Al-Tarik Onque, a former senior aide to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for city permits, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.
Onque, 49, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud in connection to a scheme in which he offered property owners “expeditated acquisition of [permit] documents in exchange for payments of cash bribes,” prosecutors announced Thursday.
During his time as Baraka’s senior aide, “Onque primarily responded to constituent complaints, performed constituent services and worked with organizations in the community,” the Justice Department said in a press release.
Between January 2020 until around December 2022, Onque used his position at City Hall to solicit cash to speed up the process for building owners trying to acquire a Certificate of Code Compliance (“CCCs”) or Certificate of Occupancy (“COs”) for multiple properties in and around Newark.
Under Newark regulations, a CCC had to be obtained before an owner could make certain changes to occupancy, while a CO was required to ensure a building or premises satisfied city code requirements.
“This is a clear example of a pay-to-play scheme, where public officials exploit their positions of power to obtain bribes in exchange for doing their jobs,” Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba said in a social media post when announcing Onque’s plea.
Onque faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 15, 2026.
According to the Jersey Vindicator, Onque was hired as an aide by then-mayor Cory Booker in 2007 after he founded the anti-violence group Stop Shootin. Onque, a former gang member, had previously spent five years in prison after shooting a man in each leg over unpaid debts, though he claimed to have given up his criminal ways.
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