William Martini

New Jersey has eighteen living former Congressmen -- that number should go to twenty next year with the retirements of Jim Saxton and Michael Ferguson:

Citing the statute of limitations, U.S. District Judge William J. Martini today moved to dismiss a complaint filed by Eldridge Hawkins, Jr., against the West Orange Police Department and the Township of West Orange.

"The Court finds that the applicable one- and two-year statutes of limitation indeed do bar plaintiff’s federal claims since they arise from Defendants’ conduct in mid-2004 while plaintiff waited until late 2007 to file this complaint," Martini wrote in his decision.

Hawkins, who was elected mayor of Orange on May 13, is on a leave of absence from his job as a patrolman with the West Orange Police Department.

The suit he filed against the West Orange Police Department and the township asserted that West Orange gave hiring and salary preferences to other officers based on their Irish heritage.

NEWARK - Citing violation of the public trust but noting the former mayor's overall effectiveness while in office, District Court Judge William J. Martini sentenced Sharpe James today to 27 months in prison, and a fine of $100,000.

His former girlfriend, Tamika Riley, received 15 months for her role in the corruption case.

In his sum-up, the judge reproved the prosecution for taking a heavy-handed and "inflammatory" approach to James's penalty, saying his imposition of what they hoped would be a maximum sentence of 15-20 years would be an "extreme injustice."

"It disappoints me and it shocks me that government would seek 10-20 year sentencing," Martini said. "I know in the zeal of prosecution, things sometimes get distorted. ...If the intent was to advocate for a big sentence to put this court on the spot, I'm not concerned with that, nor was it effective.

"It makes me question some of the perspectives here," added Martini, who also described as "unhelpful" letters he had received calling for the maximum penalty.

He said he struck the proper balance on a "sad day."

NEWARK - Facing an increasingly indignant district judge, Assistant U.S. Attorney Judith Germano said she wants 15-20 years, or the maximum penalty for former Newark Mayor Sharpe James.

"Your Honor, committing crimes does not come with an AARP card, this is not the movies," Assistant U.S. Attorney Judith Germano said, referring to the 72-year old James. "He was healthy enough to travel to the Dominican Republic with Tamika Riley."

Judge William Martini objected to that last point, which is not part of this case, he argued. In an increasingly angry tone, he also challenged Germano’s more general references to James.

"You throw out a person’s entire history because of one instance in his life where he committed a wrong?" Martini wanted to know.

NEWARK - Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Mercer) submitted a letter to the court on behalf of former Newark Mayor Sharpe James, part of which defense attorney Thomas Ashley read to U.S. District Judge William Martini.

"The events represent a brief period in a long and illustrious career," Turner wrote. "...I am convinced he is not likely to commit another offense."

The crime of fraud, said Turner, represented a departure from James’s otherwise distinguished public service as a teacher and elected official, in her view.

Sen. Bill Baroni (R-Mercer), Tuner's Republican state Senate colleague and fellow member of the Mercer County delegation, last week wrote a letter to Martini with three other GOP lawmakers, asking the judge to impose the maximum penalty. 

Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James, who was convicted on federal corruption charges in June, will be sentenced at 10 AM Tuesday is U.S. District Judge William Martini’s courtroom.  James faces a prison sentence of four to seven years, according to federal sentencing guidelines.

NEWARK -Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James Lawyers for former Newark Mayor Sharpe James and Tamika Riley fought back in federal court today against depictions of their clients as intertwining strands of corruption in a fraud case the feds say James and Riley perpetrated against the people of Newark's struggling South Ward. 

Arguing on behalf of James, 72, defense attorney Tom Ashley said it was a Newark City Council top-heavy with James detractors, including the mayor's arch-nemesis Cory Booker, that repeatedly affirmed the sale of city properties to Riley.

"He's charged with unduly influencing the (Department of Economic Housing Development) on behalf of his girlfriend," Ashley told 19 jurors in the federal courtroom of District Judge William Martini on Monday afternoon. "There is no evidence, and we will fight it to the last day."

State Senator Sharpe James, the former Mayor of Newark, is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Court William Martini on Wednesday for a series of pretrial motions, and discussions on the status of evidence exchange and scheduling.  James' trial is set to begin on February 4 -- the day before the presidential primary.

WEBBER FOR ASSEMBLY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 15, 2006 CONTACT: (201) 602-4468

WEBBER TOUTS CONGRESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, STILL AWAITS CASHA’S EXPLANATIONS

Morris Plains, NJ - Assembly candidate Jay Webber today issued the following statement in response to Assembly candidate Larry Casha’s remarks regarding Webber’s experience as a Capitol Hill staffer for former Congressman, now United States District Court Judge, William J. Martini.