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NEWS
United States Department of Justice Christopher J. Christie, U.S. Attorney
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More Information? Call the Assistant U.S. Attorney or other contact listed below to see if more information is available. News on the Internet: News Releases and related documents are posted at our website. Go to: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj/press/index.html
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| Assistant U.S. Attorney: HOPE S. OLDS 973-645-2764 |
will0702.rel FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Aug. 2, 2007 |
Former Paterson Housing Inspector Admits
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(More) |
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| Public Affairs Office Michael Drewniak, PAO |
973-645-2888 |
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj/press/index.html |
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NEWARK – A former City of Paterson housing inspector pleaded guilty today to a onecount Information charging him with conspiring to solicit and accept corrupt payments for performing housing inspections and other official assistance, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie announced.
Standley Williams, 44, of Paterson, was a housing inspector for the City of Paterson, when he took more than $5,000 in corrupt cash payments from a local property manager who was in fact cooperating with the FBI and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General. Williams was initially arrested and charged in March 2007. He remains free on $25,000 bond pending sentencing on Nov. 8.
Williams admitted before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares that he met the cooperating property manager on multiple occasions between January and May 2006 with another housing inspector, Victor Ortiz, who was indicted on related bribery charges on June 18, 2007
Together, Williams admitted, they solicited and took $7,500 in cash which they split in exchange for performing prompt housing inspections, interceding when tenants filed complaints on the cooperating manger’s properties, and providing any sort of necessary official assistance as specific opportunities arose.
Williams admitted that in May 2006, he accepted another $3,000 in cash for arranging to dismiss outstanding housing complaints pending in Paterson Municipal Court. Williams said today that he intended to give $1,000 of the payment to a Paterson municipal court clerk, Princess Reaves, who was indicted on June 18, 2007 on related charges.
The charge to which Williams pleaded guilty today, conspiring to extort money under color of official right, carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Christie credited Special Agents of the FBI’s Garret Mountain Resident Agency in West Paterson, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Weysan Dun, and Special Agents from HUD OIG, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Rene Febles, with the investigation that resulted in today’s guilty plea. Christie also credited Assistant U.S. Attorney Hope Olds of the Office’s Special Prosecutions Division, who is prosecuting this case.
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Defense Counsel: Greyson P. Hannigan, Esq., Paterson