John Merla

The first batch of former Monmouth County public officials convicted of bribery in Operation Bid Rig have been sentenced, with terms ranging from eight to 22 months in prison.   

Former Monmouth County Superintendent of Bridges Anthony Palughi, who pleaded guilty in 2005 to soliciting bribes, was sentenced to eight months in prison, two years of supervised release and fined $7,000. 

KARCHER STATEMENT ON FORMER KEYPORT MAYOR MERLA'S GUILTY PLEA

TRENTON - Senator Ellen Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer, a leading advocate in the Legislature for top-to-bottom ethics reform, issued the following statement today on the guilty plea of former Keyport Mayor John Merla, as part of the FBI's 'Operation Bid Rig,' a sting to uncover deep-rooted corruption in Monmouth County:

"John Merla is the latest in a long line of public officials who will be sent to jail for abusing the public trust for personal gain. He took advantage of his office, and deserves the harshest penalties we can levy, to send a message that such action cannot be tolerated.

ADLER: GUILTY MAYOR SHOULD LOSE PENSION

TRENTON - Senator John H. Adler, D-Cherry Hill, made the following statement today following today's announcement that former Keyport Mayor John Merla pled guilty to a single public corruption charge:

"John Merla is getting off easy. A couple of years in jail and a fine pale in comparison to the damage he has done to the public trust.

Keyport Mayor John Merla, who is accused in an eight-count federal indictment of taking a $23,000 bribe from an undercover FBI agent whom he thought as a crooked contractor, says he might seek re-election as an Independent in November. Merla left the GOP after he was arrested in a sweep on allegedly corrupt Monmouth officials next year. The Republicans have not yet chosen a candidate, and the Democrats are running Robert Bergen, a Councilman.