After two years, the nightmare is finally over for former Bayonne Mayor Joseph Doria, who in July 2009 was forced to resign as commissioner of the state Department of Community Affairs after his home was raided by federal agents in what has since become known as the Bid Rig II political corruption investigation.
Although never charged with a crime, the raid left a cloud of suspicion over the career politician and caused then Gov. Jon Corzine to ask for and receive Doria’s resignation.
Doria, who has served as Bayonne mayor, state assemblyman, and state senator, was never arrested or charged, or even questioned about his associations with members then under investigation.
Doria apparently met with FBI informant Solomon Dwek at some point prior to the July 2009 raids that resulted in the arrest of 46 people, including three New Jersey mayors and two legislators.
“Joe doesn’t work that way. He has always stayed on the right side of the law.” – Jay Coffey
____________
“Based on the evidence of which we are currently aware, no charges will be brought by this office regarding the circumstances that led to the search,” the letter said.
Doria has declined to comment for this account, although has continued to remain visible to the public during the last two years. Most recently, he attended the city’s memorial to the victims on the terrorists’ attacks held on Sept. 11.
Doria was apparently under investigation because he had met with Dwek, who told others that he was looking to get state help from Doria on a non-existent development on Garfield Avenue in Jersey City, for which he allegedly needed to get around some environmental issues.
During the trial of Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini, Dwek said he had given $40,000 to Jack Shaw, who he believed he served as a middleman for Doria, something Shaw denied prior to his death in 2009.
The raid on Doria’s house – according to some sources – was to search for marked bills Dwek gave to Shaw.
“This investigation never made any sense,” said former Bayonne City Attorney Jay Coffey. “Joe doesn’t work that way. He has always stayed on the right side of the law.”
Doria, 65, served as DCA commissioner from 2007 until his resignation in July 2009. Prior to that, Doria served as both mayor of Bayonne from July 1998 to October 2007, and state senator from the 31st District from June 2004 to October 2007. Doria also served in the state Assembly from 1980 until 2004, and as speaker of the Assembly in the early 1990s.
Doria currently works as a consultant and lobbyist for private industry.
Since Doria’s resignation, federal authorities said other Bayonne officials had also met with Dwek during that period, including Assemblyman Jason O’Donnell and several key officials in Mayor Mark Smith’s office – none of whom were ever charged.
“There’s a good reason no Bayonne official in Bayonne was charged,” O’Donnell said during an interview earlier this year. “Nobody did anything wrong.”
City officials who met with Dwek either didn’t take him seriously, or told him he had to seek proper approvals. O’Donnell said he actually refused the bribe offered to him by Dwek.