Former Asbury Park Deputy Mayor gets 3 years for taking bribes
A former deputy mayor of Asbury Park received a 41-month prison sentence on Monday for accepting bribes from an FBI informant. This federal operation, known as "Operation Big Rig", was a federal corruption sting that saw many public officials busted in 2005. In this case, the former deputy mayor accepted a $2,000.00 bribe and a free paving of his driveway from an FBI informant who was posing as a contractor looking for city jobs. The official was convicted of conspiracy to commit extortion, attempted extortion, bribery, making false statements, and attempted witness tampering. The defendant was sentenced in United States District Court by the Honorable Jose L. Linares to 41 months in prison. The defendant must turn himself in by May 31. More than 20 public officials were convicted as a result of Operation Big Rig, a joint investigation into corruption in New Jersey by the FBI and the US Attorney's Office.
For additional information on this story, see the Asbury Park Press article entitled, "Big Rig Finale: 3+ years for ex-official".
