SECAUCUS AND BEYOND — The sentencing of former Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell, convicted on corruption charges in July, has been moved from March 6 to April 12 at 10 a.m. according to news reports.
On July 6, a federal jury acquitted Elwell of conspiracy to commit extortion and attempted extortion, but convicted him on bribery, in connection with a government sting. Federal prosecutors claimed that Solomon Dwek, an FBI informant posing as a real estate developer, gave Elwell $10,000 cash through Ronald Manzo in order to get favoritism on development projects. Elwell has said he saw the money as a campaign contribution rather than a bribe. Charges against Ronald Manzo’s brother, the former Assemblyman and Jersey City mayoral candidate Lou Manzo, were recently dismissed (see interesting comments from Manzo about the Elwell case in this weekend’s editions of the Reporter.)
U.S. District Court Judge Jose L. Linares denied an attempt by the former Secaucus mayor to have his bribery conviction overturned last year.