Joseph A. Ferriero | |
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Bergen County Democratic Organization Chairman | |
In office 1998 – January 22, 2009 |
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Preceded by | Jerry Calabrese |
Succeeded by | Michael Kasparian |
Constituency | Bergen County, New Jersey |
Personal details | |
Born | June 25, 1957 |
Political party | Democratic |
Residence | Hackensack, New Jersey |
Alma mater |
Fordham University (B.A.) Hofstra University School of Law (J.D.) |
Occupation | Attorney |
Religion | Roman Catholic |
Joseph A. Ferriero (born June 25, 1957) is an American Democratic Party political leader from New Jersey and former chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Organization. Ferriero, an attorney by profession, resides in Hackensack. In September 2008, Ferriero and an associate, Dennis Oury, were indicted by a federal grand jury on seven counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. On October 22, 2009, he was found guilty on three of the eight counts against him. On July 29, 2010 Ferriero's conviction was vacated by U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler, citing a recent ruling by the United States Supreme Court narrowing the scope of " honest services fraud". Judge Chesler added "what Mr. Ferriero had been charged with is not considered a crime". However, in 2013, a federal grand jury once again indicted Joe Ferriero again on charges of bribery, kickback and shakedown schemes, including a plot to extort $1.7 million from a prior developer of the New Jersey Meadowlands retail and entertainment project now known as American Dream Meadowlands.
Ferriero was born on June 25, 1957, in Holy Name Medical Center, Teaneck, New Jersey, to Joseph and Lucille Ferriero. His father was a factory worker. In 1996, Lucille succumbed to Lou Gehrig's disease.
Ferriero has three siblings: Rosemary, Carol (deceased) and Barbara.
From the time he was three years old, young Ferriero was the mascot of Hose Company #3, where his father served as a volunteer firefighter. At the age of 16, Ferriero himself joined the Dumont Fire Patrol, eventually joining the Dumont Volunteer Fire Department after he turned 18 and worked his way up to the rank of Captain.
Ferriero is the father of three teenaged children – Joseph age 17 (c. 1992) and twins Christopher and Sophia age 14 (c. 1995).
Ferriero is also an avid runner, running the 2008 New York City Marathon in 4 hours, 30 minutes. Ferriero's eldest son, Joseph, joined Ferriero for the final ten miles.