A Kearny woman and a Staten Island man allegedly solicited an over $10,000 bribe from a Union Township business owner, falsely claiming it was for a local elected official, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Steven Carr, 54, of Staten Island, and Whitney DaSilva, 38, of Kearny, have been charged with bribery and conspiracy, while Carr has been additionally charged with theft by deception, as a result of an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability Corruption Bureau.
As alleged in the complaint, Carr claimed he could use a personal connection with a Union Township official to assist a business owner entangled in legal issues with the township — if the owner paid the official over $10,000, with Carr purportedly acting as the intermediary.
DaSilva, knowing about the scheme, offered to pass the bribe money from the business owner to Carr.
“As alleged, these defendants tried to get a business owner to pay a bribe. Instead, the owner did the right thing and reported it to law enforcement,” Platkin said in a statement.
“As evidenced by these charges, my office takes such allegations seriously, and we call upon other members of the public to come forward when they learn of potentially improper influence over, or bribery of, government actors.”
It is also alleged that Carr falsely represented to the business owner that the bribe amount and payment details had come directly from the township official. In truth and in fact, the investigation did not reveal any evidence that the township official was part of the scheme.
“As the charges in this case show, bribery schemes don’t pay. They will only earn you a criminal case,” added OPIA Executive Director Drew Skinner.
Based on documents filed in the case, the crimes allegedly occurred between February and May 2024, as the owner of an establishment in Union Township was involved in administrative proceedings with the municipality related to the business.
Based on information learned during the investigation, DaSilva introduced the business owner to Carr, who said he knew a township official and, if the business owner paid him a large sum—at various times quoted as between $10,000 and $15,000 in cash—to deliver to the official, the owner’s legal issues purportedly would be resolved.
DaSilva, knowing of and acting in concert with Carr in the bribery scheme, offered to pass the bribe money from the business owner to Carr and encouraged the business owner to pay the claimed bribe.
Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000, while third-degree charges can result in a sentence of three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
