We have obtained copies of the appeal documents on United States of America v. Herman Friedman (D.C. Crim. Action No. 09-cr-00132). On this appeal, at page 8, Deputy Mayor of West New York and Chief of Staff to Mayor Felix Roque Silvio Acosta testified to the federal government the following: "Silvio Acosta said he identified approximately 11 properties for which he was told by Zanardelli or Thomas O'Malley, who was Zanardelli successor, to disregard apparent violations." At the end of the paragraph Acosta also states: "This behavior started approximately two years ago." On page 28, last paragraph the trial court states: The Jury (during the Friedman trial) learned of Acosta's and Zanardelli's malfeasance and criminal activity.
 After testifying of his crimes and cooperating with the FBI, Acosta changed his testimony and said everything he had said before was not true. Page 9, first paragraph "The government represented to the District Court that Mr. Acosta had not retracted his statement during witness preparations and that the first time they heard about it when was Mr. Acosta testified."

This is the racket deal that Silvio Acosta and Franco Zanardelli had. The West New York code official would sent Acosta to building owned by developers and home owner to give violations. Afterward Zanardelli will coerce the violators into paying bribes. Zanardelli was caught and Acosta testified against Zanardelli in exchange for a jail free card. Zanardelli and Acosta continued to cooperate with the federal government and helped the federal government to catch developer who would bribe code official in exchange for building permits, Certificate of Occupancy etc.

In the government documents attached to this post, it clearly shows Silvio Acosta testifying he will ignore code violation on Zanardelli orders, and that this behavior was on going for two years. Then he changes his testimony during trial because he did not want to admit he was guilty of committing crimes during cross examination.

He is now the Chief of Staff to Mayor Roque and he is also the deputy Mayor in West New York. Furthermore, he is a member of the planning board in West New York. This is an individual who committed criminal activity as a government official in the past, but also that violated the construction code by adding six illegal unit to a property he owns. This is the type of people that Mayor Roque hires to represent you interest in Municipal Government. Mr Acosta has two salaries of more than 100K in two position at West New York city hall from your hard earned tax dollars!

References:

United States of America v. Herman Friedman (D.C. Crim. Action No. 09-cr-00132)
Website link:
http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca3/10-2235/102235p-2011-09-28.pdf?1317234167

West New York Property Owner Admits Bribing Building Official; Another Owner Recently Indicted.

http://www.fbi.gov/newark/press-releases/2009/nk031109.htm

West New York man admits bribing building official.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/0/west_new_york_man_admits_bribi.html

West New York's new deputy mayor owes town more than $500k in fines for illegally adding apartments to building he owns.
Website Link:
http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2011/08/west_new_yorks_new_deputy_mayo.html

According to the Jersey Journal, a 28-year-old man was dropping his girlfriend at her home on 66th Street at 2:30 a.m. when a man wearing a ski mask and a hooded sweatshirt approached his car and pulled a gun on him. Mayor Roque administration is allowing our citizens to become targets for criminals.
Read more at the Jersey Journal....

Today, Mayor Roque tried to shut down our site by contacting our server and filing a formal complain. One thing that the mayor does not understand is that we live in the United States of America and our constitution protects movement like ours. We have hired an attorney and will fight any intent by the mayor to violate our constitutional rights and freedom of speech. Everything we post in our site is backed up with references. We don't post lies.

We have been contacted by Mauro Clavel, who is the producer of the radio show in Spanish "The Wadoman" transmitted Monday to Friday from 3PM to 4PM at 930 AM and on the Internet at www.wpat930am.com.

Mr. Clavel, tell us he is a former supporter of Mayor Felix Roque and that the Mayor owes him money. Mayor Roque is well known for not paying his bills or fulfill promises. We will be promoting our site and the recall movement on his radio show. For our Hispanic readers, tune into his show. Mr. Wadoman will have some interesting discussion about the future of West New York and the recall movement. More people are joining the movement to stop the corrupt political machine of Mayor Felix Roque.

