The charges against
Trenton Mayor Tony Mack, 46, his brother, Ralphiel Mack, 39, and
business associate Joseph A. "JoJo" Giorgianni, 63, stem from an alleged
kickback scheme to sell city-owned land to investors for significantly
less than the assessed value.
Mack and his brother, the
head football coach at Trenton Central High School, both were released
on $150,000 bail and slipped into a city vehicle after a court
appearance. They were ordered to surrender their passports.
"The evidence appears to
be, at this point, weak as far as Mayor Mack is concerned," Mark Davis,
Tony Mack's attorney, told CNN on Monday evening. "The complaint is just
full of allegations, that's all they are."
A bond hearing for Giorgianni, a sandwich shop owner, was postponed because of unrelated drug conspiracy charges.
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,"
according to a complaint filed in federal court.
The three defendants --
who were charged specifically with conspiracy to corrupt commerce by
extortion -- employed intermediaries, "used code words and limited
discussions of the scheme over the telephone" to avoid detection, the
complaint said.
For example, Giorgianni
would use the term "Uncle Remus" in conversations with the mayor to
connote when he had received a cash payment, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman
said.
The charges stemmed from
a two-year FBI investigation that incorporated two informants
cooperating with law enforcement. Fishman said at least one of those
moles wore a wire to record conversations for the FBI.
At a news conference before the bond hearing, Fishman pointed to repeated cases of corruption that his office has uncovered.
"Time and again, we have
seen public officials in New Jersey who are all too willing to sell
their power and betray the public's trust," he said.
Any trial related to Mack's case would not likely occur until next year, according to Fishman.
Mack's office declined
to comment when reached by CNN. But Davis, the mayor's lawyer, stressed
his client hasn't been indicted yet and should "continue to enjoy the
presumption of innocence."
Based on discussions
they've had, Davis said his "understanding is that (Mack) is going to
remain in his (mayoral) post and continue in his official duties," as
the legal case proceeds against him. The lawyer said he expects a grand
jury will consider the case within 30 days.
In a separate complaint
that Fishman stressed was not connected to the Macks, the government
charged Giorgianni and eight others with conspiracy to distribute the
highly addictive prescription painkiller oxycodone.
Fishman said Giorgianni
used his business, JoJo's Steakhouse, as a front for a drug dealing
operation. He's accused of storing the narcotics there, distributing the
pills to dealers, then processing the cash exchanged for the
painkillers.
Two months ago, agents raided the homes of Mack, his brother, and Giorgianni, before raiding Trenton's City Hall the next day.
Mack responded to the
July raids by saying he had "not violated the public trust in any way,
nor have I violated any of my public duties."
A Democrat who began his
term in July 2010, Mack has been beleaguered by questions about public
finance and accusations of cronyism.
In May, Deputy Mayor
Paul Sigmund IV was arrested and charged with heroin possession and
assaulting a police officer, which led to Sigmund's prompt resignation.
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