Blog: Hoboken Advocate
Post: Russo: Depths of Corruption
Link: http://hobokenadvocate.blogspot.com/2010/11/russo-depth-of-corruption.html
Apologists for Hoboken's former mayor, Anthony Russo, often attribute his downfall and disgrace to a "mistake."
A mistake is when you forget to carry the two.A reading of Russo's court transcripts shows that his was a corrupt mayoralty from early on, with his misconduct continuing even after his term in office. The following is taken from his final sentencing hearing, May 17, 2005.
Luis A. Valentin, Assistant U.S. Attorney:
"Mayor Russo engaged in a systematic and pervasive misconduct aimed at enriching himself at the expense of the citizens of Hoboken. He used his authority, power and influence to corrupt his office, his life-long friends and associates and the business community of Hoboken. Along the way, he became a corrupting force in Hudson politics. A titan who sought to make the consummate deal not for the best interest of the City of Hoboken but for himself."
"Unfortunately for him, these audio tapes, countless hours depict a political figure who had amassed such power and strength that he callously and defiantly scoffed at law enforcement while questioning their very existence and importance. [The tapes] depict Mr. Russo as a calculating and corrupt public official full of bravado and confidence that he was, in fact, above the law...a corrupt man whose center core is greed. Even when he was out of office, he boasted of his abilities to secure the awarding of municipal contracts because of his relationship with board members...To fully comprehend the extent of his greed, when one merely needs to reflect that from on or about June 23rd, 1997 through November 30, 2001, the defendant personally took in excess of $317,000 from one city contractor alone."
"The unfortunate reality was that when Mr. Russo took office, he swept through the City of Hoboken like an unsuspecting storm, damaging the City of Hoboken and its citizens by depriving them of his honest services...Any good deeds by him during his tenure as mayor, pale in comparison to the corrupt manner in which he misused his office for personal gain. He simply expected and demanded to be paid in exchange for awarding municipal contracts."
Full text of Mr. Valentin's closing statement:
"On July 1st, 1993, Anthony Russo took an oath of office as Mayor of Hoboken and proclaimed to the citizens of Hoboken that he would carry out his duties and responsibilities in accordance with the law. That oath was again repeated by him on July 1st, 1997, at the outset of his second mayoral term. The oath rang hollow, however, when Mayor Russo engaged in a systematic and pervasive misconduct aimed at enriching himself at the expense of the citizens of Hoboken. He used his authority, power and influence to corrupt his office, his life-long friends and associates and the business community of Hoboken. Along the way, he became a corrupting force in Hudson politics. A titan who sought to make the consummate deal not for the best interest of the City of Hoboken but for himself."
"When his very close friend, Joseph Lisa of Lisa and Associates Accounting Firm died on April 19, 1997, Anthony Russo sought the opportunity to continue a pattern of misconduct by soliciting from Joseph's brother, Gerald Lisa, corrupt payments in exchange for lucrative business contracts. A respectful period of mourning had not yet passed when Anthony Russo approached Gerry Lisa on a street in Hoboken and solicited, demanded and extorted money, large sums of money in exchange for awarding municipal contracts. This was simply the manner in which Anthony Russo conducted himself. He would directly extort money from those close to him and use an intermediary to extort those who he had little, if no faith in. The offenses of conviction here relate to three separate counts of mail fraud relating to a scheme involving the deprivation of honest services in connection with Lisa and Associates involving mail fraud. In that scheme, he unlawfully received, after solicitation of same, on an ongoing basis from June 23rd, 1997 through December, 2001, payments totaling in excess of $317,000."
"As the evidence in this case clearly shows, Mr. Russo was and has always been careful, careful to avoid detection by law enforcement and for ever vigilant of their presence. As defendant's attorney pointed out recently in court, Russo was aware that the F.B.I. was investigating allegations of misconduct in the City of Hoboken. Consequently, he was extremely cautious, consistently accepting corrupt cash payments from Mr. Lisa in his mayoral office or at other discreet locations out of the presence of third parties. He was not foolish enough, perhaps like other public officials, to keep envelopes stuffed with corrupt cash payments in a file drawer in his office. The only evidence of carelessness on his part was during the last two corrupt payments he solicited and accepted from Mr. Lisa, which are contained on the videotapes which were submitted to your Honor. The only reason the Government submits that he accepted these payments outside the sanctity of his mayoral office was because he was no longer in power. Mr. Russo spoke in coded language and demanded that those making the unlawful payments do the same. He purposefully and intentionally directed the destruction of any evidence that would reveal or prove the graft. He even falsely claimed that the unlawful corrupt payments were loans."
