Bribery Conspiracy At Newark Airport; Montclair Man Pleads Guilty

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A Montclair resident and two other airline employees have pleaded guilty to their roles in a bribery conspiracy at Newark Airport, authorities recently announced.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Alok Saksena, 45, of Montclair, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud last week.

Two other people – Anthony Rosalli, 44, of Burlington, and Lovella Rogan, 48, of Springfield – also pleaded guilty to the same charge, prosecutors said.

According to court documents and statements, Rosalli, Saksena and Rogan all held positions with a Chicago-based airline that has a hub at Newark Airport. The specific airline wasn’t named in the court documents.

The three employees’ jobs enabled them to influence which companies the airline would award certain contracts to at Newark Liberty International Airport. Together, Rosalli, Saksena and Rogan conspired to receive bribes and kickbacks from a company that provided maintenance and construction services in exchange for helping that company obtain lucrative airline contracts at Newark Airport, authorities said.

Prosecutors continued:

“In September 2021, the maintenance and construction company bid on a contract to renovate restrooms at Newark Airport. The defendants sat on the selection committee and each of them voted to award the contract to the company. In exchange for the defendants’ help in obtaining the restroom renovation contract and with the expectation that they would use their positions to help the company obtain future contracts, the company agreed to pay for significant renovations at the defendants’ personal residences, including renovating and building bathrooms, renovating a deck, installing floors and sheetrock and renovating a kitchen. The company gave the defendants valuable items, including electronics and jewelry.”

The total value of the bribes paid was approximately $539,000 to Saksena, $276,000 to Rosalli and $409,000 to Rogan, authorities said.

Prosecutors added:

“The defendants also conspired with an employee of the maintenance and construction company to fraudulently inflate change orders, which amended the contract’s scope of work, to recoup some of the bribe costs. With the defendants’ knowledge and consent, the company submitted change orders, which contained fraudulently high numbers, to obtain money not legitimately earned by the company so that the company could partially fund the bribe payments to the defendants.”

Rosalli, Saksena and Rogan face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, prosecutors said.

Sentencing for Saksena is scheduled for April 17. Sentencing for Rosalli and Rogan is scheduled for April 18.

U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, investigators from the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Office of Inspector General, and special agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office with the investigation leading to the guilty pleas.

“Greasing someone's palm for a lucrative contract not only isn't fair – it's also illegal,” FBI-Newark special agent in charge James Dennehy said.

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