2008 Woodie Awards
Former N.J. mayor convicted of corruption, fraud charges
'Stunning' verdict comes after an illegal land purchase by mayor's ex-mistress
By: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Issue date: 4/17/08 Section: Nation
NEWARK, N.J. - Former Mayor Sharpe James and his ex-mistress were convicted yesterday of corruption charges centered on her cut-rate purchase of city land.
The verdicts were a stunning rebuke to James, who was mayor of New Jersey's largest city for 20 years and took credit for redevelopment that included a pro hockey arena.
"I'm willing to bet this will be the first line in his obit," U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie said outside court of the taint on James's legacy.
James, 72, was convicted of all five charges he faced, including fraud and conspiracy.
His former girlfriend, Tamika Riley, was convicted of those charges and eight others, including evading taxes and cheating to obtain subsidized housing assistance for herself.
Both remain free on bail pending sentencing, scheduled for July 29. Their lawyers said they planned appeals.
Although some of the charges can carry sentences as stiff as 20 years, a more probable sentence for James is about seven to eight years, prosecutors said. James could also be stripped of pensions that provide a six-figure annual income.
Neither James nor Riley, 39, showed any emotion as the jury foreman spoke the word "guilty" 22 times. An expressionless James left the courtroom without speaking to reporters and left the building through a back entrance. His lawyer declined comment, except to say James would appeal.
"Tamika is deeply disappointed with the verdict," said her lawyer, Gerald Krovatin.
Riley was a publicist who once ran a clothing boutique near City Hall. James was mayor from 1986 to 2006 and also a Democratic state senator from 1999 to January 2008.
Prosecutors charged that James abused his office and betrayed his constituents by arranging for the sale of nine city-owned properties for $46,000 to Riley from 2001 to 2005. Riley quickly sold them for $665,000 without starting required rehabilitation work on most of them, prosecutors said.
James' attorneys argued that no evidence showed that the mayor assisted Riley or even had knowledge of her transactions, and that the mayor's interest in redeveloping the struggling city was well within the scope of his duties.
The verdicts were a stunning rebuke to James, who was mayor of New Jersey's largest city for 20 years and took credit for redevelopment that included a pro hockey arena.
"I'm willing to bet this will be the first line in his obit," U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie said outside court of the taint on James's legacy.
James, 72, was convicted of all five charges he faced, including fraud and conspiracy.
His former girlfriend, Tamika Riley, was convicted of those charges and eight others, including evading taxes and cheating to obtain subsidized housing assistance for herself.
Both remain free on bail pending sentencing, scheduled for July 29. Their lawyers said they planned appeals.
Although some of the charges can carry sentences as stiff as 20 years, a more probable sentence for James is about seven to eight years, prosecutors said. James could also be stripped of pensions that provide a six-figure annual income.
Neither James nor Riley, 39, showed any emotion as the jury foreman spoke the word "guilty" 22 times. An expressionless James left the courtroom without speaking to reporters and left the building through a back entrance. His lawyer declined comment, except to say James would appeal.
"Tamika is deeply disappointed with the verdict," said her lawyer, Gerald Krovatin.
Riley was a publicist who once ran a clothing boutique near City Hall. James was mayor from 1986 to 2006 and also a Democratic state senator from 1999 to January 2008.
Prosecutors charged that James abused his office and betrayed his constituents by arranging for the sale of nine city-owned properties for $46,000 to Riley from 2001 to 2005. Riley quickly sold them for $665,000 without starting required rehabilitation work on most of them, prosecutors said.
James' attorneys argued that no evidence showed that the mayor assisted Riley or even had knowledge of her transactions, and that the mayor's interest in redeveloping the struggling city was well within the scope of his duties.
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