Government Grants Consulting owner indicted for Racketeering

Joseph Ferriero an owner with Dennis Oury in Government Grants Consulting LLC has been indicted for Racketeering related to political corruption and extortion in Bergen County NJ. Here is the full indictment. Here is the article in the Star Ledger Joseph A. Ferriero, the former chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Organization and once a major Democratic powerbroker in New Jersey, was indicted today by a federal grand jury with running a racketeering scheme in which he allegedly paid kickbacks to a public official, solicited and accepted bribes and extorted companies wanting to do business in Bergen County, authorities said.

The sweeping 74-page indictment charges Ferriero, 56, with conspiring to promote bribery, distributing bribery proceeds, and committing mail and wire fraud. He also is accused of violating the federal Travel Act and mail and wire fraud statutes, authorities said. Dennis Oury agreed to a deal for a lighter sentence and then testified against Joseph Ferriero related to hidden interests in Government Grant Consulting. Here is an article from the Bergen Record. Former Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero faces a federal corruption trial Thursday without his longtime political ally and codefendant after Dennis Oury pleaded guilty Tuesday and implicated Ferriero in a scheme to secretly profit from a grant-writing business. The surprise plea, coming two days before opening statements were scheduled, shifts the dynamics of the trial and raises the prospect that Oury, the former chief counsel for the BCDO, may have traded his seat at the defense table for a spotlight in the witness box. Lawyers in the case would not comment on whether Oury, 59, a veteran municipal and land use attorney, has agreed to testify for the government. That inference, however, appeared likely from the lengthy and detailed questions Oury answered in acknowledging his and Ferriero’s roles in the scheme. “Did you and Joseph Ferriero deliberately set up and structure this company so that your involvement would not be publicly known to others, including the potential clients that you intended to solicit for business?” asked U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler. “Yes, your honor,” Oury replied. “To help keep your involvement and Joseph Ferriero’s involvement from being known to the public, did Joseph Ferriero prepare a shareholders agreement and other documents … that assigned officer roles in the company to ‘front people’ rather than yourself and Joseph Ferriero?” the judge continued. “Yes,” Oury said. David Spatz was the president of Government Grants Consulting and was also the consultant to the Union City Agency for Community Development that was raided by the FBI a few months ago.
Sun Jun 15, 2008 at 07:57:07 PM EDT

Michael Gartland of the Bergen Record is now telling us that an illegal partnership may be the undoing of the Boss of Bergen County and his Lackluster Lackey-in-Chief:
A consulting firm at the center of a federal investigation did not incorporate in New Jersey or file an affirmative action report, as required by law, according to state officials.
Governmental Grants Consulting also doesn’t show up in a database covering corporate documents from all 50 states.

The only paper trail left behind by the firm is the contracts it had with at least five Bergen County municipalities, along with records showing payments for those contracts.

Hmmm. Let’s see – if they opened a bank account under an illegal business name, then that would be bank fraud. If they mailed a bill to their clients, then that would be mail fraud. Looks like it’s pretty bad for Ferriero and Oury. Oury, in particular, seems to have “forgotten” to file disclosure reports for some of his conflicted interests.

The best excuse for those handing out contracts? Take a lesson from James Guida, former mayor of Lyndhurst:

Former Lyndhurst Mayor James Guida, said he thought Spatz showed him the proper credentials for a limited liability company, but was not entirely certain.
“I met the fellow, I think, once,” he said. “Governmental Grants – it sounded professional. David Spatz – he sounded very professional.”

Ineptitude and stupidity, it seems, will be the defense The following is related to testimony given by David Spatz explaining how Government Grants Consulting operated. Thursday, October 08, 2009

Spatz: Ferriero gave list of towns to solicit business from

David Spatz testified that Joseph Ferriero and Dennis Oury provided him with a list of municipalities and contacts in those towns to use when soliciting business for Governmental Grants Consulting.

Spatz testified that he met with Bergenfield officials Feb. 7, 2002, and introduced himself. Borough Administrator Joseph Hess and Mayor Robert Rivas asked Spatz about his experience with grant work and told him about the types of projects in which Bergenfield was interested.

The meeting fell one day after Spatz had breakfast with Ferriero.

