Essex County Man, Fire Inspector Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes for Assisting Prostitution Businesses

Jersey City Fire Inspector, Phillip Procaccino, 56, of Belleville, has pled guilty to accepting bribes from prostitution businesses in Jersey City. Procaccino confessed his crimes in front of a judge today in Newark Federal Court.

Procaccino admitted to providing Jersey City businesses that were promoting prostitution with certificates of occupancy and advance notice of inspections or law enforcement activity, the Unites States Attorney District of New Jersey stated.

U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden charged the fire inspector with one count of attempting to obstruct, delay and affect interstate commerce by extortion under color of official right.

Procaccino described his crimes in detail in a statement made in court. In his statement, the Belleville resident admitted to accepting a $2,500 bribe on Oct. 23, 2013 for obtaining a certificate of occupancy for a massage parlor that also operated as a prostitution business.

“Procaccino also offered to provide notice of impending inspections from Jersey City authorities so the owner and employees could preemptively hide evidence of prostitution,” U.S. Attorney Fishman added in a statement today.

The fire inspector also engaged in illicit activity with a second Jersey City prostitution business. In his statement, Procaccino admitted to taking 10 percent of the business’ profits in exchange for a certificate of occupancy. Procaccino also agreed to warn the owners of any police activity targeting the business, providing one day’s advance notice of any police visits or inspections.

Procaccino could face up to 20 years in prison for his crimes. The defendant will also face a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss caused by the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 23, 2015, the Attorney General reports.

The investigation was conducted by special agents of the FBI’s Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford, and criminal investigators from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vikas Khanna and Amy Luria of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark tried the case. All were commended today by U.S. Attorney Fishman for their work in bringing Procaccino to justice.