One former Hudson County, New Jersey parks director has pleaded guilty, and another is now charged in an alleged bribery scheme where federal prosecutors say they took more than $1.5 million in cash and kickbacks to steer county contracts to a Jersey City business owner.
Thomas DeLeo, 76, who led the Hudson County Parks Department from 2016 to 2021, pleaded guilty on March 5 to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, federal authorities said in an announcement Friday. William Murray, 56, the owner of Murray Paving and Concrete, pleaded guilty on March 17 to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.
Russell Fallacara, 58, of Bayonne, who succeeded DeLeo as parks director and reportedly resigned in 2024, was charged Thursday with conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and money laundering. He was released on bond after an initial court appearance.
Prosecutors said the scheme ran from 2019 through early 2025. Murray paid the two directors cash, funneled money through a sham consulting company and provided free home renovations in exchange for contracts and inflated invoices, federal prosecutors say in court documents.
In one instance, Murray handed DeLeo a bag containing between $60,000 and $90,000 in cash, prosecutors said. After DeLeo retired, Murray sent two $30,000 checks to a consulting company set up in DeLeo's name that performed no legitimate work, according to the charging documents.
Murray also completed "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in free renovations on DeLeo's home, officials said.
Fallacara received more than $400,000 in cash bribes and kickbacks, prosecutors said.
The court filings cite text messages in which Murray allegedly told an employee, "You're right I'll get more envelopes [cash] from the county." In another exchange with DeLeo, Murray wrote, "You have helped me tremendously and I told you I am a man of my word," according to the filings.
Murray Paving was the sole awarded vendor for repair and maintenance contracting under a cooperative purchasing system used by Hudson County, meaning work was funneled directly to the company, court documents show. Over the course of the scheme, Murray Paving performed more than $5 million in work for the county, prosecutors said.
Both conspiracy charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Messages to Hudson County and lawyers for DeLeo, Murray and Fallacara late Friday afternoon were not returned.
