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SCARPELLI PLEADS GUILTY TO TAKING BRIBES
Resigned Mayor Took Money From Developers; Could Face Up To 30 Months In Prison
By Catherine Snipe
Resigned Mayor Joseph Scarpelli pled guilty in Newark Superior Court Monday to accepting at least $5,000 from an unnamed developer.
Scarpelli resigned as mayor of Brick Township in December citing personal reasons.
Now, those reasons have been revealed.
Before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton, Scarpelli pled guilty to extortion, saying he took bribes from a developer seeking approval for a project in the township between 1998 and 2003.
Scarpelli served as mayor of the 80,000-plus residents of Brick for almost 13 years. The Democrat began his involve- ment in Brick politics during the 1970s on the board of education before moving on to the township council, and ultimately the mayor's seat.
Scarpelli, 67, may face up to 30 months in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for May 29.
Township officials said it is unclear which projects were tainted by bribes, but they are eager to find out more.
The charges, filed by U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie, state Scarpelli accepted more than $5,000 in cash payments from an unnamed real estate developer, in exchange for using his influence as mayor. His position allowed him interaction with the township council, planning board, board of adjustment and over township budget and contracts as avenues for influence.
According to the charges, this is called extortion under color of official right, when an official agrees to accept cash payments in exchange for agreeing to exercise official action.
The federal charges state these payments were made through late 2003. Scarpelli also admitted accepting $500 in cash.
"Obviously this is a very difficult day for him, for his family
and for Brick Township," said Scarpelli's lawyer, Michael T. Nolan, Jr. to reporters Monday, in a video taken by the Asbury Park Press.
Nolan told reporters that Scarpelli, "being the man that he is, he fully accepts responsibility for his actions."
Scarpelli resigned in early December, offering a one-sentence letter with "personal reasons" as the reason for his departure. The resignation created an explosion of speculation in the township, with many linking the move to an FBI subpoena in the spring of 2006.
Leslie G. Wiser, Jr., an FBI special agent, said Scarpelli's plea was one more case in a long line of political corruption cases.
"It demonstrates our commitment to getting the job done," he said.
Wiser was referring to ongoing investigations that also involve several townships in Monmouth County.
In one case, former Middletown Township Committeeman Raymond J. O'Grady, a Republican, will face 43 months in federal prison at Fort Dix for a corruption conviction for taking $8,000 in bribes during an FBI sting. He is one of 13 officials from Monmouth County charged in 2005.
Wiser said investigators will be persistent in their probe of officials, and that they have had great success investigating and prosecuting these types of cases. "We're going to keep going, it's a very high priority for us."
This is not the first guilty plea of a township official in recent days. Former Brick Public Works director John H. Nydam pleaded guilty to accepting a payment from a contractor and to stealing township equipment. The plea came last April in state Superior Court in Toms River. Nydam is awaiting sentencing.
In addition, Acropolis said the township received another "visit" from investigators, on Friday during which the FBI subpoenaed more records from town hall. It is unclear if the cases are connected.
Scarpelli's legacy will now look much different. During his terms as mayor, Scarpelli advocated to increase open space, helped create Summerfest, a semi-weekly concert program that brought such acts as The Duprees and Blood, Sweat & Tears to perform on township beaches, pushed for increased personnel and technology for the township police force and was an advocate for environmental issues.
He was not without criticism from Republicans. In 2003, they complained Scarpelli took a township-owned vehicle on vacation to Vermont, which Scarpelli acknowledged.
Council president Stephen C. Acropolis, who ran against Scarpelli for mayor in the 2005 race, said at the time of the resignation that it was disappointing but that he had suspected the mayor would not finish his term.
Acropolis said at this week's council meeting that he would reserve his comments for another time.
"Everybody knows where I stand on this," said Acropolis, Scarpelli's political rival who narrowly lost the mayoral election.
He said the council faces the hard work to restore the integrity of the township.
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