Joseph Vas

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(TRENTON) – Governor Jon S. Corzine, Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts and Democratic Chairman Joseph Cryan today released the following joint statement:

 
“These are serious public corruption charges. The voters of the 19th Legislative District deserve a legislative team they can rely on to act with full integrity. Therefore, we think the Assemblyman should step aside."

Three leaders of the state’s Democratic Party added their own votes of no confidence to indicted Assemblyman Joe Vas’s (D-Perth Amboy) tenure today.  

Governor Corzine, Democratic State Chairman/Assemblyman Joe Cryan (D-Union) and Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-Camden) issued a short joint statement this morning calling on Vas to resign.  

“These are serious public corruption charges. The voters of the 19th Legislative District deserve a legislative team they can rely on to act with full integrity. Therefore, we think the Assemblyman should step aside,” read the statement.  

Both of Vas's fellow District 19 legislators, state Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Woodbridge) and Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville), called on him to resign yesterday.

Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-Camden) today announced that he’s stripping indicted Assemblyman Joseph Vas (D-Perth Amboy) of his chairmanship of the Commerce and Economic Development Committee and his position as Deputy Majority Leader.

Vas was indicted yesterday by Attorney General Anne Milgram on 11 counts of theft and bid rigging related to his work as mayor of Perth Amboy, where he served from 1990 to 2008.  

“Any time an elected official is accused of using their office for personal gain, it stains the reputations of all of us who have chosen to dedicate ourselves to public service,” said Roberts in a statement issued this morning.” 

State Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Woodbridge) today called on his indicted district-mate, Assemblyman Joseph Vas (D-Perth Amboy), to resign.

“In light of the variety and extent of the charges, Assemblyman Vas should resign his seat immediately so the people and voters of the 19th Legislative District can have their government serve them in a way that’s unencumbered by these charges,” Vitale told PolitickerNJ.com in a phone interview.

Vas was charged with 11 corruption counts today related to his time mayor of Perth Amboy.  He was defeated in an upset last year by current mayor Wilda Diaz.  

Vas is already facing a primary challenge for his assembly seat from South Amboy Mayor Jack O’Leary.  Middlesex County Democrats will award the party line to two assembly candidates at a convention this month.

If convicted of the corruption charges filed against him today by Attorney General Anne Milgram, Assemblyman Joseph Vas (D-Perth Amboy) could face a stiff sentence.

Three of the charges against Vas - for second degree official misconduct - carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison without parole because the crime allegedly occurred on or after April 14, 2007 - the effective date of the state's public corruption sentencing enhancement law.

Assenblyman Joe Vas is already facing calls from Democratic leaders that he resign.

Assemblyman Joseph Vas (D-Perth Amboy) was indicted today on charges that he conspired to steal about $5,000 in funds of Perth Amboy city funds to pay for personal purchases and expenses and rigged a public lottery so that his personal driver could buy a two-family home through a local program

Vas was charged by a state grand jury with second-degree conspiracy, six counts of second-degree official misconduct, second-degree pattern of official misconduct, third-degree theft by unlawful taking, third-degree misapplication of government property, and third-degree tampering with public records or information, According to Deborah Gramiccioni, the director of the Division of Criminal Justice,   The driver, Anthony Jones was charged with one count each of conspiracy and official misconduct, both in the second degree.

"Joseph Vas took an oath as mayor to honestly and faithfully serve his city, but instead he shamelessly exploited his position for personal gain," said Attorney General Anne Milgram. "We charge that he stole taxpayer money from Perth Amboy's recreation department to pay for personal expenses, including hundreds of dollars for clothing and sneakers for himself and $1,450 for basketball camps for his son. And by rigging a housing lottery, he rewarded his personal driver at the expense of the city, denying deserving families who might have been able to purchase this two-family home.  Public officials are elected to serve the public, not exploit their positions for private gain."

According to the indictment, Vas received payment from the Perth Amboy Recreation Department for personal expenses, "including $1,450 in fees for two basketball camps for his son, $289 for refreshments for his father's funeral, and hundreds of dollars for sportswear, sneakers, beachwear and other personal items for himself."

ASSEMBLY DEMOCRATS COMMENTARY ON COMMITTEE REVIEW OF OVERSIGHT FOR NJ PORTION OF FEDERAL STIMULUS

(TRENTON) - Chairs of six Assembly committees today issued a multimedia package on the Assembly's efforts to ensure legislative oversight and accountability of the money made available to New Jersey from the recently enacted federal stimulus package.

The committee hearings were the first of two days largely devoted to discussing the impact of the federal stimulus on the state.  Assembly committees heard from a variety of state commissioners and department heads on their efforts to obtain and oversee distribution of federal stimulus dollars.

VAS COMMENTARY ON BILL TO CRIMINALIZE UNLICENSED PRACTICE OF PSYCHOLOGY IN NJ

(TRENTON) - Assemblyman Joseph Vas today issued a multimedia news release on his legislation to make it a crime in New Jersey to practice psychology or pose as a psychologist without a license.

The Vas measure (A-511) would make it illegal for any individual to engage in the practice of psychology, represent themselves to the public as a psychologist or otherwise engage in state-regulated psychoanalytical activity without a license.  Individuals caught practicing without a license would face up to $15,000 in fines and five years in jail.  These penalties also would apply to individuals who continue to practice after having their license suspended or revoked.

The race to watch this month is in the nineteenth district, where South Amboy Mayor Jack O'Leary is challenging incumbent Joseph Vas for the Democratic State Assembly nomination.  The Middlesex County Democratic organization will decide which candidate will run on the line at their March 18 convention.  Local pundits suggest that the race could be close. 

The other incumbent, Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville) has no apparent obstacles in his bid for renomination.

As expected, South Amboy Mayor Jack O'Leary will seek the Democratic nomination for State Assembly against incumbent Joseph Vas.  Vas' political security has been at risk since last May, when he was defeated for re-election as Mayor of Perth Amboy.  O'Leary says he's not targeting Vas, but he is - it's not about the other Democratic Assemblyman from the nineteenth district, John Wisniewski.