After the meeting, Spatz sent Ferriero an e-mail, telling him what was discussed — primarily that Bergenfield was interested in a Green Acres grant, and that the borough’s engineer wrote Department of Transportation grants.

Ferriero responded that Spatz should “convince them” that GGC did DOT grants.

“Indicate that we have influence to get a better result,” Ferriero wrote.

“When you met with Bergenfield, were you aware they were already a GGC client?” Honig asked Spatz.

“No,” he replied.

“Was the company up and running,” Honig asked.

“No,” Spatz said.

A shareholders agreement was signed by the parties of GGC on March 15, 2002.

Spatz also said he sent monthly invoices for his $3,500 salary to Ferriero.

On April 26, 2009, Spatz sent
“It was my understanding that [Barrett] was still president, and Mr. Mottola was still secretary,” Spatz said.

Mottola and Barrett testified earlier this week that they withdrew from GGC about a week after the March 15 shareholders agreement was signed.

Spatz began signing contracts as president in May, and Maria Fagliarone, Ferriero’s personal secretary, began signing as corporate secretary for GGC.

“As president, what duties did you have other than signing contracts?” Honig asked.

“None,” Spatz replied.a letter to Thomas Barrett and Anthony Mottola, early participants in GGC — and copied Ferriero — asking Barrett and Mottola to sign a contract.
Part of this on-going investigation involves the Paramus Affordable Housing Corporation which dealt with David Spatz of Government Grants Consulting and William Katchen the accountant for the Paramus Affordable Housing Corporation. William Katchen is also involved with the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation with former Red Bank Mayor Ed McKenna.
Another subpoena for mayor’s non-profit

Friday, August 22, 2008
Last updated: Friday August 22, 2008, EDT 10:41 PM
BY MICHAEL GARTLAND
The Record
Staff Writer

PARAMUS – A borough affordable housing corporation has received a subpoena from federal agents, municipal spokesman Keith Furlong confirmed today.

The subpoena, which was served Thursday, is the second in two months regarding the Paramus Affordable Housing Corp., a non-profit for which Mayor James Tedesco serves as president.

Dennis Oury, who served as the borough attorney from 2001 to 2007, is listed as the non-profit’s agent, according to state records. He also serves as counsel for the Bergen County Democratic Organization.

Federal agents served search warrants at his law offices Thursday, along with those of Joseph Ferriero, the BCDO chief. The agents seized at least 18 boxes of documents and computer hard drives.

Attorneys for both men confirmed that agents searched the offices for information about Governmental Grants Consulting, a firm in which Ferriero and Oury were partners with two other men – David Spatz, its president, and Leonard Kaiser, who also serves as Bergen County Utilities Authority Chairman.

Sean Quinn, a spokesman for the FBI, would not confirm today whether the subpoena and the search warrants were connected.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office served the borough with a subpoena in July, seeking records about Paramus Affordable Housing Corp.

According to 2007 tax records, Paramus Affordable Housing Corp. has assets worth about $2.4 million, although property tax records put the total at $3 million.

Tedesco, who has been mayor since 2003, and the non-profit’s accountant, William Katchen, have not responded to repeated requests for comment since the first subpoena was received.

Katchen, who once served as director of the Edgewater Municipal Utility Authority, also has worked for the housing authorities of Garfield, Cliffside Park, Edgewater, Englewood and the city of Passaic.

In 1990, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development slapped him with a one-year suspension after the Passaic Housing Authority misspent $1.7 million in taxpayer money. Katchen was the housing authority’s accountant.
Tedesco and Katchen’s aren’t the only names that appear on the non-profit’s tax forms.

Former Paramus Councilman Richard Lambert was listed as the non-profit’s secretary on its 2004 tax form, but Lambert said he ended his ties with the group after stepping down as a councilman in 2000.

“That’s crazy,” he said. “My name shouldn’t be there. I didn’t go to any meetings after I left.”

John Tashjian was listed as a trustee in 2004, but said he never attended any of the non-profit’s meetings.

Louis Romano appears on the form next to the designation of vice president. Romano, who has served on the borough’s Planning Board and Board of Adjustment, said he, too, was surprised his name appeared on the 2004 tax document.

