SECAUCUS AND BEYOND — Former Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell spoke candidly about his innocence outside his home yesterday, a day after a federal jury found him guilty of bribery. According to the Record of Hackensack, Elwell said, “At the end of the day, I’ll always be known as a criminal. I don’t deserve that.”
A jury acquitted Elwell of the first two charges against him, conspiracy and attempted extortion, but found him guilty of a third charge, accepting a $10,000 cash bribe from FBI informant Solomon Dwek, who acted as a real estate developer interested in building a hotel in Secaucus. The former mayor was arrested on July 23, 2009 along with dozens of other political and religious leaders who were caught by the FBI in a statewide money-laundering and corruption sting operation that resulted in the arrest of dozens of religious and political leaders.
Elwell maintained his innocence, reiterating that he never made any promises and that he thought the $10,000 cash was a campaign contribution.
He took a moment to describe his love of Secaucus and his long history in government, having served the town as mayor for nine years. “I always tried to portray myself as the mayor of a town that I loved, and that I still love,” he said in the interview.
Elwell faces sentencing Nov. 15, 2011 but is moving on with his life and will look to appeal the decision, saying that his lawyers are optimistic.