FBI Sweep in N.J. Includes Arrests of Five Rabbis and Three Mayors
Updated: FBI agents arrested the mayors of three New Jersey communities Thursday in a series of sweeping arrests spurred by a major corruption probe.
Forty-four people were arrested, including the three mayors and and five rabbis, the New York Times reports. The probe into international money laundering and corruption involves rabbis in the Syrian Jewish communities of Deal and Brooklyn, according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger.
Those arrested include Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano, a lawyer who once clerked for a judge, Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell, Ridgefield Mayor Anthony Suarez, Jersey City Council President Mariano Vega Jr., and State Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt, according to Bloomberg and the Star-Ledger.
The probe began when Deal real estate developer Solomon Dwek, the son of a rabbi who headed the Synagogue of Deal, was arrested on charges of trying to deposit two bogus $25 million checks, according to the New York Times and the New Jersey Star-Ledger. Dwek wore a wire for the FBI and “was somehow able to span the incongruous worlds of Jewish rabbis and Hudson County politicians,” according to the Star Ledger.
At a press conference on Thursday, acting U.S. Attorney Ralph Marra said the cooperating witness—later identified by law enforcement sources as Dwek—would meet elected public officials “in parking lots, in luncheonettes, diners, offices, basement boiler rooms and bathrooms, and the politicians willingly put themselves up for sale.”
In meetings with public officials, Dwek posed as a developer willing to pay bribe money to build on his properties. In meetings with rabbis, he posed as a business man trying to conceal criminal proceeds through the help of an international money laundering ring.
Authorities say Dwek wrote checks to charities overseen by the targeted rabbis, who deducted a fee and then returned the rest of the money to Dwek, according to the Times account. In all, Dwek was able to launder $3 million, according to prosecutors.
A press release later announced details of the federal charges: Cammarano is charged with accepting $25,000 in cash bribes; Elwell and Van Pelt are each charged with taking a $10,000 cash bribe; and Suarez is charged with agreeing to accept a $10,000 corrupt cash payment for his legal defense fund, the Star-Ledger reported. Three rabbis are charged with money laundering of proceeds derived from criminal activity.
Cammarano’s campaign website says he is a lawyer with the law firm of Genova, Burns, & Vernoia, the Star-Ledger says. However, his profile is not on the law firm website.
Updated at 12:29 p.m. to indicate three mayors were arrested and to detail charges. Updated on July 24 to add additional details.
