A former Hudson County Parks Department director and a businessman each pleaded guilty to a bribe and kickback scheme, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Jersey announced.
Former Hudson County Parks Department Director Thomas A. DeLeo and business owner William A. Murray pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, Special Attorney Jordan Fox said in a Friday release. DeLeo’s successor as Hudson Parks director, Russell Fallacara, has also been charged for his alleged role in the scheme, they announced.
“During their respective tenures as Parks Department Director, DeLeo and Fallacara took official action in exchange for bribes and kickbacks to ensure that Hudson County awarded various contracts to Murray’s company, which, over the course of the conspiracy, performed over $5 million of work for Hudson County,” the announcement read.
According to prosecutors, the scheme involved more than $1.5 million in bribes and kickbacks. They say Murray made payments to DeLeo and Fallacara to ensure his company would be awarded contracts to work in Hudson County parks. The payments came in cash, including one instance where a sum between $60,000 and $90,000 was delivered to DeLeo, they said. DeLeo also received money through a consulting company set up to receive the payments.
Prosecutors allege that Fallacara received more than $400,000 in bribes and kickbacks.
Hudson County Executive Craig Guy said he was “disgusted by the actions of these former Hudson County officials that occurred before I took office.”
“Throughout my tenure as Hudson County Executive, I have been committed to transparency and ensuring the public’s trust in their government, which included bringing in new Parks Department leadership soon after I entered office,” said Guy. “All county contracts and procurement processes and regulations are thoroughly complied with and reviewed by our Law Department. Let me be clear- corruption is not tolerated on my watch and I applaud federal law enforcement’s efforts to hold these former officials accountable. We work for the people, and I will continue to serve Hudson County with honesty and integrity.”
Fox has served as a special attorney since December, when Attorney General Pamela Bondi appointed a triumvirate to lead the office after the disqualification of Alina Habba. The charges carry a maximum of 20 years in prison.|
This story was updated at 6:16 PM with comment from Guy.
