April 1, 2015

Paterson City Council Member and Former City Council President Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Taking Bribes

NEWARK, NJ—A Paterson City Council member and former council president was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for accepting bribes from a purported developer in exchange for his official help, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Anthony Davis, 50, of Paterson, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls to an information charging him with one count of attempting to obstruct, delay and affect interstate commerce by extortion under color of official right. Judge Walls imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On April 20, 2012, Davis accepted $5,000 in cash from an individual who was cooperating with federal authorities and who purported to be an out-of-state real estate developer. Davis accepted the bribe in exchange for his official action as Paterson City Council president to foster the developer’s business interests. Between July 6, 2012, and July 25, 2012, Davis had meetings with the developer, during which Davis discussed the possibility of accepting additional money from the developer in exchange for a letter from Davis to the developer’s lender indicating that the Paterson City Council supported the developer with respect to certain business endeavors in Paterson. On July 25, 2012, Davis agreed to accept, and did accept, $5,000 in cash from the developer in exchange for such a letter.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Walls sentenced Davis to two years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division.