Officials Investigate Death of Hudson County Political Consultant Charged in Corruption Sting

 by Carly Rothman and Mark Mueller/The Star-Ledger
Tuesday July 28, 2009, 10:05 PM

JERSEY CITY — A veteran Hudson County political consultant charged last week in a sweeping corruption sting was found dead today in his Jersey City home, and authorities were investigating whether he committed suicide.

Jack Shaw, 61, was one of 44 people arrested in the federal probe, which ensnared elected officials, political operatives and members of the Syrian Jewish communities in Deal and Brooklyn. Authorities said Shaw accepted a $10,000 cash bribe from an FBI informant and suggested the informant give an additional $10,000 to a Jersey City official, later identified as Mayor Jerramiah Healy. The mayor has not been charged.

A major player on the Hudson County political stage going back decades, Shaw was discovered dead shortly after 5 p.m. in his apartment at Portside Towers, an upscale waterfront complex in the Paulus Hook section.

Jersey City police and Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio declined to characterize the death pending an autopsy, but three officials with knowledge of the investigation said multiple bottles of pills were found near Shaw’s body.

One of the officials said that while investigators suspect suicide, they did not want to jump to conclusions because Shaw suffers from an unspecified medical condition. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the probe’s early stage.

Shaw’s death came on the same day Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell, one of six elected officials arrested in the sting, resigned his post, saying he wanted to devote more time to his legal defense.

Through his lawyer, the Democrat also said he would drop out of the mayoral race this November instead of seeking a fourth term. Elwell is the only elected official arrested to have resigned.

"He’s going to focus his attention on the unproven allegations that are made against him," said Jeffrey Garrigan, one of Elwell’s attorneys. "He’s decided that he doesn’t want to be a distraction to the governing body."

Shaw’s death brings a dark new component to the scandal. Friends and former associates said that for a time, he was a force in New Jersey politics, working with former Gov. James Florio and former Assembly Speaker Joseph Doria, among others [...]

Read More at NJ.com