NEWARK, N.J. – A northern New Jersey councilman has become the 45th person charged and the sixth to plead guilty in the state's largest corruption sweep.
Jersey City Councilman Philip Kenny pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to commit extortion for accepting $5,000 from a government informant posing as a developer seeking help with a project.
Kenny admitted in federal court that he met with the informant between March and May.
The charge carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence, but Kenny is expected to serve far less than that under federal sentencing guidelines.
Federal authorities arrested 44 people in July in a corruption and money laundering investigation. More than two dozen were elected or appointed New Jersey officials.
Kenny had not been previously charged. His sentencing date is Jan. 12.
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