Passaic’s 2nd corrupt mayor in a row pleads guilty to bribery

PASSAIC — The city's mayor has admitted accepting $110,000 in bribes from two developers in exchange for directing federal housing funds to a failed low-income housing project.

Alex Blanco on Thursday pleaded guilty in federal court in Newark to accepting a bribe and agreed to resign from office. The City Council is holding an emergency session to pick an acting mayor.

The Democrat won a special election in 2008 to succeed Mayor Samuel Rivera, who resigned and was sentenced to 21 months in prison in 2008 for accepting bribes. He was released from prison in 2010.

Blanco, who was re-elected in 2009, faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when he's sentenced on Feb. 23.