NJ power broker Norcross' lawyers attack credibility of indictment

Lawyers for George Norcross and his co-defendants spent a second day ripping the credibility of New Jersey's attorney general after he indicted the Democratic power broker in what he called a years-long criminal enterprise.

They described the indictment as a "provocative" but flawed document that resurrects old allegations that other agencies declined to pursue. One characterized it as an "embarrassment" that won't hold up in court.

"I don't think there's any one fact that's new, that already wasn't hashed and rehashed over the years," Norcross attorney Michael Critchley said in an interview Tuesday.

"It's not based upon reality. It's not based upon new facts. It's based upon stale facts that have been tossed over," he added. "That's why we say it's a political vendetta."

State Attorney General Matt Platkin's office did not return a message seeking comment.

The indictment stretches back over a decade and covers areas that had been reported on by multiple news outlets over the years, such as Norcross and his associates' involvement in state tax credit awards in his native South Jersey and development deals along the Delaware River waterfront. A state task force investigated tax breaks in 2019, when Platkin was chief counsel for Gov. Phil Murphy, and issued a scathing report saying the state improperly awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits.

Authorities had looked into tax breaks years before and, in 2016, federal investigators in Pennsylvania tapped Norcross' phone. In 2018, the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey told Critchley in a letter that it looked into Norcross' connection to tax credits and "that no further action is warranted." The attorney general's office issued subpoenas related to tax credits in 2019, under a different attorney general, but charges weren't brought until Monday.

Lawyers for Norcross and his co-defendants questioned the lag.

"This has been looked at more times than 'Rocky' sequels — over and over and over and over and over — and nothing came of it," Critchley said. "And all of a sudden, Matt Platkin, who himself is trying to basically use his position to run for elected office ... just wanted a bank of reporters in front of him so he could have his press conference."

Platkin's indictment of Norcross is one of two extraordinary actions he's taken in recent months thrusting him into the spotlight. During the Senate Democratic primary, he took the rare step of weighing in on an election lawsuit that went against the interest of first lady Tammy Murphy, saying the state's infamous ballot line system was unconstitutional.

Now Platkin is among a crop of young Democrats who could play a significant role in transitioning New Jersey politics into a new era.

One of the other defense attorneys, Kevin Marino, dismissed Platkin's legal skills, saying he had little experience before becoming the state's top law enforcement official.

"And he has decided in his infinite wisdom, and based on his many minutes of experience, that he is going to bring this sort of an indictment. I cannot find a crime in here," he said.