Mayor Resigns, Suspect Found Dead

New Jersey’s corruption scandal took a somber turn today when a man under investigation turned up dead, and a prominent mayor resigned. Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell, who is among the 44 people accused in the far-reaching case, stepped down today. The Democrat is alleged to have taken $10,000 in exchange for helping an FBI informant posing as a developer build a hotel. According to one of his lawyers, Elwell quit after 10 years in office in order to focus on his defense, and doesn’t intend to plead guilty. “He didn’t want to have his problems interfere with the business of Secaucus,” said Jeffrey G. Garrigan, one of Elwell’s lawyers. “He doesn’t want to be a distraction.” Meanwhile, Jack Shaw, a political consultant who was also among the 44 people charged in the case, was found dead in his Jersey City apartment this evening. Police and homicide investigators said that no weapon was found with the 61-year-old. Shaw is accused of taking $10,000 in campaign contributions for an unnamed Jersey City official from the FBI informant, as well as $10,000 for himself.