A Passaic New Jersey Councilman, Jonathan Soto was convicted of bribery and extortion by a federal jury in Trenton in early June, according to an article by the Insurance Journal.
Soto accepted $44,000 in bribes from an undercover FBI insurance company. This was to aid in securing government contracts.
A jury found Soto guilty of extortion, accepting bribes and attempting drug possession. He was sentenced to 75 months in prison.
It was reported that Soto took bribes for himself, former Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera and former councilman Marcellus Jackson.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph Marra, quoted in a piece by the PolitickerNJ, said, “Soto joins the long line of politicians going to prison for putting public office up for sale.”