New Jersey mayor faces criminal charge of corruption

A New Jersey mayor is facing a criminal charge of corruption stemming from an alleged plot to accept a bribe from a real estate developer for a garage intended to be built on city-owned land. The criminal charge of corruption came to light after the mayor was arrested early in the morning at his own home. Also arrested in connection with this case were the man’s brother and the man who is being accused of acting as the “bag man” in the purported plot.

Authorities claim that the men planned to sell the city-owned land to the developer for a fraction of what it was actually worth. In exchange, the developer, who was actually cooperating with law enforcement officials, would kick back a chunk of the savings to the mayor and his alleged conspirators. The men stood to profit somewhere in the neighborhood of $119,000, according to authorities.

The mayor of Trenton has faced criticism from other sources, including charges of mismanagement in office and nepotism. The alleged “bag man” has faced other legal charges as well, some drug-related and another stemming from a sex-related conviction back in 1978. Despite these other charges, however, both men are fully entitled to the presumption of innocence unless and until a prosecutor is able to prove the charges against them in accordance with applicable law.

That will require New Jersey prosecutors to present relevant and compelling evidence at trial that the men are actually guilty of each criminal charge made against them by a measure of proof referred to as “beyond a reasonable doubt.” The men will be afforded the opportunity to present confront witnesses against them and challenge any physical evidence offered in support of the criminal charges. Prosecutors must meet a high standard of proof in every criminal case, and that standard does not drop simply because people may have been accused of wrongdoing in the past. As many who have been unfairly accused of a crime know, not everyone who is charged is actually guilty.

Source: Reuters, “Mayor of New Jersey’s capital arrested on corruption charge,” Dave Warner, Sept. 10, 2012