Merla will face sentencing Oct. 23 Eight corruption probe targets to learn fates over 3-day span BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer John Merla Two and a half years after being arrested in an undercover FBI sting, former Keyport Mayor John Merla has been issued a sentencing date of Oct. 23. On Thursday, the United States District Court announced the sentencing dates of eight men busted on corruption charges through Operation Bid Rig and related federal investigations. Merla will be sentenced at 1 p.m. on the same day as former West Long Branch Mayor Paul Zambrano and Anthony Palughi, the one-time superintendent of bridges for Monmouth County. After being charged with eight counts of accepting bribes, extortion, mail fraud and other corrupt activities, Merla staunchly maintained his innocence - and his office - for almost two years before pleading guilty in January to one count of accepting a bribe. Former Keyport Councilman Joseph Wedick, who served with Merla throughout the ordeal, said Merla deserves to be locked up for at least four years. "A minimum of four years," Wedick said. "I'm figuring at least six months for each charge. Anything less than that will be a disappointment with a capital D, and I would look for an explanation from the [U.S.] attorney." If Merla is given less time behind bars, the public needs to be informed of any deals he might have brokered for a lesser sentence "so adults can explain the disconnect in a Civics 101 lesson," Wedick said. Current Mayor Robert Bergen also served in Keyport's government with Merla for several terms. Bergen said he was limited in what he could say on the matter but is confident that "the judicial system will work." "I'll wait to see what the judge says after seeing all the evidence," Bergen said. Bergen said he was looking forward to having closure on "that chapter in Keyport history ... no matter what the sentence." "The sooner it gets finalized the better," Bergen said. Councilman George Walling has long been critical of Merla, repeatedly asking the former mayor to step down from office throughout 2005 and 2006. "I'd like to see him get three to four years in Rahway [East Jersey State Prison]," Walling said. "I'm being silly because in Rahway, you know he's not going to be out there playing golf." Walling added that he'd rather see Merla get three years in Rahway than "10 years in some soft prison." He said he recently called the U.S. Attorney's Office about the matter but was disappointed in the response. "I contacted [U.S. Attorney] Chris Christie about a week and half ago, and he never got back to me," Walling said. Merla's attorney, Michael Pappa, had no comment Monday. U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Greg Reinert also declined to comment. Merla will be sentenced last on Tuesday, Oct. 23. Palughi, the county's former superintendent of bridges, will be sentenced first at 10 a.m. Palughi pleaded guilty in August 2005 to soliciting, demanding, accepting and agreeing to accept cash payments in exchange for official action and influence. He also acted as the personal chauffeur to another corruption investigation target, the late Monmouth County Freeholder Director Harry Larrison. Palughi, who agreed to cooperate with the FBI by secretly recording conversations with other suspects, gave colorful testimony in the 2006 trial of another Bid Rig target, Raymond O'Grady, the former Middletown committeeman and Monmouth County Motor Pool director. O'Grady is now serving 43 months in Fort Dix on four counts of corrupt behavior. Zambrano will be sentenced after Palughi at 11 a.m. The former West Long Branch mayor was arrested on the same day as Merla in February 2005. He pleaded guilty to extortion under color of official right in August 2005. On the following day, Oct. 24, sentencing hearings are scheduled for former Neptune Deputy Mayor Richard Iadanza, former Monmouth County Division of Transportation Operations Manager Joseph "Joey Buses" McCurnin and former Long Branch Councilman John "Fazz" Zambrano. Each pleaded guilty to one count of extortion. On Oct. 25, sentences are scheduled to be handed down to former Far Hills Councilman Thomas Greenwald and Jacob Messer, who was the general manager of First Vehicle Services, Neptune, at the time he was charged in 2006. Both men were involved in the FBI's investigation of alleged corrupt activities involving International Trucks of Central Jersey, Howell.