时事新闻:美国新泽西州三市长涉嫌腐败被捕

【英文原文】

44 Charged In NJ Corruption,Money-Laundering Probe

摘要：新泽西州从来不缺少腐败丑闻，但昨天曝出的这起丑闻即便以该州的标准来看都令人惊讶。

New Jersey has never been short of corruption scandals, but the one that unfolded yesterday was surprising even by the standards of the state that inspired 'The Sopranos.'

Federal agents swept across New Jersey and New York on Thursday, charging 44 people -- including mayors, rabbis, and even one alleged trafficker in human kidneys -- in a decadelong investigation into public corruption and international money-laundering.

The key to the investigation: a real-estate developer who became an informant after being arrested on bank-fraud charges in 2006, according to a person familiar with the case. The developer, Solomon Dwek, wore a wire for the Federal Bureau of Investigation while offering to bribe New Jersey mayors and other public officials, that person said.

A lawyer for Mr. Dwek didn't respond to requests for comment.

The arrests in the public-corruption portion of the probe included the Democratic mayors of Hoboken and Secaucus, Peter Cammarano III and Dennis Elwell; Republican state Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt; and Democrat Leona Beldini, the deputy mayor of Jersey City.

A woman who picked up the phone at Mr. Van Pelt's office said, 'Mr. Van Pelt was arrested today and is out of the office.' His lawyer declined to comment.

Mr. Cammarano's lawyer said he 'intends to plead innocent because he is innocent.'

At the arraignment, Ms. Beldini said she didn't violate taxpayers' trust and declined to comment further while leaving the courthouse. Mr. Elwell and his lawyer declined to comment.

Arrests on the investigation's money-laundering side include several rabbis in New York and New Jersey, said to Ralph Marra Jr., acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey. The arrestees were arraigned in federal court in New Jersey Thursday afternoon.

【中文译文】

新泽西州从来不缺少腐败丑闻，但昨天曝出的这起丑闻即便以该州的标准来看都令人惊讶。

美国联邦特工周四出击新泽西和纽约各地，在一次为期10年的政府腐败和国际洗钱案调查中起诉了44人，这其中包括数位市长、犹太教教士、甚至还有一名涉嫌贩卖人体肾脏的人。

这起调查案的线索是：据一位知情人士透露，一名地产开发商在2006年因为银行诈骗指控被捕后，提供了诸多信息。该人士透露，这名开发商德鲁克(Solomon Dwek)在向新泽西市长和其他公共官员行贿的时候，身上带有联邦调查局(FBI)提供的录音设备。

德鲁克的律师没有回复记者的置评要求。

在调查的政府腐败案部分，被捕的人员包括了两位民主党市长霍博肯市市长卡马拉诺(Peter Cammarano III)和锡考克斯市市长埃尔维尔(Dennis Elwell)；共和党州议员佩尔特(Daniel Van Pelt)；泽西市副市长、民主党人贝尔蒂尼(Leona Beldini)。

记者致电佩尔特办公室，一位接电话的女士表示，佩尔特今日已被捕，现在不在办公室。佩尔特的律师拒绝置评。

卡马拉诺的律师表示，卡马拉诺计划申诉无罪，他是无辜的。

贝尔蒂尼在传讯中表示，她没有辜负纳税人的信任，并在离开法院时拒绝进一步置评。埃尔维尔和他的律师均拒绝置评。

据美国新泽西州代理检察官马拉(Ralph Marra)表示，在洗钱案部分，被捕的人员包括纽约和新泽西的几位犹太教教士。被捕人员周四下午在新泽西州一家联邦法庭接受了传讯。