Anthony R. Suarez is a New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

 attorney

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 and has served as Mayor of Ridgefield, New Jersey

Mayor of Ridgefield, New Jersey

Mayor of Ridgefield, New Jersey*Anthony R. Suarez 2004 to present. He was arrested in Operation Bid Rig.*Alexander Shaler 1899 to 1901.*W. B. Pugh circa 1895 for 2 terms, he was the first mayor....

 since 2004.

Biography

Suarez was born in Englewood, New Jersey

Englewood, New Jersey

Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...

 and was raised in Ridgefield. He graduated from Ridgefield Memorial High School

Ridgefield Memorial High School

Ridgefield Memorial High School is a comprehensive, four-year public high school located in Ridgefield, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Ridgefield School District....

 in 1984. He then attended Saint Peter's College in Jersey City

Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...

, graduating with a B.A.

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 degree in 1988. He received a J.D.

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 degree from Fordham University School of Law

Fordham University School of Law

Fordham University School of Law is a part of Fordham University in the United States. The School is located in the Borough of Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city.-Overview:According to the U.S. News & World Report, 1,516 J.D. students attend...

 in 1993.

He was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1993 and the New York Bar in 1994. He is currently an attorney at the Fort Lee

Fort Lee, New Jersey

Fort Lee is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 35,345. Located atop the Hudson Palisades, the borough is the western terminus of the George Washington Bridge...

 law firm Dario Yacker Suarez & Albert.

Suarez was elected to the Ridgefield Borough Council in 1998, and was reelected to the Council in 2001. He was elected Mayor in 2003 and was reelected in 2007. He is the first elected Latino mayor in the history of Bergen County

Bergen County, New Jersey

Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...

 and the second Democratic mayor in the history of Ridgefield.

Operation Bid Rig

On July 23, 2009, Suarez was arrested as part of Operation Bid Rig

Operation Bid Rig

Operation Bid Rig is an ongoing, long-term investigation into political corruption in New Jersey conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey since 2002...

, a joint operation of the FBI

Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...

, IRS

Internal Revenue Service

The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...

, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey

United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey

The U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey is the chief federal law enforcement officer in New Jersey. Paul J. Fishman was sworn into office as U.S. Attorney on October 14, 2009 after having been nominated by President Barack Obama. He succeeded Ralph J. Marra, who served as Acting U.S....

 into political corruption

Political corruption

Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...

 and money laundering

Money laundering

Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...

. Suarez was charged with accepting a $10,000 cash bribe from an FBI informant through a middleman, Vincent Tabbachino, for assistance in arranging approvals to develop properties in Ridgefield.

Though the two other mayors implicated in the sting operation, Peter Cammarano

Peter Cammarano

Peter J. Cammarano III was the 37th Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, serving from July 1, 2009, to July 31, 2009. He was born in Wayne, New Jersey and attended Boston University and Seton Hall University School of Law...

 of Hoboken

Hoboken, New Jersey

Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...

 and Dennis Elwell

Dennis Elwell (politician)

Dennis P. Elwell served as Mayor of Secaucus, New Jersey from 2000 until July 28, 2009, when he resigned after allegations of political corruption.-Biography:...

 of Secaucus

Secaucus, New Jersey

Secaucus is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 16,264. Located within the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is the most suburban of the county's municipalities, though large parts of the town are dedicated to light manufacturing, retail, and...

, resigned following their arrests, Suarez rebuffed calls for his resignation, including from Governor Jon Corzine

Jon Corzine

Jon Stevens Corzine is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and of MF Global, and a one time American politician, who served as the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. A Democrat, Corzine served five years of a six-year U.S. Senate term representing New Jersey before being elected Governor...

. On August 3, 2009, Corzine launched an investigation into whether the State of New Jersey should seize control of Ridgefield's finances. Targeting Ridgefield, Corzine also signed an Executive Order freezing development approvals in municipalities with chief executives facing corruption charges who have not resigned from office.

Suarez was acquitted on all charges on October 27, 2010.

External links

• Suarez & Tabbachino criminal complaint, United States Department of Justice
  United States Department of Justice
  The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
  
  , July 23, 2009