Boos Tweed …Joseph A. Ferriero
Citing ‘complexity’ of case, judge grants ex-Bergen Democratic chief delay in corruption trial
Thursday, November 28, 2013 Last updated: Thursday November 28, 2013, 4:48 PM
BY PETER J. SAMPSON
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Joseph A. Ferriero will have a year to prepare for his next federal corruption trial on charges of orchestrating a series of bribery, kickback and shakedown schemes during his reign as chairman of the Bergen County Democratic organization.
U.S. District Judge Ester Salas, sitting in Newark, signed an order Nov. 18 setting a new trial date of Oct. 14, 2014 for Ferriero’s racketeering case. The trial, estimated to take six weeks, had previously been tentatively scheduled for December.
Ferriero, 56, once among the state’s most powerful political leaders, was indicted on Sept. 11 on charges of running the affairs of the county’s Democratic organization through a pattern of racketeering activity. He also was charged with conspiring to promote bribery and distribute bribe proceeds and to commit mail and wire fraud; as well as with one count each of violating the Travel Act and the mail and wire fraud statutes.
The judge acted on a joint application by the office of U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman and Ferriero’s counsel, Michael Baldassare and Jennifer Mara, for an order declaring the matter to be a complex case.
