Democratic Power Broker Faces Racketeering Charge

New Jersey's attorney general has charged influential Democratic power broker George Norcross with racketeering and other charges in connection with government-issued tax credits, according to an indictment unsealed Monday.

• Norcross, a former Democratic National Committee member and one-time head of the Camden County Democratic Party, has been an influential figure in state politics, the AP reports. The indictment alleges that Norcross and others got property rights along the Camden waterfront and collected millions of dollars in state-backed tax credits.

• The indictment alleges that Norcoss and his associates "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 others indicted include Norcross' brother, his personal attorney, and a former mayor of Camden. Norcross, 61, was in the front row at the press conference where Attorney General Matt Platkin announced the charges, NJ.com reports. Platkin said Norcross and others "manipulated development programs" that were supposed to benefit the struggling city. "They took the Camden waterfront all for themselves," he said.

(More New Jersey stories.)