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North Bergen Housing Authority supervisor to serve 46 months for corruption

News - Reprints
 

 By Anthony J. Machcinski/The Jersey Journal

 NEWARK — A North Bergen Housing Authority official who admitted extorting cash in exchange for vacation days was sentenced yesterday morning to nearly four years in prison.John T. Kennell, 50, of North Bergen, was arrested in August and charged with extortion. Kennell pleaded guilty to those charges in December in front of Newark federal court Judge Jose Linares.

Kennell, accompanied by attorney Arthur Carmano, declined to speak to the court, only telling Linares “I’m sorry.”

Kennell agreed in a plea deal to a prison sentence of between 46 and 57 months, but Carmano argued for leniency, saying his client was a “good person who did a bad thing.”

“I don’t think I’ve had a client who has done as much for the community without asking for anything back,” Carmano said, citing Kennell’s history of raising funds for 9/11 families. “He has an extensive record of helping the community. John Kennell is the man who ran into buildings to save lives. That’s the character of John Kennell.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Cortez disagreed with Carmano’s assessment, saying Kennell “used his position for his own personal gain” and his crime “was not just a one-time thing.”

Linares, citing some of the good Kennell has done, sentenced the former Housing Authority employee to 46 months in prison. He must report on Sept. 9.

Kennell, who supervised the employees of a grounds maintenance company employed by the Housing Authority, accepted cash to secure unauthorized paid vacation days for the workers.

Kennell then falsely reported to the company that the employees were working at the Housing Authority.

Receiving between $100 and $400 from each employee as a payoff, Kennell netted between $2,000 and $2,500 as a result of his actions.

He was terminated by the Housing Authority in December following his guilty plea.