What Happens to Those Who Investigate Government Corruption

“I knew the consequences of looking into public corruption. You’re not going to make many friends, and you’re certainly going to make many enemies.”

Frederick T. Martens was the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Crime Commission, a body designed to investigate organized crime and public corruption. The Commission was closed in 1994, after investigating the corruption case of Ernie Preate, who was the Attorney General of Pennsylvania at the time. Hailing from New Jersey, Mr. Martens has also served as a detective in the New Jersey State Police. He is also the author of We’ll Make You An Offer You Can’t Refuse: A Primer On The Investigation Of Public Corruption. Mr. Martens joins Merion West’s Erich Prince to discuss public corruption and the fundamental issues that sometimes impede combatting it.

The first thing I want to ask you about, Mr. Martens, is something you’ve touched on in your book. You’re a New Jersey guy. What makes New Jersey so associated with corruption? We’ve had events from Abscam to Bridgegate, but is there some aspect of New Jersey—I know you’ve mentioned the number of townships, for example—that makes it particularly susceptible to corruption?

There are a couple of issues. One, of course, is that New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation. We have 521 municipalities and 21 counties. On top of that—is a state government. So approvals before zoning boards, planning boards, health departments and all the myriads of government can often result in a variety of corrupt acts—bribery and kickbacks being the most common. So with that much government, corruption is inevitable. In many respects, over-regulation and excessive bureaucratic demands create a ripe environment for corruption.

Is that the sort of sentiment that you think may have contributed to Governor Christie’s election in the first place? “We’ve got too much regulation, too much government. Let’s get a Republican with a prosecutor background in here.”