HOBOKEN — With little fanfare and no plea, Hoboken city employee Patrick Ricciardi was read his charges in federal court in Newark on Wednesday afternoon. Ricciardi had been arrested earlier that day for allegedly slipping confidential City Hall communications to unauthorized parties, including allegedly at least one present city official who has not been named.
In court, Ricciardi, a Hoboken resident, had his hands and feet shackled.
He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison if convicted on three charges for which he was arrested.
Ricciardi did not enter a plea at the hearing. An FBI complaint said that he allegedly confessed to the crime back in May.
However, they held off on arresting him until Wednesday, which happened to be the day after Election Day.
Federal authors say they are still investigating. A big question remains: Will any current city officials be arrested for allegedly receiving leaked e-mails?
In court, Ricciardi was told by a judge not to have any contact with Hoboken city employees for now.
The prosecutors and officials did not make any public statements or take questions.
For more on this story, keep watching hudsonreporter.com and see prior reports below.
Our Digital Archive from 2000 – 2016
