Deal, NJ – Dwek Made Nearly $200,000 in Campaign Contributions

Deal, NJ – The government’s key witness in a corruption case where public officials allegedly accepted cash bribes made nearly $200,000 in campaign donations to prominent Democratic and Republicans candidates and committees in New Jersey.

While some now say they’ll return his contributions or turn them over to charities, no politician made such promises three years ago when the witness was charged with bank fraud after allegedly passing a $25 million bad check.

Solomon Dwek, a rabbi’s son and would-be real estate mogul whose empire collapsed amid charges of fraud in 2006, was the “cooperating witness” whose work led to public corruption or international money-laundering charges against 44 people, including three mayors, two state assemblymen and five rabbis.

Before his real estate business dissolved, Dwek and his wife made more than $190,000 in campaign contributions from 1998 through 2006 to a broad array of political leaders, including Democratic members of Congress, Republican state senators, and both parties’ state committees. None of the recipients is accused of any wrongdoing.

Asked about the contributions this week by The Record, most recipients expressed surprise Dwek had given them money. Many said they would give the money to charity because of his role in last week’s scandal, even though the charges that led Dwek to become a government witness — he was accused of bank fraud after bouncing a $25 million check at a drive-up window — have been public since 2006.

But some recipients were argued there was no money to return.

“We’re not going to return the money,” said Alescia Teel, spokeswoman for the Democratic State Committee, got that $6,500 between 2000 and 2003. “This money was spent long ago.”

The same reply came from Mark Duffy, executive director of the Assembly Republican Victory Committee, which got $20,000 from Dwek and his wife in August 2005.

“That contribution was spent four years ago, so at this point there is nothing to refund or give to charity,” Duffy said. “If he had been under suspicion at the time, we certainly would not have accepted his donation.”

By contrast, the Republican State Committee will give the $51,000 it got from Dwek in 2004 and 2005 to a charity or several charities, spokesman Kevin Roberts said.

Other officials said they would get rid of Dwek’s money, including Rep. Frank J. Pallone, Jr., D-Long Branch, who got $18,900 from 2003 to 2005. Pallone has one of the largest campaign funds in Congress, worth more than $3.7 million.

State Sen. Jennifer Beck, R-Monmouth, remembered meeting Dwek at fund-raisers, but said he was known for giving both to Republicans and Democrats in Monmouth. She and her joint committee with Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon got $2,250 in 2005 election, and she received another $500 in February 2006.

“He was all over the place. At the time, nobody had any idea he was a bad guy. I wouldn’t have taken his money if I thought he was a bad person,” Beck said.

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., got $3,500 from Dwek between 2000 and 2004, when he served in the House leadership.

“I certainly don’t know the guy, and until you mentioned it I didn’t know we got a contribution from him,” Menendez said. Spokesman Afshin Mohamadi later said the money would be donated to the Greater New Jersey Alzheimer’s Association.

Dwek was charged in May 2006 with bank fraud. His last contributions in public records were made that March 31, to state Sen. Tom Kean Jr.’s campaign for U.S. Senate against Menendez.

Kean, now the minority leader in the state Senate, said through an aide the money would go to charity, but there’s one complication: His latest campaign finance report shows his U.S. Senate campaign account on June 30 had a cash balance of $863 and a debt of $120,000, representing loans Kean made to the campaign.

Kean entered 2007 with $250,000 in debts, however, and has raised money since then to pay himself back. An aide said his top priority for further contributions would be an $8,400 charitable donation.