Hudson County Parks Directors Accused Of Taking Bribes For Contracts

LITTLE SILVER, NJ — The past two directors of the Hudson County Parks Department, Thomas DeLeo and Russell Fallacara, are criminally charged with receiving bribes in exchange for giving out $5 million in contracts to work in Hudson County Parks.

DeLeo,76, pleaded guilty March 5. He admitted to two counts of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is facing 20 years in prison at sentencing.

Fallacara, 58, a Bayonne resident, was similarly charged with conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He had his first appearance in Newark federal court Friday, March 20, and was released on bond.

Federal prosecutors allege that from 2019 through 2024, business owner William Murray paid DeLeo and Fallacara a total of $1.5 million in bribes and kickbacks, so Murray’s concrete company would be awarded contracts to work on various Hudson County Parks Department projects.

Murray owned Murray Paving and Concrete company. These contracts included doing landscape maintenance, paving and general contracting work in the parks.

While DeLeo and then Fallacara were running the Hudson County Parks System, the feds say they approved more than $5 million in payments to Murray’s company.

Murray would make cash payments to DeLeo and Fallacara, said federal prosecutors. In one instance, DeLeo received a bag containing between $60,000 and $90,000 in cash. Fallacara received over $400,000 in cash bribes and kickbacks, said U.S. Attorneys.

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

Murray, 56, a Jersey City resident, pleaded guilty March 17 to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.

Murray also gave DeLeo, Fallacara and their associates free home repairs and renovations, which federal prosecutors say amounted to bribes.

Here are the complaints against all three men:

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