The Jersey City Independent "

When Lou Manzo appeared in federal court in Newark last Wednesday with his brother Ron, he was looking to have the federal corruption case against them thrown out altogether. But as it turns out, they — and several others rounded up in the federal government’s 2009 probe — will have to wait a little bit longer for an outcome.

- Corruption Ruling: A federal appeals court has upheld an earlier ruling that says Ron and Lou Manzo can’t be charged with selling access to a public official, since they did not hold public office at the time of their arrests on federal corruption charges. The ruling could lead to a ripple effect of others [...]

- Manzo Trial: Comments and questions by federal appeals judges yesterday seemed to suggest that the panel will uphold a lower judge’s ruling that resulted in dismissal of four of six counts against former Jersey City mayoral candidate Louis Manzo and his brother Ronald Manzo. – Keeping Panasonic in NJ: Panasonic Corp. of North America [...]

- Manzo Case: Federal appellate judges in Philadelphia will hear arguments today in an appeal filed by federal prosecutors in New Jersey seeking to overturn the dismissal of four of six corruption charges faced by former Jersey City assemblyman and perennial mayoral hopeful Lou Manzo. – Habitat for Humanity Fights with a JC-Based Contractor: Habitat [...]

- Manzo’s Limbo: While former Assemblyman and perennial mayoral candidate Lou Manzo has — for now — beaten the extortion charge he’s facing as part of last summer’s political corruption sweep, he tells Bob Braun he’s in a state of limbo. “It just puts everything on hold,” he says. “It extends the misery.” Manzo tells [...]

- The Latest in the Manzos’ Corruption Case: Attorneys for former Jersey City Assemblyman Louis Manzo and his brother Ronald Manzo have submitted a brief arguing that a U.S. District Court judge was right in dropping four charges against them. The document is a response to the U.S. Attorney’s office, which argued in a brief [...]

On the morning of July 23, 2009, federal agents began knocking on doors all over Jersey City, arresting politicians and other public officials and taking them to the federal courthouse in Newark. The process of bringing the accused to trial has progressed slowly throughout the last year; a year that has brought resignation, death, court [...]

- 5-Year-Old Shot: A 5-year-old girl was shot in the neck Friday night at the Montgomery Gardens housing complex in Jersey City. She will undergo surgery today to remove the bullet, which pierced her neck and hit her spine. An 18-year-old Jersey City man has been charged in connection with the shooting. – Murder Conviction [...]

- County Open Space Funding Cut: The Hudson County freeholders have approved a resolution setting the open space tax this year at roughly one-tenth of a penny, which should raise $695,215 — only enough to cover the debt service on current projects. – Bedridden Woman Left Alone to Die: A 33-year-old bedridden and mentally disabled [...]

- Feds Appeal Manzo Decision: The U.S. Attorney’s Office will appeal the ruling by a District Judge that Lou and Ron Manzo can’t be charged under the Hobbs Act since they weren’t holding office at the time of the alleged crimes. Both Manzos had many of the corruption charges against them dropped last week. Meanwhile, [...]