The chief executive officer of a major privatized military housing company has been indicted in a south New Jersey racketeering scheme unrelated to the corporation’s Defense Department activities.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin filed criminal charges Monday against six defendants, including John O’Donnell, CEO of the Michaels Organization, for their roles in developing the waterfront of Camden, New Jersey, directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia.
The indictment alleges that the defendants, led by businessman and Democratic power broker George Norcross III, used their power and influence to obtain property and property rights for themselves and others through “coercion, extortion and other criminal acts,” while collecting millions of dollars in government-issued tax credits and influencing government officials.
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According to a release from Platkin’s office, O’Donnell, of Newtown, Pennsylvania, is not only CEO of the Michaels Organization, he is a partner in groups that own buildings in Camden at the center of the racketeering allegations.
The Michaels Organization is a vast real estate development corporation and apartment management company with thousands of properties in more than 30 states. It has maintained a portfolio of military housing communities since 2004, managing roughly 18,000 houses at…
