Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced that a Bloomfield Township councilman has been arrested on a charge that he solicited and accepted a bribe of $15,000 from a business owner, promising the owner that he would use his position on the council to ensure that the township went ahead with its planned purchase of the man’s commercial property.
First Ward Councilman Elias N. Chalet of Bloomfield, 53, was arrested Monday night and charged by complaint with second-degree bribery in official and political matters.
Chalet initially met with the business owner on Oct. 8 in front of Chalet’s real estate office on Broad Street in Bloomfield.
Chalet allegedly told the business owner that the township’s planned purchase of his commercial property would only go through if the owner gave Chalet $15,000 in cash.
In a subsequent meeting on Oct. 21 at Chalet’s real estate office, Chalet allegedly discussed again that the business owner would pay $15,000 in return for Chalet making sure that the property would be purchased by the township. That meeting was recorded. Chalet and the business owner agreed that the business owner would make an initial payment of $10,000, with the balance of $5,000 to be paid after the township purchased the property.
While Chalet initially asked that the business owner pay the cash through a middle man, both ultimately agreed that the payments would instead be made directly to Chalet. Chalet allegedly accepted the first cash payment of $10,000 from the business owner on Oct. 23 at Chalet’s real estate office. Chalet was arrested Monday at his real estate office after he allegedly accepted the remaining $5,000 in cash from the business owner. Those meetings also were recorded.
Chalet was initially lodged in the Essex County Jail with bail set at $100,000. He has since been released on bail.
The second-degree bribery charge carries a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison, including a mandatory minimum term of five years without parole, and a fine of up to $150,000.
Acting Attorney General Hoffman and Director Honig noted that the Division of Criminal Justice has a toll-free Corruption Tipline 1-866-TIPS-4CJfor the public to report corruption, financial crime and other illegal activities confidentially. The public can also log on to the Division webpage atwww.njdcj.org to report suspected wrongdoing confidentially.
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