Legal Problems for Law Firm Involved with Red Bank Affordable Housing Corp.

Part of the indictment related to Joseph Ferriero involves the DeCotiis Law Firm that is involved with the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation where former Red Bank Mayor Ed McKenna serves as the Corporations Vice President. This is from NorthJersey.com And, in a statement, Kerrie Campbell, a lawyer representing the DeCotiis firm, said: “The DeCotiis, FitzPatrick & Cole firm assisted the government’s investigation at the request of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Because the matter is pending in the federal court, we will not be providing further comment at this time.” The indictment puts the three men and Ferriero together at a restaurant in 2002 for a meeting called ostensibly to “settle certain differences” among them. Instead, Ferriero and Scarinci and Hollenbeck — identified in the indictment as Attorneys 1 and 2 — made a pitch to DeCotiis that would ultimately earn their consulting firm about $1.7 million. According to the indictment, the three informed DeCotiis that they had been asked to represent a competitor who intended to use “scorched earth” tactics to defeat Mills’ bid to be named the Meadowlands project developer. For $35,000 a month, though, they said they’d work for his client instead. DeCotiis then agreed to discuss the proposal with his client, who, fearing it could lose out on a substantial investment, agreed to make the payments, the indictment indicates. According to the indictment, DeCotiis recommended to his client that it pay, both to keep Ferriero and those under his sway from opposing Mills’ bid and to secure Ferriero’s help in winning public and official support. The indictment also indicates the DeCotiis law firm, referred to as the “Teaneck law firm,” then made the payments to the consulting company and billed the expenditure to Mills. From 2002 to 2006, the indictment states, about $1.7 million in “consulting service” payments from the Virginia developer were sent to Concept Realization LLC, the company that state records show was created by Ferriero, Scarinci and Hollenbeck. At one point, according to the indictment, Ferriero sent a batch of predated invoices to the DeCotiis law firm. When those invoices ran out in March 2004, DeCotiis had a member of his firm get additional invoices from Ferriero, the indictment indicates. The monthly payments continued until September 2006.
The Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation also has William Katchen from Bergen County involved in its operations. William Katchen’s path has crossed many times with people who have questionable or criminal activities. The following is an article from northjersey.com showing the connections between Katchen and Ferriero/Oury owners of Government Grants Consulting LLC. 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

Find this article at:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/bergenpolitics/Affordable_housing_funds_shifted.html
The Decotiis Law Firm Press Release related to Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation is below. Wonder who the consultants were who secured the Government financing for the project?
DeCotiis’ helps create Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation

Thirty-six units of affordable housing already in development

DeCotiis, FitzPatrick & Cole, LLP, in its role as Counsel to the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corp., recently helped lead the successful development of Cedar Crossing at Red Bank, a 36-unit, for sale, affordable housing project in the Borough of Red Bank, New Jersey.

This project is being constructed on a site that was acquired by the Borough using Municipal Land Acquisition Funds obtained from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. As part of this project, DeCotiis worked with other project consultants to secure necessary state, county and local funding and approvals. DeCotiis attorneys also worked to organize and incorporate the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corp., the nonprofit developer created exclusively for the charitable purpose of promoting, developing, constructing, operating and selling affordable housing in the Borough.

“We are proud to have played a role in the development of this very important project,” said Frank Borin, a Partner at DeCotiis and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. “I hope we can replicate this project elsewhere in order to bring new affordable housing options to the State’s residents. The leadership of the Borough and of the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corp. should be commended for their commitment to this project and their tireless efforts to see the project through.”

The project consists entirely of two and three bedroom units to be constructed in two phases. All of the units will be owner-occupied by affordable households, as defined by the Fair Housing Act and the COAH regulations. The first phase of the project should be ready for occupancy in the Spring of 2011, with the second phase being completed shortly thereafter.

Please join DeCotiis, FitzPatrick & Cole in congratulating Frank Borin, Maurice Stone and Amy Shotmeyer for their exemplary work with the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation.

