Ex-Roselle, N.J. Mayor Admits To Trying To Cover Up Hit-And-Run
ROSELLE, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The former mayor of Roselle, New Jersey admitted Tuesday to making false statements to police, and an insurance company in a bid to cover up a hit-and-run accident.
Garrett Smith pleaded guilty Tuesday to insurance fraud, one day before jury selection was due to start in his trial, NJ.com reported.
The charge stemmed from reports Smith filed about damage to his mother's vehicle, which he was driving when the accident occurred in the early morning hours of Christmas Day 2010.
Prosecutors had alleged that Smith struck a parked car after leaving a bar in Roselle, then drove home and later moved his car from his garage onto the street.
He eventually claimed his mother's car was struck by another vehicle and filed an insurance claim.
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