Former Mayor, Associates Charged With Major Campaign Finance Violations

Disgraced Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano, released from prison last year after serving 18 months on political corruption charges, was hit with additional campaign finance violations Wednesday in a suit filed by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, The Star-Ledger reported.

Cammarano and four others involved in his 2009 mayoral campaign are named in ELEC's 15-count complaint, which alleges they failed to file more than $100,000 in contributions received in connection with that year's election runoff campaign.

ELEC's filing accuses Cammarano, joint candidate committee members Vincent Addeo, Angel Alicea and Raul Morales, and campaign treasurer Lucy Truglio of receiving excessive contributions and cash, failure to file contribution and expenditure information, and failure to certify campaign finance reports.

While the complaint cites improperly recorded contributions from real estate developer and FBI informant Solomon Dwek, who played a central role in bringing down Cammarano, ELEC executive director Jeffrey Brindle said the complaint goes beyond Dwek's contributions.

“It goes way beyond that," he told The Star-Ledger. "It’s about tens of thousands of unreported and late reported contributions in the 2009 runoff...It’s a really comprehensive complaint.”

Cammarano was arrested just over three weeks after taking office in 2009, as part of the high-profile Operation Bid Rig sting that ensnared more than 40 people, including mayors and state lawmakers. He resigned the mayorship a week later and ultimately pleaded guilty to corruption charges.

His attorney, Joseph A. Hayden Jr., said he still needed to analyze the ELEC complaint, but that his client would accept responsibility for his conduct if it was found to be in violation.  

"Throughout the legal proceedings, Mr. Cammarano has accepted responsibility for his conduct and I am confident that after we analyze the complaint and digest the facts, he will continue to act appropriately and accept responsibility for his conduct," Hayden told The Star-Ledger. 

If found guilty, each of the individuals named in the complaint could face fines of up to $6,800 per violation, Brindle said.