Former city of newark employee sentenced to prison for attempted extortion
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
May 16, 2011 |
TRENTON, N.J. – A former City of Newark, N.J., official was sentenced today to six months in prison and six months of home confinement for attempted extortion, after admitting that he accepted a $10,000 corrupt payment in order to assist a contractor in obtaining demolition contracts with the city, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Anthony Clark, 46, of Newark – a former Manager of Property Clearance for the City of Newark Department of Neighborhood Services and former Program Manager for the City of Newark Library – previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson to an Information charging him with attempted extortion under the color of official right. Judge Wolfson also imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to the Information to which Clark pleaded guilty and statements made in court:
Clark admitted that in October 2006, he agreed to use his official authority and influence to obtain demolition contracts from the City of Newark for a contractor, actually a government cooperating witness (CW), in exchange for corrupt payments. Specifically, Clark admitted accepting a $10,000 cash bribe from the CW on October 31, 2006.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Wolfson sentenced Clark to two years of supervised release and ordered him to forfeit $10,000.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward in Newark, for the investigation leading to the conviction.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Harvey Bartle of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
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Defense counsel: Brian Reilly Esq., Trenton
FEMA
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of New Jersey.
FEMA is now accepting applications from residents and business owners who sustained losses in Atlantic County, Cape May County, Essex County, Hudson County, Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Ocean County and Union County.
Register online at
www.disasterassistance.gov , by web-enabled mobile device atm.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. EDT seven days a week until further notice.