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

Find this article at:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/Anot…on-profit.html
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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

Public Trust the story of 51 Monmouth St & Cedar Crossing Red Bank NJ

Here is an article related to government officials and the NJ Criminal Code.

By Edward J. Kologi. Esq. League Associate Counsel

Many individuals seek public office with the genuine intent  of trying to effectuate positive change. Although only a small percentage of  elected officials ever engage in actual criminal behavior, it is imperative  that all officials remain aware of precisely what constitutes criminal conduct  to ensure that they never cross over the line.

The New Jersey Criminal Code (N.J.S.A 2C:1-1 et seq.)  contains a number of offenses which are specifically directed at public  officials and/or employees. Although this article is not intended as an  exhaustive treatment of all state law on this subject, it will hopefully  provide a working knowledge of the major acts or omissions which may give rise  to criminal culpability.

Official Misconduct (N.J.S.A. 2C:30-2) A public servant commits official misconduct if with a purpose to obtain  a benefit for himself or herself or another (or to injure or deprive another of  a benefit) he or she knowingly commits an act relating to his or her office  constituting an unauthorized exercise of official functions: or knowingly  refrains from performing a duty which is imposed by law and is clearly inherent  in the nature of the office. The “benefit” obtained may be of minimal value.  Investigation Into Hamilton  T.P. Board of Education 205 N.J. Super. 248 (App. Div.1985). This also includes  benefits not received by the public official but rather by a third party. State  v. Schenkolewski 301 N.J.Super.115 (App. Div.), cert. den.151 N.J. Super.  (1977). To violate this section, the individual must be a public servant and  the act must relate to the office. State v. Bullock 136 N.J. 149 (1994). Unlawful Business Transaction Where Interest Is Involved  (N.J.S.A. 2C:27-9) A public servant violates this law if, while  performing his or her official functions on behalf of a governmental entity, he  or she knowingly transacts any business with him or herself, a member of his or  her immediate family, or a business organization in which the public servant or  an immediate family member has an interest. The term “business organization”  shall not include aggregate familial ownership or control of one percent or  less of an interest in the capital or equity of the business organization.  Further, it is not a violation if the public servant’s performance of official  functions would not affect him or her, his or her family or business  organization differently than such performance would affect the public  generally.

Acceptance or Receipt of Unlawful Benefit by Public Servant  for Official Behavior (N.J.S.A . 2C:27-10) If under color of office and  in connection with any official act performed or to be performed, a public  servant directly or indirectly knowingly solicits, accepts or agrees to accept  any benefit for himself or another person to influence the performance of any  official duty, a violation occurs. Further, the term “benefit” includes any  benefit from or by reason of a contract or agreement for goods, property or  services awarded by the public entity employing the public servant. There are  three exceptions in the statute as to conduct not constituting a violation: (1)  fees or any other benefit prescribed by law to be received by the public  servant to which he or she is otherwise legally entitled and if said fees or  benefits are received in the manner legally prescribed and not bartered for  another benefit to influence his or her official duties; (2) gifts or other  benefits conferred on account of kinship or other personal, professional or  business relationship independent of the official status of the recipient if  same are not bartered for another benefit to influence the performance of an  official duty; (3) trivial benefits which involve no risk that the public  servant would perform official duties in a biased or partial manner. For  grading purposes, this section is a crime of the second degree unless the  benefit solicited or accepted is of a value of $200 or less, in which case it  is a crime of the third degree. Hence, an occasional lunch or even perhaps a  round of golf may not be problematic; however, using a vendor’s condo in Florida on a regular  basis may certainly raise problematic issues under this section

In  sum, there is little room for error in terms of conduct which falls within any  of the above categories. While the official may not be aware that such acts may  constitute a criminal act, ignorance of the law continues to be no excuse, nor  should it be. If an official has the slightest question as to whether a  proposed action or course of conduct is illegal, appropriate advice from either  the local public entity attorney or in appropriate cases, the County Prosecutor  should be sought prior to acting. The career you save may be your own.

