Official in NJ Corruption Bust Gets 33 Months

A former public official considered the final key figure in New Jersey's massive federal corruption sting four years ago has been sentenced to 33 months in prison.

Edward Cheatam was one of the first defendants to plead guilty in Operation Bid Rig in 2009. The former Jersey City housing commissioner admitted taking money from a government informant posing as a corrupt developer and introducing the man to other public officials.

More than three-quarters of the 46 people arrested in 2009 pleaded guilty or were convicted.

At his sentencing in Newark Monday, Cheatam apologized to this family and the city he represented.

The judge said Cheatam's cooperation with the government warranted a lighter sentence than the nine years he could have gotten under federal guidelines.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)