Former Secaucus Mayor Elwell accused of talking to witnesses despite court order
Former Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell allegedly contacted a key witness in his corruption trial in addition to reaching out to others after reading reports of their interviews with the FBI, according to news reports.
Federal prosecutors Maureen Nakly and Eric Kanefsky apparently raised the issue before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in court Tuesday. The prosecutors said he was allegedly in direct violation of a court order.
According to The Record, Defense attorneys Jeffrey Garrigan and Thomas Cammarata said the contact was innocuous and they would address the issue in a written reply they would submit to the court Wednesday.
Possible witnesses for the trial of ex-Secaucus Mayor Elwell include former associates Denis Jaslow, Ronald Manzo, Maher A. Khalil, and Edward Cheatam, as well as FBI agents, Elwell family members, Secaucus Mayor Dennis Gonnelli, Business Administrator David Drumeler, and State Assemblyman Vincent Prieto. A total of 34 witnesses were considered for the trial set to begin on June 20.
On Tuesday, 16 jurors and four alternate jurors were chosen for the trial.
Elwell is among 46 public officials arrested in a government sting operation in 2009 called “Operation Bid Rig” in which an FBI informant posing as a developer offered political candidates bribes in exchange for future help with developments. Elwell has pleaded not guilty.
The former mayor stands accused of allegedly taking a $10,000 cash bribe from Solomon Dwek, the undercover FBI informant.
Bone marrow drive for David McAdam
Be the Match Foundation is holding a bone marrow drive for longtime Secaucus resident and DPW employee David McAdam on Sunday, June 26 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Secaucus Public Library. The event is open to all individuals. Attendees will get a swab of the mouth to determine if they are a match. McAdam has served the Division of Public Works for over 20 years. His siblings were not a match.
Seventy percent of people do not have a donor in their family and depend on the Be The Match Registry to find a match to save their life. Be the Match Foundation works every day to connect patients, doctors, donors and researchers to the resources they need.
S.A.I.L. Program Receives Promising Practices Awards for 2011
The Secaucus School District S.A.I.L. program was honored this month with the distinguished Promising Practice Award for 2011. The Promising Practices Awards program is administered by the Character Education Program (CEP) as part of the National Schools of Character Program.
The local S.A.I.L program is among 235 schools from across the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Singapore that have developed specific, unique, and effective educational practices that promote character development. The Secaucus S.A.I.L. program was recognized for its dedication to instilling quality character development strategies through service-learning opportunities that promote academic success, ethical decision-making, and social responsibility. Through this practice, the S.A.I.L. program encourages character development for creating a just and compassionate society.
CEP will honor recipients at the 18th National Forum on Character Education, Building Ethical Communities, to be held in San Francisco, Calif. Oct. 19-22. In addition, winning practices will be featured in CEP’s annual National Schools of Character publication and on the CEP website.