Edward J. Kologi, Esq. has represented public entities for 25  years and currently serves as Linden’s  Municipal Attorney and as Associate Counsel to the New Jersey State League of  Municipalities.

After reading the above report you start to question whether the 51 Monmouth St (Old Red Bank Police Station) and the Cedar Crossings development were handled properly. The 51 Monmouth St property was gifted to Mayor Ed McKenna’s Kid’s Bridge Charity which then borrowed over 1 million dollars from Amboy Bank for possible renovations. Kid’s Bridge Charity was taken over by the Red Bank YMCA about a year after the town gifted the property. Eventually the property was sold for over 1 million dollars while the Borough of Red Bank received no money thus costing the taxpayers of Red Bank over 1 million dollars. A judge as noted by the plaintiff pre-wrote her decision which also happened to me involving the Courtyards at Monmouth project and led me to create this site. The decision appears to allow the sale to go through between the YMCA and Red Bank Catholic but does not address an allegation that it was not disclosed that Ed McKenna’s charity would be the organization that received the property for $1. This transfer occurred while Ed McKenna was Mayor of Red Bank.  Another situation involving Mayor Ed McKenna was that in August 2006 he pushed for the Red Bank Council to acquired land at above the appraised value using State Grant Money designated for the creation of affordable housing.  At the time Ed McKenna never indicated that he would be creating a non-profit development corporation known as Red Bank Affordable Housing Corp in which he was designated Vice President. This corporation was created in the Spring of 2007 just months after Ed McKenna stepped down as Mayor of Red Bank. Here is information from the Decotiis lawfirm on the creation of Red Bank Affordable Housing Corp.

DeCotiis’ helps create Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation  

Thirty-six units of affordable housing already in development

DeCotiis, FitzPatrick & Cole, LLP, in its role as Counsel to the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corp., recently helped lead the successful development of Cedar Crossing at Red Bank, a 36-unit, for sale, affordable housing project in the Borough of Red Bank, New Jersey.

This project is being constructed on a site that was acquired by the Borough using Municipal Land Acquisition Funds obtained from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. As part of this project, DeCotiis worked with other project consultants to secure necessary state, county and local funding and approvals. DeCotiis attorneys also worked to organize and incorporate the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corp., the nonprofit developer created exclusively for the charitable purpose of promoting, developing, constructing, operating and selling affordable housing in the Borough.

“We are proud to have played a role in the development of this very important project,” said Frank Borin, a Partner at DeCotiis and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. “I hope we can replicate this project elsewhere in order to bring new affordable housing options to the State’s residents. The leadership of the Borough and of the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corp. should be commended for their commitment to this project and their tireless efforts to see the project through.”

The project consists entirely of two and three bedroom units to be constructed in two phases. All of the units will be owner-occupied by affordable households, as defined by the Fair Housing Act and the COAH regulations. The first phase of the project should be ready for occupancy in the Spring of 2011, with the second phase being completed shortly thereafter.

Please join DeCotiis, FitzPatrick & Cole in congratulating Frank Borin, Maurice Stone and Amy Shotmeyer for their exemplary work with the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation.

When the Decotiis law firm speaks of working with consultants to obtain government grant money you have to wonder who they worked with. What I do know is that the Decotiis firm has crossed paths with the people involved in the following article and that they had not been arrested at the time Red Bank Affordable Housing Corp was  established. This article also mentions an investigation into the Paramus Affordable Housing Corp in which William Katchen is involved as well as being involved in the Red Bank Affordable Housing  Corp. Chances are  that this explains why Bergen County Democrats were involved in the creation and operation of the Red Bank Affordable Housing  Corp.

