Posted on 01/12/2017 3:58:38 AM PST by HomerBohn
(Angry Patriot Movement) – A liberal senator who is as we speak attacking Jeff Sessions during his U.S. attorney general confirmation hearings has a massive scandal of his own unfolding.
Senator Cory Booker is embroiled in a Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation (NWCDC) scandal involving allegations of massive kickbacks, Politico reports. Yesterday, Donald Bernard Sr., who was the senior projects manager at the company that ran Newark’s water infrastructure under the direction of then-mayor of Newark, New Jersey Cory Booker, pled guilty in federal court to accepting nearly $1 million in bribes from contractors.
In December, Donald Bernard Sr.’s former boss at the Newark company, Linda Watkins Brashear, also pleaded guilty to similar corruption and kickback charges. Former contractor Giacomo “Jack” DeRosa pleaded guilty earlier this week to money laundering charges over kickbacks paid to Bernard.
Could all of this corruption at a massive and essential piece of infrastructure have happened without Mayor Cory Booker knowing about it? Allegations and complaints about the NWCDC were near constant during his tenure, but he failed to address them or push for an investigation into the corruption.
When Booker took office in 2008, the NWCDC, through its city contract, was running Newark’s entire water delivery apparatus — from the reservoirs to the purification plants. Its engineers and planners worked directly out of Newark City Hall.
Trustees appointed by a judge in 2013 to “wind down” the NWCDC and return water operations to the city are now suing Cory Booker in bankruptcy court. They maintain Booker’s failure to monitor the agency caused the extreme corruption which robbed the fiscally struggling city of its few resources and placed its antiquated water infrastructure at significant risk.
Cory Booker was forced to admit he never once attended a NWCDC board meeting his entire time in office even though he was the agency’s ex-officio trustee. Just last week, Booker’s attorneys argued that he is immune from financial liability because his role on the Newark water board was a “de facto responsibility of the office of mayor.” So, not doing a duty levied upon your office makes you immune from being responsible for not doing your duty?
Allegations of malfeasance at the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation (NWCDC) have been raised by local residents, reporters, and lawmakers for many years. The NWCDC is a non-profit agency created to protect the Newark watershed.
City Councilman Augusto Amador also led an investigation into corruption and kickbacks at the NWCDC. He was one of the most vocal and earliest critics of the excessive spending going on at the Newark agency. He said, “I’m surprised about the amount of money that was stolen…When I first looked into it and looked at the books that were submitted to the Council, the amount that was involved was nowhere near what we’re seeing now, but I’m not surprised by the indictments.”
The Newark watershed has grown substantially over the years and is now responsible for the entire water delivery infrastructure in the city. United States Attorney Paul Fishman unearthed the extensive corruption at the NWCDC that occurred on Cory Booker’s watch.
“This is bigger than I thought,” Dan O’Flaherty said after the guilty pleas of two more NWCDC suspects were uttered this week. O’Flaherty is an economics professor at Columbia University and a former Newark City Hall staffer.
Dan O’Flaherty and a group of concerned citizens formed The Newark Water Group to delve into the corruption allegations long swirling around operations at the NWCDC. He wrote a detailed report of the agency’s mismanagement entitled “Hog Wild” in 2011.
The NWCDC had a budget of about $11 million per year. According to O’Flaherty, $3 million of the budget was “pure pass-through,” which the non-profit infrastructure agency “never actually got their hands on.”
He’s Black, he’s a dim. He’s home free.
True. And the good news is he’s being groomed as the Democrats Great Hope for President in 2020.
"When you strike at Trump with lies, he will avenge the insult with that most terrifying of all weapons: truth."
If Trump sees Booker holding up the Sessions confirmation...expect massive retribution.
Booker is an Obummer Turd clone that needs to be,flushed ASAP.
Corruption does not bother Democrats, especially far left ones who think corruption is a positive feature in a candidate.
I see the excess supply of unemployed attorneys quickly diminishing after Trump takes office. There are a lot of investigations in process that need to be prosecuted..
One more Obama pardon in the making...
Don’t you love the blanket pardons for whatever a person could possibly have done.
According to the Slimes, Menendez was indicted in April 2015. He has pled not guilty. I found nothing about a trial date.
He’s up for re-election in 2018. I don’t think they could put off a trial until then, so it will be interesting to see if he runs while under this cloud.
We better stop Cory Booker now before he starts running for POTUS in 2020
Spot on. The ticket will be either Booker/Warner, or Warner/Booker. (Stevie Wonder can see this one coming)
Yes, this really bothers me. I would love to hear from people who can explain why we shouldn't worry about this -- not the Cory Booker donations in particular, but their deep Democrat connections.
I actually knew this and was just pointing out that corruption among democrats is common and overlooked.
And he’s clean...
An accomplished liar who hasn’t been convicted...A RAT dream candidate.
Ooooooooooooooooo!
What a shock. Hes blackish.
Ruin this corrupt version of BO II and his future career in politics!
May it go down in flames!
Cory Booker (as are many of the democrat city politicians and most bureaucrats across the blue and red states) are of the Obola’s chosen race, and are therefore immune from press criticism in today’s fake news world. They are, however, especially fund of government $$$$$$pending, aren’t they?
BTT
Is there any politician in New Jersey who is NOT taking kickbacks?
Interesting...Facebook just kept me from posting the TEA Party article on this.
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