George E. Norcross III — File photo/Courtesy: Aaron Houston
By Joshua Burd
South Jersey political boss George Norcross pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to racketeering and other charges in a high-profile case brought by the state, with prosecutors alleging he and others unlawfully secured lucrative tax credits and property in Camden for their personal gain.
His codefendants — attorneys Philip A. Norcross and William M. Tambussi, former Camden Mayor Dana L. Redd and CEOs Sidney R. Brown and John J. O’Donnell of NFI and The Michaels Organization, respectively — also entered not guilty pleas during an arraignment in Trenton. The appearance came three weeks after state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced the 13-count indictment, alleging a pattern of extortion, intimidation and political pressure for pursuits such as developing a 375,000-square-foot office tower for companies led by George Norcross, Brown and O’Donnell.
The case centers on more than a decade of economic development activity around the Camden waterfront, which Norcross has famously championed as a business leader and philanthropist. But an attorney for the longtime power broker said Tuesday that he “has done nothing wrong and, as will be shown, everything he and his co-defendants did was for the benefit of the city of Camden and Cooper University Health Care.”
“For more than 50 years, beginning with their father, the Norcross family has been dedicated to Camden and Cooper,” Michael Critchley Sr. of Critchley, Kinum & Luria LLC said in a written statement. “Anyone reviewing the indictment will see these are charges in search of a crime. There will be much more to say in the future, but for now, suffice to say that the facts of what actually occurred and why these charges were brought will come out. When they do, we expect a full exoneration.”
George Norcross is executive chairman of Conner, Strong & Buckelew, board chairman for Cooper Health and the former longtime chair of the Camden County Democratic Committee. Phil Norcross, his brother, is the managing shareholder and CEO of Parker McCay PA as well as a Cooper Health board member and chair of the Cooper Foundation, while Tambussi is a partner at Brown and Connery LLP who is the longtime personal attorney to George Norcross and counsel to several organizations with ties to Camden and the Norcross family.
Attorneys for several other codefendants also issued statements on Tuesday.
“Phil Norcross is a diligent, ethical lawyer who has worked tirelessly to help make Cooper University Hospital the extraordinary medical center it is today and to facilitate Camden’s transformation from America’s most dangerous city to a renaissance metropolis,” Kevin H. Marino of Marino, Tortorella & Boyle PC wrote. “Yet he now stands accused of ‘racketeering’ for engaging in the perfectly appropriate practice of law, a fact that should trouble every lawyer in this state. As the allegations against him make clear, Phil Norcross is merely a pawn in the misguided political prosecution of his brother. He will not rest until these false charges are defeated and his good name restored.”
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. That includes major projects by George Norcross and his partners, including the Triad1828 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 nearby.
Prosecutors, meantime, say the defendants worked with Redd during her eight-year tenure as mayor and other city officials to abuse the government’s oversight of land use and real estate deals. A spokeswoman for the former mayor, who’s now CEO of the nonprofit Camden Community Partnership, denied doing any wrongdoing.
“What she has done is serve the Camden community in public and not-for-profit roles for more than three decades,” Emma Enright of law firm Klingeman Cerimele wrote. “She has cooperated fully with the grand jury investigation for over a year and is unaware of evidence of wrongdoing by her or others. She looks forward to fighting these false allegations in the courtroom before a judge and jury, so she can reclaim her good name that has now been tarnished by the Attorney General’s unjust and unjustified action.”
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.
