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The New York Times
Investigation Is
Under Way of Lawmaker
in New Jersey
By RICHARD G. JONES,
nytimes on the Web, July 28, 2007
NEWARK, July 27 — Federal
investigators have notified a New Jersey lawmaker that he could soon face
corruption charges as part of a widening inquiry into the awarding of special
legislative grants, his lawyer said.
The lawmaker, State Senator Joseph Coniglio, a Democrat from Bergen County, was
contacted by investigators from the office of the United States attorney for New
Jersey, Christopher J. Christie.
Mr. Coniglio’s lawyer, Gerald Krovatin, confirmed on Friday that the senator had
received a so-called target letter from Mr. Christie’s office. Such
letters typically serve as an invitation to the recipient to testify before a
grand jury. They sometimes also serve as the precursor to a plea bargain.
In a phone interview on Friday, Mr. Krovatin said that Mr. Coniglio planned to
discuss the investigation with Mr. Christie. “We fully intend to do so
because Senator Coniglio has done nothing wrong,” Mr. Krovatin said in a
statement. “The investigation is ongoing and has not been completed.”
A spokesman for Mr. Christie, Michael Drewniak, declined to comment on Senator
Coniglio’s receipt of the letter, which was reported on Friday by The
Star-Ledger of Newark.
In March, Mr. Coniglio, 64, was one of three lawmakers who were subpoenaed by
Mr. Christie to explain their connection to organizations that had received
about $3.5 million in special grants from the Legislature.
For months now, Mr. Christie has been investigating a longstanding practice in
Trenton that allows lawmakers to include special grants for pet projects — often
called “Christmas tree” items in State House parlance.
Mr. Christie’s investigation is apparently exploring whether friends, family
members or business associates of lawmakers have received improper benefits from
the organizations that received the grants.
In Mr. Coniglio’s case, Mr. Christie is apparently looking into whether a
$60,000-a-year consulting position that the senator held at the Hackensack
University Medical Center was a payback for more than $1.6 million in special
grants that the hospital received in recent years.
Two other lawmakers — Senator Nicholas P. Scutari, who represents Middlesex,
Somerset and Union Counties, and Assemblyman Brian P. Stack, a Democrat from
Hudson County — have been subpoenaed in connection with about $300,000 worth of
special grants that had been given to organizations connected to their wives.
Historically, the grants have been included at the 11th hour — sometimes only a
short time before the full Legislature votes on the state budget. Because
of the last-minute way many grants have been added to the budget, those who call
for greater transparency in government have complained that the process lacks
sufficient oversight and creates the potential for abuse.
Critics of the grant system have also said that the grants are a burden on the
state budget. In 2006, Gov. Jon S. Corzine cut more than $50 million in
special grants from the state’s budget.
Perhaps motivated by Mr. Christie’s investigation, legislative leaders modified
the practice sharply this year, forcing lawmakers to justify the special grants
weeks before the Legislature’s June 30 deadline to approve the budget.
The investigation into the Christmas tree items began shortly after a federal
monitor found that the University of Medicine and Dentistry had been given about
$12 million in special grants after State Senator Wayne R. Bryant was hired for
a “no-work” job at the university in order to increase his state pension.
In April, Mr. Bryant, a Democrat from Camden County, was indicted by Mr.
Christie’s office on fraud charges in connection with his university job.
This month, another New Jersey lawmaker, State Senator Sharpe James, was
indicted on public corruption charges connected to his use of a credit card paid
for by taxpayers in Newark, where he was mayor for two decades until last July.
He was also charged with playing an improper role in a series of real estate
transactions that benefited a companion.
Both Mr. Bryant and Mr. James have announced their intention to retire from the
Legislature when their terms expire this year. Mr. Coniglio, who has
been a member of the Legislature since 2002, is running for a third term in
November.
(Emphasis Added)
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