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For Immediate Release:
For Further Information:
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August 26, 2010

Office of The Attorney General
- Paula T. Dow, Attorney General
Division of Criminal Justice
- Stephen J. Taylor, Director

Media Inquiries-
Peter Aseltine
609-292-4791
Citizen Inquiries-
609-292-4925

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Company That Was Hired by City of Perth Amboy Pleads Guilty to Performing $25,000 in Free Masonry Work for Former Mayor Vas

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TRENTON – Attorney General Paula T. Dow and Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor announced that a corporation that was contracted by the City of Perth Amboy during the administration of former Mayor Joseph Vas pleaded guilty today to performing thousands of dollars worth of free masonry and paving work at the mayor’s house.

According to Director Taylor, Jenicar Builders Contractors Co., Inc., pleaded guilty through its corporate president to a charge of third-degree conspiracy to commit official misconduct before Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Mellaci Jr. in Monmouth County. The charge was contained in a May 21, 2009 indictment obtained by the Division of Criminal Justice, which also charged Vas and his longtime aide, Melvin Ramos. The company pleaded guilty to an amended charge.

In pleading guilty, the company admitted that between May and November 2002, it performed approximately $25,000 in work at the home of Mayor Vas, free of charge. The work included constructing paver walkways, a paver driveway, a paver patio, a concrete foundation for a shed, brick columns, a cement sidewalk, and a cut-stone window border. Jenicar Builders Contractors, which is based in Newark and Kearny, was a vendor for the City of Perth Amboy at the time.

Under the plea agreement, the company will be required to pay a $45,000 fine, and its principals will be required to cooperate in the ongoing prosecution. Deputy Attorneys General Dianne C. DiGiamber Deal and Pearl Minato took the guilty plea for the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau. Judge Mellaci scheduled sentencing for Feb. 18.

On Aug. 3, three other defendants who were charged in the May 21, 2009 indictment pleaded guilty. Two contractors, Frank Dominguez, 46, of Chester, and Richard Briggs, 50, of Long Valley, pleaded guilty to third-degree misconduct by a corporate official for submitting a false invoice to the City of Perth Amboy. Their company, Imperial Construction Group Inc. of Pine Brook, pleaded guilty to third-degree submission of false payment claims under a government contract. The defendants admitted that they submitted the false invoice, allegedly at the direction of Vas, so that they could obtain payment from the city secretly reimbursing them for a $58,006 catering bill they paid at the mayor’s request. The bill was for a ribbon cutting ceremony on April 19, 2008 at the new Perth Amboy Public Safety-Court-Community Complex.

The state will recommend that Dominguez and Briggs each be sentenced to five years of probation. They are scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 18, 2011. The two men and Imperial Construction will be barred from public contracts in New Jersey for five years. The defendants will be jointly and severally liable for paying restitution to the City of Perth Amboy of $58,006. They must cooperate fully in the ongoing prosecution.

The charges are pending against Vas and Ramos. Vas, who also is a former New Jersey Assemblyman, faces multiple second-degree counts of conspiracy and official misconduct, among other charges.

The indictment, which is posted with the May 21, 2009 press release at www.njpublicsafety.com, charges Vas with four distinct criminal schemes. In addition to the scheme involving Jenicar and the scheme involving Dominguez, Briggs and Imperial, the following two schemes are alleged:

Fraudulent Campaign Contributions - Between January and July 2006, Vas and Ramos allegedly solicited city employees and others to make fraudulent contributions to Vas’ 2006 campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives for the 13th Congressional District. Ramos allegedly paid cash to the people he solicited to reimburse them for writing personal checks payable to “Vas for Congress.” Vas and Ramos are charged with money laundering because by structuring funds into the campaign through people who falsely appeared to be making personal contributions, they allegedly sought to avoid applicable state and federal currency transaction reporting requirements in connection with deposits into the campaign’s account at Commerce Bank. Banks are required to report cash deposits of $10,000 or more under federal reporting requirements. They allegedly requested city employees to solicit contributions during work hours, solicited city employees and others during work hours, and used city facilities and property for campaign activities.

Medical and Eyecare Bills - Between November 2004 and July 2005, Vas allegedly stole $5,926 from the city by unlawfully authorizing the submission to the city and approval of payment of a personal medical bill for $5,322 he received from the Mayo Clinic of Jacksonville, Fla., and a personal eyeglasses bill for $604 he received from Lenscrafters.

Deputy Attorneys General Deal and Pearl Minato are assigned to the case. The investigation was conducted by Deputy Attorney General Deal, Sgt. Dino Dettorre and Detective Benjamin Kukis. They were assisted by Lt. Daniel O'Brien, Sgt. Robert McGrath, Detective Lee Bailey, Detective Melissa Calkin, Detective Lisa Cawley, Detective Shaun Egan, Detective Kiersten Pentony, Detective Robert Stemmer and Civil Investigator Joseph Salvatore.

In March 2009, the Division of Criminal Justice obtained an indictment charging Vas with conspiring with city employees from 2003 to 2007 to fraudulently obtain payment of approximately $5,000 from the Perth Amboy Recreation Department for his personal expenses. In addition, Vas and his driver, Anthony S. Jones, 49, were charged in a scheme in which Vas allegedly rigged a public lottery so Jones won the opportunity to buy an affordable home through the Perth Amboy Home Program. Those charges are also pending. The indictments are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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