South Jersey Democratic power broker George Norcross on Tuesday filed a request to dismiss the racketeering indictment brought against him and five co-defendants, arguing that no crimes were committed.
The motion is the first substantive legal filing that responds to many of the allegations from the 111-page indictment announced by New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin in June . The indictment alleges that Norcross and the five co-defendants in the case participated in a scheme to illegally gain property and rights in Camden, a long-struggling city across the river from Philadelphia, and weaponizing city government to muscle out rival developers.
Attorneys for Norcross and the other co-defendants argued that even if all the facts mentioned in the indictment are true — and Norcross’ team suggested they do not agree on all the facts — they do not amount to crimes but were just business as usual.
Instead of extortion, the filing said, the defendants engaged in “ordinary economic bargaining among sophisticated businessmen.” Instead of official misconduct from government officials, the attorneys argued, there was “only routine politics.”