Sharpe James

There will be no part two to the Sharpe James trial. 

The federal government dropped its additional charges against former Newark Mayor Sharpe James today, saying that they would only use up additional resources for a new trial that wouldn’t likely result in any additional prison time for James.

James was convicted last month on five corruption charges, and faces 10-15 years in federal prison.  But he was set to face more fraud charges in a July 8th trial relating to his use of city credit cards to pay for personal expenses, including movie tickets, pay-per-view pornographic movies and body lotions at a hotel.

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Sharpe James NEWARK - A lot of Democrats who worked with Sharpe James over the years had one word to describe what they felt today as they watched a federal jury deliver a guilty verdict in the former mayor’s corruption trial.

They felt sad.

"Sometimes we cooperated, sometimes we didn’t, but I really believe he cared about Newark," said North Ward Democratic leader Steve Adubato. "It’s a terrible tragedy."

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Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James was convicted on federal corruption charges today: Getty Images Photo

Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James was convicted on all counts of a 5-count federal corruption indictment today, and co-defendant Tamika Riley was also found guilty on all 13 charges against her.

James, 72, was the Mayor from 1986 to 2006, and served in the State Senate from 1999 to 2008.

James will remain free on bail until sentencing, and could face several years in prison.

A federal jury found that James rigged the sale of city-owned land to Riley, his former girlfriend. Riley was able to quickly resell the land at a huge profit.

James was indicted last summer on 33 counts.

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NEWARK -Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James Lawyers for former Newark Mayor Sharpe James and Tamika Riley fought back in federal court today against depictions of their clients as intertwining strands of corruption in a fraud case the feds say James and Riley perpetrated against the people of Newark's struggling South Ward. 

Arguing on behalf of James, 72, defense attorney Tom Ashley said it was a Newark City Council top-heavy with James detractors, including the mayor's arch-nemesis Cory Booker, that repeatedly affirmed the sale of city properties to Riley.

"He's charged with unduly influencing the (Department of Economic Housing Development) on behalf of his girlfriend," Ashley told 19 jurors in the federal courtroom of District Judge William Martini on Monday afternoon. "There is no evidence, and we will fight it to the last day."

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Delivering an opening argument against former Newark Mayor Sharpe James in U.S. District Court today, the prosecution contended that James failed to disclose the nature of his relationship with Tamika Riley.

The U.S. Attorney’s office says James, who is standing trial for fraud, never revealed that Riley was his girlfriend, even as he steered nine city properties to her at $46,000 before selling them to private developers for a total of $665,000.

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At the first class of Politics 107 this morning at Essex County College, some of the students chuckled when they read the list politician guest lecturers slated to speak to the municipal government class over the course of the semester.

“One of these dudes is going to jail,” said Klon Julu, a 27-year-old Political Science major from Newark, after taking a look at the syllabus.

Indeed, one of the several mayors slated to speak at the experimental class this semester was Mims Hackett, the recently arrested Orange mayor and, as of this afternoon, former Assemblyman.

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Assemblyman William Payne said he was "disturbed by the intrusion" of State Democratic Chairman Joseph Cryan into the state Senate race in the 29th district when Cryan last week called for indicted state Sen. Sharpe James to stand down.

"That Joe Cryan had the nerve to suggest Teresa Ruiz be appointed to that position," said Payne, "how dare he. The very fact that he would make such a statement tells me he has no regard for African-American voters. I think this state chairman has his head in the sand."

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Jennifer Beck and her 12th district running mates continue to try to chip away at State Sen. Ellen Karcher’s reputation on ethics reform, but the efforts have led Karcher’s campaign to ask one question: what has Beck done lately?

The 12th district Republican candidates issued a press release today criticizing Karcher and Assemblyman Panter’s pension forfeiture bills, which do not apply retroactively, allowing politicians like Wayne Bryant and Sharpe James to keep their pensions even if convicted. Beck, a first-term Assemblywoman, had introduced an alternative bill that would have applied retroactively.

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They don’t make anything in Newark anymore, at least not in the classic manufacturing sense.

But those who are still tied to this biggest of Jersey cities hope to be able to craft something out of what’s left.

In the midst of a political battle to decide what that will be, M. Teresa Ruiz says her opponents want to inflate North Ward boss Steve Adubato into a poster-sized target to obscure the fact that they’re running against a Puerto Rican woman who was born and bred in the City of Newark.

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State Sen. Ellen Karcher’s call for the resignation of two fellow Democratic legislators is an election year gimmick, according to her Republican opponent, Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck.

Karcher’s statement today calling for the resignations of Sharpe James and Wayne Bryant comes five months after Beck first called on her to seek Bryant’s ouster, and four days after Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan gave her cover by urging the two indicted Senators to quit.

Since September, Beck has issued regular press releases pressuring Karcher and the Democratic leadership to take disciplinary action against scandal-plagued Senate colleagues. Even before Bryant was indicted in March, Beck had already made three bids for Bryant’s removal from the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and to pressure him to step down.

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