City of Trenton, New Jersey
Outcome
Trenton Mayor Tony F. Mack was sentenced to 58 months in federal prison for conspiring to accept $119,000 in bribes in exchange for using his mayoral authority to assist real estate developers in acquiring a city-owned lot for an automated parking garage project.
Details
City of Trenton, New Jersey — Mayor Bribery and Extortion (2011–2012)
Outcome: Trenton Mayor Tony F. Mack was convicted at trial on all six federal charges and sentenced to 58 months in federal prison for conspiring to accept $119,000 in bribes in exchange for using his official authority to benefit real estate developers seeking to acquire a city-owned property for a parking garage development.
Tony F. Mack, Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey, was convicted in February 2014 on all six counts of extortion, bribery, and mail and wire fraud, and sentenced to 58 months in prison. His brother, Ralphiel Mack, who acted as an intermediary, was sentenced to 30 months.
Mack, his brother, and co-conspirator Joseph Giorgianni conspired to accept approximately $119,000 in cash and other valuables from two cooperating FBI witnesses. Of that total, $54,000 was actually received and another $65,000 was planned for future payment. In exchange for the bribe payments, Mayor Mack agreed to use his official influence to assist the cooperating witnesses in acquiring a city-owned lot — the East State Street Lot — to develop an automated parking garage.
Ralphiel Mack and Giorgianni acted as buffers to accept cash payments on the mayor's behalf, and Mack used a Trenton city employee, Charles Hall III, to contact other city officials and facilitate the parking garage project. The scheme was exposed through an undercover FBI operation.
Primary Source: Trenton, N.J., Mayor Sentenced To 58 Months In Prison On Federal Extortion, Bribery And Mail And Wire Fraud Charges
How Crucible Prevents This
Mack used intermediaries — his brother and a third party — to accept cash payments on his behalf, insulating himself from direct payment receipt. Crucible's third-party intermediary disclosure hook requires documentation of any financial relationships between city officials' family members and entities doing business with the city. A city-property disposition audit control requiring independent appraisal and competitive process for any transfer of city-owned land would have subjected the East State Street Lot transaction to scrutiny Mack could not control.
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