時事新聞:美國新澤西州三市長涉嫌腐敗被捕

【英文原文】

44 Charged In NJ Corruption,Money-Laundering Probe

摘要：新澤西州從來不缺少腐敗醜聞，但昨天曝出的這起醜聞即便以該州的標準來看都令人驚訝。

New Jersey has never been short of corruption scandals, but the one that unfolded yesterday was surprising even by the standards of the state that inspired 'The Sopranos.'

Federal agents swept across New Jersey and New York on Thursday, charging 44 people -- including mayors, rabbis, and even one alleged trafficker in human kidneys -- in a decadelong investigation into public corruption and international money-laundering.

The key to the investigation: a real-estate developer who became an informant after being arrested on bank-fraud charges in 2006, according to a person familiar with the case. The developer, Solomon Dwek, wore a wire for the Federal Bureau of Investigation while offering to bribe New Jersey mayors and other public officials, that person said.

A lawyer for Mr. Dwek didn't respond to requests for comment.

The arrests in the public-corruption portion of the probe included the Democratic mayors of Hoboken and Secaucus, Peter Cammarano III and Dennis Elwell; Republican state Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt; and Democrat Leona Beldini, the deputy mayor of Jersey City.

A woman who picked up the phone at Mr. Van Pelt's office said, 'Mr. Van Pelt was arrested today and is out of the office.' His lawyer declined to comment.

Mr. Cammarano's lawyer said he 'intends to plead innocent because he is innocent.'

At the arraignment, Ms. Beldini said she didn't violate taxpayers' trust and declined to comment further while leaving the courthouse. Mr. Elwell and his lawyer declined to comment.

Arrests on the investigation's money-laundering side include several rabbis in New York and New Jersey, said to Ralph Marra Jr., acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey. The arrestees were arraigned in federal court in New Jersey Thursday afternoon.

【中文譯文】

新澤西州從來不缺少腐敗醜聞，但昨天曝出的這起醜聞即便以該州的標準來看都令人驚訝。

美國聯邦特工週四出擊新澤西和紐約各地，在一次爲期10年的政府腐敗和國際洗錢案調查中起訴了44人，這其中包括數位市長、猶太教教士、甚至還有一名涉嫌販賣人體腎臟的人。

這起調查案的線索是：據一位知情人士透露，一名地產開發商在2006年因爲銀行詐騙指控被捕後，提供了諸多信息。該人士透露，這名開發商德魯克(Solomon Dwek)在向新澤西市長和其他公共官員行賄的時候，身上帶有聯邦調查局(FBI)提供的錄音設備。

德魯克的律師沒有回覆記者的置評要求。

在調查的政府腐敗案部分，被捕的人員包括了兩位民主黨市長霍博肯市市長卡馬拉諾(Peter Cammarano III)和錫考克斯市市長埃爾維爾(Dennis Elwell)；共和黨州議員佩爾特(Daniel Van Pelt)；澤西市副市長、民主黨人貝爾蒂尼(Leona Beldini)。

記者致電佩爾特辦公室，一位接電話的女士表示，佩爾特今日已被捕，現在不在辦公室。佩爾特的律師拒絕置評。

卡馬拉諾的律師表示，卡馬拉諾計劃申訴無罪，他是無辜的。

貝爾蒂尼在傳訊中表示，她沒有辜負納稅人的信任，並在離開法院時拒絕進一步置評。埃爾維爾和他的律師均拒絕置評。

據美國新澤西州代理檢察官馬拉(Ralph Marra)表示，在洗錢案部分，被捕的人員包括紐約和新澤西的幾位猶太教教士。被捕人員週四下午在新澤西州一家聯邦法庭接受了傳訊。