The former Passaic NJ mayor was sentenced to more than two years behind bars in connection with a bribery scheme.
Alex Blanco previously served as the mayor of Passaic, New Jersey until he was forced to resign due to the corruption allegations. Blanco was accused of soliciting bribes from developers and then giving those developers federal housing funds.
He was arrested last year and eventually pleaded guilty to bribery charges as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.
Now Blanco has been officially sentenced in the case. He recently appeared in U.S. District Court in Newark New Jersey so that a federal judge could approve the plea deal. The district court judge signed off on the plea agreement and sentenced Blanco to 27 months in a federal penitentiary.
In addition to being sentenced to prison time, the former mayor of Passaic was also ordered to pay $110K in restitution for his crimes. Beyond that, Blanco will be subject to three years of probation and supervised release after he completes his term of incarceration.
When handing down the sentence, the judge noted that sentencing guidelines called for at least 46 months in prison. However, the judge said, Blanco s admirable life of public service prior to the bribery and corruption should count for something.
The judge also said that he hoped the sentence would deter other politicians in New Jersey from engaging in corruption.
Remarkably, Blanco was elected to office in the first place by running on an anti-corruption platform that specifically called out his predecessor for improper actions in office. In fact, three of the last four mayors of Passaic NJ have been accused of corruption.
To learn more about this case, view the NJ.com article, “Ex-Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco Gets 2 Years in Prison in Bribery Scheme.”
