The former Port Authority official who resigned amid the political uproar over the George Washington Bridge lane closures in September 2013 could enter into a plea deal with federal prosecutors Friday in Newark federal court, according to sources familiar with the matter.
David Wildstein, a former ally of Republican Gov. Chris Christie and a Christie appointee to the Port Authority, is expected to appear in federal court Friday to face criminal charges, sources familiar with the case said.
Several one-time associates of Christie all could soon be charged in connection with the bridge lane closures, according to sources, though the specific charges remain unclear. A federal grand jury has been hearing evidence for months in the case.
The lane closings at the bridge, which links Fort Lee and New York City, caused massive traffic problems for days and investigators had been looking to see if the closure was retribution against Fort Lee's Democratic mayor for failing to endorse Christie's gubernatorial re-election bid.
Wildstein's lawyer Alan Zegas did not return calls and emails for comment Wednesday and Thursday. Spokesmen for U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, the Justice Department and the FBI have all declined to comment.
Christie has denied knowing about any lane closure plans, saying he first learned of the controversey when stories appeared in the media. Christie has said he believed his aides and their claims that the closure was part of a traffic study. But a lawyer for Wildstein alleged in February 2014 that the governor knew about them and that he had evidence tying the governor to it.
Officials familiar with the investigation have told NBC 4 New York that there is no evidence so far showing Christie had any advance knowledge of the lane closures.
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In email exchanges obtained by news outlets last year, Wildstein and Bridget Anne Kelly, a Christie deputy chief of staff, wrote about shutting down the bridge.
"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," Kelly wrote.
A few weeks later, on the weekend before the lane closures, Wildstein wrote to her: "I will call you Monday AM to let you know how Fort Lee goes."
The unannounced closings caused traffic backups that lasted hours on streets in Fort Lee, where the mouth of the bridge is located.
Text messages also obtained by NBC 4 New York and other news outlets show an unidentified person texting Wildstein about the Fort Lee mayor, Mark Sokolich, asking for help on the second day of the closures: "Is it wrong that I am smiling?"
He texted back: "No."
The other person texted about feeling bad for children not being able to get to school because of the traffic.
Wildstein wrote back: "They are the children of Buono voters," referring to Christie's 2013 opponent for governor, Democrat Barbara Buono.
In December, a 136-page interim report by a joint legislative panel tasked with investigating the lane closures found no evidence Christie was involved in the scheme. The report echoed the findings of an independent investigation commissioned by Christie's administration that found no proof the governor was involved in the closures or subsequent cover-up, and the governor has consistently denied any advance knowledge of the traffic scheme.
Federal prosecutors issued a new subpoena to the Port Authority last month in connection with the case seeking evidence related to claims that members of the Christie administration may have engaged in retaliatory action against Jersey City's mayor for the non-endorsement. The request included records from former Port Authority officials who were appointed by or were allies of Christie.
The investigation has remained a point of frustration for many supporters of Christie, who has termed the lane closings "inexplicably stupid." Lawyers hired by the governor and a legislative committee investigating the circumstances of the lane closures have found no evidence to contradict his denials of any advance knowledge of them.
News of Wildstein’s expected guilty plea was first reported by Bloomberg News.
