Man Convicted of Offering $10,000 Bribe to CRDA Official

TRENTON – A South Jersey man was convicted at trial Oct. 9 of paying a bribe to an official of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) in an attempt to get a higher purchase price from the agency for his property in Atlantic City, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced in a release. The official immediately reported the crime. 
Anthony J. Christaldi, 70, of Court House was found guilty of second-degree bribery by a Cape May County jury following a four-day trial before Superior Court Judge Donna M. Taylor.  By its verdict, the jury found that Christaldi paid $10,000 as a bribe to an official who handles real estate purchases for the CRDA’s voluntary land bank program. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 4. 
Deputy Attorneys General Valerie Butler and Brian Uzdavinis tried the case for the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau, under the supervision of Deputy Attorney General Peter Lee, who is deputy bureau chief.  The lead detectives were Detective Paul Marfino and Detective John Sheeran, under the supervision of Lt. Robert Feriozzi Jr. Analyst Nathalie Kurzawa assisted at the trial. 
Christaldi contacted the CRDA in January 2014 about his desire to sell a property at 204 Atlantic Avenue to the agency for its redevelopment program.  He submitted paperwork proposing a $157,500 purchase price, which was rejected by the official involved in the case. Christaldi, who spoke to the official by phone, told her he would reduce the price to $75,000 and would submit new paperwork seeking an expedited sale. It is alleged that Christaldi subsequently delivered an envelope to the official containing the required paperwork, along with $1,000 in cash and a note indicating that if a sales price of $105,000 were approved for the lot, representing $30 per square foot, he would pay her an additional $9,000 in cash, or if a price of $40 per square foot were approved, he would pay her $15,000. The official immediately alerted the legal department of the CRDA, which alerted the Division of Criminal Justice. In a subsequent undercover investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice, Christaldi allegedly delivered $9,000 on Jan. 16, 2014 to a man who he believed was the brother of the CRDA official, but who in fact was an undercover detective. Detectives stopped Christaldi’s car and arrested him after he left the convenience store where he delivered the cash. 
“We vigorously prosecute not only corrupt public officials, but also private citizens who try to bribe public servants and solicit corrupt behavior,” stated Acting Attorney General Hoffman in a release. “Christaldi assumed the official he encountered would shell out more public funds for his benefit, as long as she got a cut. But she did the right thing by helping us to ensure that he will face justice.” 
“Those who seek to bribe public officials pose a serious threat to the integrity of government,” stated Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice in a release. “These cases are a top priority for us, and, as here, we will take aggressive investigative action, including undercover action, to detect and prosecute corruption offenses.” 
Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000.