Vas Hesitates On Plea

(Reprinted from Amboy Beacon, Nov. 24, 2010)

FREEHOLD — A patient Monmouth County Superior Court Judge finally convinced

the wavering former Perth Amboy Mayor Joseph Vas last week to take a

plea-deal offered by the state Attorney General’s Office that could

drastically-reduce his prison time.

Vas hesitated several times throughout the afternoon, apparently not

wanting to admit that he committed several crimes — a requirement when you enter a

guilty-plea — but did eventually agree to accept the deal.

As a result of the delays by Vas, the Monmouth County Courthouse had to be

kept-open after-hours, and the Judge, Court personnel and Sheriff’s officers

assigned to the courtroom had to stay late. Even Assignment Judge Lawrence

Lawson stopped-by.

Vas and his longtime Mayor’s Aide Melvin Ramos quietly entered Monmouth

County Superior Court, Freehold, Thursday for their scheduled date with Judge

Anthony Mellaci Jr.

Under terms outlined by Deputy Attorney General Diane Deal, Vas would plead

guilty to two counts of Pattern of Official Misconduct and one count each

of Theft and Money-Laundering in exchange for an eight-year prison sentence,

of which he must serve five years before becoming eligible for parole.

The sentence for the state charges would run concurrently with any prison

term Vas receives for his Oct. 8 conviction in U.S. District Court, Newark,

when he is sentenced by Judge Susan Wigenton in March.

Vas was convicted for using his influence as Mayor to make a $290,000

profit from the sale of an apartment building by promising the buyer $350,000 in

state affordable housing funds and accepting illegal campaign contributions

for his 2006 campaign for the Democratic nomination in the 13th

Congressional District.

The remaining 24 counts against the former Mayor in the two state

indictments would be dismissed under the plea-deal.

In a similar deal, Ramos would plead guilty to one count each of

Money-Laundering and Conspiracy in exchange for a seven-year prison sentence, of which

he must serve about a year and four months before becoming eligible for

parole.

The sentence for the state charges would run concurrently with any prison

term Ramos receives for his Oct. 8 federal conviction for accepting illegal

campaign contributions for the Vas 2006 Congressional campaign when he is

sentenced by Wigenton in March.

The remaining 10 counts against Ramos in the two state indictments would be

dismissed under the plea-deal.

Two weeks earlier, Mellaci had explained all of this — plus the

alternatives should they decide to reject the state’s offer and go to trial instead —

to Vas, Ramos and Vas’s “workout partner” Anthony Jones, a city employee

who was not charged under the federal indictment. Jones, who did not appear

because his attorney is involved with another case, will return on another

date to be set.

Ramos quickly accepted the plea-deal in the morning, but Vas got-up and

left Mellaci’s courtroom after the Judge would not allow another two-week delay

for Vas to make-up his mind.

Mellaci outlined the consequences Vas could face by not accepting the

state’s offer and going to trial.

“If you agree to a trial and are found guilty, I may not sentence you to

concurrent terms,” he told Vas. “I’m talking substantial time.”

After learning that Vas had left the Courthouse in the middle of the day,

Mellaci threatened to set a $1 million bail. Both Vas and Ramos had been

released without bail after they were indicted.

The former Mayor returned to the courtroom at 3:35 p.m., when he told the

Judge that he would not take the plea-deal but needed more time.

Mellaci seemed ready to order that the deadline for the plea had passed

when Vas defense attorney Alan Zegas informed the Judge that his client was

once-again ready to accept the plea-deal.

In his elocution (statement describing the crimes he committed), Vas did

not simply outline what it was that he did that formed a basis for pleading

guilty, but had to be questioned by Deal — and sometimes by Zegas —

point-by-point.

With that process, the former Mayor admitted to a string of criminal

offenses, but balked at admitting he had used $289 in city funds to pay-for

refreshments at his father’s funeral, blaming others.

“In memory of my father, I cannot accept responsibility for doing that,”

Vas declared.

Mellaci was satisfied that the former Assemblyman had testified to enough

to sustain his plea to a Pattern of Official Misconduct, a law Vas had

sponsored in the Assembly.