~ Has the A.G. started drinking Red Bull? ~

In recent years, the State A.G.'s office was not seen as serious deterrent to political corruption. In fact, former A.G. "See No Evil Hear No Evil" Harvey, acting under the McGreevey administration, ended a probe which was expected to result in an indictment against Linden former Mayor John T. Gregorio.

The last couple of weeks, A.G. Anne Milgram, seems to be turning that lackluster reputation around a bit. There is some speculation that these latest indictments are for show and to boost Corzine's ratings. Maybe she's auditioning for NJ's next likely governor, Chris Christie. Whatever the reason, if Milgram continues on like this, could there be hope for NJ after all? Keep socking it to them.

A rundown of latest headlines:

● Assemblyman Joseph Vas (D-Perth Amboy) indicted on theft and bid rigging.

● Vas' driver, Anthony Jones, was charged with one count each of conspiracy and official misconduct, both in the second degree.


● Two long-time aides to former Perth Amboy Mayor Joseph Vas were also charged with soliciting fake contributions to the Democratic politician's failed congressional campaign. Melvin Ramos, 53, and Raymond Geneske, 73, both of Perth Amboy, were charged with conspiracy, official misconduct and money laundering for their roles in a scheme to inflate Vas' campaign war chest.

● Jeffrey D. Gumbs Sr., an aide to indicted former Perth Amboy Mayor Joseph Vas has pleaded guilty to helping steal funds from the city.

● Rosemary McClave, 66, of Hillside, campaign treasurer for former Assemblyman Neil Cohen, indicted on charges she stole more than $5,000 from Cohen's election fund.

● Antonio Santana, a campaign worker for Sen Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) indicted for changing votes on absentee ballots he collected during New Jersey's 2007 legislative election.

From PolitickerNJ.com today:

"Inside Edge

McClave indictment: Is it less about Neil Cohen and more about someone else?
By Wally Edge

Anne "Little Chris" Milgram has been on a roll lately, announcing six politically relevant indictments in the last two weeks. With the exception of Assemblyman Joseph Vas (D-Perth Amboy), the others are relatively minor players: Antonio Santana, who allegedly falsified three absentee ballots in Newark; former Perth Amboy Democratic Chairman Raymond Geneske; two former Vas aides, Melvin Ramos and Jeffrey Gumbs; and Rosemary McClave, the Treasurer for the and Neil Cohen's campaign treasurer.

There is some speculation that the indictment of the 66-year-old McClave might be more about her longtime political alliance with fellow Hillside resident Charlotte DeFilippo than about allegations that she used Cohen's campaign account to pay for $5,562 in personal expenses charged to an American Express card. According to published reports, Milgram's office has spent the last two years looking at top Union County officials, including DeFilippo, the Executive Director of the Union County Improvement Authority.

If McClave's indictment is unrelated to the Union County probe, it could be a harbinger of more investigations into campaign spending. Many campaign accounts report expenditures in the forms of checks to credit card companies without disclosing the actual expenses."