This is a timeline of the activities of Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah and his campaign manager, Leona Beldini, leading up to his re-election on May 12, 2009 and Beldini’s arrest on federal extortion charges on July 23. It is based on multiple public documents and reports.
February 17, 2009 According to an F.B.I. complaint, political consultant Jack Shaw, Jersey City Housing Authority commissioner Edward Cheatam and Solomon Dwek—a wired confidential witness for the F.B.I. posing as a real estate developer—meet for the first time in a Jersey City restaurant.
Shaw agrees to introduce Dwek to Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy and to act as a conduit for cash payments from Dwek to Healy. Shaw accepts $10,000 cash from Dwek, who also gives Cheatam $5,000 cash for introducing Dwek to Shaw.
March 11, 2009 Shaw, Cheatam and Dwek meet at a restaurant in Weehawken. Shaw confirms that he has arranged a meeting between Dwek and Jerramiah Healy for March 13, 2009.
Shaw said he would sit down with Healy’s campaign treasurer, Beldini, “to discuss contributions.” Shaw tells Dwek he should pay $10,000 in “contributions” to Healy “in exchange for real estate ‘approvals’ in Jersey City,” according to the F.B.I. complaint.
March 13, 2009 Shaw, Cheatam and Dwek meet Beldini and Healy at the Medical Center Luncheonette on Montgomery Street in Jersey City.
Shaw tells Healy that Dwek has property interests in Jersey City. Shaw tells Healy that he told Dwek, “you [Healy] were the place to put the money.”
After Healy leaves, Beldini tells Dwek she understands what he is trying to do, but “we have to be very cautious.” Beldini tells Dwek to make his payments to Healy’s political organizations through Shaw. Beldini tells Dwek that she and Healy would provide Dwek official favors.
Beldini tells Dwek she agrees with him that Dwek’s name should not show up on any payments to the Healy campaign.
March 16, 2009 Shaw, Cheatam and Dwek meet at a Jersey City diner.
Shaw and Cheatam tell Dwek the March 13 meeting with Healy was rare because Healy’s staff wanted Healy to conduct meetings in the mayor’s offices.
March 19, 2009 Shaw explains to Dwek that Beldini and Healy cannot “take cash.” Shaw suggests Dwek give $5,000 each to Shaw and Cheatam, and that Shaw and Cheatam would then provide checks to Healy’s campaign totaling $10,000.
March 20, 2009 Shaw and Cheatam each receive $5,000 in cash from Dwek, which they are to “convert” into checks to be given to a Healy-controlled political organization, apparently the Jersey City Democratic Committee.
March 24, 2009 Dwek tells Beldini she will receive $10,000 from him through Shaw and Cheatam.
Beldini states “what we’re trying to do is put money into different funds so we can, when we need it, funnel it back into [Healy’s election fund].” Beldini tells Dwek she will help him with government “red tape.”
March 28, 2009 Beldini and Healy receive $10,000 in checks from Shaw, financed by Dwek and apparently in four payments of $2,500, each under a different name.
March 30, 2009 Shaw tells Dwek he gave the checks to Healy at the March 28 fundraiser, and Shaw explains to Dwek that he told Healy the checks came from Dwek.
April 1, 2009 Shaw tells Dwek he saw Healy and that Healy was “very happy” with the money from Dwek.
April 6, 2009 According to its ELEC disclosure report, the Jersey City Democratic Committee, controlled by Healy, registers four $2,500 payments, with one each from Shaw, Cheatam, Jersey City employee Maher Khalil, and Catherine E. Chin.
Multiple newspapers have reported that Chin was Shaw’s companion for about ten years before his death on July 27.
Khalil was arrested by the F.B.I. on extortion charges in a separate criminal complaint related to Dwek.
April 21, 2009 The F.B.I.’s wiretap on Shaw’s cell phone picks up a call from Beldini. Shaw tells Beldini he will find out from Dwek the next date they could all meet “cause we gotta get [Healy] some more money.”
April 30, 2009 Healy, Beldini, Shaw, Cheatam and Dwek meet at the Medical Center luncheonette.
Before Healy and Beldini arrive, Dwek tells Shaw that he brought $10,000 in cash, which Dwek would give to Shaw after the meeting. Dwek tells Shaw he wants the money donated to Healy.
When Beldini arrives, Dwek tells her that he will apply for a “zoning application” in two months and that didn’t want the matter to go “to the bottom of the pile.”
Beldini tells Shaw, according to the F.B.I. complaint: “[Beldini] could say ‘one thing’ about [Healy]—[Healy] ‘remembered’ [Healy]’s ‘friends,’ and Healy’s word was ‘gold.’”
When Healy arrives, Dwek tells Healy he gave $10,000 to Shaw for “donations.” Dwek also tells Healy he would give another $10,000 to Healy’s election fund, and still another $10,000 after the election.
According to the F.B.I. criminal complaint: “[Healy] responded, among other things, that hopefully ‘we’ could work ‘together’ and that this would be ‘mutually beneficial.’
May 4, 2009 The wiretap records a call from Beldini to Shaw’s home phone.
“So what can I do for you, dear?” she asks.
“I got money for you,” Shaw says.
“Okay, sounds wonderful,” Beldini says.
“I need to, uh, I need to know how you want it,” Shaw replies.
“It’s gonna be for [Healy’s election fund], correct?” Beldini asks.
Shaw says yes. Beldini reminds Shaw that the first payment was sent to a separate political committee, apparently the Jersey City Democratic Committee.
Beldini says she has to go, to which Shaw says: “I gotta get from [Dwek], uh, these checks so I can get ‘em over to you.”
“Beautiful,” says Beldini.
May 5, 2009 Shaw and Beldini arrange to meet in the afternoon so Shaw can give the checks to Beldini.
The F.B.I. complaint against Beldini, Shaw and Cheatam states:
As revealed by calls over defendant Shaw’s phone intercepted by the FBI during this time period, defendant Shaw and defendant Cheatam arranged for others to provide checks to [Healy]’s campaign, funded with cash provided by [Dwek]. [italics mine]
Shaw calls Cheatam. He tells Cheatam about the meeting later in the day, and says Cheatam can either come along or see Beldini later.
Cheatam asks Shaw if he should write the check from a personal account or a business account. “Um, do it your business,” Shaw says. Cheatam agrees.
May 6, 2009 Healy’s campaign registers four payments of $2,500, with one each from Shaw; Chin; Cheatam, under the name E Cheatam Associates; and Michael Schaffer, a Hoboken man and Hudson County employee who was arrested for arranging a bribe to former Hoboken mayor Peter Cammarano.
June 2, 2009 Shaw tells Dwek that Beldini and Healy are willing to help Dwek replace a designated developer on an existing project in Jersey City.
July 1, 2009 Shaw tells Dwek to bring $10,000 to an upcoming meeting with Healy and Beldini.
July 23, 2009 Beldini, Shaw and Cheatam—along with dozens of others—are arrested in an F.B.I. bribery sting. The charge is extortion under color of official right The sting is based mostly on Dwek’s activity as a confidential witness and wiretaps.
July 27, 2009 Jack Shaw dies.
[Based on the public F.B.I. criminal complaint against Leona Beldini, Jack Shaw and Edward Cheatam; New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission reports; news reports and my own reporting.]
D.C.
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