Trial of former Newark mayor digs up new allegations on property sales

Prosecutors in the federal corruption trial of former Newark mayor Sharpe James allege that he asked city development officials to secretly provide him with information on their correspondence with city council members regarding the sale of municipal properties. With the information, prosecutors allege that James arranged for his girlfriend Tamika Riley to purchase and resell the property. Between 2001 and 2005, Ray bought nine city-owned parcels for $46,000, and resold them for $665,000. James’ defense attorneys argue that the land deals are not the mayor’s responsibility, and were approved by city council in an attempt to spur redevelopment.