Wayne Bryant

Jurors in the federal corruption trial of former Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero will begin deliberation at 9:45 AM. 

Few corruption cases have actually gone to trial: it took three days to convict former Hudson County Freeholder Nidia Davila-Colon and former State Sen. Wayne Bryant (D-Lawnside), four days to convict former State Sen. Joseph Coniglio (D-Paramus), and six days to convict former Newark Mayor/State Sen. Sharpe James. 

If Ferriero is found not guilty, it would be the first acquittal on a federal corruption charge in more than eight years.

A federal judge has sentenced former Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Wayne Bryant to 47 months in prison for trading millions in state grants for his own pension-boosting job at UMDNJ's School of Osteopathic Medicine (SOM).  Bryant had been found guilty after an eleven week trial past November.

Bryant's co-defendant, School of Osteopathic Medicine Dean R. Michael Gallagher, received an 18 month prison sentence.

The jury found that Bryant used his power and influence as the head of the Senate appropriations and budget panel to deliver millions to the SOM, where he had a $40,841 no-show job.

The 61-year-old former legislator must also pay a $25,000 fine.

 "We are pleased with the sentences, particularly with Wayne Bryant," said Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph Marra. "He was long among the most powerful, entrenched political figures in New Jersey. He soon will be off to prison for four years. That is a powerful image and should stand as a deterrent for other elected and non-elected officials." There is no parole in the federal system.

Two Assembly Republicans are donating a $500 contribution they received in 2007 from the campaign account of Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt (R-Ocean) to charity.  Van Pelt was arrested yesterday on federal corruption charges.

Dawn Addiego (R-Evesham) and Scott Rudder (R-Medford) said they would give the funds to the Yellow Ribbon Club, which promotes welcome home events for U.S. soldiers and contributes to U.S. military hospitals.

"The last thing we wanted to do is return this money directly to Mr. Van Pelt's campaign account and then watch him attempt to use it for his legal defense fund like (State Sen.) Wayne Bryant tried to do in his corruption trial," said Rudder.  "It is our hope that by making this donation we can directly help soldiers and their families, and find some silver lining in an otherwise very dark day in New Jersey."

Addiego and Rudder have not said if they were asking the Republican-controlled Lumberton Township Committee, which is in their district, to fire Van Pelt as their Township Administrator.

“It is more than a bit ironic that Governor Corzine was asked to testify at a Senate Subcommittee hearing on clean energy jobs and economic growth today.  New Jersey has been identified as one of only 8 states in the nation to be losing clean energy jobs and is losing clean jobs at the fastest rate in the region.  Governor Corzine’s record on these issues, like so many others, has been characterized by broken promises and failure.  Perhaps Governor Corzine has called in yet another favor from his Washington friends in an attempt to raise his profile and distract voters from his record as Governor.”- Kevin Roberts, Spokesman, New Jersey Republican Party

Senator Says Governor's Action Too Little, Too late, and Calls on Attorney General to Recover Taxpayer Money That Was 'Lost in Space"

SOMERVILLE - Striking the familiar podium pose of a law enforcement official, this time with the accoutrements of county brass behind him, GOP gubernatorial candidate Christopher Christie today vowed to reduce violent crime as governor and stem the spillover of urban gang violence into the suburbs.

"We need a governor who understands that we need to get violent criminals with handguns off our streets," said the former U.S. Attorney, standing in Veterans Memorial Plaza near the Somerset County Courthouse as all eleven Republican county sheriffs endorsed him for Governor.

"We have a lot more to do to fight violent crime," said Christie. "Anyone who travels with any frequency around this state knows we need to do much more. Mayor (Cory) Booker entered a partnership with the U.S. Attorney's Office, and it has been effective in Newark, but there is much more."

It took jurors four days to convict former Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Wayne Bryant. Oink! Oink!

Jurors on the federal corruption trial of former State Sen. Joseph Coniglio (D-Paramus) are now in their fourth day of deliberations - an amount of time that is somewhat typical of recent trials involving elected officials.  Others:

Does Gov. Jon Corzine view Joe Vas as part of the Steele/Hackett group, or the James/Bryant group?

In 2007, Gov. Jon Corzine had a litmus test when it comes to pushing state legislators accused of corrupt acts to resign: are they seeking re-election.  That's how Corzine came to call for the resignations of Assemblymen Mims Hackett (D-Orange) and Alfred Steele (D-Paterson) after their September 2007 arrests, but did not seek the ouster of State Sens. Wayne Bryant (D-Camden) and Sharpe James (D-Newark) following their indictments on federal corruption charges.  At the time, Corzine's spokeswoman explained that Hackett and Steele were candidates for office, while Bryant and James had already announced they were not seeking re-election.

After Joseph Vas was indicted on state corruption charges last week, Corzine called for his resignation from the State Assembly.  But now that Vas has said he won't be a candidate for a fourth term in 2009, will Corzine shift Vas from the Hackett/Steele category to the one reserved for Bryant/James?  His staff says no, suggesting that Corzine has a new litmus test for the current cycle: hard evidence.  According to a Corzine spokesperson, prosecutors had hard evidence - a tape - against Hackett and Steele, but did not have such evidence against Bryant and James. 

But if one were to follow Corzine's logic, the governor's call for Vas' resignation would be rescinded under both litmus tests.  Vas is not a candidate for re-election, and unless the Governor knows something that was not in Anne Milgram's indictment, no video tape of Vas' theft exists.

Assemblywoman Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D-Camden), the first Hispanic woman to serve in the state Legislature, said today that she will not seek re-election in November to the seat she has held since 1995.

"Representing the people of the 5th District for so many years has been more rewarding than I could have ever imagined," said Cruz-Perez. "I have met many great people, and I am honored to have had the chance to be their advocate in Trenton.. I can only hope that my work on their behalf has improved the quality of life of the residents in Camden and Gloucester counties and throughout South Jersey."

Cruz-Perez, a former Army sergeant who was born in Puerto Rico, won a special election for the State Assembly to succeed Wayne Bryant, who moved up to the Senate after the death of Walter Rand.  She chairs the Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee and has served as Deputy Majority Leader.