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Jul 23, 2007 6:58 pm US/Eastern
Ex-Newark Mayor James Pleads Not Guilty
Faces Federal Corruption Charges
NEWARK (AP) ―
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Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James. (FILE)
Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James pleaded not guilty Monday to federal corruption charges.
James, 71, is charged with fraud by using city-issued credit cards to pay for $58,000 worth of personal trips and expenses. He's also accused of engineering the cut-rate sale of city-owned properties to Tamika Riley, described by prosecutors as his companion on many of his trips.
James, who also is a state senator, has said he would not seek a new term.
Riley, 38, was indicted along with James and also pleaded not guilty on Monday. She was charged with fraud, stemming from what authorities say was a scheme to profit from the resale of land she purchased from the city at discounted prices. Riley also was charged with tax evasion.
Neither answered questions from reporters before or after the 30-minute hearing, where federal prosecutors said their evidence included 40 boxes of documents and the hard drives from four computers, including Riley's.
Prosecutors said they expected a 12-week trial with 60 witnesses.
U.S. District Judge William J. Martini set Feb. 4 as trial date, but lawyers for both defendants said they wanted more time to prepare. The judge said they could revisit the matter in September.
As James left the courthouse, he declined to comment about the proceeding, but said several times, "God is good all the time," as he walked in the rain without an umbrella to the waiting car of one of his attorneys. None of his four lawyers would comment.
Neither Riley, who attended the hearing with her mother and sister, nor her attorney, would comment.
Riley wore a black conservative suit with tight strands of pearls around her neck. The outfit was in contrast to what she wore after her July 12 arrest, black pants and a clingy black tank top with a red bra peeking out.
Both defendants waited outside the courtroom before the hearing, but did not speak to each other.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, James could face up to eight years in prison if he's convicted on all counts. However, the judge has the authority to impose a much stiffer penalty -- as much as 20 years on some individual counts.
James and Riley appeared Monday at the federal courthouse in downtown Newark, just a few blocks away from City Hall, where James ran the city from 1986 to 2006.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
