New Jersey Ethics.

There are too many links available to New Jersey political corruption sites, but this one has to be seen to be believed: http://www.intellectualconservative.com/article3746.html




"Four men were charged yesterday with operating a corrupt $4.6 million enterprise to harvest human tissue from funeral homes and sell it for use in transplants and research."

The matter was brought before "State Supreme Court in Brooklyn. Justice John P. Walsh set bail of $1.5 million for the former Dentist, Michael Mastromarino of Fort Lee, New Jersey, described by prosecutors as the ring leader, and lesser bail amounts for [four] other men."

Michael Brick, "4 Men Charged in What Officials Call a $4.6 Million Trade in Human Body Parts," in The New York Times, Friday, February 24, 2006, at p. B4.

It is likely that such an enterprise could only thrive on the basis of contacts between these traders in, possibly "diseased" body parts, and officials in local medical facilities. Hence, it is plausible to infer the existence of a relationship between this investigation and other on-going inquiries involving "medical facilities" in New Jersey. This indictment may be viewed as part of a continuing effort to "connect the dots." (See below "Same Old, Same Old," at Philosopher's Quest.)

Many have also suggested that such an enterprise must have involved the cooperation of legal officials and the indifference, at best, of the legal system of at least one state in which it operated. Guess which state?

Notably, until now, it was essentially the federal authorities who have pursued vigorously these matters involving alleged Medicaire and Medicaid fraud in New Jersey. Perhaps this is merely a coincidence.

Michael J. Garcia of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York was quoted in the same day's Times anouncing indictments of 32 persons charged with racketering. Julia Preston, "32 Indicted on Racketering Charges in Manhattan," in The New York Times, February 24, 2006, at p. B3.

The persons indicted on these charges were active, allegedly, in the Bronx and Westchester, but may also have acted "elsewhere." It is suggested by some observers, regrettably, that the U.S. Attorney's Office wishes to avoid any actions brought in a New Jersey state forum or contacts requiring information-sharing with any New Jersey state agencies. It is anticipated that there will be further developments in these, possibly related stories, and in investigations still taking place "elsewhere."

"... Governor Jon S. Corzine had selected Bruce C. Vladek, a national health care policy expert, to be interim president [of the university of Medicine and Dentistry in Newark, New Jersey] ... The university has been under scrutiny in an investigation of alleged Medicare and Medicaid fraud." The New York Times, February 28, 2006, at p. B6.

"... prosecutors want a former administrator at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey who was convicted of witness tampering in a pollution case to go to jail." Guy Sterling, "State Seeking Jail Time for ex-UMDNJ Administrator," Star Ledger, March 4, 2006, http://www.nj.com/printer.ssf?/base/news-2/114145241051910.xml&coll=1

There may be reason to believe that the presence of so much medical waste in New Jersey waters is somehow related to events under investigation. Well, what do you know ...