McGreevey Knew what Machaivelli would do ;)
McGreevey Says He Is Unnamed `Official No. 1' in Bribery Case
July 6 (Bloomberg) -- New Jersey Governor James McGreevey said he is `State Official No. 1' mentioned in the indictment of a Democratic fund-raiser accused of extorting $40,000 from a farmer who was negotiating a land transaction with the state.
The indictment, unsealed in Newark today, said McGreevey used the word ``Machiavelli'' during a meeting with the farmer. The fund-raiser, David D'Amiano, told the farmer before the meeting that McGreevey would use the word as a signal that the farmer's political contributions had bought influence with the governor, the indictment said.
``Yes, I did use the word `Machiavelli,''' said McGreevey, 46, during press conference in Somerdale, New Jersey. ``It was not a code word. It was a literary allusion.''
Government officials boosted an offer for the development rights on the farmer's land to $7.4 million from $3 million after D'Amiano intervened, the indictment alleges. D'Amiano's attorney, Robert Weir of Red Bank, said he wouldn't comment on the charges outside of court.
McGreevey said no one in his administration has been indicted, a sign that the two-year investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing by state officials. Federal officials said the investigation is still under way.
His administration turned over hundreds of pages of memos and phone logs after receiving federal subpoenas related to the case in April. The documents show that D'Amiano, had access to McGreevey and other administration officials. Federal agents also confiscated records from the state Democratic headquarters in Trenton, the state capital.
`Corrupt and Broken'
``The allegations in this indictment paint a vivid picture of the corrupt and broken political system in New Jersey, '' U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said in a statement.
D'Amiano, 45, is the only person named in the indictment. He owns a recycling and mulch business and was a member of the Democrats' state finance committee. The McGreevey administration has acknowledged the investigation involves 74 acres owned by farmer Mark Halper and his family.
The state and Middlesex County are trying to purchase the development rights to the farm to preserve open space. Halper, who helped federal agents record his conversations with D'Amiano, didn't like the original offer of $3 million for his development rights, according to the indictment. Halper has a case pending before the New Jersey Supreme Court asking that the land not be condemned for government use.
D'Amiano promised in November 2002 to help Halper win a higher bid for his land in return for $20,000 in cash and $20,000 in contributions to the state Democratic Party, the indictment said.
Mulch, Topsoil
In conversations about the payments, D'Amiano once referred to the payments as ``mulch and topsoil'' and said Halper would have to pay ``20 loads and 20 loads'' to win his case in court and with the county, the indictment alleges.
Two unnamed state officials and several Middlesex County officials got involved in the case after D'Amiano intervened, the indictment said.
One ``top state official'' and one county official worked the name ``Machiavellian'' or ``Machiavelli'' into separate conversations with Halper to signal that they had agreed to help him, the indictment said.
D'Amiano had told the farmer in advance that the officials would mention the words as a sign that they would deliver on promises to intervene in the land sale, the indictment alleges.
Machiavelli, an Italian who wrote the book, ``The Prince,'' was a master of political intrigue and deception. The adjective ``Machiavellian'' is used to describe the achievement and maintenance of power by a determined ruler indifferent to moral considerations, according to the American Heritage Dictionary.
Disneyland
McGreevey said his allusion to Machiavelli shouldn't be viewed as suspicious given the complicated nature of New Jersey politics. The U.S. attorney's office said the investigation has not been closed.
``It will be clear at the end of this investigation that everyone in this administration acted appropriately, ethically and responsibly,'' McGreevey said.
The county official also used the code word ``Disneyland'' in a conversation with Halper, a codeword prearranged with D'Amiano to signal that a deal increasing the value of the transaction to more than $7 million had been reached, the indictment says.
D'Amiano, who worked with an unnamed ``co-schemer'' when making some of his pitches to Halper patted down the farmer on more than one occasion at the start of meetings to see if he was wearing a microphone or other recording device, the indictment says.
After it became clear that Halper would more than double the offer for his land, D'Amiano asked for another $70,000 in cash and campaign contributions to settle another land dispute faced by Halper, the indictment alleges. That money was never paid
To contact the reporter for this story:
Andrew Pratt in Trenton, New Jersey apratt@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Mark Pittman at at mpittman@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: July 6, 2004 19:05 EDT |
