William Baroni Jr. and Bridget Anne Kelly, Misuse of Government Property, New Jersey 2013
NEWARK, N.J. - A scheme to misuse Port Authority resources to punish Fort Lee Mayor Sokolich for not endorsing Gov. Christie's re-election has landed two high-ranking officials in hot water.
William E. Baroni Jr., former deputy executive director of the Port Authority, and Bridget Anne Kelly, former deputy chief of staff to Gov. Christie, were each charged by a federal grand jury in a nine-count indictment unsealed today.
The indictment alleges that Baroni and Kelly conspired to misuse, and actually misused, property of an organization receiving federal benefits; conspired to commit, and actually committed, wire fraud; conspired to injure and oppress certain individuals' civil rights, and acted under color of law to deprive certain individuals of their civil rights.
The scheme allegedly began in August 2013, after Kelly confirmed that Mayor Sokolich would not be endorsing Gov. Christie for re-election in November 2013. Baroni, Kelly, and David Wildstein, former director of Interstate Capital Projects at the Port Authority, decided to punish the mayor by deliberately causing significant traffic problems in Fort Lee under the false pretense of a traffic study.
From the morning of Sept. 9, 2013, to Sept. 13, 2013, the conspirators allegedly caused the local access lanes to the upper level of the George Washington Bridge to be reduced from three to one, resulting in severe traffic congestion.
Wildstein pleaded guilty today to conspiring to misuse the property of an organization receiving federal benefits and conspiring to injure and oppress certain individuals' civil rights in connection with his role in causing traffic problems to punish Mayor Sokolich.
“Public officials must use government resources for proper government purposes,” said U.S. Attorney Fishman. “The indictment alleges, and Wildstein admitted, that the three defendants used Port Authority resources to exact political retribution against a public official who would not endorse the Governor for re-election, and concocted and promoted a bogus cover story to execute their plan and to cover their tracks.”
Baroni and Kelly are currently facing criminal charges. Their case is ongoing.
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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