Federal prosecutors charged two former directors of the Hudson County Department of Parks and Community Services this week with accepting bribes and kickbacks from a county contractor in exchange for steering government contracts.
Thomas A. DeLeo, 76, of Little Silver, who served as Parks Department Director from approximately 2016 until December 2021, pleaded guilty on March 5 before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Russell Fallacara, 58, of Bayonne, who served as Parks Department Director from approximately January 2022 through February 2024, made his initial appearance on March 20 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andre M. Espinosa on charges of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Fallacara was released on bond.
According to court documents, beginning in or around 2019, DeLeo accepted bribes and kickbacks from William A. Murray, owner of Murray Paving and Concrete, LLC, in exchange for approving contracts and fraudulently inflated invoices submitted by Murray Paving to Hudson County. In or about 2020, DeLeo received a bag containing between approximately $60,000 and $90,000 in cash. Murray also completed hundreds of thousands of dollars in free home renovations for DeLeo and his associates. The total value of bribes and kickbacks received by DeLeo exceeded $550,000…