Gov. Mikie Sherrill‘s (D-NJ) newly tapped attorney general announced the state would not appeal an appellate court’s dismissal of the indictment against South Jersey Democratic power broker George Norcross.
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport will not pursue the prosecution against Norcross, signaling a significant departure from the priorities of her predecessor, Matt Platkin, the attorney general under former Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ). Platkin’s office handed out the racketeering and corruption indictment against Norcross and five of his associates in June 2024.
“Our office has decided not to seek review from the New Jersey Supreme Court in State v. Norcross,” a spokesperson for Davenport’s office said in a statement.
The decision from Davenport’s office comes weeks after a state appellate court upheld a February 2025 decision dismissing Platkin’s indictment against Norcross.
“In light of the Appellate Division’s decision, we have concluded that our prosecutorial resources would be best spent on other matters,” the Davenport spokesperson said.
Dan Fee, spokesman for George Norcross, told the Washington Examiner that they “always knew that Matt Platkin brought this case for reasons other than its legal merits.”
“Now multiple judges and Platkin’s successor as AG agree the allegations simply weren’t true,” Fee said. “The question is whether Platkin’s supporters who cheered him on will take a serious look at what he did and whether other authorities will do the same. We will certainly be making the case that he and anyone else who used lawfare against George should be held to account, no differently than [United States Attorney General] Pam Bondi and her DOJ should,” Fee continued.
Norcross was indicted in June 2024 on 13 counts of racketeering and corruption, along with the five other named defendants in the case: his brother, Philip Norcross; former Camden mayor Dana Redd; lawyer William Tambussi; real estate developer John O’Donnell; and businessman Sidney Brown.
The indictment focused on the group’s business and property dealings in Camden, alleging they “would extort others through threats and fear of economic and reputational harm and commit other criminal offenses” to achieve their goals. Platkin alleged in the indictment that the defendants sought to illegally obtain property rights on the Camden waterfront and collect millions in tax credits.
In the January appellate court 92-page decision, a three-panel judge upheld that the charges against the six defendants were either untimely or failed to state a proper criminal offense. Judge Peter Warshaw initially dismissed the charges against Norcross and the codefendants in February 2025.
In their Tuesday statement, Davenport’s office said they “will never shy away from holding public officials accountable when they betray the public’s trust and behave unlawfully.”
“Our office remains committed to prioritizing public corruption prosecutions in this time of deepening mistrust in government,” Davenport’s office said. “Wrongdoing by public officials undermines faith in our institutions, and the public rightfully demands and deserves that officials perform their duties with integrity and in accordance with the law.”
Norcross has been under public scrutiny for decades as a powerful philanthropist in Camden County who wields Democratic influence across South Jersey.
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Norcross’s insurance group, Conner Strong & Buckelew, and an affiliate were also targeted by a Murphy-era state comptroller investigation that alleged the companies violated conflict-of-interest rules and public contracting laws related to municipal and school board health insurance funds.
Conner Strong & Buckelew denied the allegations and called the report “riddled with lies, falsehoods, and blatant inaccuracies.”