‘A crime thriller with no crime:’ George Norcross’ lawyers urge judge to throw out racketeering case

George E. Norcross III urged a judge Tuesday to throw out racketeering charges filed against him and five allies earlier this year, deriding state prosecutors’ case as “a crime thriller with no crime.”

In court filings, lawyers for the South Jersey power broker argued that the state’s sweeping indictment was long on baseless allegations but failed to detail any specific crimes. Instead, they defended what prosecutors have described as Norcross’ attempts to extort rival developers on the Camden waterfront as nothing more than “hardball business negotiations” among businesspeople used to such tough bargaining tactics.

What’s more, they said, much of the conduct detailed in the indictment occurred more than a decade ago, placing it outside the statute of limitations.

“The state’s 111-page indictment reads less like a legal document and more like a screenplay for a putative summer blockbuster,” the filing, authored by Norcross lawyers Michael Critchley and Yaakov Roth, read. “Except the script is missing some critical plot lines … This indictment has no business in a court of law. It is both too trite and too generous to call it an indictment in search of a crime.”

The 55-page motion to dismiss the case, filed Tuesday in Mercer County Superior Court, is the first substantive legal response from Norcross and his allies since Attorney General Matt Platkin unveiled the 13-count case against them in July.

They’ve denied allegations that they conspired to corruptly acquire real estate worth millions along Camden’s waterfront while muscling out rivals and manipulating a 2013 New Jersey tax credit program designed to encourage development in poorer communities to line their own pockets instead.

Also charged are Norcross’ brother Philip, an attorney; Norcross’ longtime lawyer William Tambussi; former Camden Mayor Dana L. Redd; developer John J. O’Donnell, and trucking company executive Sidney Brown.

Peter Warshaw, the judge overseeing the case, has given Norcross’ codefendants until next week to present their own arguments for dismissing the case. The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office is expected to respond by Nov. 22.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Read the motion: