2nd Hudson County Parks Director Pleads Guilty In $5M Bribery, Kickback Scheme

BAYONNE, NJ — Former Hudson County Parks director Russell Fallacara admitted his role in a $5-million illegal-contracts scheme in Hudson County parks, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced Wednesday.

Fallacara, 59, a Bayonne resident, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to defraud Hudson County.

Fallacara and the man who ran Hudson County Parks before him, Thomas DeLeo, were both charged by federal prosecutors with receiving bribes in exchange for giving out $5 million in contracts to work in Hudson County Parks.

Prosecutors say they steered dozens of contacts to a man named William Murray, who owned Murray Paving and Concrete.

DeLeo and Fallacara handpicked Murray to do nearly all the maintenance, paving and general contracting work in county parks, including work at Laurel Hill.

In exchange, Murray paid bribes and kickbacks to Fallacara and DeLeo. In one instance, DeLeo received a bag containing between $60,000 and $90,000 in cash. Fallacara personally received over $400,000 in cash kickbacks from Murray.

Murray also used a consulting company (unnamed) to launder the bribes, in order to conceal the source of the payments, say the feds.

This went on from 2019 through 2024, said prosecutors.

"I used to see Murray's trucks at Laurel Hill all the time, for the past several years," said Capt. Bill Sheehan, who owns Hackensack Riverkeeper and stores his boats at Laurel Hill. "He was storing all his trucks and equipment at Laurel Hill for all the work he did in Hudson County parks. I kept seeing more and more of his equipment brought in."

Sheehan said while he had no idea of the bribery scheme, "none of this surprises me."

Murray is the contractor who was supposed to renovate the bathrooms at Laurel Hill (they've been closed for a year now). The work was never started because he got indicted. He also got the job to install the Berlin Wall memorial at Laurel Hill.

DeLeo and Murray both already pleaded guilty in March. DeLeo,76, admitted to two counts of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Murray, 56, a Jersey City resident, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.

Fallacara, 58, was the last to plead guilty. He was arrested in March, but has since been released on a bail bond.

None of the three men were sentenced yet, and it's unknown when sentencing will be. They are each facing 20 years in prison at sentencing.

Here are the criminal complaints against all three men:

• Murray.Information.pdf
• Fallacara.Complaint.pdf
• DeLeo.Information.pdf

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Newark Field Office and the U.S. Department of Labor.

First report: Hudson County Parks Directors Accused Of Taking Bribes For Contracts (March 2026)

Laurel Hill Park Is Deteriorating After 2 Hudson County Parks Directors Were Indicted (June 2026)