Former NJ DOT Commissioner Jamie Fox Charged in Samson’s United Airlines Bribery Scheme

Former New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner Jamie Fox was charged by federal officials for his role in the bribery scheme that former Port Authority Chairman David Samson pleaded guilty to today, according to a statement by U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.

Additionally, United Airlines has agreed to a pay a $2.5 million penalty and to make compliance reforms for its role in the scheme in which it established a non-stop route between Newark-Liberty Airport and Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina for Samson to fly to his vacation home in Aiken, SC.  In exchange Samson allowed the Port Authority Commission to approve a lease of three acres at the airport for United to build a maintenance hanger.

Fox, in his role as a $7,500 per month consultant to United, is accused of shaking down United employees, on Samson’s behalf, to get the route to South Carolina established.

Fox was former Senator Robert Torricelli’s chief of staff, in both the House and Senate and served on former Governor Jim Florio’s staff. He was Governor Jim McGreevey’s Transportation Commissioner, chief of staff and Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of NY/NJ. While serving as NJ’s top employee at Port Authority, Fox was also a member of New Jersey’s Local Finance Board, the Department of Community Affairs board that oversees municipal budgets and ethics of municipal officials.

In 2007  Fox left Port Authority to go into the private consulting business where United became his client.

Governor Chris Christie nominated Fox to return as DOT Commissioner in 2014.  He resigned from the Christie Administration in October 2015.