The founder of a prominent Trenton lobbying firm with deep roots in Republican politics pled guilty yesterday to using "inflated and fraudulent" invoices to collect more than $2.5 million in fees from the Burlington County Bridge Commission over seven years. Robert Stears, a founder of The Strategy Group in Trenton, said he routinely submitted invoices to the commission for lobbying and other work that was never done. Stears, 51, of Lawrence, also admitted he failed to file federal income tax returns from 1999 to 2004, avoiding hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax payments. Stears pled guilty to mail fraud...