Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James indicted with his “companion”

HAT TIP: Newark Star-Ledger by Ian T. Shern and John P. Martin

Sharpe James, the legendary former Newark mayor who spent a quarter-century as a dominant force in New Jersey politics, was charged this afternoon with defrauding taxpayers by billing the city for vacations with female friends and arranging lucrative city land deals for a companion.

Ending a nearly three-year FBI investigation, a federal grand jury in Newark indicted James on 33 counts that include conspiracy and mail and wire fraud.

The 86-page indictment said James, 71, arranged for the city to sell municipal real estate at a steep discount to a Newark businesswoman, Tamika Riley, then secretly shared in the profits when Riley sold the parcels to developers.

Prosecutors also accused James of using city-issued credit cards to pay for lavish trips he took with eight women, including Riley, to places including Martha’s Vineyard, Rio de Janeiro, the Dominican…