UNION CITY AND BEYOND –Moshe “Michael” Altman, a Union City-based real estate developer, pleaded guilty Thursday to offenses related to his arranging a $20,000 cash bribe to a Jersey City public official and laundering money he thought was criminally obtained, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Altman, 40, of Monsey, N.Y., pleaded guilty to two counts of an indictment charging conspiracy to obstruct commerce by extortion under color of official right and conspiracy to launder money. He entered his guilty plea before United States District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark federal court.
The extortion charge says that Altman arranged for an individual who was working as a government informant to pay $20,000 to a Jersey City Housing Department property improvement field representative, so that the official would ensure approvals on properties the informant purportedly was planning to develop in Jersey City.
The money laundering charge arises from a scheme in which Altman, 40, along with co-conspirators, used purported charitable, non-profit entities to “wash” approximately $668,000 in dirty checks for the informant.
Altman was charged on Jan. 28 in an indictment stemming from the undercover FBI political corruption and international money laundering investigation which resulted in charges against 44 individuals on July 23, 2009.
The Jersey City housing official, John Guarini, 61, of Bayonne, was indicted on Jan. 12. His trial is scheduled to begin in March 2011.