Healy's Campaign Law Problem

It is a symbol of the swampy morass that is Jersey City politics that, as far as I have read no one yet has pointed this out.

In the F.B.I. complaint against Mayor Jerramiah Healy's campaign treasurer, Leona Beldini, her and Healy are apparently agreeing to a plan to illegally misrepresent contributions to the mayor's campaign.

Page 77 of the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission's 269-page advisory guide to state election law makes clear that the original source of any campaign contribution must be disclosed, and cannot be obscured by a third party:

No contribution shall be made by a person or received by a candidate, candidate committee, joint candidates committee, political committee, continuing political committee, political party committee or legislative leadership committee on an anonymous basis, that is without making known, or knowing, the identity of the person making the contribution, or in a fictitious name, or by one person or group in the name of another, and no person shall contribute or purport to contribute to any candidate, candidate committee, joint candidates committee, political committee, continuing political committee, political party committee, or legislative leadership committee, any funds or property not actually belonging to him or her and in his or her full custody and control, or which have been given or furnished to him or her by any other person or group for the purpose of making a contribution thereof. [italics mine]

The F.B.I. complaint describes Beldini, political consultant Jack Shaw and Jersey City Housing Authority commissioner Edward Cheatam conspiring to explicitly violate state disclosure laws:

After [Jerramiah Healy] left the meeting, defendant Beldini advised the CW that she understood what the CW was “trying to do,” and cautioned the CW that “we have to be very cautious.” Defendant Beldini then was assured by the CW that anything the CW “did” [meaning making payments, based on the context of this and other recorded conversations] with [Jerramiah Healy], the CW would do “through” defendant Shaw. In response, defendant Beldini assured the CW that she and [Jerramiah Healy] could “help move” the CW’s Jersey City real estate “approvals” along. Defendant Beldini then indicated that she agreed with the CW that it would be better if the CW’s name did not “show up” in connection with any campaign contributions or payments that the CW provided to [Jerramiah Healy]. After defendant Beldini departed, defendant Shaw, defendant Cheatam and the CW discussed how to compensate defendant Beldini and [Jerramiah Healy] for their assistance, with defendant Shaw informing the CW that they would figure out what the “campaign thing” was (meaning how much to contribute to [Jerramiah Healy]'s campaign) and then if the CW wanted to do anything for defendant Beldini herself, the CW could “include” her “down the road” on some deal, such as making her the realtor on the project. Identifying that it could be a conflict for defendant Beldini to accept such an engagement, defendant Cheatam indicated that defendant Beldini would not have to be the “up front” contact and could be in a “secondary” position. Defendant Cheatam indicated that they would work this out. ...

Defendant Shaw explained that defendant Beldini was “very happy” with that meeting, but that she and [Jerramiah Healy]’s “problem” was that they could not “take cash.”  Defendant Shaw suggested that the CW give defendant Cheatam and defendant Shaw $5,000 each, and that defendant Cheatam and defendant Shaw would then provide contribution checks to defendant Beldini and [Jerramiah Healy] totaling $10,000.

The complaint describes Healy as apparently agreeing to the arrangement:

On or about March 30, 2009, defendant Shaw, defendant Cheatam and the CW met at a diner in Bayonne, New Jersey.  During that meeting, among other things, defendant Shaw informed the CW that defendant Shaw had given the “checks” to Jerramiah Healy at the previous Saturday’s campaign fundraiser, but indicated that defendant Shaw had told Jerramiah Healy that the checks came from the CW.  Defendant Shaw then remarked “[a]nd [defendant Beldini] knew it.” [italics mine]

Healy has one more thing to answer for. I'm working on a fuller report on this aspect of the mayor's corrupted campaign.

D.C.