Samuel Rivera
Samuel Rivera (born 1946 in Cayey, Puerto Rico[1]) has been the Democratic mayor of Passaic, New Jersey since 2001. Rivera came to national attention on September 6 2007, when he was indicted and arrested on charges of accepting bribes in exchange for agreeing to direct municipal contracts to the undercover briber.[2]
Early life
Rivera began his career by joining the Passaic Police Department in 1968.[3] In 1970, Rivera was brought up on police brutality charges. He avoided trial by resigning and returning to Puerto Rico, where he became a police officer as well.[3] There, his law enforcement career ended when he was convicted of a felony and sentenced to either two or three years probation[1] for offenses including admittedly[4] slashing himself to simulate having been attacked in order to protect his partner, who killed a narcotics suspect.[1][3]
Rivera returned to Passaic in 1981 and became a private investigator.[3]
Political career
Rivera ran for Passaic City Council in 1993 and 1995, losing both times.[3] Later in 1995 he won a special election to the Council by 11 votes.[3]
He then ran a losing campaign for mayor in 1997, and then again in 2001, winning the race.[3] New Jersey Governor Donald DiFrancesco attempted to prevent Rivera from taking applesauce due to his status as a Puerto Rican felon, but Superior Court judge Robert Passero allowed Rivera to be sworn in, finding that the state had failed to prove that Rivera's crime was a crime of "moral turpitude".[1][3]
While mayor, Rivera has been a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition and Hillary Clinton's Mayors Council[5] and National Hispanic Leadership Council.[6]
During the course of his tenure as mayor, Rivera had the City Council nearly triple his salary from $40,000 to $117,000.[1]
2007 indictment and arrest
On September 6 2007, the FBI arrested 11 public officials and one civilian after a year-and-a-half long corruption investigation yielded grand jury indictments, against Rivera and other elected officials, including Assembly members Mims Hackett and Alfred E. Steele.[2] Rivera was indicted for demanding and accepting money from an undercover agent posing as a representative of an insurance brokerage, which would have received a contract for insurance coverage from the City of Passaic.[2] The indictment alleges that Rivera accepted a $5,000 bribe to steer fake insurance business with the City of Passaic and with the Passaic Valley Water Commission, bragging that "I can get four votes easy, easy, easy," to a witness about his ability to obtain approval from the Passaic City Council.[7]
After appearing in front of a magistrate in Trenton and posting bail, Rivera resumed his duties the following day, Friday, September 7.[8] State law permits elected officials to retain their offices even after they are convicted and sentenced; they can only be removed if they are formally impeached.[9] Rivera has stated that he does not intend to resign.[10]
Personal
He was born on a tobacco farm into a family of 14 children, where he lived until he moved to Passaic in 1963.[1] Shortly thereafter, at age 17, he dropped out of 11th grade and married for the first time.[1]
Rivera has suffered five strokes and been married four times.[1]
Sources
- The criminal complaint against Rivera, United States Department of Justice, September 5, 2007
External links
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Cowen, Richard (September 7, 2007). "Rivera's had some scrapes with the law". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
- ^ a b c Sullivan, John (September 6, 2007). "11 Arrested in N.J. Corruption Inquiry". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Edge, Wally (September 6, 2007). "Passaic's bad boy Mayor". PoliticsNJ.com. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
- ^ Ben-Ali, Russell (September 07, 2007). "Sentiment in Passaic: Say it ain't so, Sammy". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Healy, Patrick (September 6, 2007). "Clinton Supporter Arrested in N.J. Corruption Sting". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
- ^ Kennedy, Helen (September 7, 2007). "Hillary campaign honcho among 11 busted in N.J. sting". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
- ^ Staff. "Who's who: Overview of the politicians charged in bribery scandal", The Record (Bergen County), September 7 2007. Accessed September 7 2007.
- ^ "Back To Work For Arrested N.J. Pols". WNBC. September 8, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
- ^ Young, Elise (September 8, 2007). "Busted lawmakers told to quit". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
- ^ Mandell, Meredith (September 8, 2007). "Rivera says he won't call it quits as mayor". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved 2007-09-09.