In a stunning legal victory for prominent New Jersey power broker George E. Norcross III and his co-defendants, a state judge on Wednesday dismissed the sweeping racketeering indictment that accused them of using threats and coercion to seize waterfront property in Camden.
Mercer County Superior Court Judge Peter E. Warshaw ruled that the state’s case lacked the legal foundation to support charges of extortion or criminal coercion, declaring that no racketeering enterprise existed and that all charges were time-barred.
The decision delivered a major blow to New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, whose office vowed to appeal immediately.
A High-Profile Legal Battle Collapses
The case, dubbed the “Norcross Enterprise” by state prosecutors, alleged that Norcross—along with his brother, Parker McCay PA shareholder Philip A. Norcross, Brown & Connery LLP partner William Tambussi, and several others—leveraged economic and reputational threats to force property acquisitions in Camden.
Judge Warshaw, however, found the accusations insufficient to meet the legal definitions of extortion or misconduct. He also cleared former Camden Mayor Dana Redd of official misconduct, while tossing charges against development executive John J. O’Donnell and logistics firm CEO Sidney R. Brown.
