Editing North Bergen, New Jersey (section)

===Corruption===
After serving as Township Clerk from 1971 to 1979, Joseph Mocco was arrested on August 7, 1986, on charges of illegally dumping tons of construction material within North Bergen and other nearby communities.<ref>Sullivan, Joseph F. [https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/09/nyregion/new-jersey-closes-dump-a-bit-too-late.html "New Jersey Closes Dump a Bit Too Late"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819113204/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/09/nyregion/new-jersey-closes-dump-a-bit-too-late.html |date=August 19, 2016 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 9, 1989. Accessed June 2, 2015. "Another man convicted was Joseph Mocco, a former North Bergen Township Clerk and longtime political leader, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison."</ref> Mocco was convicted and began serving a prison sentence in July 1995. Mocco was paroled in 1999, with several special conditions imposed on him upon his release by the New Jersey State Parole Board designed to prohibit him from working or participating in local elections.<ref>[http://www.state.nj.us/parole/docs/reports/AnnualReport04.pdf 2004 Annual Report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402142629/http://www.state.nj.us/parole/docs/reports/AnnualReport04.pdf |date=April 2, 2015 }}, New Jersey State Parole Board. Accessed June 2, 2015.</ref>

In February 2004, Peter Perez, former commissioner in charge of Parks and Recreation, was sentenced to serve six months in a federal prison for accepting kickbacks and bribes from a contractor who had several business contracts with the township. He received a reduced sentence in light of his cooperation with authorities.<ref>Hague, Jim. [http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/2396229/article-Perez-gets-six-months-in-jail-Former-Parks-and-Recreation-commissioner-ordered-to-repay--26K-to-town--pays--5K-fine "Perez gets six months in jail Former Parks and Recreation commissioner ordered to repay $26K to town, pays $5K fine"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705063136/http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/2396229/article-Perez-gets-six-months-in-jail-Former-Parks-and-Recreation-commissioner-ordered-to-repay--26K-to-town--pays--5K-fine |date=2018-07-05 }}, ''The Hudson Reporter'', February 6, 2004. Accessed July 4, 2018</ref>

On March 27, 2008, North Bergen Athletic Director Jerry Maietta and Guidance Counselor Ralph Marino were among 45 men swept up in a Bergen County raid. Bergen County prosecutors described the two as lower level operatives in an expansive network of bookies, package holders, drug dealers and drug distributors. Other transactions included knock-off women's purses and human organs.<ref>Gartland, Michael. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080329161252/http://www.northjersey.com/news/aroundnj/Mob-run_gambling_and_drug_ring_busted_authorities_say.html "45 charged in Mob-run gambling and drug ring"], ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', March 27, 2008, backed up by the [[Internet Archive]] as of March 29, 2008. Accessed April 15, 2014.</ref>

On September 11, 2012, North Bergen's Superintendent of the Department of Public Works James Wiley pleaded guilty to one count of second degree conspiracy to commit official misconduct. Wiley was convicted for using the town's resources to participate in political campaigns.<ref>Conte, Michelangelo. [http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2012/09/ex-north_bergen_dpw_chief_i_wa.html "Ex-North Bergen DPW chief: I was 'ordered' to send crews to campaign in Jersey City, Bayonne and more"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223113417/http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2012/09/ex-north_bergen_dpw_chief_i_wa.html |date=February 23, 2014 }}, [[NJ.com]], September 11, 2012.</ref> In November 2015, two DPW supervisors were sentenced to five years in prison following their convictions on charges that they had directed department workers to work on political campaigns and perform work on behalf of supervisors and other officials.<ref>Akin, Stephanie. [http://www.northjersey.com/news/two-north-bergen-dpw-supervisors-sentenced-to-prison-for-misconduct-1.1454365 "Two North Bergen DPW supervisors sentenced to prison for misconduct"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151114040219/http://www.northjersey.com/news/two-north-bergen-dpw-supervisors-sentenced-to-prison-for-misconduct-1.1454365 |date=November 14, 2015 }}, ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', November 12, 2015. Accessed November 13, 2015. "Two former supervisors with the township Department of Public Works were sentenced to state prison Thursday for assigning their subordinates to work on election campaigns or do personal chores for them or their boss, law enforcement officials said. Troy Bunero, 49, of North Bergen and Francis 'Frank' Longo, 50, of Ridgefield Park were each sentenced to five years in state prison with no possibility of parole, according to an Attorney General's Office news release."</ref>

A 2013 report issued by the office of the [[New Jersey State Comptroller]] stated that an attorney had been hired by the township between 1988 and 1990 for a [[no-show job]] for which he had been paid an annual salary of $18,800 plus benefits. While an employee of the township, the attorney said that he had been pressured to contribute to the mayor and other individuals affiliated with the mayor. His employment was terminated in 2006 after a disagreement with his political patrons.<ref>Baxter, Chris. [https://www.nj.com/politics/2013/06/nj_comptroller_legal_bills_wasted_money_north_bergen.html "North Bergen officials paid attorney to do nothing, NJ Comptroller says in new report"], NJ Advance Media for [[NJ.com]], June 25, 2013. Accessed May 5, 2024. "An attorney for North Bergen made $18,800 a year plus health benefits, but township officials had no idea what he was doing, or whether he was even at work, according to a report issued today by the state Office of the Comptroller."</ref><ref>[https://www.nj.gov/comptroller/news/docs/nj_comptroller_2013_annual_report.pdf#page=22 ''Annual Report: Fiscal Year 2013''], [[New Jersey State Comptroller]]. Accessed May 5, 2024. "One township, North Bergen, paid an attorney a salary over a period of years and yet was unable to identify any services the attorney actually provided. After our staff requested additional information, the attorney in question resigned from his position. That case has been referred to the Division of Criminal Justice."</ref>