N.J. Mayor Pleads Guilty To Corruption

The Passaic City mayor is the latest New Jersey public official to face a prison term after being snared in a federal corruption investigation.

[1 for justice]

I think the penalties given officials for using public office to enrich themselves need to be harsher. They, as evidenced by the continuing violations, have not learned the tremendous damage that they are doing to the public. A public official should be doing his job mainly for the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping the community and not for the pay or graft they can get. As far as I am concerned they can throw every corrupt official out there in jail. We should make convicted officials repay the costs involved in incarcerating them.

[Old School]

I agree with you 100% 1 for justice. AS Grover Cleveland said; "Public office is a public trust."
You would never know that these days. I liked Sammy Rivera at the beginning of his political career. He did a lot to protect the people of Passaic and made great strides to improve the police department & was very supportive of the fire departments as well. Then he got greedy and did some underhanded things and abused his power. He won't be the first one or the last one, but he did get caught and will get some time for it. Who loses? All the people who put him there and the ones who have to pay for his incarceration. A wise man once told me; "Politician never pay for their sins... taxpayers do!" No truer words have been spoken on this subject.

[Mr Passaic]

The bastard should spend at least 20 years in the can. He did allot of underhanded things even before he was in office, he just never got caught.

[Old School]

At an annual cost of about $34,600.00 a 10 year sentence will cost taxpayers over $346,000.00 not including extra medical costs if needed and the rising costs of living adjustments for prison administration. We still continue to pay after the damage is done. If we did this to every politician who got caught abusing their power, we would need to build more prisons. Mandatory community service to pay back would be better and less a burden for us overtaxed citizens, but don't hold your breath. I bet he will be let out way before his time as a model prisoner. It is a shame that the people can never recover what was taken.
They usually save that for the convicted drug dealers under RICO. Wouldn't it be nice if we could strip corrupt politicians of their ill gotten goods when they got convicted?

[moved]

Oh Wow another Baltimore MD, Mr Passaic. Old School I know exactly what you mean. There was a cop (which is kind of an official too) who was found guilty of being a thief (don't know the exact terminology) from Garfield -- You know the 'old story' of how he could break into a place via a window etc. and then when the alarm goes into headquarters be the first one there, etc. etc. etc. Well anyway...his father knew people and worked very hard to have him on a work release during the week until something like 9 or 10 at night until 6 the next morning then was out on the streets again. From Friday night until Monday morning he wasn't so lucky....Or maybe he was and 'got lucky in jail'. HeeHaw

[big louie]

passaic is a breeding ground for the active on the take politician, I know. it s been going on for yrs and still goes on and always will, from cops to politicians to real estate agents.

[Tender Ears]

Mims Hackett Jr of the City of Orange Township should go to jail!