Federal Bureau of Investigation agents conducted extensive searches at North Bergen’s Town Hall and the Municipal Utilities Authority Tuesday and seized boxes of files and information as part of an investigation ordered by the U.S. Attorney’s office. The agents also entered the private Bloomfield, N.J. home of city Business Administrator Joseph Auriemma that day.
The details of the investigation were not revealed, as is standard policy for the FBI.
"We cannot comment on the specifics of the investigation," said Special FBI Agent Sandra Carroll, the Newark bureau’s spokeswoman. "We received a search warrant to search several locations throughout North Bergen. We cannot go into details about the search or the contents of the information."
Carroll would not comment on which other buildings might have been searched.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Clark was the official who sought the search warrant, which was issued by U.S. Magistrate Stanley K. Chesler in federal court Monday afternoon. Clark declined to comment last week about the search.
Clark is also the same attorney who handled the case involving former Hudson County Executive Robert Janiszewski – who resigned two months ago amidst a federal probe – and the August raid of the offices of Hoboken developer Joseph Barry of the Applied Companies. It was not immediately known whether the search in North Bergen had anything to do with those cases.
Clark is also the attorney who helped to prosecute former North Bergen Planning Board chairman Albert Manzo, who pleaded guilty to accepting bribes two months ago. Manzo was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his participation in the bribe taking involving his approval for a phony developer’s project. It was also not known last week whether Tuesday’s search had anything to do with the Manzo case.
The township was officially notified of the warrant on Monday. Town employees were ordered to fully cooperate with the agents and the search process when it began at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday at Town Hall.
"I’ve been the township attorney for 16 years and during that time, one law enforcement agency after another has come in seeking documents," said township attorney Herb Klitzner last week. "This is just another time. We’re willing to cooperate and do whatever is necessary."
Three unidentified male agents and one female combed the nearly 100-year-old facility and came away with boxes of records and information.
Four agents were also sent to the MUA offices and remained there from 9:30 a.m. to approximately 2:30 p.m. Several boxes of documents and files were taken from those offices.
It was not known what was taken from Auriemma’s home or the other facilities that were searched.
"Everyone has been very cooperative and helpful," Carroll said. "We started as soon as the offices were opened and we were able to get in and secure the information we were looking for."
Although specifics of the search were not released, sources revealed that the search involved records and contracts from several different vendors, as well as records from the Revenue and Finance Department and the Township Clerk.
North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco said that the search did not involve any of his offices or his home, nor did it involve the offices or homes of any of the township’s Board of Commissioners.
"The investigation does not involve myself or any of the commissioners," Sacco said. "The agents didn’t go into the mayor’s office at all. They didn’t go into any of our homes. They told us that they were looking for specific vendors, but we’re not at liberty to say."
Instructed to cooperate
Sacco said that he instructed all township employees to cooperate with the search.
"The U.S. Attorney gave us a formal written request to keep everything confidential, but we directed everyone to cooperate," Sacco said. "Employees came into work early and assisted the agents to get what they wanted. They even offered to search computers. They cooperated fully."
Sacco said that he is not concerned about what the search may find.
"I’m not concerned for me or any of the commissioners," Sacco said. "We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. As mayor of the community, I feel the full brunt of the investigation and I take it personally. But we’re working as much as possible to make sure that we get rid of this corruption. I want it gone. I want the corruption rooted out and taken care of. That’s why we’re going to be as open and as helpful as possible."
Added Sacco, "I have to remind people that an investigation is far from an indictment and far from a conviction. But we do not tolerate corruption. No one is above the law. If the search finds corruption, then we will make sure to bring all the guilty parties to justice."
Sacco said that he wasn’t worried about the rumors flying around town Tuesday that he was the center of the investigation.
"There are several hate mongers out there who have been spreading vicious stories about me for 10 years," Sacco said. "They’re nothing but wild lies and allegations. And they’re not to be believed. I’m asking the people of North Bergen to have faith in the government. We’re working with the FBI and other agencies to root out the corruption. We’re expecting all of our employees to do the same and we expect nothing less."
Auriemma, who has been the business administrator since 1995, did not return phone calls seeking comment on the matter. Sacco declined to comment on the search of Auriemma’s home.
The opposition speaks
Meanwhile, foes of Sacco who have been made to feel like gadflies say that the raids show that there’s merit to their arguments.
Russell Pascale and Edward "Bo" Scannavino have come to various council meetings to accuse Sacco of corruption. At some meetings, they have been allowed five minutes to speak and then cut off. Town officials have tried to ignore their questions at public meetings, saying that the men have axes to grind. They’ve noted that Pascale is associated with one of Sacco’s political foes, former mayor Joe Mocco, and Scannavino’s construction company used to hold contracts with the city and no longer does.
"[The raids] didn’t come as one surprise to me," said Russell Pascale. "I’ve been [complaining] for the last year and a half."
Pascale pointed to the cases of several of Sacco’s political allies and township employees who have either been indicted or convicted of illegal activities in his tenure as mayor. Scannavino, a one-time ally of Sacco and now one of his staunchest foes, agreed with Pascale.
"I figured it was only a matter of time," said Scannavino. "The FBI is not going to come in and make a raid on speculation. They knew what records they were looking for and went right for it."
Pascale said, "I’ve been harassed, followed, bothered, threatened. I’m not the bad guy here. I want to help my town. All [Sacco] cares about is his political fortress. This makes me work harder and makes me tougher. I’m not going away."
The investigation has yet to produce any arrests or indictments as of press time, so it could very well be that it will only be an investigation.