Bergen County Democratic Organization Chairman Joseph Ferriero indicted

• Written By: News Media
• 9-9-2008
• Categorized in: Bribes, Payoffs, and Politics, Government, U.S. Attorney  District of New Jersey

Bergen County Democratic Organization Chairman Joseph Ferriero Feds say Ferriero bragged of influence

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Federal authorities indicted Bergen County Democratic Organization Chairman Joseph Ferriero and the party’s chief counsel, Dennis Oury, today.

A federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment accusing Ferriero and Oury, who was fired as the Bergenfield borough attorney in January, of conspiracy to commit fraud against the borough and mail fraud.

“I am done being surprised in this job,” U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie said. “We’ve had these conversations before about others we’ve prosecuted … for some reason, greed and power seem to corrupt them and overcome what otherwise might be good sense and good decision-making.”

The indictment charges that in December 2001, Ferriero and Oury conceived of a plan to form a company called Government Grants Consulting LLC that would be paid by Bergen County towns to assist them in obtaining state and local grant monies. According to the indictment, Ferriero indicated that Government Grants would be successful because he could use his “influence” to help the municipalities “get a better result.”

Federal investigators began issuing subpoenas for records related to Oury, Ferriero and Governmental Grants Consulting in May. Since then, they have executed more than 30 subpoenas in North Jersey, and in August, conducted searches of both Oury and Ferriero’s respective law offices.

Ferriero’s troubles were compounded last week following allegations of sexual misconduct. According to a law enforcement source close to the case, a formal charge has not been filed against Ferriero and he has not been taken into custody.

A clerk in the criminal records division of Bergen County Superior Court said that a docket number had been created and that “a sexual charge” was pending against Ferriero. The case has been transferred to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office from Bergen County.

Since the allegation became public last week, Ferriero has announced that he would be taking leaves of absence from three different posts: as chairman of the county’s Democratic Party, in his role as a lawyer at Scarinci Hollenbeck and as chief counsel for the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners.

Ferriero and Oury both provided start-up money for Governmental Grants Consulting, according to David Spatz, the president of the now-defunct firm. Leonard Kaiser, the chairman of the Bergen County Utilities Authority, also had a financial interest in the firm.

According to the indictment, Oury was appointed to serve as the borough attorney at a January 1, 2002, Bergenfield borough council reorganization meeting. While GGC was still in the planning stages and had yet to be formally organized, Bergenfield retained it to serve as its grants consultant and agreed to pay a $6,000 retainer fee, plus an additional fee calculated as a percentage of any grants or loans received. Oury never disclosed his ownership interest in GGC, according to the indictment. Despite this, Oury went on to exercise his official power to further a grant-aided real estate purchase – all as Oury and Ferriero stood to gain personally from their ownership interests in GGC.

Ferriero is widely credited with injecting new life into the Bergen County Democratic Party and making it the dominant force it is today. He became the party chairman in 1998 after Oury dropped out of contention. Since then, his talent for fundraising has made him one of the state’s most powerful Democrats.

Oury also wields a great deal of power in North Jersey Democratic circles. He is counsel for the Bergen County Improvement Authority and has held jobs in several towns, including Ridgefield and Bergenfield, both of which employed Governmental Grants Consulting.

January 2003 billing records from Bergenfield show that Oury charged the borough $135 for a telephone conference involving Spatz. If accurate, Oury was billing the borough for dealing with a firm in which he had an undisclosed financial interest.

Oury’s financial disclosure forms submitted to Bergenfield, New Milford, Paramus, Edgewater, Fort Lee and the Fairview Board of Education never mentioned his financial stake in the firm. And officials from Garfield and Ridgefield said Oury never filed disclosure forms, despite working in those towns.

In Bergen County, Oury’s 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 Bergen County Democratic Organization.

Bergen County municipalities paid the firm 10 percent of the first $1 million in grant money it obtained for them, plus a retainer in some cases, according to contracts obtained by The Record.

