Free Republic

Today U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, the former Union City mayor, was indicted on charges that include conspiracy to commit bribery and wire fraud. Here's a list of some Hudson County politicians and power brokers who were charged and convicted on corruption counts:

A former Kearny councilman today admitted his role in a $13 million mortgage fraud scam that used phony buyers to purchase condominiums in Wildwood and Wildwood Crest, authorities announced. John Leadbeater, 58, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Simandle in Camden federal court, one week into what was expected to be a lengthy trial.

JERSEY CITY -- City Councilwoman-at-large Joyce Watterman was caught this week using her City Hall office and taxpayer-funded aide to solicit donations to her political committee. Watterman, a Democrat who was first elected to the council in 2013, sent out invitations to a $100-a-head "birthday fundraiser" scheduled for tonight at Liberty House and included the phone number to her City Hall office on the invite.

State Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Union) tonight acknowledged that her husband got help from a non-profit group that assists low-income homeowners in demolishing a shore home severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy that records show had been purchased for nearly a half-million dollars. The owner of the Manasquan home — identified in public records as Richard Stender, the assemblywoman's husband — applied to Monmouth County-based Coastal Habitat for Humanity for help, said Maureen Mulligan, the group's executive director.

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCERhttp://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/293137_mantrapped21.html Crash kills son; mom walks homeWoman was drinking before wreck, police sayTuesday, November 21, 2006By TRACY JOHNSONP-I REPORTERA crash that went undiscovered for hours left a man dead and police puzzled over why his mother -- who'd allegedly been driving -- simply crawled out of the overturned car and walked home.Debra Whalawitsa, a Snoqualmie city official, soon could face criminal charges for the Sunday-morning accident that threw her son, Calijah, 29, from her Ford Taurus.Police say Whalawitsa left her son either dead or dying on the bank of the Snoqualmie River, walked a half-mile to her house and...