The key cooperating witness in the New Jersey corruption probe that led to charges against 44 people -- including three mayors -- is a New Jersey real estate developer who was nabbed by federal officials three years ago, law enforcement confirmed.
Solomon Dwek, of Monmouth County, New Jersey, was charged in May, 2006, with scheming to defraud PNC Bank out of $50 million, according to court records.
Dwek was accused of depositing a bogus $25 million check at the PNC Bank in Eatontown and spending $22 million of it before he was caught, the New Jersey Star-Ledger reported.
He then tried to deposit a second bogus $25 million check at a different PNC branch before he was caught, the paper said.
That case is still pending.
Dwek will likely receive a reduced sentence for acting as the hub of the sweeping probe, helping investigators gather graft, money laundering and other charges against two assemblymen, three mayors and 39 others.
Before his arrest, Dwek had been revered by many in the close-knit Sephardic Jewish community in New Jersey for his charity donations, mycentraljersey.com reported.
