Newark Official Shut Down Business, Asked For Bribe: Prosecutors

NEWARK, NJ — A Newark code enforcement officer has been accused of asking for bribes from a local business in exchange for withholding fines and allowing it to reopen after she closed it down, state prosecutors say.

Sonia Rogers, 50, of Newark, was arrested on Friday and charged with official misconduct, bribery, theft by extortion, and soliciting or accepting any benefit to influence the performance of an official duty (all second-degree).

The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General released the following allegations against Rogers:

“According to the complaint, while working in her official capacity, Rogers ordered the closure of a retail establishment, threatened to fine the owners, and requested bribes of cash and free store merchandise in exchange for reopening the store and not levying the threatened fines. Specifically, the investigation found that in September 2024, Rogers entered a store on Broad Street in Newark in uniform and, after conducting an inspection, she ordered the business to be closed.”

Here's what happened next, prosecutors said:

“It is alleged that the defendant told store management that the store’s municipal business license had expired, and if she were to allow the store to reopen to the public, she should be compensated with a cash bribe for doing the business a favor. The evidence revealed that Rogers asked for a bribe of $800, telling a store employee to take care of her since, under the city’s code enforcement regulations, the store should remain closed until a fire inspection was completed and the business license was reinstated.”

As alleged in the complaint, in exchange for reopening the store and not imposing any fines, Rogers initially solicited the bribe in cash – but she settled for taking store merchandise without paying, prosecutors said.

Authorities continued:

“Additionally, Rogers allegedly indicated she would help facilitate a fire inspection of the premises in exchange for the store compensating her. According to the investigation, Rogers kept returning to the store on multiple subsequent occasions through November 2024, attempting to be further compensated, including unsuccessful attempts to take a television.”

The charges arise from an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) Corruption Bureau. OPIA detectives arrested Rogers with assistance from members of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000, prosecutors said.

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