Former NJ Mayor Admits Running For Office Again Despite Ban

PATERSON, NJ — The former mayor of Paterson pleaded guilty to trying to launch another campaign for the position, despite a court ban on running for office, authorities said.

Jose “Joey” Torres, 66, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal contempt-of-court during a hearing on Thursday, according to New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin's office.

The AG's office charged Torres— who was previously imprisoned for misconduct from his time as Paterson mayor — with launching a campaign for the position again in 2022.

“After his first conviction, the defendant had fair warning that any future attempt to return to public office or employment would result in a criminal charge," Platkin said in a statement. "But he tried to run for his old seat anyway."

Torres first won a seat on Paterson City Council in 1990, serving for five teams. The Democrat served as mayor of New Jersey's third-largest city from 2002-10.

He was again elected for the position in 2014, running as an independent candidate. Torres was arraigned on corruption charges in April 2017 and was forced to step down from his mayoral seat the following September after pleading guilty.

As mayor, officials alleged Torres directed city employees to work at a private warehouse leased by his daughter and nephew on the city's dime. He was sentenced to five years in prison following his guilty plea.

Torres was released from prison in late 2018 after serving 13 months behind bars, since the plea agreement gave him the opportunity to serve for a lesser charge, according to officials. But Torres's plea bargain prohibited him from public office or employment.

The former officeholder made a public speech on Feb. 12, 2022 stating he was running for mayor of Paterson that year, urging audience members to vote for him, according to the original criminal complaint. This went against the ban imposed after he pleaded guilty in 2017.

Torres went to the Paterson City Clerk's Office on March 4 and presented a stack of 1,150 purported signatures supporting his candidacy. The office rejected the nominating petitions, according to state officials. As a result, Torres filed a civil action seeking to compel the clerk's office to accept the petitions, citing irreparable harm if he couldn't run, the complaint states.

The former mayor's plea deal stated that if Torres makes any application for public employment, he is subject to a fourth-degree charge of criminal contempt.

Officials charged him in September of 2023 with that crime. Prosecutors will recommend that he be placed on non-custodial probation and pay any mandatory fines.