All charges dismissed in racketeering case against NJ power broker Norcross

A New Jersey court has dismissed all charges in a racketeering case against influential Democratic power broker George Norcross an others in a ruling on Wednesday.

Last year, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin brought charges against Norcross and five others alleging a plot that used power over government officials in order to craft legislation that would aid them in obtaining property and property rights along the Camden waterfront "through coercion, extortion, and other criminal acts."

However, attorneys for the six charged in this case filed a motion to dismiss the case, claiming, among other concerns, the allegations didn't constitute extortion or criminal coercion and there was no racketeering enterprise.

That motion was granted on Wednesday.

In the ruling, New Jersey Judge Peter Warshaw said he agreed with defense attorneys' claim that, in this case, the arguments centered on "where the line is between legal and illegal conduct," instead of focusing on the facts of what happened.

The state will have 45 days to approve the court's action.

In a statement released shortly after the charges were dismissed, Platkin said he strongly disagreed with the decision and plans to appeal.

"We disagree strongly with the trial court’s decision, and we are appealing immediately. 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," Platkin said in a statement. "But I have never promised that these cases would be easy, because too many have come to view corruption as simply the way the powerful do business in New Jersey. That corruption has consequences: it breeds a loss of trust in government and in our public servants, at a time when we must work to protect and restore faith in our institutions. Today is a reminder of how much work remains, and how difficult it will be to clean up government in our state. But along with the career law enforcement officers and prosecutors who have worked on this case for years, I won’t back down from that fight."

Who was charged in this case?

In this case, six people were charged with racketeering:

• George E. Norcross, III, 68, of Palm Beach, Florida, the executive chairman of the insurance firm Conner, Strong & Buckelew and chairman of the board of trustees for Cooper Health.
• Philip A. Norcross, 61, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, an attorney and the managing shareholder and CEO of Parker McCay, a New Jersey law firm. He also serves on the board of Cooper Health and is the registered agent for the groups that own buildings in Camden that were the subject of the criminal allegations.
• William M. Tambussi, 66, of Brigantine, New Jersey, an attorney and partner at the law firm of Brown and Connery. He is the long-time personal attorney to George Norcross, Platkin said. In a statement, Platkin's office noted that, from 1989 to present he also served as counsel to the Camden County Democratic Committee – which George Norcross chaired from 1989 to 1995.
• Dana L. Redd, 56, of Sicklerville, New Jersey, the CEO of Camden Community Partnership, which was formerly Cooper’s Ferry Partnership. Platkin's office said that she previously served as a member of the Camden City Council, the New Jersey Senate, and from 2010 to 2018 was the Mayor of Camden.
• Sidney R. Brown, 67, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the CEO of NFI, a trucking and logistics company. He also serves as a member of the board at Cooper Health, and, Platikin's office said he is a partner in the groups that own several of the Camden buildings that were at the center of the allegations.
• John J. O’Donnell, 61, of Newtown, Pennsylvania, has been in the executive leadership of The Michaels Organization, a residential development company, in a variety of roles including COO, President, and CEO. Platkin's office also said he's a partner in the groups that own several of the Camden buildings that were at the center of the allegations. He has also served on the Board of Cooper’s Ferry Partnership at various times since 2018.

What was the case about?

In an 111-page indictment, Platkin laid out charges alleging that Norcross and others got property rights along the Camden waterfront and collected millions of dollars in state-backed tax credits through, what Platkin claimed were criminal acts.

At the time the charges were announced, Platkin claimed that Norcross and others "took the Camden waterfront all for themselves."

For example, according to the attorney general, Norcross orchestrated the sale of Camden's L3 Complex, which Cooper Health now occupies, at a discounted price.

Platkin also claimed that, in acquiring the rights to construct the Triad 1828 Centre, Camden's tallest waterfront building, and 11 Cooper, a residential apartment building, Norcross forced the developer who owned those properties to give them up.

The indictment also alleged that Norcross and his associates “used their political influence to tailor New Jersey economic development legislation to their preferences. After the legislation was enacted in September 2013, members and associates of the Norcross Enterprise conspired to, and did, extort and coerce others to obtain — for certain individuals and business entities — properties and property rights on the Camden, New Jersey waterfront and associated tax incentive credits.”