Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, a Democratic candidate for governor, gave a hot take on South Jersey power broker George Norcross getting indicted in a racketeering case brought forth by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Whether it’s Bob Menendez or George Norcross – there isn’t a single person in NJ politics that has my track record in publicly fighting these characters for the better part of 10+ years – you can google it and I’ve got a ton of scars to show for it,” Fulop wrote on X.
“BUT today is a good day for South Jersey and importantly it’s a good day for the future of NJ[.] Don’t take this post as I’m happy that so many people in the political institutional world are being called out bc it’s really unfortunate however I do think turning of the page is good thing and there is more still to do.”
One of Fulop’s declared democratic challengers for the June 3rd, 2025 primary is former Senate President Steve Sweeney, who has not been charged, though was implicated in a case against two South Jersey Transportation Authority commissioners who were indicted for official misconduct for a political retaliation scheme on Friday.
Today’s indictments, which came following an investigation by the Office of the Public Accountability and Integrity (OPIA) unit of the AG’s Office, alleges that “from as early as 2012 through the present, the Norcross Enterprise used its power and influence over government officials to craft legislation tailored to serve the interests of the enterprise.”
The state further alleges that then-Camden Mayor Dana Redd, along with other public officials, used coercion, extortion, and other criminal acts to acquiring property along Camden’s waterfront.
Norcross, his brother, Philip Norcross, the CEO of Parker McCay; William Tambussi; George Norcross’ longtime personal attorney; Redd; NFI CEO Sidney Brown, and John O’Donnell, a part of the executive leadership team at The Michaels Organization, a development firm, are all charged with first-degree racketeering.
The defendants are also charged with various counts of financial facilitation, misconduct by a corporate official, and official misconduct and conspiring to commit theft by extortion, criminal coercion, financial facilitation, as well as misconduct by a corporate official.
“The criminal conduct included George E. Nocross, III, threatening one developer who held Camden waterfront property rights necessary for the Norcross Enterprise to build Triad1828 Centre, the tallest building on the Camden waterfront and the current headquarters of CSB, and an apartment building known as 11 Cooper,” the 111-page indictment says.
“When the developer would not relinquish his rights on terms preferred by George E. Norcross, III, he threatened the developer, in substance and in part, ‘f*** you up like you’ve never been f***ed up before,’ and told the developer he would make sure the developer would never do business in Camden again.”
In a subsequent recorded conversation, Norcross allegedly said “absolutely” when the developer asked if he was threatening him.
At a press conference this afternoon, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said he ended up selling his property rights to the Norcross Enterprise for $1.9 million, a fraction of what the land was actually worth.
Norcross sat in the front row of the presser and attempted to hold his own right afterwards before state troopers asked him to leave the building, telling reporters outside the facility that “he’s a coward,” in reference to Platkin.
As for New Jersey’s senior senator, Menendez is currently on trial in federal court in Manhattan, facing a litany of corruption charges including acting as a foreign agent to Egypt and helping to facilitate a development deal with the government of Qatar for defendant Fred Daibes.
Back in October, after the charges regarding Egypt were unsealed, Fulop said the U.S. Senate should vote to expel Menendez, as HCV first reported.
Wow, if these allegations are true then this state is really out of control! The arrogance of people.
Hell, yeah!
wonder if they’re going to go after little towns like Bayonne to expose all the corruption going on….