Jersey City Council Candidate Admits Extorting Cash in Return for Official Influence

NEWARK—James P. King, who was an unsuccessful candidate for Jersey City Council(Ward C), and the former executive director of the Jersey City Parking Authority, former chairman of the Jersey City Incinerator Authority and a former Hudson County undersheriff, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit extortion, admitting he accepted corrupt cash payments from a cooperating witness in return for exercising his future official assistance in favor of the cooperating witness, Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph J. Marra, Jr., announced.

King, 67, who previously headed the Jimmy King Civic Association, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares to a one-count criminal Information that charges him with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right. Judge Linares continued King’s release on a $25,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for Jan. 5.

At his plea hearing, King admitted that between March 2009 and May 2009, while seeking to win a seat on the Jersey City council, he accepted two corrupt cash payments from a cooperating witness (“CW”). King admitted that the payments were in exchange for him exercising his future official assistance, as an anticipated member of the city council. King agreed that he would use his future city council position to assist the CW in obtaining certain development approvals for a purported development project, on Garfield Avenue in Jersey City, in return for the bribe payments. King further admitted that he had agreed to accept an additional corrupt cash payment from the CW after the election.

King’s guilty plea stems from a two-track undercover FBI investigation into political corruption and international money laundering which resulted in the charging of fortyfour individuals via criminal Complaints on July 23.

“Mr. King’s admission of guilt is another positive step on the public corruption side of this investigation,” said Marra. “While the investigation is progressing as expected, we still have plenty of work to do and we will press on accordingly.”

“Although we are pleased with the outcome in the case against Mr. King, we cannot declare victory in our fight against public corruption,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Weysan Dun. “We continue to ask the public to contact us with information about corruption, no matter how insignificant one may think it is. We will treat every lead with confidentiality and urgency.”

The charge to which King pleaded guilty carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. As part of King’s guilty plea he agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $7,500.

In determining an actual sentence, Judge Linares will consult the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which recommend sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offenses, the defendants’ criminal histories, if any, and other factors, including acceptance of responsibility. The judge, however, has discretion and is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Defendants who are given custodial terms must serve nearly all of that time.

Marra credited Special Agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Weysan Dun, and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge William P. Offord, for the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The case against King is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Nakly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.