CLARK — Sal Bonaccorso, who was sworn in last week to his seventh term as the mayor of Clark, pled guilty to charges of official misconduct and forgery in state Superior Court on Friday.

Bonaccorso agreed to step down from his newly-reelected position immediately and will forfeit the right to hold any public office or employment in the future as part of a conditional plea bargain. Bonaccorso will likely avoid jail time for using public resources to benefit his privately-owned landscaping company, but could still be subject to three years of probation, fines of up to $15,000 and other penalties.

Sentencing is scheduled for next month.

Bonaccorso, who waived his Constitutional right to a trial by jury Friday, admitted to signing an engineer’s name to certain permits related to underground storage-tank-removal services and to asking township employees to send faxes or emails about his business from their municipal offices.

“As charged, the time spent by these employees amounted to less than $200,” Bonaccorso’s attorneys said via public statement.

Katie Moen
GUILTY…Clark Mayor Sal Bonaccorso pled guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit official misconduct and forgery. He immediately resigned from office and will be permanently barred from holding public office and public employment.

When questioned by Superior Court Judge Lisa Miralles Walsh as to whether he knew that these actions were illegal, Bonaccorso replied, “I do now.”

Bonaccorso’s landscaping company, Bonaccorso & Son LLC, will also be barred from holding public contracts for five years and may not perform any type of storage-tank-removal services for three years.

“Today’s guilty plea secured by Office of Public Integrity and Accountability ends a long and sad betrayal of the community by someone who had been in a position of power and trust for a long time,” said Attorney General Matthew Platkin, who spearheaded the three-year-long investigation that ultimately brought Bonaccorso to court. “Anyone who betrays the public’s trust by placing their own interests ahead of their duty as a public servant to New Jersey residents will be held accountable.”

Bonaccorso’s attorneys said Friday that his decision to waive his Constitutional right to a trial by jury was made after he was recently diagnosed with an aortic aneurism that will ultimately require surgery to correct.

“It has been an honor to serve the people of Clark for 25 years,” Bonaccorso told Union County HAWK on Friday. “I will still be an advocate for the community and the people that live there. When I ran for reelection, I fully expected to serve the four-year term, but I will have to reverse my course.”

Clark Council President Angel Albanese will be sworn in as the township’s new mayor during the next regular meeting of the governing body, scheduled to be held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 21.

Requests for comment by the township as to the current status of the office were not returned at the time of publication.