Former New Jersey Councilman Gets 6 Years in Insurance Sting
A former councilman from Passaic, New Jersey has been sentenced to more than six years in prison after being convicted of corruption.
Jonathan Soto will serve 75 months in federal prison.
A jury found him guilty in February of extortion, accepting bribes and attempted drug possession.
Prosecutors say Soto, former Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera and former Passaic Councilman Marcellus Jackson accepted more than $40,000 in bribes from an undercover FBI insurance company.
The bribes were in exchange for assistance in gaining government contracts for the company.
One of Soto’s convictions was for soliciting $10,000 from a city employee in exchange for a civil service promotion.
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