Mopping Up Crime
U.S. Attorney General Christopher Christie Rounds Up Alleged Bribe Takers

Submitted by the U.S. in New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Christie
Published Sept. 6, 2007

• Pleasantville Board of Education member James Pressley, 22, allegedly accepted
corrupt cash payments of $3,600, $3,600, $7,500 and $17,500 between May 2006 and
October 2006 to steer school district insurance brokerage business and roofing business to
the cooperating witnesses. In May 2006, Pressley was recording bragging about how his
“big plan” to have three particular board members leave a board meeting, leaving only
supporting votes, on a resolution authorizing a company of one of the cooperating
witnesses to provide brokerage services to the district. “I had three members leave the
meeting,” he said. “It was a strategy (and) it took me a week to do.... They left the board
meeting, and we had the votes to do it.”

• Former President of the Pleasantville Board of Education Jayson Adams, 27, allegedly
accepted corrupt payments of more than $15,000 between May 2006 and October 2006
and arranged payments for other members of the school board to steer insurance
brokerage and roofing contracts to the cooperating witnesses. In an August 2006 meeting
with one of the cooperating witnesses, Adams said he trusted the cooperating witness and
remarked, “We either gonna get this job together or go to jail together.”

• Former Pleasantville School Board member Maurice “Pete” Callaway, 53, allegedly
accepted corrupt cash payments of $10,000, $1,500 and $1,500 between May 2006 and
October 2006, to steer insurance brokerage and roofing business to the cooperating
witnesses. Callaway, during a May 2006 meeting with one of the cooperating witnesses
said he wanted money first for his campaign for Pleasantville City Council: “It’s always
the money issue,” he said. “At least ten grand would get us over the hump.”

• Pleasantville School Board member Rafael Velez, 46, allegedly accepted corrupt
payments of approximately $14,000 to steer insurance brokerage business and roofing
business to the cooperating witnesses.

• Pleasantville resident Louis Mister, 56, an associate of Callaway’s, allegedly aided and
abetted Callaway’s extortion by accepting the two $1,500 payments on Callaway’s
behalf.

• Pleasantville Board of Education member James T. McCormick, 50, allegedly accepted
a corrupt payment of $3,500 for voting to pass a resolution authorizing the cooperating
witness’ company to provide insurance brokerage to the school district.

• Paterson Assemblyman Alfred E. Steele, 53, also a Passaic County Undersheriff,
allegedly accepted corrupt cash payments of $5,000, $3,000 and four separate payments
of $1,500 each between March and August 2007 to assist the cooperating witnesses and
an undercover agent in obtaining local government insurance business.

• Orange Mayor and State Assemblyman Mims Hackett, Jr., 65, allegedly accepted a
$5,000 corrupt cash payment on Aug. 14, 2007 to steer City of Orange insurance
brokerage business to the cooperating witnesses and undercover agent. The $5,000
represented an “up-front” payment for Hackett, who allegedly agreed to accept another
$25,000 once the City of Orange approved an insurance brokerage contract for the
Company.

• Passaic Mayor Samuel “Sammy” Rivera, 60, allegedly accepted $5,000 on Aug. 13,
2007, after assuring the Company that he could deliver four of seven city council votes to
make the undercover company the insurance broker of record for Passaic. He also told
the cooperating witnesses from the Company that he would be able to control five of
seven commissioners of the Passaic Valley Water Commission and steer insurance
brokerage business to the cooperating witnesses.

• Passaic City Council member Marcellus Jackson, 37, allegedly accepted cash payments
of $2,500, $5,000, $6,000 and $3,000 between January and August 2007 to steer
municipal insurance brokerage business to the undercover witnesses. Upon receipt of the
$6,000 payment on April 5, Jackson allegedly said to one of the cooperating witnesses, “I
appreciate it, baby. Good things is gonna happen.”

• Former Passaic City Council member Jonathan Soto, 32, allegedly accepted cash
payments of $5,000, $5,000 and $2,500 between November 2006 and February 2007 to
steer municipal business to the cooperating witnesses. “The sky is the limit with
Passaic...,” Soto was recorded saying to one of the cooperating witnesses on Nov. 3,
2006. “Moving forward, I have other friends in other municipalities, and I’m all for
getting my feet wet as well, man, you know what I’m saying? And I’m very appreciative
that, you know, you guys have counted me as part of the team.”

• Chief of Staff to the Newark City Council President Keith O. Reid, 48, allegedly
accepted one $5,000 cash bribe on July 25 with the assurance that he would influence a
Newark official to help the cooperating witnesses obtain insurance brokerage business in
the City of Newark. He allegedly accepted a second $5,000 cash payment as an
intermediary for an official of another municipality in exchange for attempting to obtain
government insurance business with that municipality.