Appeals court affirms conviction of Newark cop in Watershed Corporation scandal

A year after former Newark police officer Janell Robinson was first sentenced for her part in a kickback scheme at the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation (NWCDC), the Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed her conviction and sentencing today.

On January 7, 2021, Robinson was convicted of steering around $50,000 to NWCDC Executive Director Linda Watkins Brashear, receiving around $289,000 from the NWCDC in return; Brashear is currently serving an eight-and-a-half month prison sentence for her part in the scheme.

According to a press release from U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger, Robinson appealed that ruling, “arguing that exculpatory evidence would have shown there could not have been any extortion under color of official right because the NWCDC was neither a government agency nor a department of the City of Newark.”

But the appeals court rejected Robinson’s argument and affirmed her sentence of nine years in prison, three years of supervised release, and forfeiture of $288,950.