N.J.'s Joe Vas, Esq. Convicted of Corruption.
April 18, 2011 at 5:19 P.M. I have restored the correct spacing, as much as possible, in the Eco and Chandler essays. I will try to repair the harm done to Posner and Unger during the week. New essays chronicling the continuing saga of New Jersey's disgusting corruption problem are coming up.
April 18, 2011 at 11:50 A.M. Several essays were altered overnight: "Umberto Eco and The Semiotics of Power," also "Raymond Chandler and The Simple Art of Murder," possibly others were damaged as well as frequent alterations of a single line of spacing detected in many previously posted and corrected works. I will gradually correct all of these alterations of my writings. ("How censorship works in America.")
April 16, 2011 at 9:35 A.M. A "witty" advertisement was attached illegally to this site and (probably) it is intended as a threat: "Burn & Fire Lawyer, Representing NJ & NY Burn Victims, Contact Us for a Free Consultation. http://www.newjerseyburnlawyer.com/ "
(See "'The English Patient': A Movie Review" and "'The Verdict': A Movie Review.")
April 15, 2011 at 5:26 P.M. From a public computer: "Errors" inserted since this afternoon will now be corrected. Due to the take-over of my MSN address and e-mail, I cannot receive or send e-mails or access any MSN sites. My work continues to be tampered with, illegally, and I continue to receive bogus calls from the likes of "Marcel" or "Howard Masia" and "Alina Falcone." Images cannot be accessed or posted from my home computer. My writings are plagiarized, censored, suppressed on a regular basis. I have decided to leave a box outside my door for the depositing of death threats.
April 15, 2011 at 2:10 P.M. The spacing between paragraphs in my story "Master and Commander" has been altered by New Jersey's hackers. I will try to make the necessary repairs in the next few days.
April 15, 2011 at 10:52 A.M. Several essays have been altered with newly-inserted "errors," often reinsertions of previously corrected "errors." I will make the necessary corrections over the next few days and weeks. ("Richard A. Posner on Voluntary Actions and Criminal Responsibility" and "Roberto Unger's Revolutionary Legal Theory" as well as "What is Law?")
"Joseph Vas fought battles throughout his 18 years in elected office, first defeating an entrenched mayor in his hometown of Perth Amboy."
"Yesterday, the once-powerful Middlesex County Democrat was sentenced to 6-and-one-half years in federal prison after being convicted on corruption charges arising from a scheme to funnel money into his 2006 congressional campaign from a real estate deal."
Allegations of Gambino crime family "connections" are denied by Mr. Vas:
" ... Vas' attorney, Alan Zegas, said the 56-year-old four-term mayor could be released from prison in slightly more than five years."
"U.S. District Court Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark also ordered Vas to pay $90,000 in restitution to Perth Amboy, the amount of redevelopment funds Vas funnelled [as it were] to a developer who bought a building from the former mayor."
"Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Howe asked for a sentence of up to nine years, arguing Vas 'created an egregious abuse of the public trust.' ..."
The federal government is unable to assist with my efforts to defend against computer crime and censorship. I wonder why? ("Does Senator Menendez Have Mafia Friends?")
"In October, jurors found Vas, 56, while mayor, bought a 12-unit apartment in Perth Amboy for $660,000 then quickly flipped it for $950,000, closing the deal with a promise to give the buyer $360,000 in city redevelopment funds. Vas illegally funneled $80,000 from the sale to his unsuccessful congressional campaign, jurors found. The city ultimately allocated only $90,000 of redevelopment funds."
Joe Vas is yet another distinguished New Jersey politician and (possibly) a secret member of the Bar Association's Ethics Committee to be indicted and get some prison time. ("New Jersey's 'Ethical' Legal System.")
Much more is on the way if the investigation into several Bergen County police officers doing cover-ups for the local bosses pans out (as it should) to include prosecutors and connected attorneys. This expansion of existing investigations -- in Bergen and Hudson as well as elsewhere -- is very likely. Union has some serious problems, I hear. I can only that this news is accurate.
