HOBOKEN AND BEYOND — Hoboken is known for its dirty politics. Two out of the last four mayors served jail time. And now the FBI is alleging that a City Hall employee slipped communiciations meant for the current mayor to other past and present officials — rumored in town to be her political opponents.
In May, the FBI raided the Information Technology office run by Patrick Ricciardi. Wednesday morning, Ricciardi was arrested.
Shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday, the administration of Mayor Dawn Zimmer released this statement:
“In May, my Administration suspected wrongdoing regarding electronic communications in City Hall. We hired a private security firm to evaluate the situation and discovered evidence of potential wrongdoing. As I have done whenever my administration has uncovered such evidence since I became Mayor in 2009, my administration immediately contacted the appropriate authorities — in this case the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We provided them with all evidence and have been working with the FBI since. I thank the U.S. Attorney’s office and the special agents in the FBI Newark field office for their assistance and for taking this matter seriously.
“This is a good example of our City working with the authorities and demonstrates the justice system at work.
“As we have done in the past, my administration is respectful of the presumption of innocence while taking the necessary actions to protect the interests of the City. Patrick Ricciardi, who has worked for the City of Hoboken since 1992, has been suspended without pay since May.”
It is unknown whether the names of officials who allegedly received the allegedly slipped e-mails may be released, and whether those officials may be charged.
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