Federal authorities spent hours executing a search warrant at the home of Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam.
NBC10's Ted Greenberg was there as FBI and IRS agents removed computer equipment and white boxes from the North Ohio Avenue home. Agents arrived around 7:45 a.m. Monday and didn't leave until after noon.
The FBI's Newark division confirmed to the Associated Press that agents searched Gilliam's house. It wasn't immediately known what prompted the search.
Outside the home, FBI agent Jessica Weisman said, "We are here in an official capacity, executing a search warrant. That's all we can say."
Gilliam didn't respond to Greenberg's request for comment by phone or text. He left the home and drove off in his private SUV without saying anything early Monday afternoon.
A spokeswoman said the mayor was not at City Hall Monday and that the mayor's office remained open for business.
The Democrat is in his first year as mayor. The former two-term city councilman defeated Republican incumbent Don Guardian in November 2017 in a contentious election in which Guardian alleged voter fraud by Gilliam's campaign.
In April, a judge threw out a criminal complaint against Gilliam over the alleged theft of a $10,000 check from the Atlantic City Democratic Committee. The committee had accused Gilliam and a former campaign manager of unlawful taking when Gilliam deposited the committee's $10,000 check into his campaign account.
Gilliam said it was a mistake and later returned the money.
Gilliam and several others were involved in an early morning fight last month outside an Atlantic City casino but local prosecutors announced last week they wouldn't file criminal charges.
In April, a judge threw out a criminal complaint against Gilliam over the alleged theft of a $10,000 check from the Atlantic City Democratic Committee.
A spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, the agency that oversees Atlantic City, released a statement on the search warrant Monday.
“We are aware of and are monitoring the situation in Atlantic City and we cannot comment on an ongoing investigation," the spokesperson wrote. "We remain focused on the people of Atlantic City and ensuring that their needs are met. The state, city officials, and government, civic, private and philanthropic stakeholders throughout the city are staying on task to keep Atlantic City moving forward.”
This story is developing and will be updated.
