NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—New Jersey Spotlight, a statewide online news service, has named the 15 most corrupt politicians of all-time and New Brunswick’s controversial former mayor John Lynch Jr. made the list.

Coming in at number five, Lynch was “once one of the most powerful men in New Jersey politics,” according to Spotlight’s Collen O’Dea.

Lynch, who followed in his father’s footsteps by being elected both Mayor and State Senator, was a controversial figure in New Brunswick’s redevelopment efforts.

“A former mayor of New Brunswick who served two decades in the Legislature, Lynch pleaded guilty to fraud and tax evasion charges in 2006 and admitted he took more than $25,000 from a company that he had helped win permit approvals while he was in the state Senate,” reads the Spotlight article.

Lynch was the State Senate President in the early 1990’s, the same era when he unsuccessfully angled for the Governorship.

According to the article, Lynch spent more than 2 years in prison before finishing out  his term in a halfway house and on home confinement.  He was one of a long list of officials who were prosecuted by former US Attorney and current Governor Chris Christie.

Many felt that Christie gave Lynch a favorable plea deal considering the possible charges against him, but still others defended Lynch, including more than 100 prominent individuals who wrote letters to the judge in the case seeking leniency in his sentencing.

Lynch, a longtime Dewey Heights resident, has relocated to Mercer County since the end of his incarceration.  Current Mayor James Cahill is considered to be his handpicked successor and the two are actually blood relatives, cousins to be exact.

Cahill has not yet announced whether he will be seeking an unprecedented seventh term as Mayor this election season.

Below is the full list of individuals who wrote letters to the judge in support of leniency in Lynch’s sentencing, according to a 2006 Star-Ledger article:

