Joseph Ferriero, Former Bergen Democratic Chairman, Sentenced To Nearly 3 Years In Prison

Joseph Ferriero, a major player in Bergen County politics for more than a decade, was sentenced to nearly 3 years in prison, 35 months, on racketeering charges.

Ferriero, 58, was found guilty in April of racketeering, using mail to promote bribery, and wire fraud when he was chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Organization (BCDO).

Ferriero faced a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison and $750,000 in fines.

Ferriero was chairman of the BCDO from 1998 to 2009 and was the sole member of SJC Consulting LLC. Ferriero was found guilty of accepting bribes as BCDO chairman that involved SJC and a software developer from Nutley.

Ferriero would recommend John Carrino and his companies to various Bergen County public officials Ferriero had influence over and Carrino agreed to pay Ferriero 25 to 33 percent of the money he grossed due to Ferriero’s help, court documents showed.

Ferriero reportedly used two shell companies to accept the payments from another shell company Carrino controlled.