“The mayor appointed me in ’05,” he said. “I was there a couple of months, and I resigned. It just wasn’t my bag.”

U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie has executed more than 30 subpoenas in North Jersey since May. Many of those have sought information related to Oury and Governmental Grants Consulting.

Federal authorities appear to be looking into how that firm’s principals used their political influence to obtain business for it.

Oury, who also is counsel for the Bergen County Improvement Authority, has held jobs in several towns, including Ridgefield and Bergenfield, both of which employed Governmental Grants Consulting.

In Bergen County, his public work generated $760,000 to $1.1 million in annual income for his law firm in each of the three previous calendar years. Oury has given at least $105,000 to Democratic candidates since 1999, most of it going to the BCDO.

Bergenfield fired Oury as its borough attorney in January, and Paramus reassigned him to a labor attorney position.

E-mail: gartland@northjersey.com

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It is interesting how William Katchen’s paths cross those with legal issues. David Spatz was not only involved with Government Grants Consulting but also in Union City where the FBI recently raided the office of the Agency for Community Development in which David Spatz was a consultant. Dennis Oury who was the borough attorney for Paramus as well as the agent for Paramus Affordable Housing Corporation has now become a cooperating witness for the case against Joseph Ferriero and Government Grants Consulting. Len Kaiser of Government Grants Consulting was arrested by the FBI for illegal use of campaign funds. The FBI investigation of the Paramus Affordable Housing Corporation was related to its dealings with Government Grants Consulting. Len Kaiser also worked with William Katchen on the merger of the Bergen County Utility Authority and the Edgewater Utility Authority.
Another part of the indictment deals with the C3 Emergency Website System that is used by the Borough of Red Bank. C3 Holdings of Nutley NJ is the company and is accused of providing kickbacks to Ferriero in order to secure contracts with various municipalities. Here is an article from the Two River Times when the contract was first announced. Joseph Ferriero was also involved in the failed Encap project along with the DeCotiis Law Firm. The DeCotiis Law Firm is involved in the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation. Federal investigators also have issued subpoenas in the collapse of the EnCap golf and housing project. They are working with the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office in a probe of the massive project’s failure. State Inspector General Mary Jane Cooper reported in February that EnCap and members of the powerful DeCotiis law firm in Teaneck, misled state officials about their resources and ability to manage the reclamation of four landfills in Lyndhurst and Rutherford and the installation of complex environmental safeguards. The officials said the joint state and federal team is zeroing in on a handful of controversial figures and issues connected to EnCap. – See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/environment/specialreports/Ferriero_probe_grows_deeper.html?page=all#sthash.s0Ass1kQ.dpuf Here is a full article related to the Encap Scandal From the very beginning, the fortunes of EnCap and the other Cherokee New Jersey projects were in the hands of the DeCotiis law firm — in particular, Wisler, a marquee partner whom witnesses described as a driving force and top day-to-day decision maker. Wisler was indicted as Bryant’s co-defendant but died of cancer before the trial began. He had pleaded not guilty. The firm — which boasts many ex-government officials among its members — is widely known as one of the state’s most effective. It is also known for making political donations and receiving millions in contracts from government agencies. Both firm founder M. Robert DeCotiis and his son, Michael DeCotiis, served as chief legal counsel to Democratic governors. Alfred DeCotiis, M. Robert DeCotiis’ brother, is one of the state’s leading political fund-raisers. Former Cherokee executives who testified during the Bryant trial said the developers chose the DeCotiis firm to shepherd their projects because it wanted a guide who could navigate the New Jersey’s political landscape. The law firm’s office in Teaneck became ground zero for the developers as they began to court state officials in Trenton and the Meadowlands in 1999, some five years before groundbreaking on the EnCap golf project took place. Former Cherokee executive Anselm Fusco testified that when he was hired in 2002, he reported to work at the DeCotiis firm’s Teaneck office because the North Carolina-based developers did not yet have a New Jersey office of their own. The former president of Encap was arrested by the FBI for extortion related to a redevelopment project in Asbury Park, NJ

