NJ city official sentenced for attempted extortion…

Six month sentence for official who accepted corrupt payment over demolition contract.

A former City of Newark official was sentenced today to six months in prison and six months of home confinement for attempted extortion, after admitting that he accepted a $10,000 corrupt payment in order to assist a contractor in obtaining demolition contracts with the city, United States Attorney Paul J Fishman announced.

Anthony Clark, 46, of Newark—a former manager of Property Clearance for the City of Newark Department of Neighborhood Services and former program manager for the City of Newark Library—previously pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Freda L Wolfson to an information charging him with attempted extortion under the color of official right.

Judge Wolfson also imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court. According to the information to which Clark pleaded guilty and statements made in court: Clark admitted that in October 2006, he agreed to use his official authority and influence to obtain demolition contracts from the City of Newark for a contractor, actually a government cooperating witness (CW), in exchange for corrupt payments.

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