Montclair Man Admits Role in Defrauding Jersey City Condominium Owner in Elaborate Kickback Operation
An Essex County individual, Jonathan Smith, 56, from Montclair, New Jersey, has confessed to participating in a fraudulent kickback scheme, culminating in a $470,000 loss for a condominium complex owner in Jersey City. This admission was part of a statement released by U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.
Smith entered his guilty plea to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden, marking a pivotal moment in the ongoing investigation into the corrupt dealings that plagued the Jersey City condominium complex from November 2018 through July 2020.
The operation involved Smith, alongside his co-conspirators Nathaniel Obedos and Ranaldo Bennett, manipulating contracts and financial transactions to their advantage. Bennett, who managed the property, and Smith, the superintendent, were found to have directed repair and maintenance tasks to Obedos and his enterprise. This trio orchestrated a scheme where they inflated invoices for Obedos’s services, facilitating kickbacks funded by the overpayments from the condominium complex.