Jersey City politician pleads guilty to extortion

(Photo credits: US Department of Justice)

In a case that appears to be all too commonplace in New Jersey, LaVern Webb-Washington, an unsuccessful Democrat Party candidate for the Jersey City Council, pleaded guilty On Friday to conspiring to commit extortion. She admitted that she accepted corrupt cash payments from a cooperating witness in return for exercising her future official authority in favor of that cooperating witness

The 61-year old Webb-Washington pleaded guilty in Newark's federal court, before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares, to conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right.

At her plea hearing, Webb-Washington, a self-described housing activist serving as head of the Webb-Washington Community Development Corporation, admitted that between March 2009 and May 2009, while seeking to win a seat on the Jersey City council, she accepted three corrupt cash payments totaling $15,000 from a cooperating witness.

Webb-Washington admitted that the payments were in exchange for her exercising her future official assistance, as an anticipated member of the city council. Webb- Washington agreed that she would use her future city council position to assist the cooperating witness in obtaining certain development approvals for a purported development project on Garfield Avenue in Jersey City, in return for the bribe payments. Webb-Washington further admitted that she had agreed to accept an additional corrupt cash payment from the cooperating witness after the election.

Webb-Washington’s guilty plea stems from a two-track undercover investigation by the Newark office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation into political corruption and international money laundering which resulted in the charging of forty-four individuals -- including three mayors -- last July.

The charge to which Webb-Washington pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. As part of Webb-Washington’s guilty plea, she agreed to forfeit the $15,000 in corrupt cash payments.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 12, 2010, at which time Judge Linares will consult the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which recommend sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offenses, the defendants’ criminal histories, if any, and other factors, including acceptance of responsibility. The judge, however, has discretion and is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

Parole was abolished in the federal criminal justice system and defendants who are given custodial terms must serve all -- or nearly all -- of their prison term.

Last July, the mayors of Hoboken, Secaucus and Ridgefield, the Jersey City deputy mayor and council president, two state assemblymen, numerous other public officials and political figures and five rabbis from New York and New Jersey were among 44 individuals charged  in a two-track federal investigation of public corruption and a high-volume, international money laundering conspiracy.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). In addition, he's the former editor for the House Conservatives Fund's weblog. Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.

He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com. He's also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc.

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