Former Springfield school board president Irwin Sablosky today admitted that he bribed former Assemblyman Carmelo Garcia (D-Hoboken) to acquire and then redevelop properties owned by the city of Newark.
Garica was deputy mayor of Newark and director of the Newark Department of Economic and Housing Development when he accepted cash and jewelry from Sablosky, the owner of a Newark pawn shop, William Rich and Sons, to help him secure a redevelopment agreement.
Garcia, a former Newark Community Economic Development Corporation official pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in June.
U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said that Sablosky “corrupted the public official’s independent judgment and violated the public trust for his own financial gain.”
Sablosky was charged in October 2021. His plea today was to two counts of honest services fraud and bribery.
He faces 20 years in prison, although prosecutors more typically recommend a lighter sentence to first-time offenders like Sablosky who admit their guilt. U.S. District Court Judge Madeline Cox Arleo will sentence Sablosky in February.
“Irwin Sablosky’s selfish actions and severe abuse of power violated the public trust and risked jeopardizing the integrity of the federal process for fair and honest acquisitions of government-owned properties to further his own self interests,” said Vicky Vazque, a special agent with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Inspector General’s office.
Jenifer Piovesan, the special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation field office in Newark, said that “by bribing a government official, Mr. Sablosky undermined the best interests of his community and threatened the confidence its citizens have in those that take an oath to serve the public.”
An indictment is still pending against another alleged briber, Frank Valvano, who is Sablosky’s business partner.
In June 2018, prosecutors claim Garcia received an envelope with $25,000 in cash given to him by Valvano through an intermediary in the restroom of a Newark restaurant. Five days later, Newark approved the designation of Valvano and Sablosky as the developers of two properties through limited liability companies they owned.
The government alleged that Sablosky sent a text message to Valvano on April 13, 2019 about a meeting he had with Garcia the day before and giving the former assemblyman an extra $5,000.
Sablosky said that Garcia “showed up [at] 5pm last night” to discuss another “RDA” he and Valvano wanted to buy from the city, prosecutors said.
“Any mention of $$,” Valvano texted.
Sablosky responded, “He [Garcia] didn’t just come to visit!! Lol. He got another 5,” referring to the $5,000 payment. Sablosky also told Valvano, “When you get back we have to add everything and sit down with him [Garcia]. I want to get these RDAs through before we start rocking the boat.”