Mayors and Rabbis Busted

A group of unidentified men are led outside FBI offices July 23, 2009, in Newark, N.J. Federal officers arrested 44 people, including three N.J. mayors, a deputy mayor, a state assemblyman and five rabbis in a two-track investigation that allegedly uncovered political corruption and a rabbinical money laundering scheme.

Busted

An unidentified man is led to a bus after being taken into custody July 23, 2009, outside FBI offices in in Newark, N.J. The arrest is part of a 44-person bust that netted the N.J. mayors of Hoboken, Ridgefield and Secaucus, in addition to other politicians and a group of high-profile rabbis.

Peter Cammarano III

Peter Cammarano III, the newly elected mayor of Hoboken, was charged with accepting $25,000 in cash bribes, including $10,000 on Thursday, July 16, 2009, from an undercover cooperating witness.

Leona Beldini

Leona Beldini, Jersey City deputy mayor and a campaign treasurer, is charged with taking $20,000 in conduit campaign contributions and other self-dealing in her official capacity. Her arrest is part of a federal dragnet that focused on political corruption and also a rabbinical money laundering scheme.

L. Harvey Smith

L. Harvey Smith, a New Jersey Assemblyman and recent mayoral candidate in Jersey City, is charged, along with an aide, of taking $15,000 in bribes to help get approvals from high-level state agency officials for building projects.

Busted

An FBI agent arrives with an unidentified suspect in a major corruption and international money laundering conspiracy probe July 23, 2009, at the FBI's Newark, N.J. office. Prosecutors believe a group of high-profile rabbis used tax exempt organizations tied to their synagogues to launder millions of dollars of dirty money.

Daniel Van Pelt

Daniel Van Pelt, a New Jersey Assemblyman, is charged with accepting a $10,000 bribe.

Dennis Elwell

Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell boards a bus at the FBI building after being taken into custody in Newark, N.J., as part of a major corruption and international money laundering conspiracy probe July 23, 2009. A secret informant helped to bust both the money laundering cases against the rabbis and the political corruption cases.

Louis Manzo

Louis Manzo, the recent unsuccessful challenger in the Jersey City mayoral election, and his brother and political advisor, Robert Manzo, were both charged with taking $27,500 in corrupt cash payments for use in Louis Manzo's campaign.

Louis Manzo

Former New Jersey assemblyman Louis Manzo is led to a waiting bus outside FBI offices July 23, 2009, in Newark, N.J. Manzo was arrested as part of a massive federal investigation into political corruption. He and his brother are charged with taking $27,500 in corrupt cash payments for his political campaign.

Busted

FBI agents escort unidentified suspects connected to a major corruption and international money laundering conspiracy probe to waiting buses July 23, 2009, at the FBI's office in Newark, New Jersey.

Mariano Vega

Mariano Vega, Jr., the Jersey City council president, allegedly met several times with a secret federal witness and ultimately accepted three $10,000 payments, two of which Vega instructed an intermediary to have broken down and converted into individual contributions for his re-election campaign, and the third, which he received after his election victory, according to federal charges.

Michael J. Manzo

Michael J. Manzo (no relation to the other Manzos), an unsuccessful candidate for the Jersey City Council, allegedly agreed to accept a $5,000 cash payment from the cooperating witness for his campaign, according to federal charges.

Busted

FBI agents lead arrested suspects from their headquarters as part of sweeping corruption investigation July 23, 2009, in Newark, N.J.