate from Bogota.  “What are they hiding?” $50 MILLION – WHO GETS IT? 

In addition to demanding that the freeholders immediately disclose information about the subpoenas,  the Bergen Republicans have filed OPRA requests to determine if any of Carrino’s firms have been hired for additional work  for the county beyond the firm’s $150,000 county contract to provide emergency notifications services. 

Specifically the Republicans are seeking details about several multi-million dollar projects approved by the freeholders in recent months that could include services or products provided by Carrino’s companies.