North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco reacted last week to the three-year federal prison sentence given to former Township Administrator and Municipal Utilities Authority Chief Joseph Auriemma.
"The judge did send a very strong message with a stiff sentence," Sacco said. "He did so within federal guidelines. I think this seems to close another chapter in a sorry state of affairs in North Bergen. Hopefully, this will serve as a deterrent in the future. The whole situation has been very disappointing to all of us."
Auriemma was sentenced a week ago Friday to three years in federal prison for pleading guilty to accepting cash and free home improvements from a vendor who had several contracts with the township.
The vendor, heating and air conditioning contractor Leonard Farinola, was once considered Auriemma’s best friend, and the two vacationed together on several occasions.
The 55-year-old Auriemma received his sentence from U.S. District Judge Joseph Greenaway at the federal courthouse in Newark last week. Auriemma must also repay $33,792 to the township, the value of the cash and benefits in work he received from Farinola, as well as a fine of $7,500.
"This is a good, stiff sentence for a public official who corrupted and tainted government in North Bergen and Hudson County," said U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie. "This should stand as both a deterrent to others and set an example for those already under the microscope for corrupt activities."
Auriemma, who resides in Bloomfield, pleaded guilty to mail fraud last September as a result of the charges. He faced approximately 18 months to two years in prison. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Clark, who has headed the investigation involving township corruption from the outset in January of 2002, recommended that Auriemma receive a longer prison stay because Clark believes Auriemma hampered the ongoing investigation.
In information received from the state Attorney General’s office, Clark stated that a secretly recorded tape caught Auriemma asking Farinola, who was wearing a wire as a federal informant at the time, to lie to investigators and encourage others to lie as well.
Farinola pleaded guilty in February to bribing several North Bergen officials, including Auriemma, and awaits sentencing on those charges. Farinola admitted to making payments to numerous North Bergen and MUA officials in the form of cash, free construction work, and other benefits, in order to obtain, keep, and overbill contracts with the township and the MUA.
Caught on tape
At the sentencing, Clark described Auriemma’s attempt to impede the investigation. In a two-and-a-half-hour tape-recorded conversation, he said, Auriemma clearly instructed Farinola to lie to investigators, instructed Farinola to get others to lie to investigators and made a threat regarding another potential witness.
Farinola and his company did about 12 different projects for Auriemma, at both his summer residence in Wildwood and his residence in Bloomfield, dating from 1993 through 2001.
Specifically, at his plea hearing last September, Auriemma admitted to accepting free work, including roof and skylight repairs in 1993 and 1994, a bathroom rennovation in 1995, a new roof and gutters in 1996, a new outdoor shed and renovations to the garage in 1998, a new air conditioning condenser unit in 1998, and a new heat pump air conditioner/heater at his Wildwood vacation home in 2000.
Auriemma admitted that during this timeframe he took official actions related to the vendor’s North Bergen and MUA contracts and receipt of payments under those contracts. He further admitted that he knew that the free renovations and other benefits were offered to him to influence him to recommend Farinola’s company.
In return, Auriemma recommended that Farinola’s company, Fresco Air Systems, Inc, receive township and MUA contracts for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning work, totaling more than $2.6 million, during that time.
Auriemma also admitted to taking steps to cover up his illegal conduct. In addition to falsifying financial disclosure forms required of public officials to conceal his receipt of illegal benefits, Auriemma admitted to one instance in which he wrote a check to make it appear as if he had paid for work done on his home, but then received the money back in a cash payment.
As part of his cooperation with the investigation, Farinola also gave federal officials information that led to the downfall of former Parks and Recreation Commissioner Peter Perez, former Township Aide and Deputy Public Safety Director Vincent Zappulla and former MUA Purchasing Agent Joseph Hernandez, stating that all of those township officials accepted corrupt payments as well.
Each of those individuals has already pleaded guilty to federal corruption or fraud charges.
At the time of his plea hearing, Farinola also admitted that he made illegal payments to other North Bergen officials, although they have yet to be named at this time.
"The investigation into corruption in North Bergen and Hudson County is ongoing," Christie said.
Sacco said that he was not overly concerned about Christie’s comments that the investigation was not over.
"That’s the federal government’s side to the investigation," Sacco said. "They said that they have more. I have no idea. But we’ve said all along that we’re willing to cooperate with the investigation. There still are some other things, like some other sentencing, that we’re aware of. We’re hoping that nothing else comes out of it."
Greenaway ordered Auriemma to begin serving his sentence at a date to be determined by the Bureau of Prisons. Auriemma must also serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his sentence.
There is no parole in the federal system, so Auriemma will serve the entire sentence Greenaway imposed.