Hoboken Councilmen Regift Donations From Convicted Ex-Politico

HOBOKEN, NJ — A pair of Hoboken council members have found new homes for $6,400 in donations they received from convicted ex-politico and local real estate developer Frank “Pupie” Raia.

Earlier this week – after Raia was convicted for running a voter bribery scam during the 2013 Hoboken municipal election – Councilmen Ruben Ramos and Michael DeFusco announced they have given back thousands of dollars in recent donations from the developer and former council candidate.

DeFusco split a $5,400 donation between the Hoboken American Legion, which will be used in their ongoing effort to build housing for homeless veterans, and the Jubilee Center of Hoboken. (See editor's note at the bottom of this article)

Ramos gave a combined $1,000 to Community Lifestyle, a program that provides free summer camp for families living within the Hoboken Housing Authority, and Amazing Truth Society, a free karate/self-defense program for children in the same area.

• See related article: Ex-Hoboken Candidate 'Pupie' Raia Convicted Of Voter Bribery

Both councilmen denounced Raia’s voter bribery scheme in press statements.

“What Frank Raia did was wrong and I'm extremely disappointed in his actions, and it's especially disturbing that he exploited some of our city's most vulnerable residents to execute his scheme," Ramos said. "Frank Raia has contributed to many, many candidates for office here and throughout the state. In order to remove any doubt that I do not condone Raia's actions, I am donating $1,000 that he contributed to my campaign to Community Lifestyle and Amazing Truth, two great local organizations that will ensure that this money will be used to help some of the same residents in the Hoboken Housing Authority who Raia used."

DeFusco said the money from Raia – which was donated in 2017 – has no place in his campaign.

“Illegal vote buying has tainted the electoral process in Hoboken for decades, stripping residents of their right to let their voices be heard,” DeFusco said. “[Raia’s] conviction should send a strong message that this type of illegal behavior is unacceptable and those guilty of corruption must be held accountable for their actions. I hope the dozens of local and state leaders and Democratic organizations who have also received contributions from Frank Raia will follow my lead by doing the right thing.”

Tracking the money left in Raia’s wake isn’t a simple task. A search of the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission contribution database shows a laundry list of contributions from “Frank Raia” throughout the state over the past decade, including Hoboken.

Migdalia Pagan Milano, who is challenging DeFusco for his seat in the 1st Ward this November, alleged the councilman actually saw $9,400 in contributions from Raia, including a $4,000 donation from 600 Monroe Street, which she called a “Raia-controlled LLC.”

Milano, an employee with Hoboken’s Department of Constituent Affairs, said DeFusco should give the funds back.

“As a lifelong resident, I have seen firsthand the negative impact of political corruption on our city,” Milano said. “It is critical that all Hoboken elected officials send a strong message that political corruption that undermines the integrity of our elections will no longer be tolerated in Hoboken. As the recipient of a large total of $9,400 in contributions from Mr. Raia, it is especially incumbent on Councilman DeFusco to return the money. Failing to do so sends precisely the wrong message.”

DeFusco’s campaign fired back, pointing out that their announcement of the councilman’s donation to the American Legion came hours before Milano’s statement hit local reporters’ email inboxes.

“Councilman DeFusco has already donated every dollar personally contributed to his campaign by Frank Raia,” said Caitlin Mota, a spokesperson for his campaign. “I would remind Migdalia that her political benefactor Ravi Bhalla, the person responsible for signing her paychecks, was a longtime supporter of Frank, referring to him as an ‘asset to the City of Hoboken.’”

Mota said people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

“If Migdalia and Ravi truly cared about this serious situation they would be calling on everyone who received donations from Raia to return the money instead of taking cheap shots at Councilman DeFusco,” Mota said.

Rob Horowitz, a spokesperson for Milano's campaign, offered a reply to the controversy on Thursday afternoon:

"Instead of doing the right thing Mike DeFusco chooses to do what he does best, launch a misleading attack. He is simply refusing to return nearly half the money Frank Raia contributed, arguing that money he received from Raia through his business somehow doesn't count. He is fooling no one."

Bhalla issued a statement denouncing Raia’s voter bribery scheme earlier this week, writing that the guilty verdict is an affirmation that nobody is above the law.

“Those that commit voter fraud will be exposed and brought to justice,” Bhalla stated. “Given the revelations exposed by the trial that additional criminal activity took place in 2015 and other election cycles, further investigation into voter fraud by law enforcement will help ensure that voter fraud is rooted out of Hoboken once and for all. It is long past time for a clean break from the corrupt politics of the past.”

• See related article: Hoboken Mayor On Voter Bribery Allegations: So What's New?

On Thursday, the mayor offered a scathing comment about DeFusco's donation to the American Legion in an email to his constituents.

"While he did return the contributions Raia - one of his largest contributors - made personally, DeFusco is keeping the $4,000 Raia gave him through one of his limited liability corporations, attempting to argue that money given by Raia through his business somehow doesn’t count," Bhalla wrote.

On Friday, DeFusco announced that he was making a second donation of $4,000 to the Hudson County Democratic Organization’s LGBTQ+ Caucus. The money will be used to promote equality and help the caucus work with all 12 towns in Hudson County achieve a perfect Municipal Equality Index score from the Human Rights Campaign.

The additional $4,000 donation completely divests DeFusco of the $9,400 worth of contributions connected to Frank Raia, a spokesperson said.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was updated with additional information from a Michael DeFusco spokesperson.

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