George Norcross III pleads not guilty to charges
By: Katie Sobko
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... Three weeks after the state's attorney general held a press conference to announce racketeering charges against George Norcross III the South Jersey power broker had his first appearance in a Mercer County courtroom on Tuesday. [07/09/2024]
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Flanked by attorneys, Norcross entered a pea of not guilty to the slew of charges he and four of his co-defendants face.
..... His co-defendants include his brother, Philip Norcross, as well as Norcross' attorney William Tambussi, former Camden mayor Dana Redd, Norcross' business partner Sidney Brown and real estate developer john O'Donnell. Brown was not present for the arraignment and Mercer County Superior Court Judge Peter Warshaw Jr. said he will instead be arraigned in August [2024] due to a attorney scheduling conflict.
..... Brown's attorney Larry Lustberg, is currently in federal court in New York serving as counsel for Wael Hana, a co-defendant in Senator Bib Menendez's bribery trial.
..... Micheal Critchley, serving a counsel for Norcross, released a statement that his client entered not guilty pleas because "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."
..... "Anyone reviewing the indictment will see there are charges in seas of a crime," Critchley said. "There will be much more to say in the future, but for now, suffice to say that the fact's of what actually occurred and why these charges were brought will come out."
..... Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced the charges, which stem from tax breaks for a dozen companies that had ties to Norcross last month. [06/2024] And the press conference was not without drama of its now. Norcross attend and sat in the front row, just steps from Platkin as he alleged that Norcross and his associates obtained both property and property rights on the waterfront in Camden, collected millions of dollars in government-issued tax credits and controlled and influenced government officials to further their own interest for property and property rights through coercion, extortion and other criminal acts.
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Norcross is an insurance executive and chairman of the Camden-based Cooper University Health Care but wields a power over the politician machine in south Jersey.
..... The 13-count indictment alleges that, for more than a decade, Norcross and his associates sued their power and influence on government officials to craft legislation with the help of Camden officials.
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"At least as early as 2012 throughout the present, the state alleges that he Norcross enterprise used its power and influence over government officials to craft legislation tailored to serve the interest of the Norcross enterprise," Platkin said during the press conference.
..... The defendants also face charges of 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.
..... A task force formed by Governor Phil Murphy early in his administration found that the state doled out tax breaks focused on the Camden companies tied to Norcross. Murphy hired the team of lawyers in January 2019, after the state comptroller's audit showing loss oversight and management of tax incentives.
..... The task force recommended in July 2020 that the EDA freeze the incentive awards for a dozen companies totaling $578 million. It also made unspecified criminal referrals.
..... Murphy started his tenure in Trenton at odds with Norcross but has been building bridges in recent years. He has headline fundraisers held by Norcross' PAC in recent years.
..... Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. email sobko@northjersey.com.