Democratic energy broker George Norcross indicted on racketeering charges * New Jersey Monitor

The indictment charges Norcross in charge of overseeing the operation of a crime organization, which used threats and intimidation in order to obtain rights to develop in Camden.

By Sophie Nieto-Munoz

George Norcross III, a powerful Democratic power broker, was charged with racketeering on Monday along with five others including his personal lawyer, his brother, and a former Camden mayor.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin revealed the indictment of 13 counts at a bizarre press event in Trenton before an audience including Norcross who sat at the top of the row, and refused to change seats when asked by a person in the office of Platkin.

The indictment charges Norcross of directing a criminal operation, employing explicit threats as well as intimidation to secure right to develop across the Camden waterfront, and later receiving millions of dollars in tax credits issued by the state.

The indictment claims Norcross spoke to an unnamed developer who was unwilling to sell their waterfront property that he would make sure that the developer doesn’t do business with Camden in the future. In the indictment, it is claimed that Norcross later recollected the conversation in this manner: an audio recording:

“Are you threatening me?” the developer asked.

“Absolutely,” Norcross responded.

The indictment is filled with sarcastic phrases that are commonplace among New Jersey politics. The indictment claims Norcross once threatened an individual developer that he’d “f**k you up like you’ve never been f**ked up before.”

Platkin claimed on Tuesday the allegations that Norcross and his comrades manipulated the government’s programs to draw investors and growth to satisfy their personal financial goals.

“Instead of contributing to the successes of the city of Camden, through a series of criminal acts alleged in the state’s case, the Norcross enterprise took the Camden waterfront all for themselves,” the attorney general claimed.

The accusations come amid an extremely turbulent year for New Jersey politics. The month of March saw Democratic Party bosses did not get the chance to use county-line votes to promote their preferred candidates in primaries. Then, during May U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s second corruption trial over the past seven years was commenced in the federal courthouse in Manhattan. Menendez is being a Democrat has stated that the possibility of running as an independent candidate in November, if he’s not found guilty, a decision which is likely to hurt the prospects of the Democratic candidate to succeed his successor, Rep. Andy Kim.

Norcross The co-defendants include brothers Philip Norcross, who runs the Parker McKay law firm; Dana Redd, the former Camden mayor; Bill Tambussi, Norcross lawyer; Sidney Brown, the chief of the trucking firm NFI along with the Norcross business partner and John J. O’Donnell, an investor in real estate and the president of The Michaels Organization. There are a number of unidentified conspirators Platkin added.

“This alleged conduct of the Norcross enterprise has caused great harm to individuals, businesses, nonprofits, the people of the state of New Jersey, and especially to the city of Camden and its residents,” Platkin declared. “That stops today.”

When a reporter inquired about Norcross’s appearance at the conference Platkin declined to answer.

The charges include racketeering official misconduct and conspiring to steal finance facilitation for criminal activities and misconduct of an official of a company.

Norcross is denial of the accusations. Norcross is an insurance director and chairman of the camden-based Cooper University Health Care, has been a long-time political influence in Camden and throughout South Jersey. Donald Norcross, his brother Donald is an elected Member of the House of Representatives.

In a press conference following the release of the charges, Norcross suggested the case was Platkin’s way of retribution after being “humiliated and exposed” in front of a committeethat was investigating the allegations of rape against an employee of the campaign for Governor. Phil Murphy (the staffer has claimed she spoke to Platkin about her claims, and he erred in handling them). Norcross has also suggested that Platkin’s political goals are the reason -In a statement, Norcross claimed Platkin as a candidate for the office of attorney general “masquerading as an attorney general.”

“I would like to attend trial in a couple of weeks. I would like Matt Platkin to come down to this court and decide the case for himself, since the defendant is cowardly, since he’s forced people in this place to follow his plans,” Norcross said.

The announcement of Platkin comes on the following allegations his office filed on Friday with regard to two South Jersey Transportation Authority board members who are accused of use their position to reprimand the Norcross opponent.

The latest allegations date back at least to 2012.

Norcross and his comrades were able to influence the political landscape during the period, Norcross was aligned with the state Senate president, Stephen Sweeney — to adapt legislation for economic development to their preferred preferences, prior to extorting and forcing landowners to acquire the right to own property in Camden in order to gain Norcross and his associates, Platkin alleges.

“As George Norcross himself allegedly said, ‘This is for our friends,'” Platkin declared.

Platkin asserts that Norcross along with his associates were instrumental in helping adopt a state law September 2013, dubbed”the Economic Opportunity Act. Norcross at a conference with allies prior to the legislation’s passage, claimed he would use the new law to construct an office building free of charge as per the indictment.

In the indictment, the Norcross team sent emails to top political figures of the time and included the then-Gov. Chris Christie and Sweeney, providing talking points to favor of the legislation. Following the law’s passage attorneys lobbied for changes to the law in a manner which would benefit Cooper hospital, as per the indictment.

Authorities claim Philip Norcross touted the law and even remarked “this probably is not such a good thing” -as the state would pay tax credits for the entire cost of capital and related expenses for developers who come into Camden to create jobs.

“Over ten years, it’s a hundred percent, and … it will cause real havoc, it’s unlimited,” the man said in a recorded interview according to the indictment.

In the end, the law handed huge tax breaks to companies in the amount in the billions. In the future, Murphy’s administration will set up an task force to examine how these awards were awarded.

The charges that were announced on Monday comprise accusations pertaining to L3’s L3 complex, which includes two three-story buildings, as well as the surface parking of a large parcel close to Camden’s waterfront. Camden waterfront. The accusations provide an example of how the office of Platkin claims that the Norcross team was operating.

Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, a non-profit organization for redevelopment was looking to buy L3 as a L3 site. Norcross allies intervened, as per the indictment, by requiring an official from the Camden mayor’s office direct the non-profit’s leadership to regularly meet in regular meetings with Philip Norcross “so the Norcross Enterprise could monitor what the nonprofit was doing,” the indictment states. Philip Norcross then told the non-profit that it could be punished in the event that they chose the developer of their choice instead of an individual from the Norcross team’s choice According to the indictment.

In the final analysis, Cooper’s Ferry — that could have collaborated with a developer and made millions of profits from sharing profitsinstead decided to sell the property for an “discounted price” to the Norcross developer that was chosen according to the indictment. Cooper University Health Care then purchased a large ownership stake of the developer and, in the following four years, it earned $27 million in tax credits, the indictment states.

The state states that following this incident an Norcross all-party has threatened to reprimand with the Cooper’s Ferry CEO, forcing him to step down. Cooper’s Ferry became Camden Community Partnership in 2021. Redd is the current chief executive officer and president.

Norcross his appearance at the press conference of Platkin -the fact that he wasn’t invited and caused controversy. When one of the Platkin’s teams demanded that he move to another location, the lawyer of an accused was able to defend his client.

“Is there someone more significant than the lead defendant in the case to have a seat in the front row while he’s being excoriated by the attorney general of the state?” the lawyer demanded.

Norcross did not leave at the place he was.