State appeals court upholds lower court decision that threw out criminal charges against Norcross, others.

The state court Appellate Division announced Friday that it has upheld a lower court's decision to dismiss the New Jersey Attorney General's criminal charges of alleged racketeering and other crimes by political power broker George E. Norcross III and his associates.

The state had appealed the decision last February by state Superior Court Judge Peter E. Warshaw Jr. The appeals panel was composed of judges Greta Gooden Brown, Lisa Rose and Ellen Torregrossa-O'Connor.

Much of the Appellate Division's decision focused on the timeliness of the charges – stating that the attorney general's indictment fell beyond the five-year statute of limitations for the alleged wrongdoing.

The six who were named in the state's indictment and "purported members of the alleged Norcross Enterprise," according to the appeals court decision:

• Norcross, of Palm Beach, Fl. He is chairman of the board of trustees for Cooper Health, which operates Cooper University Hospital and its associated offices. Norcross also is executive chairman of the insurance firm of Conner, Strong & Buckelew (CSB).
• Dana L. Redd, of Sicklerville. She was mayor of Camden from 2010 to 2018 and now is CEO and president of the nonprofit Camden Community Partnership.
• Philip A. Norcross,  of Philadelphia, who is Norcross' brother. He serves on the board of Cooper Health, is managing shareholder and CEO of the Parker McCay law firm.
• William M. Tambussi, of Brigantine. He is a lawyer and partner at the Haddon Township law firm of Brown and Connery and the longtime personal attorney for George Norcross.  Tambussi has served as outside counsel to Cooper Health, the city of Camden, the Camden Redevelopment Agency and Conner Strong.
• Sidney R. Brown, of Philadelphia. He is the CEO of NFI, a Camden-based trucking and logistics company, and also serves on the board of Cooper Health.
• John J. O'Donnell, of Newtown, Pennsylvania. He is the former CEO of The Michaels Organization, a Camden-based residential development company that is overseeing the new Ablett Village construction and other major affordable housing projects in Camden. 

The 92-page appeals court decision delved deeply into historical legal cases that the court stated were related to the Norcross indictment.

Charges in the 2024 case, led by former Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, concerned the development of Camden's waterfront, tax credits and pressures Norcross and his associates put on others, particularly Philadelphia developer Carl Dranoff, whose company owned the Radio Lofts residential building in Camden. 

"Distilled to its essence, the (lower) court was persuaded overall that the facts alleged nothing more than non-criminal 'hard bargaining,'" the appellate panel wrote in its opinion. 

But the lateness of the attorney general's indictment beyond the five-year statute of limitations for many of the alleged crimes was a key failing in the state's case, according to the appellate decision. 

"Most of the charges must have continued after June 13, 2019, except the official misconduct charges (against Redd), which must have continued after June 13, 2017," the decision stated. 

The state has 45 days to appeal to the New Jersey Supreme Court.