Charges Dropped Against NJ Political Kingmaker Accused Of Corruption

New Jersey prosecutors have dropped charges against George Norcross nearly two years after accusing the Democratic Party powerbroker of illegally using his political influence to enrich himself and his associates.

Last month, a state appeals court upheld a judge's decision to dismiss charges against Norcross and his five co-defendants.

Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill, will not appeal the decision in the New Jersey Supreme Court, officials said Tuesday.

"Our office has decided not to seek review from the New Jersey Supreme Court in State v. Norcross," a spokesperson for the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General told Patch in a statement. "In light of the Appellate Division’s decision, we have concluded that our prosecutorial resources would be best spent on other matters."

In June 2024, then-Attorney General Matthew Platkin unsealed a 13-count racketeering indictment against Norcross and five other associates. The indictment centered around an alleged conspiracy to illegally obtain properties along the Camden waterfront in order to collect millions of dollars in government tax credits.

"On full display in this indictment is how a group of unelected, private businessmen used their power and influence to get government to aid their criminal enterprise and further its interests," Platkin said at a news conference, where Norcross sat in the front row. "The alleged conduct of the Norcross Enterprise has caused great harm to individuals, businesses, nonprofits, the people of the State of New Jersey, and especially the City of Camden and its residents."

A Superior Court judge dismissed the indictment last February. Platkin, a Gov. Phil Murphy appointee, appealed the decision.

A state appeals court upheld the dismissal on Jan. 30, saying that several of the charges were time-barred by the statute of limitations while others failed to state a crime.

Norcross is the executive chair of insurance company Conner Strong & Buckelew. He also chairs Cooper University Health Care's Board of Trustees.

Despite never holding elected office, Norcross was long considered one of New Jersey's most-powerful political figures. A Camden native, Norcross was chair of the Camden County Democratic Party from 1989-95 and has since held significant sway over local party organizations and fundraising in the state. He's also a former member of the Democratic National Committee.

Defendants in the racketeering case also included:

• Philip Norcross: George's brother, an attorney and the managing shareholder and CEO of Parker McCay, a New Jersey law firm.
• William Tambussi: George Norcross's counsel, an attorney and partner at the law firm Brown and Connery.
• Dana Redd: Camden's mayor from 2010-18.
• Sidney Brown: CEO and co-owner of NFI, a trucking and logistics company.
• John J. O'Donnell: of the The Michaels Organization, a residential-development company that owns several of the Camden buildings mentioned in the indictment.

The indictment accused the "Norcross enterprise of using its influence over government officials to craft legislation to serve the enterprise's interest. With the help of Redd and other officials, the entity used parts of the Camden city government to aid it in acquiring property through coercion and extortion, Platkin said in 2024.

Norcross once told a developer that he had to relinquish his property rights, warning that he would make it impossible for the victim to do business in Camden, Platkin said. His co-conspirators also got a government-development agency to get leverage in private negotiations, according to the attorney general.

Daniel Fee, Norcross's spokesperson, issued the following statement to Patch:

"We always knew that Matt Platkin brought this case for reasons other than its legal merits — and now multiple judges and Platkin's successor as AG agree the allegations simply weren't true. The question now is whether Platkin's supporters who cheered him on will take a serious look at what he did and whether other authorities will do the same. We will certainly be making the case that he and anyone else who used lawfare against George should be held to account, no differently than (U.S. Attorney General) Pam Bondi and her DOJ should."

Brown praised prosecutors for dropping the case and noted that the decision came under a new attorney general and administration.

"I am, and always have been, innocent of these baseless charges," Brown said in a statement. "Since its inception, this case was unfounded and attacked those of us who believed in the future of a thriving Camden. I want to thank the courts and the new administration for ensuring that justice was carried out based on the facts."

Despite dropping the case the state attorney general's office says it's "committed to prioritizing public corruption prosecutions in this time of deepening mistrust in government."

"We will never shy away from holding public officials accountable when they betray the public’s trust and behave unlawfully," the agency said in a statement.

The Philadelphia Inquirer first reported the dropped charges.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.