TRENTON, N.J. — In a case that has been tabbed as exposing a criminal enterprise going back more than 10 years, NFI CEO Sidney Brown has been included in an indictment aimed primarily at a key political figure in the state of New Jersey.
On Monday, June 17, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) announced the filing of criminal charges against six defendants including Brown following what he called “a years-long investigation into a criminal enterprise.”
In a press release announcing the charges, Platkin says the enterprise was run by George E. Norcross III and his associates in South Jersey and elsewhere, based on an investigation conducted by the OPIA, the FBI and the New Jersey State Police.
The 13-count indictment alleges that “through a series of unlawful acts, the Norcross Enterprise obtained property and property rights on the Camden Waterfront for itself and others, collected millions of dollars in government-issued tax credits, and controlled and influenced government officials to further the interests of the enterprise.”
The Attorney General alleges that from as early as 2012 through the present, the Norcross Enterprise used its power and influence over government officials to craft legislation tailored to serve the interests of the enterprise, and with the cooperation of then-Camden Mayor Dana Redd and other officials, used parts of the city’s government to aid the enterprise in acquiring property and property rights for itself and others through coercion, extortion, and other criminal acts.
All six of the defendants are charged with first-degree racketeering
They include:
• George E. Norcross, III, 68, of Palm Beach, Florida, Executive Chairman of the insurance firm Conner, Strong & Buckelew and chairman of the board of trustees for Cooper Health.
• Philip A. Norcross, 61, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Attorney and Managing Shareholder and CEO of Parker McCay, a New Jersey law firm. Philip Norcross also serves on the board of Cooper Health and is the registered agent for the groups that own buildings in Camden that are the subject of the criminal allegations.
• William M. Tambussi, 66, of Brigantine, New Jersey, Attorney and partner at the law firm of Brown and Connery. He is the long-time personal attorney to George Norcross. Since 1989, he also served as counsel to the Camden County Democratic Committee – which George Norcross chaired from 1989 to 1995. Tambussi has also served as outside counsel to the City of Camden, the Camden Redevelopment Agency, Cooper Health, and Conner Strong.
• Dana L. Redd, 56, of Sicklerville, New Jersey, current CEO of Camden Community Partnership, which was formerly Cooper’s Ferry Partnership. She previously served as a member of the Camden City Council, the New Jersey Senate, and from 2010 to 2018 was the Mayor of Camden, and she is alleged to have abused that position to benefit herself and the Norcross Enterprise.
• Sidney R. Brown, 67, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, CEO of NFI, a trucking and logistics company. He also serves as a member of the board at Cooper Health, and is a partner in the groups that own several of the Camden buildings at the center of the allegations.
• John J. O’Donnell, 61, of Newtown, Pennsylvania, has been in the executive leadership of The Michaels Organization, a residential development company, in a variety of roles including COO, President, and CEO. He is also a partner in the groups that own several of the Camden buildings at the center of the allegations. He has also served on the Board of Cooper’s Ferry Partnership at various times since 2018.
The release from Platkin states the defendants are also charged with various counts of financial facilitation, misconduct by a corporate official, and official misconduct and conspiring to commit theft by extortion, criminal coercion, financial facilitation, misconduct by a corporate official and official misconduct.
“The indictment unsealed (on June 17) alleges that George Norcross has been running a criminal enterprise in this state for at least the last 12 years,” Platkin said. “On full display in this indictment is how a group of unelected, private businessmen used their power and influence to get government to aid their criminal enterprise and further its interests. The alleged conduct of the Norcross Enterprise has caused great harm to individuals, businesses, non-profits, the people of the State of New Jersey, and especially the City of Camden and its residents. That stops today. We must never accept politics and government — that is funded with tax dollars — to be weaponized against the people it serves. Today we reaffirm that no one in our state is above the law — period.”
The release clarified the magnitude of the charges stating that all of the offenses alleged in the 111-page indictment are violations of the first and second degrees. First-degree charges carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in state prison and a fine of up to $200,000. The crime of first-degree racketeering is subject to the No Early Release Act, and thus carries a mandatory 85% parole disqualifier.
The Attorney General’s office also clarified that racketeering convictions also exposes criminal defendants to the potential for additional financial penalties – including the forfeiture of ill-gotten proceeds from their criminal activity.
Platkin said in his statement, that the state intends to seek such forfeitures.
Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. The offense of official misconduct carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years for public officials convicted of that offense related to their office.
Where Brown fits into the equation is as of a property owner on the parcel in question, and is not mentioned in Platkin’s statement by name other than as one of the six defendants listed.
However in the indictment, Brown is included in the membership of what is called the Camden Partners along with O’Donnell and George Norcross III, represented legally by Tambussi.
According to an Associated Press report, among the allegations against Norcross are charges that he threatened a developer who would not relinquish his rights to waterfront property in Camden, New Jersey, on Norcross’ terms. The indictment cites a profanity-laden phone recording of Norcross in which he tells the developer he will face “enormous consequences.” The person asks if Norcross is threatening him, according to the indictment. “Absolutely,” Norcross replies.
The indictment also said Norcross and the co-defendants including Brown extorted and coerced businesses with property rights on Camden’s waterfront and obtained tax incentive credits, which they then sold for millions of dollars. Platkin described Camden as long suffering from economic decline.
NFI is located at TRIAD1828 Centre, 2 Cooper Street in Camden, New Jersey, which is at the heart of the property involved in the indictment and the center of the extortion allegations.
Platkin held a press conference when the indictment was unsealed in which George Norcross III sat on the front row and called Platkin a “coward” and demanded a speedy trial according to the AP report.
The group is scheduled to be arraigned July 9 at 10 a.m.
Messages seeking comment from NFI remained unanswered at the time of publication.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
