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Newark Watershed Agency Under Federal Investigation

Cory Booker was mayor when wrongdoing took place

Newark Paquannock Watershed
Newark Paquannock Watershed / AP
October 16, 2014

The Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corp. is under federal investigation because its former executive director "recklessly abused taxpayer funds" during the time Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) was mayor, NewJersey.com reports.

Though Booker was mayor of Newark when the abuse of taxpayer funds took place, the senator has so far not been contacted about the investigation, according to NewJersey.com

The agency was subpoenaed in June for documents "related to a whole slew of activities of the Newark watershed."

Kanefsky also said he did not know whether federal investigators were looking into the activities of former Newark Mayor and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, (D-N.J.), who had served as the ex-officio chairman of the agency’s board. […]

The federal probe follows a scathing report issued in February by the state comptroller’s office, which alleged rampant mismanagement, corruption and abusive spending practices at the agency.

That investigation found that the agency’s former executive director, Linda Watkins-Brashear, received more than $600,000 in severance packages, and wrote more than $200,000 in unauthorized checks to herself.

Watkins-Brashear also awarded millions of dollars’ worth of no-bid contracts to her ex-husband, close personal associates and agency employees, the comptroller’s office said.

According to a report, Booker did not attend any meetings of the agency while the wrongdoing was taking place.

Published under: Cory Booker