Global Navigation
Office of The Attorney General
The State of New Jersey Office of The Attorney General (Dept. of Law & Public Safety) The State of New Jersey NJ Home Services A to Z Departments/Agencies OAG Frequently Asked Questions
Services A to Z Departments/Agencies OAG Frequently Asked Questions
OAG Home
OAG Contact
Back to News Releases
OAG Home Attorney General's Biography
Attorney General's Biography
spacer spacer spacer
 
spacer spacer spacer
spacer spacer spacer
For Immediate Release:  
For Further Information:
spacer spacer spacer
April 29, 2009  

Peter Aseltine
609-292-4791

Office of The Attorney General
- Anne Milgram, Attorney General
Division of Criminal Justice
- Deborah L. Gramiccioni, Director

spacerspacer spacer spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer

Former Atlantic City Councilwoman Indicted for Voting to Sell City Land So She Could Acquire it in a Secret Deal

spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer

TRENTON - Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni announced that Cassandra Clark, the former vice president of the Atlantic City Council, was indicted today for voting to sell city land to a straw purchaser who had agreed to buy the land for Clark and deed it to a corporation Clark owned.

According to Director Gramiccioni, Clark, 52, of Linwood, was indicted by a state grand jury on a second-degree charge of official misconduct. Second-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison and a $150,000 fine. The indictment is the result of an ongoing investigation by the New Jersey State Police Official Corruption Bureau and the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau.

“State law strictly prohibits self-dealing by public office holders in their official actions,” said Attorney General Milgram. “Ms. Clark shamelessly violated her duties in order to acquire this city land for a fraction of what it was worth. We will hold public officials who break the law accountable.”

Clark was a member of the Atlantic City Council from January 2002 through December 2006. On July 10, 2002, while serving as council vice president, she voted for the city to sell two adjacent, undeveloped lots at the corner of Baltic Avenue and North Maryland Avenue (823 Baltic Avenue and 203 North Maryland Avenue) for a total of $6,000, or $3,000 per parcel.

Clark allegedly concealed the fact that she had previously given $6,000 to the purported high bidder and had arranged for that woman to deed the land to her. The purchaser was a friend and business associate who is not identified in the indictment. The total fair market value of the two lots was assessed in 1980 at more than $20,000, and in 2008 at more than $110,000. Clark, who was a councilwoman-at-large, was a real estate speculator who had previously acquired a number of other properties in Atlantic City.

Three days after the city council voted to sell the land, the purchaser executed a deed to convey the land to Rose Garden Research LLC, a company owned by Clark. That deed was executed before the purchaser actually received title to the property from the city. However, a second deed was allegedly prepared by Clark in August 2003 conveying the land from the purchaser to Clark herself, not the company, for $1. Clark waited until 2004 to have the deeds recorded.

“We allege that Ms. Clark arranged a sham purchase to hide her unlawful acquisition of this city property,” said Director Gramiccioni. “Her deception was exposed by detectives and attorneys from the State Police and Division of Criminal Justice who diligently traced her actions.”

The case was presented to the state grand jury by Deputy Attorneys General Robert Czepiel Jr. and Peter Lee of the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau.

The investigation was conducted for the New Jersey State Police Official Corruption Bureau, Southern Office, by Detective Sgt. 1st Class Robert Schulte, Detective Sgt. Karl Ulbrich, Detective Sgt. David A. Smith and Detective John Scalabrini. It was conducted for the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau by Detectives Anthony Luyber, Edward Augustyn and John Sheeran, and by Special Investigator Maureen Graham and Analyst Alison Callery.

The indictment was handed up to Superior Court Judge Pedro J. Jimenez Jr. in Mercer County, who assigned it to Atlantic County, where Clark will be ordered to appear in court at a later date to answer the charges.

The indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. A copy of the indictment is available with this press release at www.njpublicsafety.com.

Attorney General Milgram noted that the Division of Criminal Justice - Corruption Bureau has established a toll-free Corruption Tipline for the public to report corruption, financial crime and other illegal activities. The statewide Corruption Tipline is 1-866-TIPS-4CJ. Additionally, the public can log on to the Division of Criminal Justice Web site at www.njdcj.org to report suspected wrongdoing. All information received through the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Tipline or Web page will remain confidential.

# # #

spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer
 
 
Contact OAG About OAG
OAG News OAG Frequently Asked Questions
OAG Library Employment
OAG Grants Proposed Rules
OAG History OAG Services A-Z
OAG Agencies / Programs / Units
Other News Pages Otras Noticias en Español Division of NJ State Police Division of Law News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Gaming Enforcement News
NJ State Police News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Elections News Division of Gaming Enforcement News Office of Government Integrity News

free PDF plugin

NJ State Police News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Elections News Division of Gaming Enforcement News Office of Government Integrity News
   
Contact Us | Privacy Notice | Legal Statement | Accessibility Statement
NJ Home Logo
Departmental: OAG Home | Contact OAG | About OAG | OAG News | OAG FAQs
Statewide: NJ Home | Services A to Z | Departments/Agencies | FAQs
Copyright © State of New Jersey
This page is maintained by OAG Communications. Comments/Questions: email or call 609-292-4925
OAG Home OAG Home NJ State Police News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Elections News Division of Gaming Enforcement News Office of Government Integrity News