The statement said that several members of the Pleasantville School Board took thousands of dollars in bribes from the cooperating witnesses, and that they referred the undercover agents to public officials in other parts of the state who would also be willing to take the payments.
The officials took bribes ranging from $1,500 to $17,500. In most cases, prosecutors say, they tried to keep in touch with the undercover witnesses in order to continue receiving the bribes.
The investigation quickly expanded beyond Pleasantville to include officials in Essex and Passaic Counties, in northern New Jersey, prosecutors said. As part of the sweep this morning, federal agents arrested Mayor Samuel Rivera of Passaic; Assemblyman Mims Hackett Jr., a prominent Democrat who is also the mayor of Orange; and Assemblyman Alfred E. Steele, a Democrat from Paterson who is also the Passaic County Undersheriff.
Federal agents also arrested five current or former Pleasantville school board members, two Passaic city council members and the chief of staff to the president of the Newark City Council, prosecutors said.
The suspects are scheduled to appear this afternoon in Federal District Court in Trenton. Mr. Christie and Special Agent in Charge Weysan Dun, of the F.B.I., are expected to provide further details after the court appearances. |
