Ferriero wants U.S. attorney disqualified from RICO case; prosecutors cite new evidence against ex-Democratic leader
FEBRUARY 3, 2015, 4:29 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015, 5:43 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Federal prosecutors and lawyers defending Joseph Ferriero are exchanging strong new allegations as they enter the final week before the former Bergen County Democratic chairman is scheduled to stand trial on racketeering charges.
Prosecutors are seeking permission to bolster their case with new assertions that Ferriero made hundreds of thousands of dollars by using his influence in four matters: a landfill redevelopment, a land use matter in Hackensack, a disputed Port Authority lease, and a criminal case involving a medical practitioner.
Meanwhile, Ferriero’s lawyers are demanding that either the indictment be thrown out or U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman and his office be disqualified from prosecuting the case. They claim he has an “irreconcilable” conflict of interest because he represented a key government witness before he became U.S. Attorney in 2009.
Moreover, Ferriero’s lawyers say that a member of a prominent Teaneck law firm, referred to as “Attorney 3” in court documents, is “now an immunized government witness central to the government’s case.” Fishman and Attorney 3 once represented the same client, Ferriero’s lawyers said in court documents filed Monday.
Keep the case going as long as possible hoping people will forget or the prosecution cuts a sweetheart deal.