Princeton Supervisor Took Bribes Allowing Illegal Dumping: MCPO

PRINCETON, NJ — A Princeton Town supervisor has been charged with accepting bribes from the owner of a construction company to allow illegal dumping, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri announced.

The Princeton supervisor, Thomas Hughes, 46, of Browns Mills, had been charged with one count of second-degree bribery in June. The arrest was publicized sooner because of the ongoing investigation.

Pantelis Kounelias, 64, owner of V & K Construction in Edison was charged Friday, Sept. 6 with one count of second-degree bribery.

Kounelias reportedly paid Hughes about $3,000 in bribes between July 1, 2018, and August 31, 2018to allow him to dump excavated soil from a water park project at the Princeton Sewer Operating Committee yard on River Road in Princeton, Onofri said.

Kounelias is scheduled to appear in Mercer County Superior Court on Sept. 24. Hughes’ next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 16.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Economic Crime Unit (ECU) at 609-989-6365.

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