In a strong letter, Attorney General Matt Platkin criticized the lawyers defending Democratic figure George E. Norcross III and others for using the media to create a spectacle instead of focusing on the facts and law. Platkin said the defense team’s claims were misleading and aimed at swaying public opinion rather than addressing the evidence against the defendants.
Platkin specifically rejected the defense lawyers’ suggestion that his office delayed handing over wiretap recordings from federal authorities.
He clarified that the state had informed them of the request before the lawyers filed a motion to force the release of the documents.
He also explained that his office could not demand documents from the Justice Department that it did not have.
Platkin further criticized the defense for misrepresenting facts and making improper legal motions. He accused them of using media tactics to influence the jury pool, which he said undermined the integrity of the judicial process.
The wiretap recordings the defense sought were part of an unrelated investigation into a Philadelphia labor leader, John Dougherty. Platkin explained that the conversations involving Norcross were a result of this investigation.
He also pointed out that the U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia had chosen not to prosecute Norcross, which was unrelated to the state charges.
In response to the defense’s claims that the FBI agent involved in the case was biased, Platkin clarified that the agent had no role in the grand jury process and had left the U.S. Attorney’s office months earlier.
Norcross, a key political figure in New Jersey since the late 1980s, was indicted in June. He is accused of leading a criminal enterprise that used threats to gain valuable property rights on the Camden waterfront and secure favorable legislation with tax breaks benefiting his businesses and the Cooper University Health Care nonprofit he runs.