PHILADELPHIA - New Jersey officials are dropping charges against Democratic power broker George E. Norcross III, who authorities had accused of leading a criminal enterprise over the course of a dozen years to control Camden’s waterfront.
Prosecutors are also dropping the charges against five codefendants, including Norcross' brother Phillip, law firm CEO Parker McKay, attorney William Tambussi, former Camden Mayor Dana L. Redd, NFI CEO Sidney R. Brown, and residential development executive John J. O'Donnell.
What we know:
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced Tuesday that they would not be filing a petition for certification in the case nearly a year after a judge dismissed racketeering charges against Norcross.
"Our office has decided not to seek review from the New Jersey Supreme Court in State v. Norcross. In light of the Appellate Division’s decision, we have concluded that our prosecutorial resources would be best spent on other matters," the attorney general’s office said in a statement Tuesday.
Then-Attorney General Matthew Platkin charged Norcross and five codefendants in June of 2024 alleging Norcross threatened people whose properties he sought to take over and orchestrated tax incentive legislation to benefit organizations he controlled.
The backstory:
Norcross, a 69-year-old insurance executive, and all five of the codefendants had pleaded not guilty to racketeering charges in July 2024.
In February 2025, a state judge ruled the charges against all defendants "must be dismissed because its factual allegations do no constitute extortion or criminal coercion as a matter of law."
The judge’s ruling was appealed by the New Jersey Attorney General's office, and an appellate court issued a ruling in January that upheld the dismissal of the charges against Norcross and the five codefendants.