  • Anne Alongi, former Democratic committeewoman;
  • Steven D. Altman, attorney;
  • Robert Angelo, professor; Democratic committeeman;
  • Meryle Asaro, family friend;
  • Anthony D. Barber Sr., retired New Brunswick police officer;
  • Peter J. Barnes Jr., assemblyman; retired FBI agent;
  • Raymond H. Bateman, former state senator, former candidate for governor;
  • Irvin B. Beaver, detective, retired Middletown police officer, conducted investigations for Lynch’s law firm and to conduct background checks on political allies and adversaries;
  • Michael A. Beltranena Jr., former New Brunswick police director;
  • Leonard T. Bier, attorney;
  • Lillian (Toni) Black, former Democratic committeewoman;
  • Elena Bostick, executive director of the state Hemophilia Association;
  • Eileen M. Bradshaw, secretary; friend since high school;
  • Marianne Bradshaw, attorney; daughter’s sister-in-law;
  • Martin Bradshaw, son-in-law;
  • Patrick J. Bradshaw, attorney;
  • Paul Buckley, father worked for Lynch ;
  • Judith E. Burgis, executive with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital;
  • Philip W. Caprio Sr., chairman and CEO of TMC Services;
  • Timothy Carden, former state Human Services commissioner; 2002 congressional candidate;
  • Charles C. Carella, law partner of former Gov. Brendan Byrne;
  • James A. Carey, attorney;
  • Olympia Carricarte, employee of Lynch’s political action committee;
  • Michael Carroll, former New Brunswick police detective captain;
  • Karen Chatfield, step-daughter;
  • Angelina Chibbaro, secretary in Lynch’s mayor’s office;
  • Linda J. Christina, executive secretary to Middlesex County freeholder director;
  • Anthony S. Cicatiello, longtime adviser to former Gov. Tom Kean;
  • Arthur J. Cifelli, executive with the Port Authority;
  • Dianne Cifelli, Arthur Cifelli’s wife;
  • Paul T. Clark, assistant in Lynch’s mayor’s office;
  • Lawrence R. Codey, former president of PSE&G; cousin of former Gov. Richard Codey;
  • Edward A. Cohen, longtime friend;
  • Angie Columbis, former Democratic committeewoman;
  • Dennis Columbis, friend;
  • Samuel V. Convery Jr., attorney; former mayor of Edison who pleaded guilty in 1998 to a misdemeanor in connection with a municipal bribery scandal;
  • William T. Conway, retired New Bruswick police chief;
  • Marion G. Costanza, North Brunswick councilwoman;
  • Joanne and Angelo Covino, longtime friends;
  • Edward P. Cox, executive director of a drug treatment program;
  • Alfred E. Cresci, longtime friend;
  • J. Thomas Cross, Middlesex County personnel director; former freeholder;
  • Monsignor Joseph Curry, pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Spotswood;
  • Robert J. D’Anton, developer; chairman of the state Lottery;
  • Lino A. DeAlmeida Jr., lawyer; president of Consolidated Construction Management Services;
  • Walter A. DeAngelo, Middlesex County administrator;
  • Alfred C. DeCotiis, attorney;
  • Hugh E. DeFazio Jr., attorney and developer;
  • Sonia Delgado, lobbyist; former chairwoman of UMDNJ;
  • Margaret Delito, daughter of Lynch’s former housekeeper;
  • Nicholas M. DeNichilo, engineering consultant;
  • Patrick Devenny, Lynch’s courier;
  • Victor P. DiLeo, real estate and insurance entrepeneur;
  • Robert B. Doll, business consultant;
  • Thomas Dooley, friend since childhood;
  • John H. Dorsey, former state senator;
  • Richard Dressel, friend;
  • Lori A. Dvorak, former law partner;
  • Steven A. Edwards, insurance executive;
  • Joseph V. Egan, state assemblyman; New Brunswick councilman;
  • Kevin Egan, former neighbor;
  • Timothy J. Egan, family friend;
  • Alexander Elles, public affairs consultant;
  • John Evanko, former Woodbridge Township council president;
  • Joseph C. Faraci, friend since childhood;
  • J.P. Ferro, president & CEO of Ferro Industries Inc.;
  • Mark Finkelstein, superintendent of the Middlesex Regional Educational Services Commission;
  • Michael D. Fitzgerald, former law partner;
  • the Rev. Lonnie Ford, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in New Brunswick;
  • Daniel E. Frankel, Realtor.
  • John P. Gallagher, former state senator and executive director of the New Jersey Highway Authority;
  • Michael Gassero, high school classmate;
  • Evelyn Gay, former Democratic committeewoman;
  • Joan P. Geer, former assistant secretary of the state Senate;
  • Alvin I. Glasgold, physician;
  • Robert W. Gluck, former Middlesex County prosecutor;
  • Gloria Gordon, former Senate staffer;
  • Joseph Guadagnino, executive director of the New Brunswick Counseling Center;
  • William J. Hamilton Jr., New Brunswick city attorney; former state senator;
  • John J. Heldrich, former executive with Johnson & Johnson; founding chairman of New Brunswick Tomorrow;
  • George F. Hendricks, friend since childhood; former New Brunswick council president;
  • Kevin J. Hoagland, president of the Central Jersey Spinal Cord Association;
  • John A. Hoffman, managing partner of Wilentz Goldman & Spitzer; law school friend.;
  • Judith Hoffman, John Hoffman’s wife;
  • Harvey A. Holzberg, former president of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick;
  • Joseph R. Jingoli Jr., developer;
  • John M. Kacani, high school and law school classmate;
  • John J. Kane, former law partner;
  • Michael Kaplan, developer;
  • Daniel J. Keating III, developer;
  • John E. Keefe, retired state appellate judge;
