The Record from Hackensack, New Jersey • A4

NEW JERSEY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2008 A-4 THE RECORD Lawyer: No evidence James broke law By JEFFREY GOLD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Jury to get ex-Newark mayor's fraud case today lawyers, noting that one admitted he failed to tell Riley that she was required to rehabilitate properties before selling them. In a rebuttal argument, Assistant U.S. Attorney Perry Primavera asked the jury to think who benefited from the land deals, and suggested it was not the residents of Newark. Instead, Riley made money and James got a girlfriend, Primavera said. All the evidence must be considered, Primavera said, adding, "This is not a case where we have a star witness who is going to lay out everything for you." His argument was heard by state Attorney General Anne Milgram, who sat in a front row.

U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie had listened to his attorney's closing on Monday. Prosecutors have claimed Riley was unqualified to participate in the redevelopment program because she lacked experience and had little money. NEWARK Federal prosecutors presented no evidence that former Newark Mayor Sharpe James participated in sweetheart land sales to a girlfriend, his defense lawyer told a federal jury at his corruption trial on Tuesday.

James is accused of arranging for the sale of nine city-owned properties at a discounted rate of $46,000 to Tamika Riley from 2001 to 2005. Riley quickly sold them for $665,000 without ever starting required rehabilitation work on most of them, prosecutors said. James, 72, and Tamika Riley, 39, both face fraud and conspiracy charges. Riley also is charged with tax evasion. Jurors are to begin deliberations today after getting instructions from U.S.

District Judge William J. Martini. Among the 33 prosecution witnesses, "not one witness has testified that Sharpe James was involved in any wrongdoing whatsoever," lawyer Thomas Ashley said in his summation. No evidence showed that James assisted Riley or even had knowledge of her transactions, the lawyer added. The defense for James has stressed that the Newark City Council, not the mayor, had final approval over the sales and set standard prices, which were paid by Riley.

Ashley presented only two witnesses, both members of the council, who said James never tried to influence their decisions. Accusing prosecutors of misusing their power with a mistake-ridden indictment, Ashley said of James, "He stands here as a leopard against a lion. A leopard is tough, but is no match for a lion." "She didn't get any special treatment, she wasn't handed the keys to the city, she went through the process," Krovatin said. He also maintained that the affair lasted just six months, to the fall of 2002, citing testimony from two of Riley's longtime friends. Prosecutors presented witnesses who suggested the affair lasted several years, with one saying it started around 2000 and went to 2006.

Krovatin charged that Riley was swept up by the federal investigation only because of her relationship with the mayor. "It's an outrage that the Sharpe James case has become the Tamika Riley trial," he said. "This woman has had an autopsy done on her life." Krovatin also blamed Riley's real estate JAMES RILEY He urged an acquittal, calling James "a beacon of hope for every single person in the city of Newark." Riley lawyer Gerald Krovatin also urged an acquittal, and denied that she was favored by city functionaries because of her "intimate" relationship with James, a married man. Essex County politicians endorse Lautenberg ASSOCIATED PRESS Animal control workers preparing to enter a Barnegat house where police this week found dozens of dead dogs, cats, rodents and turtles. AROUND THE STATE FAA picks overseer for metro air traffic A former Sept.

11 rebuilding official has been tapped to be the new "czar" for local airports -supervising the overcrowded airspace around New York and New Jersey airports. Marie Kennington-Gardiner of Staten Island was named Tuesday as the director of the Federal Aviation Administration's New York Integration Office. That's a new title designed to help solve the chronic delays among the three major metro area airports: Kennedy, La Guardia, and Newark Liberty. Delays at the three airports often cause cascading delays across the country, and last year the nation had some of the worst overall backups on record. Man held in fatal attack at casino MAYS LANDING A Georgia man accused of stabbing a fellow casino patron to death in a parking garage over the weekend following a dispute at a poker table was ordered held on $500,000 bail Tuesday.

Vicente Perez, 57, is charged with aggravated manslaughter, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in the stabbing death of Arthur Prince, 61, of Toms River. Authorities say Perez began arguing with Prince inside the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City on Saturday. They stepped out of the casino and into the valet parking area of the garage, where authorities allege that Perez stabbed Prince in the left cheek, severing his ASSOCIATED PRESS State Senate President Richard J. Codey discussing Essex County officials' support for U.S. Sen.

Frank Lautenberg's run for reelection. With Codey were Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker, left; East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser, second from right; and Rep. Donald Payne, D-Newark, right. bcO Clear Eyes RX Police find house full of dead animals BARNEGAT Police have arrested two people after finding about 50 dead animals in their house near the New Jersey Shore.

Matthew and Amanda Teymant turned themselves in to police Monday after hearing of the third degree animal abuse charges against them. They each posted $25,000 bail Tuesday. Lt. Pat Shaffery, with the Barnegat police, said animal control officers found the decaying remains of dogs, cats, rodents and turtles in the home. Shaffery said neighbors estimated the house had been abandoned for one to four months.

A locksmith with a financial institution discovered the remains Monday morning while changing the locks on the home. From news service reports carotid artery and causing him to bleed to death. State panel studies municipal mergers TRENTON A new state commission is studying which New Jersey towns and cities should merge. The commission met Tuesday for the first time since being created last year to try to control New Jersey's property taxes, the highest in the nation. The panel would ask voters to merge municipalities to try to cut local government costs.

But it can't penalize those that refuse. New Jersey has 566 municipalities, the most per square mile of any state. History shows voters balk at mergers. The state has had only two since 1952. No additional meetings are scheduled, but officials say a Web site for the commission will be up shortly.

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