HOBOKEN–The first person scheduled to be sentenced from the July 23 arrests of 44 politicians is former Jersey City employee Guy Catrillo. He is slated to be sentenced today at 12 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Newark. The sentencing date and time were confirmed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark and by Catrillo.
Catrillo, who was the first of the 44 arrested in the federal government sting to plead guilty, admitted in September to accepting $15,000 cash in three payments from the federal government’s “cooperating witness” Solomon Dwek. Catrillo allegedly accepted the money from Dwek from February to May of last year in exchange for helping Dwek to get approvals on his purported development project on Garfield Avenue in Jersey City.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the sentencing period guidelines for Catrillo are 18 to 24 months. He was to be sentenced on Dec. 15 but there was an extension granted so a pre-sentencing report could be completed.
Catrillo’s sentencing comes on the heels of a busy week regarding the July 23 arrests.
On Thursday, City Councilman Mariano Vega, former Jersey City MUA commissioner Joseph Cardwell and former city housing inspector John Guarini all pleaded not guilty to corruption charges pertaining to accepting and/or facilitating the acceptance of bribes from Solomon Dwek. And on Wednesday, Brian Neary, the attorney for former Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini (also arrested on July 23), tried to have her case dismissed but Judge Jose Linares ruled against Neary’s claims. That means her trial will start on Monday with jury selection. – RK