Hudson County road inspector admits taking bribes

JERSEY CITY — A former Hudson County roads inspector admitted he initiated and accepted a bribe to delete any violations he my have issued for a construction project.

Barry Smith, 52, of Bayonne, on Thursday pleaded guilty to official misconduct.

Smith was arrested in May after the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office investigated what transpired at a construction site in the area of Kennedy Boulevard and 15th Street in Bayonne, authorities said.

Officials also alleged Smith had accepted a similar cash payment in December 2019.

Prosecutors will recommend Smith receive three years in prison and forfeit future public employment when he is sentenced in January.

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