T&M Engineering Questionable Donations in Hamilton NJ

The Star Ledger as part of an on-going investigation into the Birdsall Engineering illegal campaign donations has discovered that two other engineering firms who did business in Hamilton, NJ may have violated pay to play laws in that town. If a company donates more than $300 they must declare that and are barred from doing business in the town for the next 12 months. T & M paid the Hamilton Republican Party $600 for an ad journal that was never reported. This money then made it’s may to the Mayor of Hamilton’s Campaign Fund. The following year T & M received nearly $75,000 in business from the town. Here is part of the article: Like Birdsall, the two firms — T&M Associates and Remington, Vernick & Arango — made contributions in the form of advertisements in the programs handed out to attendees of former Mayor John Bencivengo’s annual Mayor’s Ball galas. They went on to receive tens of thousands of dollars in township contracts soon after, in apparent violation of Hamilton’s rules.

The money went to the Hamilton Township Republican Committee and was transferred to Bencivengo’s own campaign accounts, committee chairman Michael Chianese said.

Under the township’s pay-to-play rules, first adopted in 2003, if a company makes more than $300 in donations to the campaign of any elected official, candidate municipal party or committee, the firm is barred from receiving contracts for 12 months.

Business Administrator John Ricci said neither firm reported any donations on their disclosure forms, as required when applying for a township contract, and passed pay-to-play examinations by the legal and purchasing departments. He said he did not know why the contributions were not reported. T&M Engineering has always been one of the largest donors to politicians in New Jersey. This is from an Asbury Park Press article and the full article can be read at Red Bank Green. The biggest donor, as it has been in all five years the reports have been compiled, was the Middletown-based engineering firm T&M Associates. It made 184 political contributions totaling $435,110 last year, and was paid $30.3 million from government contracts, up 2.3 percent from a year earlier.

Company spokesman Tom Wilson said the firm doesn’t feel pressure from politicians to make campaign donations, and receives contracts after going through competitive processes that show it’s often the best candidate for the work.

“The reality is it’s one of, if not the, largest professional engineering firms in the state,” Wilson said. “They do work all over the state. They have lots of folks who solicit them for support, charitable, political and otherwise. I don’t think it should be terribly surprising their being at the top of the list.”

T&M Associates did work last year for 17 of the state’s 21 counties or their authorities, including contracts totaling more than $1 million each from Gloucester, Middlesex and Monmouth. It also held local contracts in more than 100 municipalities, including nearly $1.4 million in Union Township in Union County, and $1 million each in Middletown and Red Bank.
T&M Engineering had questionable donations made in Jersey City a few years ago. Here is an article from the Jersey Journal/Star Ledger on how it was resolved Here was an earlier article where T & M Engineering denied making the donation and ultimately the Councilman was told to change the form dates to reflect receiving donations prior to the pay to play laws taking effect. QUESTIONS VEGA REPORT
Firm with city contract denies giving him $$$
Friday, November 13, 2009
By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City Councilman Mariano Vega’s campaign finance reports have come under fire.

Resident John Seborowski Sr. cited the reports during Tuesday’s City Council meeting, saying an engineering firm may have broken the city’s pay-to-play law. But the firm contends the reports are erroneous.

This is not the only issue with Vega’s reports.

As The Jersey Journal reported yesterday, Vega last month updated his ELEC filings to include $10,000 that was previously not reported. The funds are linked to $30,000 Vega allegedly took from a federal informant cooperating in a federal corruption sting. Vega was one of 44 people the U.S. attorney charged in July.

According to Vega’s May Election Law Enforcement Commission reports, T&M Associates contributed $600 to Vega’s re-election campaign and Dominic Carrino, the vice president of the Middletown-based firm, donated $400. There was no date for the contributions on the report.

Those contributions would appear to violate the city’s pay-to-play law, adopted last year, which prohibits donations over $300 from people and firms doing business with the city.

But T&M spokesman Pete McDonough, a partner at Winning Strategies Pubic Relations, said the donations were never made and noted that the company’s address on the contribution attributed to Carrino is incorrect.

“They checked with the employee and they checked the bank records, and no donations were made,” he said.

Reached by telephone yesterday, Vega said the money had to come from someone.

“If I put it in there, I must have gotten something from somebody,” said Vega, who serves as the treasurer for his account. “I’ll probably look into it.”

