Newark Code Enforcement Officer Charged with Soliciting Bribes from Local Business

State Investigation Alleges Official Misconduct and Extortion

A Newark code enforcement officer has been arrested and charged for allegedly soliciting bribes from a local business in exchange for withholding fines and allowing the store to reopen after she had ordered it closed, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) announced.

Sonia Rogers, 50, of Newark, was taken into custody on Friday, February 28, 2025, by OPIA detectives, with assistance from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. She faces multiple second-degree charges, including:

• Official misconduct,
• Bribery,
• Theft by extortion, and
• Soliciting or accepting any benefit to influence the performance of an official duty.

If convicted, Rogers could face between five to ten years in state prison and fines of up to $150,000.

“My office will not take it lightly when public employees allegedly abuse the power of their positions for personal gain,” said Attorney General Platkin. “The public must be able to trust that those who serve the public will not look the other way in exchange for bribes.”

Alleged Bribery Scheme

According to the OPIA Corruption Bureau investigation, in September 2024, Rogers conducted a code enforcement inspection of a Broad Street retail store in Newark while in uniform. She then ordered the store to close, citing an expired municipal business license.

As alleged in the complaint, Rogers then requested an $800 cash bribe from the store's management, saying she could allow the store to reopen despite city regulations requiring it to remain closed until a fire inspection was completed and the license reinstated. When store employees did not pay, Rogers allegedly settled for taking store merchandise without paying.

Further allegations state that Rogers continued returning to the store through November 2024, making additional demands for compensation and even attempting—unsuccessfully—to take a television.

“The defendant’s trying to line her own pockets, instead of ensuring public health and safety, as alleged here, damages the public’s trust in government and could put lives at risk,” said Drew Skinner, Executive Director of the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. “This case shows that corruption is not a victimless crime, and the dedicated, experienced prosecutors and investigators in my office will not back down in fighting it.”

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Diana Bibb, under the supervision of Corruption Bureau Deputy Chief Laura Croce, Bureau Co-Directors Jeff Manis and Eric Gibson, and OPIA Director Thomas J. Skinner.

The charges against Rogers remain allegations, and she is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.