|
|
A federal jury convicted Newark, New Jersey ex-Mayor Sharpe James and his former mistress Wednesday of corruption stemming from the cut-rate sale of city land, the Idaho State Journal reports.
James was convicted on all five charges he faced, including fraud and conspiracy. Under federal guidelines, he could face seven to eight years in prison, but a judge could impose as much as 20 years on some individual counts. James could also be stripped of pensions that provide a six-figure annual income.
I was born in Newark, and lived in Essex County, of which Newark is the hub, for 37 years before moving to Idaho.
With today's news, it is official that every mayor of Newark since 1962 has gone to the slammer.
Two of these dirty politicians, Ken Gibson and James, are black.
There is another interesting, albeit perverse, backdrop to this story.
During the first Bush administration in the late 80s, I remember my father, a fixture at the Essex County courthouse...
|
|
