"Same Old, Same Old ..."

The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is "under federal oversight in connection with allegations of widespread cronyism and financial fraud. ... The university was accused, among other crimes, of defrauding the federal and state governments of at least $4.9 million by deliberately overbilling Medicaid."

David W. Chen, "With a New Jersey University Under Federal Oversight, Corzine Removes Its President," in The New York Times, January 23, 2006, at p. B3.

I would not be surprised if there are MORE such revelations in the days and weeks ahead. I think that we can expect new convictions (very soon) for graft and corruption in the Garden State.

On February 1, 2006 The New York Times reported: "Trustees of New Jersey's financially troubled university voted on Wednesday to accept the resignation of its president Dr. John J. Petillo, but only after he agreed that his $600, 000 severance package could be revoked if a federal investigation of the university finds evidence that he should have been fired."

Additional information has, apparently, become available now: "... the institution had overbilled medicaid by nearly $5 million, spent hundreds of millions of dollars on no bid contracts, and lavished perks on board members, administrators and their political allies." The overbilling is now believed to exceed these figures.

Finally, " ... in the United States Senate, leaders of the Finance Committee this week demanded a briefing on how the university spent hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid, saying they were 'alarmed and deeply troubled' by the allegations."

And:

"Investigators have now added to their list of questions about $36.8 million in state funds that were sent to the university last year but are not accounted for. ... The United States Attorney Christopher J. Christie, has been investigating the allegations for nearly a year, and in December threatened to indict the university for Medicaid fraud unless administrators agreed to let a federal monitor oversee its finances."

David Kocieniewski, "Board Accepts Resignation of Medical University Leader," in The New York Times, February 1, 2006, at p. B4.

A much publicized letter by the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey alleges that lawyers for the state Attorney General in New Jersey, under the previous administration, "mishandled" politically sensitive investigations, "raising the possibility that state investigators were trying to shield political figures." David Kocieniewski, "Ex-Prosecutors in Trenton Respond to U.S. Scolding," in The New York Times, January 27, 2006, p. B2.

In the Star-Ledger, January 26, 2006, and at http://www.nj.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-4/1138258644245310.xml&coll=1 John P. Martin and Jeff Whelan report:

"U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie unleashed a blistering attack on the New Jersey Attorney General's Office [which, I believe, includes the Office of Attorney Ethics (OAE)] yesterday, accusing State investigators of botching a 5 year corruption probe into South Jersey political boss George Norcross III so thoroughly that it could not be salvaged."

The U.S. Attorney was quoted as saying: "In retrospect, our biggest mistake was to entrust a political corruption case of this magnitude to the New Jersey Attorney General's Office." Asking politicians in New Jersey to investigate political corruption or judicial incompetence is like asking the fox to guard the chicken coop.

Compare: David Kocieniewski, "No Title and No Elective Office, But Influence Across New Jersey," in The New York Times, January 7, 2006, at p. B1.

And also: "New Jersey is an ethically challenged state. It is where far too many politicians have been indicted and where far too many people use their political connections to get jobs. That culture needs to change. Such change is slowly coming through aggressive prosecution by the U.S. Attorney's Office and legislation banning 'pay to play.' ... " Daily Record, February 3, 2006, http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=2006203&Category=OPINION01&ArtNo=60203

Governor John S. Corzine appointed three new members of the board of "the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, which is under federal oversight in connection with allegations of financial fraud and rampant cronyism." Among those selected to serve on the board is "Robert Del Tufo, a former United States Attorney and [New Jersey] Attorney General." The New York Times, February 10, 2006, at p. B7, by David W. Chen.

New information and sources may have become available to federal agencies yielding useful clues that will result, I hope, in arrests and indictments in the immediate future.

If you are aware of criminal wrongdoing by political or legal authorities anywhere in New Jersey, go to FEDERAL agencies to report it. It is widely believed that there are multiple and on-going federal investigations concerning "events" in New Jersey at the moment. Each of them will probably lead to other investigations. My reasonable estimate, based on history, is that there will be more such revelations in the IMMEDIATE future. It is always best to remain optimistic. There must be some public officials in New Jersey who are not corrupt.

Actual suggested state slogan: "No, It's Not True That All of Our Politicians Have Been Indicted."

I HAVE ALREADY SCHEDULED SERVICE FOR MY COMPUTER, WHICH MAY MAKE THE BLOG UNAVAILABLE LATER IN THE WEEK, BUT ONLY BRIEFLY. VIRUSES CONTINUE TO AFFECT PARAGRAPH SPACING AND SOME IMAGES, WHICH ARE BLOCKED ROUTINELY. THESE PROBLEMS WILL NOT STOP ME FROM POSTING FOLLOW-UPS TO THE DEVELOPMENTS MENTIONED HERE. I HAVE ALREADY SPENT MORE ON REPAIRS THAN THE COST OF THE COMPUTER, YET I WILL KEEP WRITING SOMEHOW. I AM ALSO FINDING IT DIFFICULT TO ACCESS AND VIEW THE BLOG. HOWEVER, I DOUBT THAT I WILL BE DISCOURAGED BY THESE DIFFICULTIES FROM SPEAKING MY MIND.