JERSEY CITY — The trial of former City Councilman, State Assemblyman, and mayoral candidate L. Harvey Smith continued on Monday in federal court in Newark.
Smith is on trial on charges that he accepted $15,000 in bribes last year from Solomon Dwek, a federal informant who posed as a developer, while Smith was running in the Jersey City mayor’s race in spring of 2009. Smith finished third behind winner Jerramiah Healy and challenger Louis Manzo, who like Smith was also charged with accepting bribes from Dwek.
On Monday, according to news reports, Smith associate Richard Greene testified that when he was summoned to a April 2009 meeting at a Bayonne diner, he didn’t know he was supposed to accept a $5,000 cash payment from Dwek to give to Smith. Greene was actually on the stand as a government witness and refuting testimony by another Smith associate, Edward Cheatam, who said Greene was present for purpose of accepting the $5,000 on Smith’s behalf.
Also scheduled to testify was Eric Martin, who served as treasurer on Smith’s mayoral campaign.
Smith’s trial began a week ago. – Ricardo Kaulessar