HUDSON COUNTY INSPECTOR ARRESTED AFTER INITIATING AND ACCEPTING BRIBE AT CONSTRUCTION SITE

Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez has released the following information:

The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Public Integrity Unit, Special Investigations Section in conjunction with the Special Investigations Unit of the Bayonne Police Department, arrested and charged Hudson County roads inspector Barry Smith with bribery, theft by extortion and official misconduct charges following an investigation.

Smith, 52, of Bayonne, was arrested in the afternoon on Thursday, May 21, 2020 after he asked for and accepted a cash payment to delete any violations he may have issued regarding a construction project in the area of Kennedy Boulevard and 15th Street in Bayonne.

Smith has been charged with Bribery in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:27-2D, a crime of the second-degree; Theft By Extortion in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:20-5D, a crime of the second-degree; and two counts of Official Misconduct in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:30-2A – one being a crime of the second-degree and one of the third-degree. The charges against Smith also allege he previously accepted a similar cash payment in December of 2019.

Prosecutor Suarez credited the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office HCPO Public Integrity Unit, Special Investigations Section and the Special Investigations Unit of the Bayonne Police Department with the investigation and arrest.

Any other individuals who may be victims of Barry Smith should contact the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Public Integrity Unit, Special Investigations Section at 201-795-6400, ext. 6724 or ext. 6727.

The above charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. R.P .C.3.6(b)(6).