Yes, it's true. The big boss of Bergen's Democratic Party, Joe Ferriero, was convicted yesterday in federal court in Newark on three counts for his involvement in a scheme to use his political connections to make money. The charges are complicated -- conspiracy to defraud Bergenfield of the honest services of its borough attorney and Ferriero pal, Dennis Oury, and two mail fraud charges related to the conspiracy. But the message is clear: Ferriero's game of using politics to make money crossed the legal line.
Trials are windows into the human condition. That's why I tried to spend as much time in the courtroom as possible, even when I did not have to write a column. I was especially drawn to Ferriero's testimony. During two days on the witness stand, he said he participated in a secret deal to create a consulting firm that would do business in Bergenfield -- and he saw nothing wrong with that kind of arrangement.
What's the message here? Maybe it's even more simple than we thought. Don't mix politics and business. See my column this Sunday for more on this issue.
We knew this would happen, didn't we? After the tragic in-flight smashing of a small plane and a tourist helicopter over the Hudson, I called for common sense rule changes for flights over the river. So did many others.
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Justice always prevails, no one is always above the law.
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