Monday 10 September 2012

FBI arrests mayor of Trenton, New Jersey, in corruption case

Mayor Tony Mack speaks in Trenton, New Jersey, in August.
FBI agents arrested Trenton, New Jersey, Mayor Tony Mack in connection with a corruption case Monday, a spokeswoman said.
Mack was arrested early Monday, according to Barbara Woodruff, a spokeswoman for the agency's Newark field office.
The 46-year-old mayor is charged with conspiracy to corrupt commerce by extortion, according to a complaint filed in federal court Monday.
The complaint accuses the mayor, his brother Ralphiel Mack, and Joseph A. "JoJo" Giorgianni of corruption in connection with a project to build a parking garage on city property.
"The investigation revealed evidence of a conspiracy among these defendants and others to corrupt certain functions of Trenton City government in favor of purported developer seeking to build a parking garage on city-owned property in exchange for cash payments totaling approximately $119,000," the complaint says.
To avoid detection, the complaint says, Mack employed intermediaries, "used code words and limited discussions of the scheme over the telephone."
The investigation has been under way for at least two years, Woodruff said.

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