Power broker George Norcross to appeals court: Judge was right to toss racketeering charges
Norcross attorneys' pushed back on New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin's attempts to revive the criminal racketeering and extortion case against him.
Democratic power broker George E. Norcross III on Wednesday encouraged an appeals court to reject New Jersey prosecutors’ attempts to revive their criminal racketeering case against him, arguing that a judge was right to toss the charges.
Mercer County Superior Court Judge Peter Warshaw dismissed the charges against Norcross and five codefendants in February, ruling that the allegations in the 13-count indictment did not constitute extortion.
The ruling delivered a major setback to state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, whose prosecutors had accused Norcross, 69, of using threats of economic harm and his control of local government to coerce a developer and a nonprofit into surrendering their property on the Camden waterfront.
Authorities alleged that enabled Norcross and his associates to obtain millions of dollars in tax credits.
In addition to being a longtime Democratic Party leader in South Jersey, Norcross is chairman of Cooper University Health Care in Camden and was executive chairman of the insurance brokerage Conner Strong & Buckelew.
Platkin, an appointee of Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, in April asked an appeals court to overturn Warshaw’s decision, arguing that the judge had erred in tossing the case without reviewing evidence prosecutors presented to the grand jury that handed up the indictment more than a year ago.
Norcross’ lawyers on Wednesday maintained that the indictment merely showed the kind of hard bargaining that is permitted in business negotiations under the law. They also said the charges are time-barred under the statute of limitations.
“Over the course of its 111 pages, the indictment purports to tell a story of extortion — but it does not allege any violence or unlawful threats; only ordinary economic bargaining among sophisticated businessmen represented by experienced counsel,” attorneys Michael Critchley, Anthony J. Dick, and others wrote in a court filing.
“The indictment pitches a tale of corruption — but there are no bribes or kickbacks; only routine and constitutionally protected politics,” they continued. “It also promises racketeering — but no organized criminal elements ever appear; only respected leaders trying to revive a long-suffering city.”
In a statement, Critchley noted that federal prosecutors in New Jersey and Philadelphia had declined to pursue charges against his client. He added that Platkin “has repeatedly exhibited the lack of mature judgment and discretion needed to exercise the awesome prosecutorial power of the Attorney General’s Office.”
New Jersey prosecutors, in their April filing, said “not a single precedent supports the trial court’s facial approach, and reams of published cases contradict it.”
Norcross’ codefendants are his brother Philip, CEO of the law firm Parker McCay; attorney William Tambussi; former Camden Mayor Dana L. Redd; and businessmen John J. O’Donnell and Sidney R. Brown.
Multiple third parties filed briefs supporting Norcross’ position, including the New Jersey NAACP State Conference, New Jersey AFL-CIO, and the New Jersey Building and Construction Trades Council. The state Bar Association raised concerns about how the case could affect lawyers’ zealous advocacy.
This article has been updated to clarify the Bar Association’s argument.