Help us expose the lies and corruption of the administration of Mayor Felix Roque. Sent us any information you may have about corruption at city hall! Our email address is [email protected].

Also please be careful while at City Hall, our informer have alerted us of secret cameras installed throughout city hall by Mayor Felix Roque and Deputy Mayor Silvio Acosta.

I have received a great deal of email asking more about Deputy Mayor Silvio Acosta, here are some facts about West New York Political Boss Silvio Acosta.

1) Silvio Acosta is currently (as of this month) deputy mayor and chief of staff of the Town of West New York under current Mayor Felix Roque. He gets a salary as a chief of staff and he also gets another salary as a Deputy Mayor. (Double dipping, you can visit the clerk office in city hall and ask for the "West New York Salary Ordinance.") It will have the actual salary, but is over 100k adding both salaries. He drives around in a jeep that used to be assign to former Commissioner Gerry Lange. (Another failed promise, Mayor Roque said he will not use or allow his employees to use vehicles paid by tax payers.)

2) Silvio Acosta filed for bankruptcy on 1/5/1994 (reference State of New Jersey 2:94-bk-20063.)

3) Silvio Acosta bought 6608 Lincoln Place on December 7, 2004 for $270,000.(Reference here).

4) Silvio Acosta was fired in July 2009 by the administration of Mayor Sal Vega due to the illegal conversion of 6608 Lincoln Place to six families. Because the situation has not been abated, the fines have been mounting since the 2009 inspection, and as of yesterday totaled $500,857. (Reference here)

5) There are some rumors that Silvio Acosta was caught by the FBI taking money from developers to expedite construction permits back in 2009 but negotiated and was a key witness against convicted West New York Code Official  Franco Zanardelli. However we have not been able to find any document to back up this rumor. Most documents from the case of Zanardelli had been sealed by the courts. (If anyone has documents that can verify this rumor please forward it to us.) Let me clarify again for legal purposes that this is a rumor.

6) Mayor Roque appointed Silvio Acosta as a member of the Planning Board. Any developer or homeowner needs to get the clear from Boss Acosta to get the construction permits from city hall in West New York.

    It's one thing to endorse him, but I doubt (Roque) can deliver West New
York," said Sires. "I think he's a little naive about the political process.Roque is not your typical politician."
One of those famous political wags was asked whether Roque had a habit of
shooting from the hip when making a decision, and the response: "More like from the toes."

Read more here...

According to politickernj.com Mayor Felix Roque endorsed Republican Candidate for U.S. Senate Joe Kyrillos over Menendez. In the article Mayor Roque mentions he is a Democrat. Yet if you check the election campaign fund records from the state, you will find that in the last two year Mayor Roque donated more than $30k dollars to the Republican Party.  Also donations to Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney. I guess we caught you in another lie Mayor Roque. Should we sent you the change of party form?

Deputy Mayor Silvio Acosta, back in June 2011, lobbied Mayor Roque to assign a handicap parking space for his wife Edelma Acosta in front of their residence. Yet people within the administration opposed and Mayor Roque was pressure to remove it from the agenda. Check the agenda below from the meeting of June 15, 2011 item R7. By the way this was done a month after winning the municipal election. You can obtain the agenda from the official West New York website at  westnewyorknj.org, commissioner meeting, date June 15, 2011. We have attached a copy of the agenda to this post for your convenience. By the way Acosta's wife is very healthy!

In this photo taken on 2007 we can see the new town attorney Gilberto Garcia with Acosta. They had been friend for years. Acosta needed an ally in the administration of Mayor Roque to advance his agenda of corruption, so he convinced Mayor Roque that Julio Morejon was bad news. Julio Morejon the former attorney of West New York did not want to lose his license rubber stamping Acosta's agenda so he resigned from the position. Didn't Mayor Roque on a mailer sent during the election promised "to put the residents of West New York first - not his friends." I guess he meant all Acosta's friends.