So-called 'spy ties' are available online.
Too bad the FBI didn't have today's technology when investigating Plainfield corruption fifteen or so years ago.
There was intense interest by the FBI in possible corrupt activities by local elected officials, and rumors have circulated over the years that at least one person -- and perhaps more -- 'wore a wire' for the G-men in an effort to gather incriminating evidence.
Though no one was ever indicted, one can suspect that the limits of the technology of the time was among the problems the Feds encountered.
Remember, that was a time when a cell phone was commonly referred to as 'a brick' because that is what it most resembled. The kind of information gathered by 'wearing a wire' consisted in those days of AUDIO RECORDINGS that were most often muffled and indistinct, with prosecutors having to spend days interpreting -- and defending -- what was allegedly on the tapes.
Fast forward to today's corruption trials and it's like the difference between Marconi's original wireless transmission and American Idol in high-def.
As evidence, consider the tape below of Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini, meeting with Mayor Jeremiah Healy and FBI informant Solomon Dwek in a Jersey City diner.
It seems incredible that Beldini was as close to the camera as she seems in the tape and didn't suspect she was appearing in her own reality show. Dwek was perhaps using a 'spy tie' similar to the one pictured at the top of this post, offered online to private detectives and others for a reasonably modest price of around $60-$70.
The clarity of the video and audio are astounding.
Let's see what the jury thinks.
NOTE: The video in this post is embedded via the Bergen Records website (here), which supplied the code for same. This contrasts with the Ledger's approach, which was to 'brand' the video -- supplied by the government -- with its 'NJ.com' logo and disable the download function, forcing viewers to come to its website to view the tape (see here). Which method is more user-friendly? What do you think?
- Record: "Jurors see secret video in NJ corruption case"
- Ledger: "Corruption trial unfolds through hidden cameras"
- Jersey Journal: "Secret tapes reveal Healy knew about donations"
-- Dan Damon [follow]
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