Former NJ mayor gets 3 years probation for corruption charges weeks after resignation

Former Clark mayor, Sal Bonaccorso, was sentenced to three years of probation on public corruption charges weeks after pleading guilty to using Clark employees for his private business, a landscaping and underground oil storage tank removal company.

Last month, Bonaccorso, a Republican, pled guilty to using township employees to operate his removal company and submitted fraudulent applications to various municipalities to unlawfully obtain permits for the tank removals.

The plea agreement called for the 64-year-old to resign immediately from the mayoral position he had held since 2001.

In addition to probation, Judge Lisa Welsh on Friday fined Bonaccorso $15,000 and banned the former mayor as well as his landscaping and underground storage tank company, Bonaccorso & Son LLC, from bidding for public contracts, entering into any public contracts, or conducting business with the state or its political subdivisions for five years.

“The former mayor misused taxpayer-funded resources in Clark to benefit and enrich himself at residents’ expense,” said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin. “This successful prosecution by OPIA’s Corruption Bureau ensures he will be unable to ever again abuse his authority. We will continue to hold accountable anyone who abuses the public trust no matter how powerful they may be.”

Bonaccorso’s seat was filled by Angel Albanese. Requests for comments by Mayor Albanese on Bonaccroso’s sentence were not returned. 

Bonaccorso has been controversial for years. In addition to public corruption allegations, he has been recorded making racist comments about minorities and sexist comments about women police officers. After NBC New York aired recordings of Bonaccorso’s offensive comments, he publicly apologized. Friday’s plea deal was not related to the recordings.