Earlier this week, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin announced charges against George E. Norcross, III, his brother Phil, an attorney, and others. Now that the dust has settled a bit, we wanted to give you some important perspective.

The charges are entirely baseless and the statements Mr. Platkin made in support of them are blatantly false. Simply put, this is a political attack masquerading as a criminal case. We look forward to proving there are no facts or law to support this outrageous prosecution.

There will be ample time to explore Mr. Platkin’s motivations for bringing these false charges. But for today, let there be no confusion: at their heart, these allegations are about actions George and Phil and so many others took to revitalize Camden, once the nation’s poorest and most violent city and now a shining example of urban renewal.

Today, Camden is a demonstrably stronger and better place than it was just a decade ago. The city is the safest it has been in 50 years, with homicides down by 70%. Its education system has been reimagined with the creation of neighborhood Renaissance Schools in partnership with the NJEA, and in 2022, more than 400 Camden graduates went on to college, up from just three in 2011. There is unprecedented investment, including a more than $3 billion expansion by Cooper University Health Care, the largest program in Eastern Pennsylvania and all of New Jersey. Thousands of new jobs have been created. There have been massive investments in everything from roads and parks to athletic fields for school age children and new housing. (Please see attachment for additional details about Camden’s renaissance).

In short, Mr. Platkin is trying to thwart Camden’s renaissance in order to pursue a personal vendetta. Importantly, the tax credits at the heart of his allegations have been repeatedly reviewed, audited, approved and awarded by state authorities — including by the Attorney General’s Office Mr. Platkin heads, which as counsel to the EDA must approve the tax credits in conjunction with the EDA. While Mr. Platkin has served as Attorney General and counsel to the EDA, the EDA has continued to issue tax credits for Conner Strong & Buckelew, NFI, and The Michaels Organization, and Cooper University Health Care.

Camden’s future today is brighter because of the very people Mr. Platkin has targeted. Rather than recognize that undeniable fact, Mr. Platkin has turned the Camden success story into a twisted narrative of criminal conduct that is false in every way.

We look forward to defending George and Phil against the baseless allegations in a court of law, where facts and not personal agendas matter.