Charges added against two local developers

A superseding indictment was returned on March 20 against two Mon-mouth County developers, adding allegations that they paid $60,000 in bribes to the former mayor of Marlboro to gain planning approvals for a development, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie announced.

According to a press release from Christie, the superseding indictment adds the new allegations in Count 12, which charges Steven Meiterman and Bernard Meiterman, who are brothers, with bribery of a public official. The charge carries a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The Meitermans will have to appear in federal court for arraignment on the indictment on a date to be set. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton.

According to the new indictment, the Meitermans were seeking Planning Board approvals to build Rosemont Estates, a 242-unit adult community in Marlboro - a real estate development valued at more than $100 million in gross receipts. The former mayor, who is not specifically named in the new indictment, was a member of the Planning Board.

Matthew Scannapieco was Marlboro's mayor at the time covered by the indictment.

In April 2002, the Meitermans and an unnamed businessman involved in the Rosemont Estates project allegedly agreed to induce the former mayor to support the pending final approval of the development, according to the press release.

The arrangement between the three allegedly called for the unnamed businessman to provide a check to Bernard Meiterman, an attorney, for $30,000, while the Meitermans would pay the entire $60,000, which was to be paid to the former mayor in monthly cash installments of $2,500.

To conceal the corrupt agreement, Bernard Meiterman allegedly gave the businessman a fraudulent bill for $30,000 for "legal services" plus $338.34 in "disbursements." The new indictment alleges that the bill was not for legal services but as false justification for the businessman's payment of half of the $60,000 in bribe money, according to the press release.