Jul 24, 2009 6:05 am US/Eastern
'Bid Rig' Probe Stuns NJ Syrian Jewish Community
HOBOKEN (CBS) ―
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A Deal, NJ synagogue was raided during morning prayers, and several boxes of evidence removed, in the massive corruption bust in New York and New Jersey.
CBS
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Hoboken, N.J., mayor Peter Cammarano, left, and Secaucus, N.J., mayor Dennis Elwell were among dozens of public officials and others arrested by federal agents involved in a corruption investigation, July 23, 2009.
Hoboken & Secaucus Official Web Sites
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Hoboken, N.J., Mayor Peter Cammarano was among many public officials and others arrested by federal agents involved in a corruption investigation, July 23, 2009.
CBS
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Among the NJ officials arrested in the massive corruption bust were Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell, Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano III, and several prominent NJ religious officials.
CBS
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Secaucus, N.J., mayor Dennis Elwell (pictured) and Hoboken, N.J., mayor Peter Cammarano were among dozens of public officials and others arrested by federal agents involved in a corruption investigation, July 23, 2009.
CBS
The mayors of two prominent New Jersey towns, one of them was just elected in Hoboken, are among those caught up in the massive corruption arrests Thursday.
FBI agents swept across northern New Jersey on Thursday morning, making arrests in one of the largest and most high-profile corruption probes in state history, a 10-year investigation known as "Bid Rig."
Mayor Peter Cammarano was at Hoboken's landmark St. Anns Festival just Wednesday night, behind the bar, celebrating his 32nd birthday.
Hours later, he was behind bars, caught up in New Jersey's latest corruption scandal.
Outside City Hall, one man expressed shock and disappointment.
"Let's hope he gets cleared – I think he would have been a help to the Hoboken community," Vic Zarish, who works in Hoboken, said. "I'm really sad to see what happened."
Cammarano, who is married, with a young daughter, became mayor on July 1, after four years on the city council.
The feds say that, starting in April, he took $25,000 in bribes from an informant posing as a developer looking for favors from City Hall.
"I'm shocked, but not completely surprised, because we have a history of corruption happening in our county and we're well aware of it," Hoboken resident Pam Shipley said.
"I hope it's wrong, because the guy seemed like a nice guy to me, an honest young fellow," Hoboken resident Christopher Linton said. "I just hope and pray it's wrong."
"He was charged, and usually they don't charge unless there's something there, so he's a suspect," resident Susan Lawrence said. "Even if he gets through this, it's ruined his career."
Just last week, a Cammarano ally – the Hoboken housing commissioner – was busted on corruption charges, and the mayor insisted that he resign.
Chris Carbine ran for city council on Cammarano's ticket, and he says the mayor's next move is pretty clear.
"He should resign immediately," Carbine said. "That was his own policy – 100 percent no-tolerance – so he should resign, immediately."
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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