Former Bloomfield Councilman Took Bribe, Gets 5 Years In Jail

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Former Bloomfield Township Councilman Elias N. Chalet was sentenced to five years in state prison Thursday for soliciting and accepting a bribe of $15,000 from a local business owner in 2015, prosecutors said.

In exchange for the bribe, Chalet, 55, of Bloomfield, promised the owner that he would use his position on the council to ensure that the township went ahead with its planned purchase of the man’s commercial property, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.

Chalet previously served as the councilman for township’s First Ward. He has since forfeited his public position and is permanently barred from elected office and public employment in the state, prosecutors said.

On Thursday, Chalet was sentenced to five years in state prison, including two years of parole ineligibility under New Jersey’s Anti-Corruption Statute. Chalet pleaded guilty on May 9 to a second-degree charge of bribery in official and political matters.

Chalet was arrested in November 2015 and was indicted by a state grand jury in January 2016. He forfeited $15,000 in funds, representing the bribe payments he accepted, prosecutors said.

• See related article: Bloomfield Councilman Elias Chalet Pleads Guilty To Bribery Charge
• See related article: Bloomfield Mayor, Councilman Trade Jabs Over Chalet Indictment
• See related article: Bloomfield Sent Subpeona After Councilman Arrested: Court Wants Property Sales Info

According to prosecutors, Chalet initially met with the business owner on Oct. 8, 2015 in front of Chalet’s real estate office on Broad Street in Bloomfield. Chalet told the business owner that the township’s planned purchase of his commercial property would go through only if the owner gave Chalet $15,000 in cash. The business owner promptly reported this to the New Jersey State Police and the state commenced its investigation.

Prosecutors did not release the business owner’s identity in their statement about the sentencing.

Authorities said:

“In a subsequent meeting on Oct. 21, 2015 at Chalet’s real estate office, Chalet again discussed that the business owner would pay $15,000 in return for Chalet ensuring and facilitating that the property be purchased by the township. That meeting was recorded. Chalet and the business owner agreed that the business owner would make an initial payment of $10,000 in cash, with the balance of $5,000 to be paid after the township purchased the property. While Chalet initially asked the business owner to pay the cash through a middle man, Chalet ultimately agreed to receive the payments directly.”

Prosecutors said:

“The bribe payments were made at Chalet’s real estate office. Chalet accepted the first cash payment of $10,000 from the business owner on Oct. 23, 2015. Chalet was arrested on Nov. 16, 2015 at his real estate office after he accepted the remaining $5,000 in cash from the business owner. Those meetings also were recorded. The vote on the purchase of the business property was scheduled for the day Chalet was arrested. He was arrested before the vote.”

When the New Jersey State Police moved to arrest Chalet minutes after he accepted the final cash payment of $5,000, Chalet remained locked in his real estate office for approximately 45 minutes, refusing to respond to a detective who repeatedly knocked on the door and a window of the office, prosecutors said.

Relatives of Chalet approached detectives at the scene and tried to reach Chalet on his cell phone, eventually discovering police that Chalet was in the bathroom, prosecutors said.

“It is believed that Chalet flushed the $5,000 in cash down the toilet to prevent State Police detectives from finding it when they searched his office after his arrest,” prosecutors alleged.

“Corrupt officials like Chalet undermine public trust and good government,” Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said. “We will not tolerate elected officials who are willing to sell their influence – and sell out their constituents – for an envelope of cash.”

Grewal and Director Veronica Allende of the Division of Criminal Justice said that the agency has a toll-free Corruption Tipline 1-866-TIPS-4CJ for the public to report corruption, financial crime and other illegal activities confidentially. The public can also log on to the Division webpage at www.njdcj.org to report suspected wrongdoing confidentially.

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File Photo: Elias Chalet

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