A "Democrat" Whose Power Blossomed By His Association With Chris Christie
It’s no exaggeration to say that New Jersey politics is bipartisan fetid sewer and that South Jersey Machine boss George Norcross— and his crime family— are at the center of it all. We’ve been covering it for over a decade. Yesterday, a somewhat rogue Democratic attorney general, Matt Platkin— recently estranged from Gov. Murphy’s corrupt Democratic Party establishment— indicted Norcross and some of his allies (although not brother Donald, who’s George had put in Congress). “The charges against George Norcross,” reported Dustin Racioppo and Daniel Han, “represent another seismic event in New Jersey politics in a year that’s already seen a drastic disruption of its notorious boss systems. And George Norcross is often held up as the symbol of a New Jersey political boss. He has long been the subject of scrutiny by law enforcement and a political task force, but has never been charged. The indictment, brought by Attorney General Matt Platkin, portrays years of extortion and threats. Norcross has run a criminal enterprise for at least the past 12 years, Platkin said, causing hurt to businesses, individuals and ‘especially— especially— to the city of Camden,’ one of the state’s poorest cities. ‘The Norcross enterprise manipulated government programs and processes designed to attract development and investment to instead suit their own financial desires,’ Platkin said at a press conference. ‘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 South Jersey power broker personally attended the press conference— uninvited— and sat in the front row closest to the podium, staring at Platkin as he announced the 13-count indictment on racketeering and other charges. His team of attorneys objected when a staffer for the attorney general’s office asked him to sit somewhere else and objected to attorneys not being able to ask questions during the press conference.
…The indictment is also an indictment of the state’s political culture. New Jersey has long had a reputation for corruption, and its senior senator, Bob Menendez, is midway through his second federal bribery trial.
“It’s often said that in New Jersey politics is a blood sport. And what’s meant by that is that if you don’t go along with the demands of those in political power, you’ll get hurt,” Platkin said.
“But there is nothing inherent In our state’s culture that requires us to accept politics and government that functions in this way,” Platkin added. “And as we so clearly [say] in this indictment, there’s nothing legal about it either.”
Norcross— whose brother Donald is a member of the House— has wielded tremendous influence in New Jersey politics for decades, all without holding elected office. He is an insurance broker by trade but built up what’s known as the South Jersey machine, a Democratic political coalition considered one of the strongest in the state. He was a member of the Democratic National Committee and counted figures like Nancy Pelosi among his friends.
At his peak, Norcross was known as the most powerful unelected official in New Jersey. His influence peaked under Republican Gov. Chris Christie, who worked hand in hand with Democratic Senate President Steve Sweeney, a childhood friend of Norcross. But after losing legislative elections in his power base of South Jersey in 2021— including the one held by Sweeney— Norcross conceded he’d been diminished and told Politico that he was stepping back from state politics.
Platkin also charged Norcross’ brother Philip, a lawyer and lobbyist; his longtime lawyer Bill Tambussi; former Camden Mayor Dana Redd; Sidney Brown, the CFO of trucking company NFI; and John O’Donnell, a leader of the residential development company The Michaels Organization.
The indictment came three days after Platkin charged two South Jersey Transportation Authority board members for allegedly retaliating against an engineering firm whose executive refused to go along with a political request from Norcross.
The charges against Norcross and others— referred by Platkin as the “Norcross enterprise”— include racketeering, misconduct and financial crimes and carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
The 111-page indictment details more than a decade of alleged criminality, much of it touching on tax credits and waterfront development extensively reported on in the news media.
In one example, Norcross allegedly threatened a developer who had waterfront property rights after he would not give up those rights on Norcross’ terms. Norcross told the developer that he would “fuck you up like you’ve never been fucked up before,” according to the indictment, and make sure the developer never did business in Camden again. Others then conspired to have the city condemn the developer’s rights and plotted for city officials to publicly accuse the developer of being “not a reputable person,” according to the indictment.
David Wildstein reminded New Jersey Globe readers that Norcross has been the boss of South Jersey for over 3 decades and that the “indictment threatens to upend the political power structure” of that part of the state.
You have to wonder what residents of the state are thinking— between Menendez, Trump and now Norcross, all heinous criminals. “The charges,” noted the NY Times, “reinforced New Jersey’s already tarnished reputation for political corruption… Norcross, an insurance executive who served on the Democratic National Committee, was for decades the most powerful unelected political official in New Jersey. He was instrumental in selecting governors, steering legislation and influencing state policy... Last year, as [Gov] Murphy’s wife, Tammy Murphy, was vying to run for U.S. Senate, the Camden County Democratic Committee, an influential group controlled by Norcross, was one of the first political organizations to back her. The endorsement came at a crucial time for Murphy, a first-time candidate, giving an air of inevitability to her faltering campaign.”
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, a reform candidate running for governor, didn't hold back yesterday!
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