Posted on 07/13/2007 6:19:53 AM PDT by Calpernia
State Sen. Wayne Bryant, facing fraud, bribery and pension-padding charges, was due in federal court Friday for a pretrial status conference before U.S. District Court Judge Freda L. Wolfson.
Bryant, 59, a Democrat from Camden County, is accused in a 20-count indictment of using his clout as head of the Senate Budget Committee to steer millions in grants to two state schools that gave him no-show jobs.
The federal indictment charges Bryant with tripling his taxpayer-funded pension through jobs at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Rutgers-Camden Law School and Gloucester County Board of Social Services.
Co-defendant R. Michael Gallagher, a former UMDNJ dean, also is scheduled to appear. He is accused of capitalizing on Bryant's influence in Trenton, and of creating a job for Bryant but expecting little work.
Both men pleaded not guilty in April and remain free on unsecured bonds.
Bryant's court appearance comes the day after his Senate colleague and fellow budget committee member Sharpe James was indicted on federal corruption and fraud charges in Newark.
James is accused of approving cut-rate deals on city-owned land to friends and using City of Newark credit cards to pay for lavish trips for himself and others.
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