Corrupt ex-sheriff Spicuzzo, who took $112K in bribes, let out of jail 7 years early

Joseph Spicuzzo — the former Middlesex County sheriff sentenced in a jobs-for-cash scheme that prosecutors said netted him $112,000 over a more than a decade — has released early from jail Thursday even though he'd been denied parole just months ago, MyCentralJersey.com reports.

Spicuzzo — also longtime head of the county Democratic party, and sheriff for more than 30 years — pleaded guilty in 2013 to a single count of bribery.

Prosecutors have said he Spicuzzo directly or indirectly soliciting and taking bribes of as much as $25,000 from seven people seeking to be hired as investigators. He also was accused of taking bribes from a sheriff's officer for two promotions.

According to the MyCentralJersey  report, Spicuzzo was released on supervised probation Thursday — but it wasn't clear why, after in July a parole board concluded their was a  “reasonable expectation” he'd violate parole conditions if let out of state prison.

He's served just two years of his nine-year prison term.