‘Summer blockbuster script?’ South Jersey political leader calls for indictment to be dismissed

The indictment charged George E. Norcross III, a Democratic lawmaker whose influence stretches across the state, engaged in a wide-ranging corruption scheme that took advantage of federally funded tax breaks and made lucrative real estate deals in the state’s poorest city.

On Tuesday, lawyers for Norcross and his co-defendants, who include his brother Philip, his personal attorney, the former mayor of Camden and two others, filed a motion to dismiss the charges brought by the New Jersey attorney general, arguing there is no evidence any crime was committed.

“The state’s 111-page indictment reads less like a legal document and more like a script for a supposed summer blockbuster,” defense attorneys for Norcross and others wrote. “Furthermore, the script is missing several key plot points. It is supposedly a story of extortion — but there is no violence or illegal threats; just ordinary economic negotiations between sophisticated businessmen.”

In their 55-page response, they argued that while the allegations were presented as a story of abuse of power, they had nothing to do with bribery, pecuniary advantage or even conflict of interest, but were rather “politics as usual.”

“They promise us extortion — but there are no organized criminal elements; just respected, proven civic leaders and lawyers trying to revitalize a long-suffering city,” they said. “In short, it’s a crime thriller without the crime.”

The Attorney General’s Office downplayed their arguments.

“Defendants have previously informed the court and the parties that they intend to file this motion to dismiss based on alleged legal deficiencies in the case at issue. Defense motions to dismiss on these grounds are common. We are confident in our allegations and look forward to responding in our briefs before the court,” a spokesperson for the office said.

In June, Norcross was charged with obtaining ownership of the Camden waterfront while reaping millions of dollars in government tax breaks and controlling or influencing government officials in what was described as a “political blood sport” to promote the practice.

The state accused Norcross of using his enormous political influence to gain control of New Jersey’s economic development legislation and then conspiring to illegally extort fees from other entities or potential developers in order to obtain real estate and ownership rights to the Camden waterfront.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, this influence included controlling access to the local party apparatus, directing the appointment of government positions, and using influence and control over government agencies to induce opponents to lose government contracts.

Norcross and his co-defendants have been charged with first-degree extortion, which if convicted carries a maximum sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $200,000.

His lawyers, however, said the indictment had no basis to be brought to court.

“This indictment gives up before the hunt even begins. It spends over 200 paragraphs telling a biased story, but then uses only vague, boilerplate language to describe 13 alleged crimes, never even attempting to determine how their elements fit into the (long) narrative that precedes them,” they wrote in a motion to dismiss.

They demanded that the court dismiss the case.

“Extortion is ostensibly at the heart of this indictment. But it fails to capture a key distinction between unlawful threats and simple hard bargaining,” they wrote, describing the indictment as “a story of defendants hustling, cajoling, lobbying and networking — all in an effort to push through the redevelopment of Camden’s waterfront without allowing anyone to block it. But all this arm-twisting and maneuvering is routine in business and politics.”

None of this was criminal, they said.

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Ted Sherman you can contact us at [email protected]. Follow him on X @TedShermanSL.