"NEWARK -- Federal Court reinstates charges against high-profile lawyer ..."
"Racketeering charges have been reinstated against a New Jersey lawyer accused of plotting to murder a potential witness. Paul Bergrin's former clients include entertainers Queen Latifah and Lil Kim."
"Last April, a federal judge in Newark threw out racketeering charges against Bergrin, ruling the alleged crimes were a series of disconnected acts and not part of a pattern of racketeering."
"Yesterday's decision by the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that ruling. Bergrin also faces murder, conspiracy, bribery and prostitution charges."
"Authorities arrested Bergrin in May [,] 2009. He's accused of arranging the murder of a government witness in Newark and trying to hire a hit man to kill another witness." (emphasis added!)
Begrin worked alongside current Chief Justice Stuart Rabner at the U.S. Attorney's office in New Jersey before these "gentlemen" went on their merry way in their professional lives. Bergrin may have "brokered" the deal that allowed Angelo ("The Horn") Prisco to get out of prison after making a hefty contribution to the Democrats' "non-federal account" while Mr. Rabner was New Jersey's Attorney General. Shortly after that questionable episode, Mr. Rabner was appointed as Chief Justice of New Jersey's Supreme Court. Now nobody knows from nothing. ("Stuart Rabner and Conduct Unbecoming to the Judiciary in New Jersey" and "No More Cover-Ups and Lies, Chief Justice Rabner!" then "One of New Jersey's Highly Ethical Attorneys Has a Problem" and "New Jersey's Legal System is a Whore House.")
Where's your sense of humor, New Jersey? Hey, Stuart -- Do you know Daniel Mendelsohn? ("What is it like to be plagiarized?" and "'Brideshead Revisited': A Movie Review.")
Sources:
John Eligion, "A Lesson in Mob Jargon at a Mafia Murder Trial," in The New York Times, April 14, 2011, at p. A20.
"Tainting Justice With Politics," (Editorial) in The New York Times, April 14, 2011, at p. A20.
William K. Rashbaum, "A Mafia Boss Breaks Code in Telling All," in The New York Times, April 13, 2011, at p. A1.
Jane Perlez & Ismail Khan, "Pakistan Pushes for Drastic Cuts in C.I.A. Activity," in The New York Times, April 12, 2011, at p. A1. (This break with Pakistan was not unforeseeable and could destroy our efforts against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the region. "On Obama's Secret Service.")
William K. Rashbaum, "In a First, a New York Mob Boss Will Take the Stand for the Government," in The New York Times, April 12, 2011, at p. A1. (There must be more than meets the eye to this story.)
John Petrick, "Sadrakula Faces More Action: Assault Charges Sent to Grand Jury," in The Record, April 14, 2011, at p. L-1. (Ms. Sadrakula was also on the local ethics committee, I believe.)
Erik Shilling, "Man Admits Role in $1.5 MILLION Fraud Scheme," in The Record, April 14, 2011, at p. L-2. (Another honest attorney in the Garden State?)
Monsy Alvarado, "3 Cops Indicted in Alleged DWI Coverup: Charges Stem From Hackensack Accident," in The Record, April 12, 2011, at p. A-1. (The cops are only the beginning of this story.)
Ted Sherman, "Ex-Official Gets 30 Months in Bribe Scheme: Agreed to take $30,000 in FBI Sting," in The Record, April 12, 2011, at p. A-4. (Mariano Vega, Esq. going to prison for a $30,000 bribe.)
Tom Hayden, "Ex-Mayor Gets 6 1/2 Years for Corruption: U.S. Attorney's Office Argues Vas Abused the Public Trust," in The Star Ledger, April 13, 2011, at p. 16.
AP, "Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Charges Against High-Profile Lawyer," in The Star Ledger, April 13, 2011, at p. 16. ("One of New Jersey's Highly Ethical Attorneys Has a Problem.")
posted by Juan Galis-Menendez @ 9:57 AM
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