  • Leslie L. Kelso, childhood friend;
  • Thomas F. Kelso, Middlesex County counsel;
  • Alfred C. Koeppe, former president of PSE&G;
  • Leonard Kohl, developer of senior housing;
  • Dana Korbman, executive director of the Middlesex County Democratic Organization;
  • Lawrence F. Kramer Jr., former state community affairs commissioner; former mayor of Paterson;
  • Frederick H. Kurtz, engineer;
  • William M. Kurtz, insurance consultant;
  • Penelope E. Lattimer, chief of staff of the state Education Department; former assistant superintendent of New Brunswick schools;
  • Jane S. Leal, administration director of the Middlesex County Improvement Authority;
  • Robert J. Lecky, attorney, childhood friend;
  • Deborah Lynch, wife;
  • John P. Lynch, son;
  • Matthew Lynch, son;
  • Patricia Lynch-Bradshaw, daughter.
  • Gordon A. MacInnes, assistant commissioner of education; former state senator;
  • Angela B. Mackaronis, director of the Middlesex County Board of Social Services;
  • Rose Ann Maggio, longtime New Brunswick resident;
  • Jim Manion, spokesman for state Senate Democrats; former reporter;
  • Thomas B. Mannion, retired Superior Court judge; former law partner;
  • Stanley Marcinczyk, former New Brunswick city administrator;
  • Alan C. Marcus, lobbyist and public relations executive;
  • James D. Martin, former law partner;
  • Tim McDonough, mayor of Hope Township, former executive director of the New Jersey Highway Authority;
  • Richard McGrath, political consultant, former spokesman for Gov. James E. McGreevey and Sen. Robert Torricelli;
  • Monsignor Liam Minogue, pastor, Mary Mother of God Church in Hillsborough;
  • Pat LoPresti-Morahan, former New Brunswick city employee; former Democratic committeewoman;
  • Joseph F. Morahan, attorney; former counsel to Lynch when he was Senate president;
  • Rachel Napear, political consultant;
  • Frank R. Nero, former assistant commissioner of labor;
  • Thomas H. Paterniti, former senator, assemblyman and Edison mayor;
  • Robert G. Paulus, father was an employee of Lynch’s law firm;
  • Emil H. Philibosian, former law partner; former deputy commissioner of military and veterans affairs;
  • Russell F. Piparo, friend since childhood;
  • Raymond M. Pocino, vice president of the Laborers’ International Union;
  • Norman I. Pollitt, former New Brunswick city employee;
  • Van Dyke J. Pollitt, political consultant; former Senate staffer;
  • William J. Powers, Middlesex County Sheriff’s Department investigator;
  • Ludwig and Mary Ann Previte, former New Brunswick city clerk and wife;
  • Angie Puleio, former New Brunswick Democratic chairwoman;
  • Thomas H. Quinn, law school classmate;
  • Josephine Rademacher, mother-in-law of Lynch’s daughter;
  • Sal Raspa, former Highland Park councilman;
  • John V. Rawson Jr., owner of numerous Wendy’s franchises;
  • Chaim A. Rogoff, rabbi of the East Brunswick Jewish Center;
  • Carmen Russo, former New Brunswick city employee;
  • John F. Russo Sr., former Senate president.
  • Patricia Selby Sadowski, childhood friend;
  • David J. Samuel, engineering consultant;
  • Cosmo Scardino, former owner of the Breakers in Spring Lake;
  • Thomas M. Selesky, New Brunswick police lieutenant;
  • Bernard T. Schrum, friend since childhood;
  • Timothy H. Shinn, president and CEO of United Crane Rentals;
  • Jack G. Sinagra, former state senator;
  • Bob Smith, state senator;
  • Felicia A. Smith, retired Perth Amboy school teacher;
  • the Rev. DeForest “Buster” Soaries Jr., former New Jersey secretary of state;
  • Leon J. Sokol, attorney; counsel to state Senate president;
  • Marie Sotak, former deputy New Brunswick city clerk;
  • Marie E. Speak, former director of the New Brunswick Senior Citizen Resource Center;
  • David S. Steiner, developer; commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey;
  • Gerald R. Stockman, former state senator;
  • Kevin F. Toolan, engineering consultant;
  • Timothy J. Touhey, former vice president of New Brunswick Tomorrow;
  • Patricia Traficante, former deputy New Brunswick city clerk;
  • Eduardo Trujillo, owner of ETC Management Inc.;
  • Jane and Robert Tublin, former New Brunswick arts director and her husband;
  • Emery J. Ungrady Jr., executive with NJ Transit, former Senate staffer, former deputy chief counsel to the governor;
  • Blanquita B. Valenti, longtime friend;
  • Matthew M. Vaughn, assistant commissioner of labor, former South River councilman;
  • Anthony B. Vignuolo, attorney;
  • Peter Visceglia, developer;
  • Richard Vogel, president of the Hemophilia Association of New Jersey;
  • Ralph W. Voorhees, former Highland Park Democratic chairman; his late wife used to work for Lynch;
  • Carolin Arczynski Walch, former executive director of the Middlesex County Democratic Organizaton;
  • Thomas F. Wall Jr., law school classmate;
  • Andrew Weiss, former New Brunswick police officer;
  • Frances Weiss, family friend;
  • James F. White, retired New Brunswick police captain;
  • Warren W. Wilentz, senior partner of Wilentz Goldman & Spitzer;
  • Charles Wowkanech, president, New Jersey AFL-CIO;
  • George R. Zoffinger, chief executive, New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. 
Editor at New Brunswick Today | 732-993-9697 | editor@newbrunswicktoday.com | Website

Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.

Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.