"Unfortunately for him, these audio tapes, countless hours depict a political figure who had amassed such power and strength that he callously and defiantly scoffed at law enforcement while questioning their very existence and importance. The hundreds of hours of tapes between Mr. Russo and his close friend Gerald Lisa depict Mr. Russo as a calculating and corrupt public official full of bravado and confidence that he was, in fact, above the law. When you remove the colorful language, what remains is a picture, an unfortunate one, of a corrupt man whose center core is greed. Even when he was out of office, he boasted of his abilities to secure the awarding of municipal contracts because of his relationship with board members."
"To fully comprehend the extent of his greed, when one merely needs to reflect that from on or about June 23rd, 1997 through November 30, 2001, the defendant personally took in excess of $317,000 from one city contractor alone. An additional $15,000 from Hoboken Auto Body through an intermediary as stated earlier today. During this same time period, he also drew a salary from the City of Hoboken and/or pension benefits while his spouse also drew significant compensation from her position at Riverside Realty. By way of example, from January 1998, through, December 1999, Anthony Russo unlawfully solicited in excess of $220,000 from Gerald Lisa. During the year 1999 alone, Mrs. Russo lawfully received compensation by way of commission checks totaling approximately $190,000. Consequently in 1998 and 1999, the Russo's had access to income in excess of $400,000. This example of this limited period of time clearly illustrates that Mr. Russo was financially capable of leading a lifestyle on his wife's salary alone without consideration for his own salary and pension. One can only question how much money is enough for Mr. Russo. Apparently there is no limit."
"It is our hope today that your Honor impose the maximum restitution, but also an appropriate fine to deter him from future criminal conduct and, quite frankly, deter others from thinking that these allegations -- that his unsupported blanket assertions of gambling can somehow alleviate your financial responsibility to the victims of your crimes. I must tell you that the impact of these crimes are immeasurable. I am reminded of my review of this discovery, observing a photo of Mr. Russo at his desk at City Hall which read, Mayor Anthony Russo, Turn the Tide, 1993. The unfortunate reality was that when Mr. Russo took office, he swept through the City of Hoboken like an unsuspecting storm, damaging the City of Hoboken and its citizens by depriving them of his honest services. He jeopardized the integrity and reputation of a community that treated him and his family so well and placed their faith in him."
"The best example of his arrogance was contained in a letter dated April 17, 1997, two days before his best friend's passing. In that letter from defense counsel to Mr. Ralph Marra dated April 17, 1997, it states in pertinent part as follows: As previously advised, my client, Mayor Anthony Russo, is every bit as concerned about allegations of corruption in the City of Hoboken as you are. He is and is willing to aid in any investigation into any allegations of criminal activities by any person employed by or working on behalf of the City of Hoboken. Unfortunately, we know from the history of this case that Mr. Russo never stepped up to the plate and delivered on that promise."
"His conduct and his actions cheated every Hoboken voter in the mayoral elections of 1993 and 1997, who cast their vote with the expectation that they were selecting an honest and law abiding representative for their city. His dishonesty to those voters continued when he failed to disclose to them his graft and misconduct during his prior terms in office. That deception ultimately led to another, yet another victory as councilman for the third ward in the City of Hoboken. The citizens of Hoboken simply deserve better from Mr. Russo. Any good deeds by him during his tenure as mayor, pale in comparison to the corrupt manner in which he misused his office for personal gain. He simply expected and demanded to be paid in exchange for awarding municipal contracts. It's regrettable today that on the day of sentence, he fails to recognize and realize how corrupt acts weaken the public's trust in Government. He fails to realize how his dishonesty makes it that much harder for the next law abiding and honest official to have the support of his community because he has, in fact, earned that right through years of good, honest service."
"In closing, I would respectfully request that this Court impose a sentence that will insure punishment and satisfaction of his financial obligations. Consequently for the substantial acts of misconduct and the fact that this case represents the most obscene amount of illegal payoffs received by one public figure in recent history, his conduct warrants a sentence at the top end of the range." ◦