Ferriero, Oury and GGC are not the only ones to attract interest at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In recent months, Christie has also issued subpoenas seeking information about the Paramus Affordable Housing Corporation and SVC Consulting, a company established by Ferriero.

State Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Teaneck, has been one of Ferriero’s most vocal critics. She described news of the indictment as a hardship for the Democratic Party.

“This is not a happy day for the Bergen Democrats,” she said. “My goal is to make sure we remain united &hellip we can’t let this interfere with that.”

Bergenfield Mayor Timothy Driscoll was instrumental in having Oury ousted in January.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said Driscoll.

Here is an article that explains that Red Bank Housing Authority would oversee the construction which was not true. The Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation was the developer. Here is an article whereby Mayor Ed McKenna states that acquiring the Cedar Crossings property is a “Sterling Opportunity”. He never disclosed that he would create an affordable housing corporation only months after pushing to acquire the land. After the town received the NJ Grant money for acquiring the land, the town then gifted the land to Red Bank Affordable Housing Corp. The gift was in the neighborhood of 2.5 million. Red Bank Affordable Housing Corp will eventually earn hundred’s of thousands of dollars when the project is finished.

Here is a NJ Investigative Report related to land development in  Chesterfield NJ.

In New Jersey, public officials who exercise their official influence over matters in which they have a conflict of interest commit a crime when they do so with a purpose to benefit themselves or others.

The OSC investigation confirmed that Durr used his official influence and unique position as a government official to gain benefit from the land use program he helped implement in Chesterfield, known as a Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program. That program, which balances farmland preservation with controlled development, won national recognition and paved the way for legislation authorizing TDR programs statewide. It is vital for the future credibility of TDR as a land use strategy that those responsible for its administration not use their privileged position for personal advantage.

Here are some regulations related to government officials in NJ as well as the code of ethics.

5 II. GENERAL STANDARDS OF CONDUCT

It is essential that the conduct of public officials and employees shall hold the respect and confidence of the people. Public officials must, therefore, avoid conduct that is in violation of their public trust or that creates a justifiable impression among the public that such trust is being violated. Accordingly, State officers and employees and special State officers and employees shall conform their conduct to the following standards.

1. No State officer or employee or special State officer or employee should have any interest, financial or otherwise, direct or indirect, or engage in any business or transaction or professional activity, which is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of his/her duties in the public interest.

2. No State officer or employee or special State officer or employee should engage in any particular business, profession, trade or occupation which is subject to licensing or regulation by a specific agency of State Government without promptly filing notice of such activity with the Commission.

3. No State officer or employee or special State officer or employee should act in his/her official capacity in any matter wherein he/she has a direct or indirect personal financial interest that might reasonably be expected to impair his/her objectivity or independence of judgment.

4. No State officer or employee or special State officer or employee should knowingly act in any way that might reasonably be expected to create an impression or suspicion among the public having knowledge of his/her acts that he/she may be engaged in conduct violative of his trust as a State officer or employee or special State officer or employee.

It would seem to me that at the very least Mayor Ed McKenna should have disclosed his relationships to the non-profits receiving million dollar plus properties owned by the Borough of Red Bank. I would also think in all fairness to other charities and non-profits that other organizations should have had an opportunity to bid or demonstrate their ability to operate the projects. Both of Ed McKenna’s organizations were start ups and in the case of the Kid’s Bridge organization had to close shortly after being formed due to a lack of funding. Maybe one day someone will decide whether these transactions met the criteria of public trust or not.

