NEWARK, N.J. - A former candidate for the Jersey City Council has admitted to taking bribes from a man posing as a corrupt developer.
Lavern Webb-Washington pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to conspiracy to commit extortion. She accepted $15,000 from the developer.
The 61-year-old faces 12 to 18 months in prison when sentenced on Jan. 12.
She was among 44 people in July in a federal corruption and money laundering investigation.
Webb-Washington is the seventh person to plead guilty in the probe.
Trial Begins in New Jersey Corruption Case: MyFoxNY.com
Federal Informant Testifies at New Jersey Corruption Trial: MyFoxNY.com
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NEWARK, N.J. — The informant at the center of New Jersey's largest public corruption bust began his trial testimony Thursday by recounting a litany of his own transgressions dating back more than 15 years.
Solomon Dwek took the witness stand on the first day of testimony at the extortion and bribery trial of Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini, the first defendant of 44 arrested last July to go to trial.
Under direct questioning by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Moser, Dwek admitted to defrauding partners and family members through his real estate business as far back as 1994, as well as laundering money through a Jewish school founded by his parents in southern New Jersey.
He also admitted to running a real estate Ponzi scheme from 2004 to his arrest in May 2006 that involved as many as 80 investors.
In a matter-of-fact tone, Dwek described how he would get people to invest money in properties that often didn't exist.
"To make the deal look real, I would have to prepare false or fictitious contracts, fake deeds and fake financial statements," he said.
It was a few months after his arrest that Dwek met with federal authorities, and he became a cooperating witness in a probe that focused on money laundering and soon veered into public corruption.
Secretly recorded tapes of meetings made by Dwek form the basis of the government's bribery and extortion cases against nearly two dozen public officials in New Jersey, as well as prominent rabbis in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Deal, N.J., who are charged with laundering millions of dollars through Jewish charities.
Ten people already have plead guilty, but other defendants are closely watching Beldini's trial to see how a jury reacts to Dwek, who pleaded guilty last fall to bank fraud for passing two checks totaling $50 million and faces nine to 11 years in federal prison.
Beldini faces six counts that include attempted extortion and accepting bribes. She is accused of taking $20,000 from Dwek, who posed as a corrupt developer, and converting it into campaign donations for Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, who has not been charged.
In return, prosecutors say, Beldini promised to help Dwek with building approvals for a condo development and also planned to use her real estate agency to sell properties in the building.
Earlier Thursday, a former FBI agent testifying for the government said he has a private deal to provide security for Dwek that has made him about $50,000.
The detail emerged at the end of direct questioning of Thomas Ceccarelli, the trial's first witness.
Ceccarelli, now a private investigator, was hired by the FBI to monitor wiretapped phone conversations of the late Jack Shaw, a northern New Jersey political consultant who, along with Beldini, was one of 44 people arrested in July.
Ceccarelli admitted that in September, weeks after the investigation was completed, an FBI agent approached him to provide security for Dwek because of "credible threats" against him.
Beldini's attorney, Brian Neary, sought to show that Ceccarelli had a conflict of interest because of his private relationship with Dwek. Ceccarelli testified he was told by prosecutors that he had to suspend working for Dwek while he appeared as a witness.
"You're his security guy last week, and this week you're a witness," Neary said. "You're going to bill the government this week, and you'll go back to billing Dwek next week."
Jurors are to be shown secretly recorded tapes of Dwek meeting with Beldini, Healy, Shaw and former Jersey City housing commissioner Edward Cheatam. Cheatam has pleaded guilty and could testify against Beldini.
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A fifth public official arrested in New Jersey's largest corruption sting has pleaded guilty.
James King, the
former head of the Jersey City Parking Authority and a city council candidate, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit extortion Thursday in federal court in Newark.
The 67-year-old was accused of accepting two $5,000 payments from a federal cooperating witness who posed as a developer.
In exchange for the cash, prosecutors say King agreed to use his influence if he won election to the council. He wound up losing the l race in May.
Four other public officials who were among 44 people arrested in July have pleaded guilty. All had ties to Jersey City.
