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On Tuesday, July 9, 2024, George Norcross III, the leader of The Norcross Enterprise, stands on the steps outside of the New Jersey Superior Court in Mercer County after entering a plea of not guilty. The trial is expected to begin in September.  The documents that the Attorney General's office used to indict the six co-defendants span five years.  

CAMDEN CITY, NJ (July 12, 2024)(CNBNews)--On Tuesday, June 9, 2024, members of The Norcross Syndicate appeared before Superior Court Judge Peter E. Warshaw Jr. in the New Jersey Superior Court in Mercer County. Each of the five members entered a plea of not guilty.

George Norcross III has never been elected to a public office in the 40-plus years he has been running the Democratic Party in South Jersey was charged with racketeering in June. Allegedly, some of the crimes he and his buddies committed occurred between 2012 and 2013 during the development of the Camden City waterfront. 

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FROM THE INDICTMENT

GEORGE E. NORCROSS, III, the defendant, is a former member of the Democratic National Committee, former chair of the Camden County Democratic Committee, chair of the board of trustees of Cooper University Health Care ("Cooper Health"), and executive chair of the insurance firm Conner Strong &Buckelew ("CSB"). From at least approximately 2012 to the present, GEORGE E. NORCROSS, III led a criminal enterprise whose members and associates agreed the enterprise would extort others through threats and fear of economic and reputational harm and commit other criminal offenses to achieve the enterprise's goals (the "Norcross Enterprise").

From approximately 2012 to 2013, members and associates of the Norcross Enterprise, including GEORGE E. NORCROSS, III, used their political influence to tailor New Jersey economic development legislation to their preferences. After the legislation was enacted in September 2013, members and associates of the Norcross Enterprise conspired to, and did, extort and coerce others to obtain for certain individuals and business entities properties and property rights on the Camden, New Jersey waterfront and associated tax incentive credits. The entities that benefitted, including Cooper Health and CSB, then occupied the properties they obtained interests in and sold the tax credits
they obtained for millions of dollars. Through a pattern of extortionate and other criminal conduct, the Norcross Enterprise also sought to promote and maintain the business, political, and philanthropic power and reputation of GEORGE E. NORCROSS, III and other Enterprise members and associates.

 

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The indictment is 111-pages. It can be found here.

George Norcross quit Rutgers Law College in the 80s. Shortly thereafter, he was named chairman of the Camden County Democratic Party. The chairman has the power to choose the candidates for mayor and council in any of the 37 communities in Camden County. Jim Beach has taken over George's job of choosing the candidates for local governments in this county and in Gloucester County.

In his golden years, the 68-year-old Norcross has moved on to greener pastures, living most of the time in Palm Beach, Florida. According to Wikipedia, Norcross is one of New Jersey's wealthiest people, ranked 41st in New Jersey in 2015 with a net worth of almost $250 million. He remains the executive chairman of the Connor, Strong, Buckelew insurance firm and the chairman of the board of trustees for Cooper University Hospital.

The others who plead NOT guilty include:

Former Camden City Mayor Dana Redd, 56, of Sicklerville. She was mayor of Camden City from 2010 to 2018. During that time she allegedly abused that position to benefit herself and the others who were indicted.

 

Philip A. Norcross, 61, of Philadelphia, the brother of George. A board member of Cooper Health, Philip is the managing shareholder and CEO of the Parker McCay law firm and a registered agent for the groups that own buildings in Camden City that are the subject of the criminal allegations,

 

William M. Tambussi, 66, of Brigantine. He is a lawyer and partner at the Haddon Township law firm of Brown and Connery and the longtime personal attorney for George Norcross.  Tambussi has served as outside counsel to Cooper Health, the City of Camden, the Camden Redevelopment Agency and Conner Strong.

 

John J. O’Donnell, 61, of Newtown, Pa. He is on a post-indictment leave as CEO of The Michaels Organization, a residential development company that is overseeing the new Ablett Village construction and other major affordable housing projects in Camden City. He also is a partner in several of the Camden buildings.

 

Sidney R. Brown, 67, of Philadelphia, will be arraigned in August, according to northjersey.com. Brown is the CEO of NFI, a trucking and logistics company, and also serves on the board of Cooper Health. He is a partner in the groups that own several of the Camden City buildings in the allegations, according to the announcement.  

TO READ THE 111-PAGE INDICTMENT GO HERE

Norcross's attorney, Michael Critchley, said his client, along with the other defendants, had the City of Camden City's interest in mind, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.  

"As will be shown, everything he and his co-defendants did was for the benefit of the City of Camden City and Cooper University Health Care," said Critchley. "Anyone reviewing  the indictment will see these are charges in search of a crime."

Video courtesy of NJ Spotlight News

Those charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.