|
Scarpelli Sentenced To 18 Months In Prison
By Keith Hagarty
Former Brick Township Mayor Joseph Scarpelli was sentenced to 18 months in prison and imposed a $5,000 fine this week by Judge Susan D. Wigenton in U.S. District Court, in Newark.
In addition, Scarpelli must also serve three years of supervised release after his prison term ends.
In January, Scarpelli, 68, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from an unnamed developer in exchange for influencing town projects.
His lawyer, Michael T. Nolan Jr., had asked the judge for leniency in the former mayor's sentencing, claiming that Scarpelli's longtime service and initiatives in the Brick community should be taken into consideration. However, despite the attorney's request for probation and Scarpelli's public apology to the court, Wigenton chose jail time for the beleaguered former official.
The reason, she said, was to send a message to other public officials.
Scarpelli could have faced up to 30 months in prison, with a fine of $250,000. However, prosecutors did not seek the maximum sentence, instead recommending a lesser sentence, being as Scarpelli had been cooperative with investigators throughout the process.
Originally scheduled for May, the former mayor's sentencing was postponed to this month.
Following his guilty plea in January, Nolan said it was obviously a very difficult day for Scarpelli and his family.
"Being the man that he is, he fully accepts responsibility for his actions," said Nolan.
Scarpelli resigned as Brick's mayor one year ago in December 2006. At the time, Scarpelli cited "personal reasons" as the basis of his decision to resign. However, those personal reasons were soon revealed in January when he pled guilty in Newark Superior Court to extortion.
Charges filed by U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie stated that Scarpelli accepted more than $5,000 in cash payments from an unnamed real estate developer in exchange for using his influence as mayor between 1998 and 2003.
His position as mayor allowed him interaction with the township council, planning board, board of adjustment and the 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. Scarpelli also admitted to accepting an additional $500 in cash.
Scarpelli served as mayor of Brick for over a decade. The Democrat began his involvement in Brick politics during the 1970s on the board of education before moving on to the township council.
When Scarpelli stepped down, he was replaced by fellow Democrat Dan Kelly, who was appointed by the township council in January. Republican Stephen Acropolis, who lost to Scarpelli in the 2005 mayoral campaign, soundly defeated Kelly for the post in the November 2007 elections.
Scarpelli will begin serving his jail time on January 28 at a federal prison.
| 