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Political Corruption
• Moshe Altman, 39, of Monsey, NY, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right & money laundering
• Charlie Ammon, 33, of Lakewood, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• Leona Beldini, 74, of Jersey City, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under colorof official right
• Peter Cammarano III, 32, of Hoboken, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• Joseph Cardwell, 68, of Jersey City, NJ, charged with agreeing to offer bribe to public official
• Joseph Castagna, 53, of Jersey City, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• Guy Catrillo, 54, of Jersey City, NJ, charged with attempted extortion under color of official right
• Edward Cheatam, 61, of Jersey City, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right & attempted extortion
• Dennis Elwell, 64, of Secaucus, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• Itzak Friedlander, 41, of Union City, NJ, charged with money laundering conspiracy
• Richard Greene, 45, of Jersey City, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• John Guarini, 59, of Bayonne, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• Shimon Haber, 34, of Brooklyn, NY, charged with money laundering conspiracy
• Denis Jaslow, 46, of Wall, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• Maher A. Khalil, 39, of Jersey City, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right & attempted extortion
• James P. “Jimmy” King, 67, of Jersey City, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• Louis Manzo, 54, of Jersey City, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• Michael Manzo, 53, of Jersey City, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• Ronald Manzo, 65, of Bayonne, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• Michael Schaffer, 58, of Hoboken, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• Lori Serrano, 37, of Jersey City, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• Jack Shaw, 61, of Jersey City, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• L. Harvey Smith, 60, of Jersey City, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• Anthony R. Suarez, 42, of Ridgefield, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• Vincent Tabbachino, 68, of Fairview, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right & money laundering
• Daniel M. Van Pelt, 44, of Waretown, NJ, charged with attempted extortion under color of official right
• Mariano Vega, 59, of Jersey City, NJ, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• Lavern Webb-Washington, 60, of Jersey City, charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right
• Jeffrey Williamson, 57, of Lakewood, NJ, charged with attempted extortion under color of official right
For the charge of conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right and/or attempted extortion under color of official right, the maximum statutory penalties are 20 years in federal prison and a maximum statutory fine of $250,000.
For the charge of agreeing to offer a bribe payment to a public official, the maximum statutory penalties are 10 years in Federal prison and a maximum statutory fine of $250,000.
Money Laundering/Illegal Money Remitting
• Eliahu Ben Haim, 58, of Long Branch, NJ, charged with money laundering.
• Schmulik Cohen, 35, of Brooklyn, NY, charged with money laundering and illegal money transmitting.
• Levi Deutsch, 37, of Brooklyn, NY, charged with money laundering.
• Yeshayahu Ehrental, 65, of Brooklyn, NY, charged with money laundering and illegal money transmitting.
• Mordchai Fish, 56, of Brooklyn, NY, charged with money laundering.
• Yolie Gertner, 30, of Brooklyn, NY, charged with money laundering.
• David S. Goldhirsh, 30, of Brooklyn, NY, charged with money laundering.
• Saul Kassin, 87, of Brooklyn, NY, charged with money laundering.
• Edmund Nahum, 56, of Deal, NJ, charged with money laundering.
• Abe Pollack, 40, of Brooklyn, NY, charged with money laundering.
• Lavel Schwartz, 57, of Brooklyn, NY, charged with money laundering.
• Binyomin Spira, 28, of Brooklyn, NY, charged with money laundering.
• Naftoly Weber, 40, of Brooklyn, NY, charged with money laundering.
• Arye Weiss, 34, of Brooklyn, NY, charged with money laundering and illegal money transmitting.
Human Organ Trafficking
• Levy-Izhak Rosenbaum, 58, of Brooklyn, NY, charged with conspiracy to transport human organs
For the charge of conspiring to commit money laundering, the maximum statutory penalties are 20 years in Federal prison and a maximum statutory fine of $250,000.
For the charge of conspiring to conduct an illegal money transmitting business, the maximum statutory penalties are 5 years in Federal prison and a maximum statutory fine of $250,000.
For the charge of conspiring to transport human organs, the maximum statutory penalties are 5 years in Federal prison and a maximum statutory fine of $250,000.
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