Ex-Mayor Pleads Guilty to Violating Ban & Attempting to Regain Mayoral Seat

Ex-mayor violated a 2017 court order barring him from public office; plea deal recommends probation.

Jose “Joey” Torres, the former mayor of Paterson, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on December 19, 2024, to criminal contempt of court stemming from his unauthorized 2022 campaign to retake the city’s mayoral seat. The plea marks a dramatic chapter in a legal saga that began with Torres’ 2017 conviction for conspiracy to commit official misconduct and a subsequent court order barring him from holding public office in New Jersey.

Torres, 66, entered his guilty plea in Passaic County before Superior Court Judge Marilyn C. Clark. Prosecuted by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) under New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, the case culminated in Torres admitting to willfully violating the court’s prohibition. The plea agreement recommends a non-custodial probation sentence, with the duration to be determined by the court at sentencing.

“After his first conviction, the defendant had fair warning that any future attempt to return to public office or employment would result in a criminal charge. But he tried to run for his old seat anyway,” said Attorney General Platkin. “The conviction secured by OPIA’s Corruption Bureau sends the message that, when state law and the court say a disqualification is forever, they mean it. And those who don’t take forfeiture orders seriously will see us in court again.”

Torres’ legal troubles date back to 2017 when he admitted to conspiring with city employees to perform work at a private warehouse rented by his daughter and nephew. The employees, paid by Paterson taxpayers, worked on the property under Torres’ supervision. That misconduct led to a guilty plea, a five-year prison sentence, and a permanent forfeiture of public office, formally ordered by the court on September 25, 2017.

The forfeiture order explicitly disqualified Torres from public employment or office in New Jersey. It also stipulated that any attempt to seek public office in violation of the order could result in a fourth-degree criminal contempt charge.

“After being convicted of a public corruption crime, the defendant tried to claim that the court’s order didn’t mean what it said,” said Drew Skinner, Executive Director of OPIA. “No one is above the law, as this conviction demonstrates.”

The 2022 Campaign Bid

Despite the court order, Torres launched a campaign for mayor of Paterson in 2022. In February of that year, he publicly announced his candidacy, urged voters to return him to office, and submitted nominating petitions to the Paterson City Clerk’s Office. The clerk rejected the petitions, and Torres escalated the matter by filing a civil lawsuit seeking to compel their acceptance.

An investigation by the OPIA’s Corruption Bureau led to a criminal contempt charge against Torres in March 2022. In September 2023, a state grand jury indicted him on the charge.

Investigators concluded that Torres knowingly flouted the 2017 forfeiture order by declaring his candidacy, soliciting signatures, and attempting to submit petitions.

Prosecution and Plea Deal

Deputy Attorney General Adam Gerken prosecuted the case, which was overseen by OPIA Corruption Bureau Deputy Chief Frank L. Valdinoto, Co-Director Jeffrey J. Manis, and Executive Director Thomas J. Eicher.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Torres is unlikely to face additional jail time, but the final sentence, which may include probation and mandatory fines, will be determined in a forthcoming hearing.

Attorney General Platkin and the OPIA emphasized the importance of upholding the rule of law. 

Once a dominant figure in Paterson politics, Torres’ latest guilty plea further cements his fall from grace. While his plea deal spares him additional incarceration, the ramifications of his actions continue to erode his legacy in the city he once led.

The court will announce Torres’ sentence in the coming weeks.