T&M is vying for a $125,000 contract for design and construction of Marion Greenway Park at the former PJP Landfill in Jersey City. The council was set to vote on the contract, but the resolution was tabled.

According to the city’s pay-to-play law, a business or individual employee cannot donate more than $300 to any candidate, $500 to any joint candidate committee or $300 to a political committee or political party in Jersey City within one year of receiving a contract with the city.

T&M has an ongoing contract with the city for work it has already done at the PJP tract.

The law also places a $500 cap on donations to Hudson County political committees and political party committees and to any political action committees (PACs) that “regularly” donate to local candidates.

Companies found in violation of the law can be banned from city work for four years.

Jeffrey Brindle, executive director of the Election Law Enforcement Commission, said he couldn’t comment on a specific case, but spoke generally.

“It could possibly be something that is accidental or a mistake. In that case we would work with the filer of the report to amend the report and correct the mistake,” he said.

“On the other hand if it’s an intentional misrepresentation of the source of the contribution we would probably turn it over to the attorney general.”

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 … l_front_and_back_609.html

West New York Affordable Housing

The Mayor of West New York Felix Roque has had some legal issues after a Hudson County Freeholder was working for the FBI as an informant and now it is learned that the Freeholder has been cooperating on other matters since 2011. William Katchen who is part of the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation is also the accountant for the West New York Housing Corporation With $8.14 million in assets as of year-end 2011, West New York Housing Corporation A New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation is one of the larger nonprofits. The 2011 reported income for West New York Housing Corporation A New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation was $8,000, making it one of the lowest-earning organizations.West New York Housing Authority Executive Director denies FBI visiting West New York just days before it is announced that Jose Munoz was an informant for the FBI. Bob DiVincent, the West New York Housing Authority Executive Director is also the CEO of West New York Housing Corporation. Frank Borin, William Katchen and Robert “Bob” DiVincent are all members of the New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials. William Katchen and Frank Borin are involved in the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation along with former Red Bank Mayor Ed McKenna. Robert Divincent and William Katchen are also involved in the West New York Housing Authority. It seems that William Katchen is always surrounded with scandals yet nothing ever seems to happen to him but it is interesting that his friend denies that the FBI has visited West New York and then within 2 weeks it is discovered that the FBI had an informant targeting the town. Here is another Affordable Housing investigation involving William Katchen:
Published in the Bergen Record, Monday, October 6, 2008

[Funds transferred without Council approval; Christie subpoenas]

Affordable housing funds shifted

Monday, October 6, 2008
Last updated: Monday October 6, 2008, EDT 6:43 AM

BY MICHAEL GARTLAND

STAFF WRITER

Paramus Mayor James Tedesco authorized the transfer of nearly $4 million in affordable housing funds without obtaining the Borough Council’s approval, an apparent violation of affordable housing rules, public records show.

Council approval for borough expenditures is required under state guidelines, said Chris Donnelly, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.

Tedesco, a Democrat who became mayor in 2003, ordered the largest transfer — $3.6 million — from the affordable housing fund to the Paramus Affordable Housing Corp. in January 2004, according to municipal records. The rest of the money was allocated in three smaller transfers over several years.

Tedesco, who also is president of the non-profit PAHC, offered only a written statement conveyed through Keith Furlong, the borough’s spokesman.

“If the borough did not adopt any specific resolutions, this was an oversight,” Tedesco said.
His Republican predecessor, Cliff Gennarelli, ordered a similar transfer, but for a much smaller sum, $100,000. Gennarelli did not respond to requests for comment.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has served at least two subpoenas related to the borough’s affordable housing program. The non-profit received one in August and the borough received one in July.

It is unclear what specifically drew federal attention.

Much of the overall $4 million transferred to PAHC eventually went to contractors, whose role in building affordable housing in Paramus is unclear.

The money eventually made its way to Paramus Affordable Development LP, a for-profit company that disbursed borough, county and state funds to contractors for a 46-unit project completed in 2005.

A significant portion of the project’s funding — $3.6 million — came from the borough itself. Bergen County paid $900,000, and the state provided about $4.4 million.
The state guidelines also bar a mayor from formal involvement in releasing affordable housing funds, Donnelly said.