Penalties for violating the public’s trust

No state officer, employee, or member of the Legislature shall:-Representation, appearance or negotiation, directly or indirectly, for acquisition or sale of property by state-Representation of state agency in transaction involving pecuniary interest-Disclosure or use for personal gain of information not available to public-Solicitation, receipt or agreement to receive thing of value for service related to official duties

(penalties found§52-13D-21(i))EC §52:13D-15EC §52:13D-20EC §52:13D-25EC §52:13D-24

$500 – $10,000; suspension from office for 1 year; if decided to be willful and continuous disregard of the code of ethics, may be removed from office and may further bar from holding any public office in the State for a 5 year period

FBI raids Union City Community Development Agency

The FBI raided the Agency of Community Development in Union City, NJ on 11/14/12. David Spatz is a consultant to the agency and was the president of Government Grants which has previously been under investigation. William Katchen of Red Bank Affordable Housing has been involved with David Spatz in Bergen County and has also been investigated for wrongful acts in the past. Dennis Oury and Joseph Feirra were hidden partners in Government Grants. The Paramus Affordable Housing investigation involves Spatz, Oury, Feirro, and Katchen. William Katchen prepared the tax returns for Paramus Affordable Housing in the past. The investigations have been going on for several years and involve numerous communities in New Jersey. Frank Borin of the Decotiis Law Firm is involved in the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corp. Both Katchen and Borin and involved in the NJ Chapter of the National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials. William Katchen is also involved in the NJ Affordable Housing & Redevelopment Authorities which seems to be affiliated with the National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Unauthorized municipal expenditures – Record – Christie subpoenas Paramus records

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

Find this article at:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/bergenpolitics/Affordable_housing_funds_shifted.html

The common denominator seems to be Democratic Politicians using political office for personal gain as well as benefiting those that donate to the Democratic Party.

Red Bank Affordable Housing Members

There is an interesting group of people involved with the Red Bank Affordable Housing. The members are Reverend Porter of the Pilgrim Baptist Church in Red Bank which would seem to make sense. A church located on Shrewsbury Avenue in Red Bank trying to create low-income housing and allow lower-income people to remain in the town. Other members are William Katchen from Cliffside Park in Bergen County NJ and Frank Borin of the Decotiis Law Firm in Bergen County NJ as well. There is also former Red Bank Mayor Ed McKenna as Vice President. William Katchen was suspended in the 1990 for 1 year by the Federal Government from participating in public housing due to the misappropriation of approximately 1.7 million dollars in public housing funds. The Decotiis Law Firm is a very politically connected law firm with direct access to many of New Jersey’s past governors. They also represented Encap, the largest waste of taxpayer dollars in the history of the state. Why would a local church group be involved with politically connected accountants and lawyers from North Jersey? If this was done solely for charity why would the Decotiis law firm charge the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation fees when they were also members of the corporation? Why did Ed McKenna as Mayor of Red Bank push for the town to acquire the property for more than fair market value as well as zoning changes only to become one of the developers? Why did Mayor Menna and Mayor McKenna claim that the Red Bank Housing Authority would develop the property when it was actually the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation that received the property for $1 and is a separate corporation from the town and the authority. The state taxpayers paid 2.45 million and the rationale was that the local taxpayers did not pay for it, so even if the property was over valued, it did not matter because this was “free money.” Here is an article outlining very similar parallels between Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation and the Paramus Affordable Housing Corporation:

Another subpoena for mayor’s non-profit
Friday, August 22, 2008
Last updated: Friday August 22, 2008, EDT 10:41 PM
BY MICHAEL GARTLAND
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

It seems that William Katchen and the Decotiis Law Firm like to work on projects together:

The breakdown of sums paid to contractors for the Edgewater ferry/marina/park project through Jan. 16. In addition, the borough paid $6.1 million for the land, which was acquired through eminent domain.

Austin Helle, construction: $6,700,695

DeCotiis, Fitzpatrick, Cole & Wisler, attorneys: $450,296

Malcolm Pirnie, on-site construction manager: $439,451

Gruzen Samton, contract administrator: $207,330

Schoor DePalma, engineers: $196,045

Vollmer Associates, traffic study: $40,823

William Katchen, financial adviser: $32,381

Robert Regan, attorney: $24,142

Burgis Associates, planners: $1,498

Source: Borough of Edgewater