Ex-Hoboken mayor gets his N.Y. law license back

A former Hoboken mayor who was arrested three weeks after taking office for accepting a bribe has paid his debt to society and now has his law license back.

Peter Cammarano spent two years in a federal prison for taking $25,000 in cash from government informant Solomon Dwek on July 23, 2009, as part of Operation Bid Rig, a massive FBI corruption probe that involved political corruption, money laundering, and even the illegal trafficking of human organs.   Cammarano resigned 23 days into his term.

As a result of the conviction, Cammarano was disbarred in New Jersey and New York.

A panel of New York judges approved Cammarano’s application last week, finding that he has revealed “genuine remorse for his conduct.”

“He does not seek to minimize his conduct, but rather acknowledged the gravity of it, particularly its impact on not only him, but also his family, his former constituents, and the public at large,” the judicial panel stated.

Cammarano said in his application that his reinstatement would allow him to better serve his consulting business, which helps prepare people for incarceration, and that at least one attorney has indicated a desire to hire him.

After one term as a city councilman, Cammarano defeated Dawn Zimmer in a Hoboken mayoral runoff by 161 votes.  At age 31, he became the youngest mayor in the city’s history.

After Cammarano’s resignation, Zimmer, as city council president, became the mayor.  She remained in office until her retirement in 2017.