Triad1828 Centre at 2 Cooper St. is part of Camden’s growing waterfront. — Courtesy: Attorney’s General Office
By Joshua Burd
A series of land deals, developers and high-profile construction projects along Camden’s waterfront are now in the spotlight after New Jersey’s attorney general announced a bombshell indictment against South Jersey power broker George Norcross and five others.
The charges, which were unveiled Monday, include allegations that Norcross used verbal threats and other means of coercion against a property owner to gain the rights to build an 18-story, 375,000-square-foot headquarters for his insurance firm and two other companies. In another instance, the state accuses Norcross and his brother, Philip A. Norcross, of interfering with the sale of a prominent office complex and orchestrating a scheme that created a financial windfall for Cooper University Health Care, which has deep ties to the Norcross family.
The alleged incidents are among those detailed in the 13-count indictment unsealed and announced by Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, which includes racketeering charges and centers on more than a decade of economic development activity around the Camden waterfront. Officials allege that, through a series of unlawful acts, George Norcross and several associates secured property and property rights in the city for their own personal gain, while using their influence to benefit from lucrative state tax credit programs.
Those charged in the indictment include:
- George E. Norcross III, executive chairman of the insurance firm Conner, Strong & Buckelew, board of trustees chairman for Cooper Health and former longtime chair of the Camden County Democratic Committee
- Philip A. Norcross, an attorney and the managing shareholder and CEO of Parker McCay PA, as well as Cooper Health board member and chair of the Cooper Foundation
- William M. Tambussi, a partner at Brown and Connery LLP, the longtime personal attorney to George Norcross and counsel to organizations such as the Camden County Democratic Committee, the city of Camden, the Camden Redevelopment Agency, Cooper Health and Conner Strong
- Dana L. Redd, Camden’s former mayor and current CEO of Camden Community Partnership, which was formerly Cooper’s Ferry Partnership
- Sidney R. Brown, the CEO of NFI, a trucking and logistics company, as well as Cooper Health board member and a real estate partner of George Norcross
- John J. O’Donnell, CEO of development firm The Michaels Organization, and a real estate partner of George Norcross
“The indictment unsealed today alleges that George Norcross has been running a criminal enterprise in this state for at least the last 12 years,” Platkin said in prepared remarks. “On full display in this indictment is how a group of unelected, private businessmen used their power and influence to get government to aid their criminal enterprise and further its interests.
“The alleged conduct of the Norcross Enterprise has caused great harm to individuals, businesses, nonprofits, the people of the state of New Jersey and especially the city of Camden and its residents. That stops today. We must never accept politics and government — that is funded with tax dollars — to be weaponized against the people it serves. Today we reaffirm that no one in our state is above the law — period.”
Neither an attorney for George Norcross nor a longtime spokesman returned emailed requests for comment late Monday afternoon. The powerful South Jersey Democrat reportedly attended Platkin’s press conference earlier in the day, sitting just feet away in the front row, and railed against the attorney general in brief comments to reporters.
“I want to witness an extraordinary embarrassment and outrageous conduct from a government official who stands up there and tries to act like he’s holier than thou,” Norcross said outside the Attorney General’s office, according to Politico, later adding:
“I want Matt Platkin to come down here and try this case himself. Because he’s a coward because he has forced people in this building to implement his will.”
The 111-page indictment alleges that, starting as early as 2012, the so-called Norcross enterprise used its power and influence over government officials to tailor certain legislation to its benefit. That includes the Economic Opportunity Act of 2013, which created the Grow New Jersey tax credit program and generous subsidies for businesses that moved to Camden, including Conner Strong, Cooper Health, NFI and Michaels.
It also accuses George Norcross and his allies of using “threats and fear of economic and reputational harm” against prominent developers in the city — namely to clear the way for projects that were championed as catalysts for the city but would also benefit them personally. One such instance, according to the indictment, came in 2016 as Norcross sought to pressure Dranoff Properties’ Carl Dranoff to give up a view easement and other development rights on the waterfront, which Dranoff had received in connection with an earlier project.
Authorities say they were impediments to major projects by George Norcross and his partners, including the Triad1828 office headquarters tower for Conner Strong, NFI and Michaels that is now Camden’s tallest building, as well as a new 156-unit market-rate apartment project.
“When the developer would not relinquish his rights on terms preferred by George E. Norcross III, he threatened the developer that he would, in substance and in part, ‘f*ck you up like you’ve never been f*cked up before,’ and told the developer he would make sure the developer never did business in Camden again,” the indictment reads. “In a recorded phone call, (Norcross) later admitted to threatening the developer: ‘I said, … ‘this is unacceptable. If you do this, it will have enormous consequences.’ [The developer] said, ‘Are you threatening me?’ I said, ‘Absolutely.’”
Prosecutors also allege the defendants worked with Redd, who was mayor from 2010 to 2018, and other city officials to abuse the government’s oversight of land use and real estate deals. That included pressuring city officials to deny an approval that Dranoff needed to sell the apartment building, The Victor, as well as litigation tied to its other holdings in the city.
“As a result of the Enterprise’s conduct, in October 2016, the developer …sold and extinguished other rights, allowing three entities associated with the Norcross Enterprise, including (Conner Strong & Buckelew), to apply for additional tax credits on the same day the agreement of sale was signed,” the indictment reads. “The tax credits approved for the three entities totaled over $240 million. In 2022, the entities began receiving these tax credits and selling them.”
George Norcross’ partners in both Triad1828 and 11 Cooper, the market-rate apartment building, include NFI’s Brown and The Michaels’ Organization’s O’Donnell. A spokeswoman for The Michaels Organization, one of the country’s largest developers of affordable housing, provided this statement:
“The Michaels Organization is not under indictment,” the representative said. “Business is continuing as usual, and this will have no impact on our daily operations. It’s important to note that prior investigations into this matter resulted in no action being taken. While we cannot comment further on the ongoing legal proceedings, please know that we will continue to serve our residents and communities with the same dedication and care as always.”
Neither NFI nor The Michaels Organization were charged in the case.
Platkin’s office has also charged the six individuals with various counts of financial facilitation, misconduct by a corporate official and official misconduct and conspiring to commit theft by extortion, criminal coercion, financial facilitation, misconduct by a corporate official and official misconduct, according to a news release. All the offenses are violations of the first and second degrees, with first-degree charges carrying a sentence of 10 to 20 years in state prison and a fine of up to $200,000.
“In short, this indictment alleges that a group of unelected private businessmen use their power and influence to get government at the state and local levels to aid their criminal enterprise and further its interest,” Platkin said. “Through their alleged acts, the Norcross enterprise was able to obtain the rights to build multiple buildings and obtain hundreds of millions of dollars in government-issued tax credits, among other benefits.
“They allegedly did this with the complicity and acquiescence of various state and local elected and appointed officials, who turned a blind eye to their duties and obligations to the people of New Jersey to instead serve the interests of a powerful few.”
An arraignment for the defendants is scheduled for 10 a.m. July 9 before Superior Court Judge Peter E. Warshaw Jr., sitting in Trenton.
