{"id":9908,"date":"2025-12-29T16:06:43","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T21:06:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/?p=9908"},"modified":"2025-12-29T16:06:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T21:06:46","slug":"former-newark-west-ward-councilman-joe-mccallum-sentenced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/29\/former-newark-west-ward-councilman-joe-mccallum-sentenced\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Newark West Ward Councilman Joe McCallum Sentenced"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEWARK<\/strong> – Joseph A. McCallum, Jr. 70, a former member of the Newark Municipal Council who also served on the Board of Directors of the Newark Community Economic Development Corporation (\u201cNCEDC\u201d), has been sentenced to 18 months\u2019 imprisonment and one year of supervised release for participating in a scheme to obtain bribes and kickbacks and subscribing to a false personal tax return for 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malik Frederick, 65, a former consultant for developers seeking construction and real estate deals in Newark, was sentenced on Dec. 4, 2025, to 25 months\u2019 imprisonment and one year of supervised release for his role in the same scheme and for subscribing to a false personal tax return for 2017, Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCombatting public corruption in New Jersey is a top priority for our Office,\u201d said Senior Counsel Lamparello. \u201cCrimes like these erode public trust and undermine confidence in the institutions meant to serve the community.  We will continue to investigate and prosecute public officials and others who seek to enrich themselves at the public\u2019s expense by engaging in bribery and kickback schemes. We thank our federal partners, including the FBI, IRS, and HUD, for their continued partnership in these cases.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCallum previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini to an Information charging him with one count of wire fraud for devising a scheme, using interstate wire communications, to defraud Newark and the NCEDC of the right to McCallum\u2019s honest services and one count of subscribing to a false personal tax return for calendar year 2018. Frederick previously pleaded guilty before Judge Martini to participating in the honest services wire fraud conspiracy and one count of subscribing to a false personal tax return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in court: From 2017 through February 2020, Frederick paid concealed bribes and kickbacks to McCallum, who was then a member of the Newark City Council, representing the West Ward of Newark, and an NCEDC Board member. These bribes and kickbacks were funded by developers, contracting companies, and other businesses seeking contracts and approvals principally related to development, construction, and real estate projects and deals in Newark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frederick and others solicited these developers to hire Frederick\u2019s consulting company for \u201caccess,\u201d and were introduced to McCallum as the Councilman behind the project or deal of interest to them. McCallum then received concealed bribes and kickbacks from the fees that Frederick obtained from those who retained his company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In exchange, McCallum used his official positions on the City Council and NCEDC to provide assistance in support of the projects and deals of interest to the developers and others who retained Frederick\u2019s company. For those who refused to pay or were hesitant to pay the fees that Frederick charged, McCallum and Frederick intended to prevent them from obtaining contracts and work from the NCEDC and the City of Newark. McCallum and Frederick took significant steps to conceal these bribes and kickbacks and other material aspects of their arrangement and dealings with these developers and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bribes and kickbacks that McCallum sought and received through Frederick included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n