“The town council authorizes expenditures,” he said. “The CFO would ultimately execute them.”
The borough did not provide any council resolutions authorizing the transfers, despite several public records requests by The Record. Instead, it provided four resolutions that did not specifically authorize the transfers.

$3.6M mystery
Council members who served in 2004 also did not recall voting to release the $3.6 million. Former council members Sandra Gunderson, Joe D’Ambrozio and Connie Wagner, who is now an assemblywoman, said they did not remember allowing that sum for affordable housing.
“When it came to affordable housing, I saw virtually nothing,” Gunderson said.

The current council president, Frank Ciambrone, also served on the council at the time. He did not respond to several calls for comment.

In a letter to Paramus Chief Financial Officer Joseph Citro on Jan. 6, 2004, Tedesco requested that $3.6 million be moved from the borough to the PAHC account “as per the agreement approved by Dennis J. Oury LLC.”

Oury was Paramus’ borough attorney in 2004. State records also list him as the registered agent for PAHC.

State records held by the Department of Community Affairs show that $3.6 million was transferred, but federal tax records show no record of $3.6 million coming into or going out of PAHC in 2004.

Tax law experts could not reconcile the contradiction. Victoria Bjorklund, former chairwoman of the IRS Advisory Committee on Tax Exemption, said that if the non-profit received $3.6 million — as state records indicate — then, by law, the money would have to appear on the tax form.
“All the contributions should be shown,” she said. “It should show up at least on the balance sheet as funds that came in. If it came in and went out the same day, it should still show up.”

Oury involvement
Oury resigned as counsel for the Bergen County Democratic Organization last month after he and BCDO Chairman Joseph Ferriero were indicted by a federal grand jury on eight counts of fraud conspiracy not related to Paramus.

The indictment accuses them of using political influence to gain contracts for a consulting firm in which both had financial stakes. Oury’s attorney, Gerald Krovatin, did not return calls for comment.

The accountant who handled PAHC’s 2004 tax return, as well as the returns in 2003 and 2006, was William Katchen, according to the tax records. He, too, did not respond to several requests for comment.

46-unit project
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development slapped Katchen with a one-year suspension from federal housing work in 1990 after the Passaic Housing Authority misspent $1.7 million in taxpayer money. He was the authority’s accountant.

After money was released to PAHC, state records show it went into an escrow account held by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency.

The mortgage agency then released the money to Paramus Affordable Development LP, the for-profit company that disbursed funding for the 46-unit project.

Eugene Walsh is president of Paramus Affordable Development LP, a company that shares an address with four of those contractors:

* Penwal Affordable Housing Corp. (non-profit): Walsh and Laury Pensa, directors.
* Canyon Capital Corp. (for profit): Pensa, president, incorporator, agent.
* Summit Capital Corp. (for profit): Pensa, president, incorporator, agent.
* Steamboat Corp. (for profit): Walsh, president; Pensa, agent and incorporator.

Steamboat received a $976,500 development fee from Paramus Affordable Development for a project with an $8.1 million budget, according to records provided by the state. Canyon received at least $44,000, and Summit took in at least $5,000.

Development fee
In a financial disclosure form filed with the state’s Housing Mortgage and Finance Agency, Walsh wrote that Penwal — which, according to its tax form, has “implemented and developed low-income housing projects in Dumont, Garfield, Jersey City and Paramus” — would get the development fee. He did not mention his interest in Steamboat on the form.

Other records obtained from the state mortgage agency show that the development fee went to Steamboat.

A financial disclosure form submitted to the state for Steamboat does not list Walsh or Pensa’s interest in Penwal or Paramus Affordable Development LP. Pensa’s signature appears on that financial disclosure statement.

In addition, a public records request submitted to HMFA by The Record showed that disclosure statements for Penwal and Canyon Capital were not filed with the agency.
Walsh and Pensa did not return calls about the payments.

Bergen County’s United Way President Tom Toronto, who has experience with state-funded affordable housing projects, said development fees are a common cost of such projects. He also said any changes regarding development fees would have to be approved and recorded by HMFA.

“HMFA has to bless it each step of the way,” he said. “Otherwise, the money wouldn’t flow.”

E-mail: gartland@northjersey.com

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