The Justice Department declined to file charges against Norcross, according to court records, so investigators transferred the case to OPIA

There’s a new plot twist in the state’s five-year investigation into George E. Norcross III and others: It turns out that the Justice Department in Philadelphia refused to pursue charges in 2023 due to a lack of admissible evidence, and an FBI agent filed a criminal complaint. He may have gone prosecutor shopping with the aim of indicting the Democratic power broker.

A court filing today alleges that federal agents sold their investigation of Norcross to federal prosecutors in two states and, after being rebuffed, went to the Attorney General’s Office, where they took on dual roles as “special state investigators.” the embattled State Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.

A previously disclosed letter from the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey in September 2018 stated that “no further action is required” in the Norcross investigation and that the “matter is closed.”

However, the April 2023 letter from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania exonerating Norcross was not made public until it was presented to the court today.

“Based on a review of the available admissible evidence, applicable law, the likelihood of a successful prosecution, and the office’s prosecutorial standards, it is our opinion that the matter should not be the subject of federal prosecution,” the Assistant U.S. Attorney said. KT Newton, who signed the Eastern District letter, was addressed to FBI Special Agent Stephen Rich, who is also a special state investigator.

In another strange move, Michael Breslin left his job as an FBI agent and is now working as an assistant attorney general. He has only one case in mind: suing Norcross and the other defendants. Breslin was initially hired at a salary of $163,000 and received a raise this year to $187,450. State records do not show Newton and Rich on the payroll.

But incredibly, at the time he wrote the letter, Newton was already assigned as a special assistant attorney general in New Jersey and was part of the team investigating Norcross.

“The same investigators and prosecutors relayed the same facts about the same defendants to three different prosecutors’ offices for almost a decade, until one finally said yes,” said Chiesa, a former U.S. Senator and Deputy Attorney General, and Vartan, a former federal prosecutor. and the state attorney.

Today’s court filing states that “the 2023 presentation ended without an indictment, and the AG began a new presentation in January 2024 that resulted in an indictment.”

The Pennsylvania letter came to light after a defendant in the Norcross case filed a petition in the Supreme Court today to force OPIA to turn over unredacted wiretaps that are the source of critical evidence in the racketeering allegations.

The two defense attorneys argued that the evidence was obtained illegally, citing Newton’s statement regarding admissible evidence.

The motion they submitted to the Supreme Court today aims to eliminate phone tapping evidence if the records are not handed over.

Chiesa and Vartan said, “The elimination of the wiretapping evidence would seriously undermine the state’s investigation and question the validity of the indictment.”

Chiesa and Vartan argue that OPIA has lower prosecutorial standards than the two Justice Department offices that act independently.

“It was only the Attorney General who had a different ‘opinion’ based on the exact same evidence,” Chiesa and Vartan said. “There is only one conclusion to be drawn: The Attorney General values ​​headlines over prosecutorial standards.

They added: “It is long past time for the eponymous Office of Public Integrity and Accountability to stop playing a cynical game of hiding the ball.”

A summary response to the attorney general’s request to dismiss the indictment against Norcross and others is due Friday.

Norcross, one of the most powerful political figures in the state for the past 35 years, was charged in June with establishing a criminal enterprise that used “the threat and fear of economic and reputational harm” to obtain lucrative property rights along the Camden waterfront. and influencing tailor-made legislation that comes with bankable tax breaks for Norcross’s businesses and the nonprofit he operates, Cooper University Health Services.

“George Norcross has been running a criminal enterprise in this state for at least the last twelve years,” said New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin. “This indictment makes clear how a group of unelected private businessmen used their power and influence to ensure that the government aided their criminal enterprises and advanced their interests.”

The 111-page indictment lists 13 specific charges against Norcross and his co-defendants, including racketeering, conspiracy to commit theft by extortion, financially facilitating criminal activity and official misconduct. Read the full indictment here.

Norcross’ attorney, Michael Critchley, dismissed the accusations as a politically motivated attack.