Joe Coniglio

NEWARK – Former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie won praise as the man whose office indicted former state Sen. Joe Coniglio (D-Paramus) on corruption charges, but in his closing argument, Defense Attorney Gerald Krovatin trains his sites on Christie’s opponent in the Republican gubernatorial primary. 

He derides former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan’s ethics complaints against Coniglio - a triggering mechanism in Coniglio's downfall - as “purely political.” 

“Lonegan took this to a new level in 2006, and 33 out of 34 complaints he filed only against Democrats,” Krovatin says of the Republican gubernatorial candidate.

Former state Sen. Joe Coniglio (D-Paramus)

UPDATED 

NEWARK – Now it’s Defense Counsel Gerald Krovatin’s turn, and when he stands before the jury he questions the vagueness and imprecision of the government’s case against his client, former state Sen. Joseph Coniglio (D-Paramus).

Targeting the grand scheme theory leveled by the state against his client, “No disrespect to Joe Coniglio, but he’s no George Clooney,” says Krovatin, a reference to the movie actor’s role as a cunning thief in Ocean’s Eleven.

Emphasizing "intent," the lawyer's counter argument hinges on Coniglio's belief throughout that he wasn't doing anything wrong - a conviction confirmed by the testimony of at least one of Coniglio's key contacts at Hackensack University Medical Center, Krovatin says. 

“This whole notion about concealment is nonsense,” the attorney says of his ex-legislator-plumber client. “It’s a manufactured argument. Not one witness told you that they thought for one minute that they were doing anything wrong. …The argument that this was a grand scheme is nonsense. You have seen and heard all of the witnesses and all of the evidence in the case.”

The prosecution has charged a scheme in this case, says the defense attorney. The scheme is called an honest services, mail-fraud scheme. 

Former state Sen Joe Coniglio (D-Paramus), who served in the state senate from 2002 until 2007, when he did not pursue reelection in order to confront federal corruption charges.

UPDATED 

NEWARK – Closing arguments are underway in the corruption trial of former state Sen. Joe Coniglio’s (D-Paramus), who illegally advocated for Hackensack University Medical Center while serving as a state senator, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

In the courtroom of District Judge Dennis Cavanaugh, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calcagni argues the feds’ case in the nine-count indictment of Coniglio.

Calcagni says Coniglio earned $5,000 and later $5,500 per month as a consultant with the hospital while steering millions in grant money to the institution in his role as a state senator. 

Coniglio secured over $3 million in grants for Hackensack University Medical Center in 2004-2005, the same time period in which the hospital paid him, ostensibly to consult.

“No one really cared what the defendant was doing for the hospital so long as he was securing grant money,” says Calcagni, who asks the jury why Coniglio, a plumber by trade, received a public relations gig at the hospital.

“It’s like hiring a baker to put a new transmission in your car,” Calcagni says. “The consultant’s role was the way they were able to  hide the corrupt nature of the agreement."

While New Jersey suffered from a crippling structural deficit, politicians created a slush fund to dole out tax dollars for their own personal gain.

Last week at the corruption trial of disgraced former state Sen. Wayne Bryant, a Democratic legislative aide testified that Bryant and other legislators were given complete discretion over the allocation of millions of dollars in the state budget -- from a fund that was supposed to be distributed based on a competitive, merit-based application process. Prosecutors allege that Bryant directed some of his share to the School of Osteopathic Medicine at UMDNJ in exchange for a no-show, pension-boosting job.

The separation of powers were non-existent in 2005 when the budget's $40 million slush fund was proposed by then-acting Gov. Dick Codey and ushered through the legislature by Senate President Codey (a prior budget from then-Gov. Jim McGreevey also included such a fund). Governor Jon Corzine shut the scheme down within months of taking office after conducting an internal investigation, the results of which are still not public.

Bergen County Democrats knew this day would come sooner or later, and today they responded to the indictment of former state Sen. Joe Coniglio not with an outright defense, but with pleas withhold judgment.

Republicans, on the other hand, pointed to the indictment as another sign of what they see as endemic corruption in the Democratic Party.

“Senator Coniglio accomplished a great deal for the working families of the 38th District during his career,” said Bergen County Democratic Organization Chairman Joe Ferriero. “Our legal system is founded upon the presumption of innocence and it is my sincere hope that Joe's upcoming trial is an opportunity for him to reclaim the good reputation that he built through his years of public service.”

State Sen. Bob Gordon spent two terms in the Assembly beneath Coniglio, ascending to the Senate after Coniglio decided not to run again after being pressured by Democratic Party leaders. During the investigation, Gordon saw his own office’s records subpoenaed, although he was not a target of the investigation.

Former State Sen. Joe Coniglio has been indicted by a federal grand jury.

Coniglio, 65, faces nine counts of mail fraud and extortion relating to his work as a $66,000 per year consultant for the Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC). He’s scheduled to appear at the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Courthouse in Newark at 2 p.m., after which U.S. Attorney Chris Christie plans to hold a press conference.

The indictment alleges that Coniglio’s employment with HUMC was ostensibly for “hospital relations,” but that its real purpose was to secure the hospital “Christmas Tree” budget items from the legislature and other state agencies.

“As a direct result of his corrupt consulting arrangement and influence as a state Senator, the hospital received millions of dollars from the State of New Jersey,” said a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s office.

According to the indictment, Coniglio began talks about setting up a relationship with HUMC in January, 2004 -- almost immediately after he was appointed to the Senate’s budget committee. After meeting with John Ferguson, the hospital’s CEO, Coniglio sent him a follow-up letter saying that he “[looked] forward to making [HUMC] the best in New Jersey.”

Former State Sen. Joe Coniglio will surrender to the FBI to face corruption charges at the Federal Courthouse in Newark later today, according to Coniglio spokesman Keith Furlong.

It is not yet known exactly what time Coniglio will turn himself in.

After his court apperance, Coniglio’s defense attorney, Gerald Krovatin, plans to issue a statement.

Joe Coniglio has announced that he will not seek re-election for state Senate.

“I have given a lot of thought to my upcoming re-election campaign, and determined that it is in the best interests of Democratic Party, and, more importantly, my family, for me to step aside and not seek re-election to the State Senate,” said Coniglio in a statement.

Speculation about Coniglio dropping out of the race has been rampant since he received a target letter from the U.S. Attorney in July over his role in allegedly steering state grants to the Hackenack University Medical Center while on its payroll as a $5,500-a-month plumbing consultant.

In his statement today, Coniglio defended himself against any allegations.

District 38 state Senate candidate Robert Colletti today said he was glad that it looks like embattled incumbent Sen. Joe Coniglio plans to stay in the race.

“I’m happy that the Democrats have finally cleared the air and have decided on their candidate,” said Colletti in a press release.

Senator Diane Allen issued this letter today in response to federal prosecutor’s investigation into Senator Joseph Coniglio’s legislative grants.