From Politico: A judge has dismissed indictments against New Jersey Democratic power broker George Norcross and his five co-defendants, potentially ending a case that rocked New Jersey politics and boosted the profile of Attorney General Matt Platkin.

Judge Peter Warshaw in a Wednesday ruling tossed the racketeering indictments against Norcross; his brother Phil; attorney Bill Tambussi; former Camden Mayor Dana Redd; John O’Donnell, former CEO of the Michaels Organization rental company; and Sidney Brown, CEO of the logistics company NFI.

From CBS News:

Democratic power broker George Norcross has been granted a motion to dismiss the New Jersey Attorney General's indictment against him and all other defendants on racketeering charges after a judge's ruling Wednesday.

Norcross, the chairman of the board of trustees at Cooper Health and the executive chairman of insurance firm Conner, Strong and Buckelew, was accused of controlling property deals along the Camden waterfront to collect millions of dollars in tax credits.

The former Camden Mayor Dana Redd was also charged in the indictment, as was Norcross' brother Philip. The others charged include William Tambussi, George Norcross' longtime personal attorney, former Cooper Health trustee Sidney R. Brown, and developer John J. O'Donnell.

Brown and O'Donnell were partners in the groups owning various Camden buildings including the Ferry Terminal Building and the Triad1828 Centre.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said his office will be "appealing immediately." Here's his full statement:

"We disagree strongly with the trial court's decision, and we are appealing immediately. After years in which the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently cut back on federal public corruption law, and at a time in which the federal government is refusing to tackle corruption, it has never been more important for state officials to take corruption head on. But I have never promised that these cases would be easy, because too many have come to view corruption as simply the way the powerful do business in New Jersey. That corruption has consequences: it breeds a loss of trust in government and in our public servants, at a time when we must work to protect and restore faith in our institutions. Today is a reminder of how much work remains, and how difficult it will be to clean up government in our state. But along with the career law enforcement officers and prosecutors who have worked on this case for years, I won't back down from that fight."

STATEMENT FROM MICHAEL CRITCHLEY, ESQ. ON TODAY'S DISMISSAL OF THE
CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST GEORGE E. NORCROSS, III AND HIS PARTNERS IN
CAMDEN'S RENAISSANCE

CAMDEN, NJ: Today, Judge Peter E. Warshaw dismissed the charges the
New Jersey Attorney General's office brought against George E.
Norcross, III and his partners in Camden's renaissance -- Philip A.
Norcross, Sid Brown, John O'Donnell, William Tambussi, and former
Camden Mayor Dana Redd.  During a 3PM press conference discussing the
dismissal, George Norcross' attorney Michael Critchley made an opening
statement.  Below are Mr. Critchly's remarks as prepared for delivery.

"I want to begin by asking why Matt Platkin, who was so eager to hold
a press conference when issuing a politically motivated sham
indictment, has refused to meet the press today, now that a judge has
ruled that everything he alleged is entirely without merit. New
Jerseyans deserve to hear Mr. Platkin explain himself after this
stunning rebuke from the court.

The truth of the matter is that Mr. Platkin took the storied
reputation of the New Jersey Attorney General’s office and trashed it.
This politically motivated indictment will go down in history as an
epic failure and a blot on the fine reputation of the line prosecutors
whom Mr. Platkin forced to do his dirty work.

As any lawyer worth his salt could tell you, Mr. Platkin was wrong on
the law, which is why two other law enforcement agencies in two states
looked at the facts of this case and passed.

They know – and we know – that this indictment was a sham. But Mr.
Platkin, with his scant legal experience, was never focused on
justice. He was focused on his political career – on what’s next, and
best, for him.

At his press conference last summer, he said that the powerful must be
held to account and he is right about that.

He is powerful – and now it is time for him to be held to account for
abusing that power to score political points and engage in political
vendettas.

He must be held to account for making the people of New Jersey doubt
that justice in this state is blind.

He must be held to account for his failure to help a sexual assault
survivor because it did not benefit him politically.

When a young woman pleaded with him for help because she had been
sexually assaulted, a bipartisan legislative committee questioned the
credibility of Mr. Platkin's testimony and found that he “appeared
more concerned with avoiding negative publicity than following proper
protocols and getting to the truth of the matter.”

When the people of New Jersey were falling ill during COVID and could
not get tested, Mr. Platkin repeatedly used his position to take tests
that were meant for sick New Jerseyans.

When a federal judge ruled against the county line, Mr. Platkin put
out a letter masquerading as a press release that a federal judge
dismissed as irrelevant. The judge accused him of “lobbing his opinion
from the cheap seats," much as he did at his press conference last
summer when he announced this baseless, sham indictment.

In short, all that matters to Matt Platkin is what is best for him, not justice.

George Norcross and his co-defendants were fortunate to have had the
resources to fight this politically motivated indictment. What is more
frightening is that too many people across this state do not have the
same resources and now must wonder if Mr. Platkin will use his office
to further his own lust for power and vengeance.

In the age in which we currently live, we know the dangers of powerful
people misusing the awesome powers of law enforcement to further their
own political agendas. New Jersey deserves better."