5 NJ Public Officials, Political Candidates Snared in Huge Corruption Probe

https://ift.tt/36LKnD4 Five former and current public officials and political candidates in New Jersey are facing charges of taking bribes following a major corruption investigation, the state's attorney general announced Thursday. The five defendants are charged with taking thousands of dollars in bribes from a cooperating witness in the form of campaign contributions, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said. In return, the defendants allegedly promised the cooperating witness, who is a tax attorney, that they would vote or use their official authority or influence to hire or continue to hire his law firm for lucrative government legal work. Envelopes and paper bags filled with cash – and even a coffee cup stuffed with cash – were delivered to the defendants by the cooperating witness at restaurants, parking lots, a political fundraiser, and a campaign headquarters, according to Gurbir. Other times the cooperating witness offered checks from illegal “straw donors” – which are individuals reimbursed to write checks to the defendant’s campaign in amounts that complied with the legal limit on individual donations.