In a process that took just minutes, NFI CEO and founding family member Sidney Brown pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges related to the broad indictment of South New Jersey political powerhouse leader George Norcross.
Brown’s attorney was not able to attend the arraignment of Norcross and four other defendants in early July, so Brown’s arraignment was delayed until Wednesday.
NFI, a truckload carrier, is not part of the indictment, and representatives for the company have stressed that it is not impacted by the charges against Brown.
“Sidney Brown pled not guilty today because he is not guilty,” his attorney, Lawrence S. Lustberg, said in a prepared statement. “Sid has in fact done absolutely nothing wrong. He is proud to be an important part of the revitalization of Camden, through his investment in residential and commercial real estate, which has transformed the City’s waterfront. It is just a matter of time before he is exonerated, and that time should be soon. We will work tirelessly to make that happen.”
A representative for Lustberg provided the estimate for the length of the procedure in a Mercer County courtroom. Mercer County is the home of Trenton, the state’s capital.
There are 13 counts against what state Attorney General Matthew Platkin referred to as the “Norcross Enterprise” in the indictment. Brown is named in six of the 13.
At the heart of the indictment is a plan to redevelop the waterfront of Camden, a beleaguered city on the Delaware River across from the Philadelphia area. State legislation created “Grow New Jersey” tax credits for redevelopment in Camden, and the indictment alleges that Norcross and his co-defendants pressured developers with rights to key real estate to sell those stakes so the properties could be redeveloped to generate credits.
Bare-knuckle tactics are alleged in the indictment, which recounts conversations that were picked up by wiretap.
In one of them, Norcross tells a developer who was resisting the political leader’s entreaties that he would “f— you up like you’ve never been f—– before.”
Besides George Norcross and Brown, the indicted individuals are Philip Norcross, George’s brother; former Camden Mayor Dana Redd; George Norcross’ personal attorney, William Tambussi; and John O’Donnell.
O’Donnell is similar to Brown in that he is an executive in an organization that has its headquarters in the Camden building known as Triad1828, where NFI is located. Both men are also listed as having ownership stakes in some of the Camden real estate that was cited in the indictment.
Although NFI was not indicted and there is no allegation that the company was involved in anything illegal, the indictment did say NFI received more than $7 million in financial benefits as a result of the Grow New Jersey tax credits from having moved into Triad1828. It can also claim further tax credits.
George Norcross’ power does not stem from an elected position; he has none and never has been elected to office. But New Jersey press coverage describes the Democrat with terms such as “kingmaker” and “power broker.”
NFI, on its website, says it is the sixth-largest dedicated carrier in the country and the fourth-largest warehouse provider. It also says it has more than 16,000 employees.
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