A New Jersey judge has dismissed the racketeering and corruption charges against Democratic power broker George Norcross III and his five co-defendants, which stemmed from their efforts to acquire valuable waterfront property in Camden.
Mercer County Superior Court Judge Peter Warshaw on Wednesday agreed to toss the 13-count indictment against Norcross, his brother Phil; attorney Bill Tambussi; former Camden Mayor Dana Redd; John O’Donnell, former CEO of the Michaels Organization rental company; and Sidney Brown, CEO of the logistics company NFI.
The move marked a huge blow to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, led by Matthew Platkin, who issued a fiery statement condemning the decision.
“We disagree strongly with the trial court’s decision, and we are appealing immediately,” Platkin vowed Wednesday. “After years in which the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently cut back on federal public corruption law, and at a time in which the federal government is refusing to tackle corruption, it has never been more important for state officials to take corruption head on.”
Norcross — chairman of the Board of Trustees at Cooper Health and the executive chairman of insurance firm Conner, Strong and Buckelew — was accused alongside his associates of using their influence to manipulate government officials, resulting in legislation that served their personal interests.
As a result, they were able to orchestrate “an enterprise” aimed at taking financial and political advantage of the redevelopment efforts on the Camden waterfront, specifically by controlling real estate deals there, funded in large part by state tax incentives.
The indictment cites an incident that occurred in 2016, amid Norcross’ efforts to build an office tower at a height that would block out another building’s view of the water. He allegedly bullied the developer into giving up the waterfront site during a profanity-laden conference call, full of threats and vows of retaliation.
“If you f–k this up, I’ll f–k you up like you’ve never been f–ked up before,” he allegedly said. “I’ll make sure you never do business in this town again.”
But Judge Warshaw, in his nearly 100-page ruling, concluded the allegations against Norcross and his co-defendants did not amount to criminal coercion or extortion.
“Defendants correctly argue that when considering private parties negotiating economic deals in a free market system, threats are sometimes neither wrongful or unlawful. In these situations, there may be nothing inherently wrong in using economic fear to obtain property,” Warshaw ruled.
With News Wire Services
