NJ Man Tried To ‘Influence’ Sewerage Commissioner, Pleads Guilty

NEWARK, NJ — A former employee with the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) has pleaded guilty after he tried – and failed – to “influence” one of the agency’s commissioners with money several years ago, state prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Omid Bayati, 43, of Hillsdale, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit official misconduct (2nd degree) on Monday, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.

Prosecutors released the following allegations about the case:

“According to the complaint filed in 2021 and documents subsequently filed in court, while he was employed at the PVSC, a Newark-based state agency, Bayati attempted to make an improper payment of $1,200 to a PVSC commissioner. Bayati’s goal, according to the investigation, was influencing that official to give him preferential treatment, including placing the defendant in a higher pay range than he was qualified for based on his position and experience level.”

Prosecutors continued:

“Bayati attempted to provide this illicit payment first by check, drawn from an account opened under the name ‘PVSC PAC,’ an organization unaffiliated with the PVSC. That check was left at a restaurant in Fair Lawn for the intended recipient to pick up.”

Written on the check’s memo line was one word, prosecutors said: “Donation.”

The PVSC reported the incident to law enforcement authorities, immediately suspending Bayati without pay. Here’s what happened next:

“As the investigation unfolded, the defendant gave the commissioner an envelope filled with $1,200 in cash at a pub in Fair Lawn, and asked him to ‘push [his] salary a little bit,’ among other, broader promotion requests. Bayati explained that he was seeking help in procuring promotional opportunities within the PVSC and in politics.”

The sewerage commission officially terminated Bayati's employment on Jan. 14, 2021, a spokesperson told Patch.

A state grand jury indicted Bayati on June 30, 2021.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, state prosecutors are recommending that the court sentence Bayati to five years in state prison. His plea agreement will also require him face a lifetime ban from any public employment and forfeit the money seized during the investigation.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 21, 2025.

The PVSC is of the largest regional sewerage commissions in the United States. Its service area includes 48 municipalities in portions of Passaic, Bergen, Essex, Union and Hudson counties.

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