TRENTON, N.J. — Federal agents arrested the struggling mayor of New Jersey’s capital Monday on corruption charges, alleging he agreed to accept bribes in connection with a proposed parking garage — actually a fake project created by authorities trying to snare him.
Trenton Mayor Tony Mack, his brother Ralphiel and convicted sex offender Joseph Giorgianni, a Mack supporter who owns a Trenton sandwich shop, were each accused of a single charge: conspiring to extort the undercover informants who pulled them into the scheme.
U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said at a news conference Monday that the city-owned land a few blocks from City Hall for the garage was assessed at $271,000. He said Mack and Giorgianni agreed to accept $100,000 for the land for the city coffers — as long as the purported developers paid a bribe of $100,000 to be split between the two alleged conspirators.
A federal magistrate Monday ordered Mack released on an unsecured $150,000 bond but ruled that he cannot leave the state while free on bail. Mack left the courthouse Monday without commenting. His lawyer also declined to comment on details of the case.
The charges against Mack, a 46-year-old Democrat, come after he’s been accused of hiring unqualified cronies to city positions, made deep cuts in the police department and overseen a chaotic City Hall as officials fled their jobs soon after he took office in 2010.
He avoided a recall election last year after opponents fell about 1,000 signatures short of getting a measure on the ballot.
Under state law, Tony Mack would be forced out of office if he is convicted. He and his brother could face 20 years in prison if convicted.
“If he were smart, he’d resign,” said Jerell Blakely, a former campaign manager for Mack who is now a critic.
